Canadian scientists are racing to understand more about the threat of the omicron variant — how fast it spreads, whether it causes more or less severe illness, and if it can escape previous immunity to COVID-19 — but it could take weeks before a full picture emerges.
There have been dozens of suspected and confirmed cases of omicron reported throughout Canada in recent days, but several have no known link to international travel and have prompted concerns the variant could already be driving outbreaks here.
Health officials in London, Ont., confirmed omicron is now linked to a cluster of at least 40 COVID-19 cases in the city associated with schools, child care centres and a church, with 171 high-risk close contacts identified.
Dozens of suspected and confirmed cases of omicron have been reported throughout Canada in recent days, but several have no known link to international travel and have prompted concerns the variant could already be driving outbreaks here. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)
Canadian labs better prepared for omicron
But the capacity to analyze this new variant and quickly share information about it both in Canada and globally has grown dramatically from a year ago, when the alpha and beta variants of concern first emerged.
“The most important thing for Canadians to know is that we have spent more than a year building the capacity for genomic surveillance,” said Catalina Lopez-Correa, executive director of The Canadian COVID Genomics Network (CanCOGeN).
“But it’s really early days for us to predict the clinical outcomes, the transmissibility, also we don’t know if this variant will be as fast taking over like delta … all this we can only see with time.”
Marc-André Langlois, a molecular virologist at the University of Ottawa who heads the Coronavirus Variants Rapid Response Network (CoVaRR-Net), says labs across the country are working tirelessly to conduct experiments on omicron.
“What’s changed is the fact that we’ve managed to bring our academic laboratory assets together,” Langlois said. “We have epidemiologists, we have modellers, we have immunologists, virologists and they’ve all come together.”
Guillaume Bourque, director of bioinformatics at the McGill Genome Centre in Montreal, says Canada is also now able to act on the data more quickly.
“Now we have the system in place,” Bourque said. “We want to make it available to public health and to the scientific community as fast as possible, so that people can really start working on trying to understand the variant and then give advice to public health in terms of the best approach to try to contain it.”
Langlois says that the early data coming out of southern Africa on omicron is useful — but limited in scope.
“That snapshot is very, very different to the Canadian landscape. So the information we have now is indicative, but it’s not a true reflection of what’s going to happen when this variant spreads in Canada,” he said. “This is why we need a Canadian network to look at the Canadian situation.”
WATCH | Spike in COVID-19 levels in South Africa as omicron variant spreads:
South Africa sees spike in COVID-19 cases as omicron variant spreads
4 days ago
Duration 2:02
The omicron variant is driving a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases across South Africa. Scientists believe the variant is more transmissible, and may even bypass acquired immunity in some people who have recovered from COVID-19. 2:02
Langlois said the first tests will look at whether antibodies from COVID-19 vaccines will still neutralize the virus compared to other variants, but figuring out how much of an impact omicron could have on vaccine effectiveness at a population level will take time.
“We’re talking about maybe two, three more weeks to get some neutralizing data from the blood of Canadians,” he said.
Not enough data to ‘speculate’ on omicron impact yet
But Canadian scientists aren’t just looking on Canadian soil for answers — they’re also poring over hints from around the world about the impact omicron could have here.
Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) at the University of Saskatchewan, says epidemiologic data from documented omicron cases in Canada and globally will be key.
“We’re looking at the number of breakthrough infections that occur, looking at the number of people who’ve been vaccinated, who end up not only with infection with the omicron variant but also in the hospital,” she said.
“We are reliant on these studies to determine really whether the vaccines will remain effective — including protecting against severe disease caused by omicron.”
Another way scientists are understanding more about how omicron spreads is by experimenting with the virus in other species using challenge studies, where animal models are vaccinated and then infected with the variant to determine how severe their illness is.
“We’re looking to see what type of clinical manifestations this variant causes in laboratory animals and if in laboratory animals this particular variant can transmit easily,” said Alyson Kelvin, a virologist at the Canadian Center for Vaccinology and VIDO in Saskatoon.
“Those are key evaluations that need to occur before we can really speculate anything about this variant.”
People travel at Pearson International Airport during the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto on Friday. New travel testing and restrictions have been put in place due to the omicron variant. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press)
Could omicron overtake delta in Canada?
Delta remains the dominant variant in Canada, but if early speculation about omicron being more transmissible and causing less severe disease holds true, experts say we could be looking at a very different epidemic picture in Canada in the coming weeks and months.
“To be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised if it does take off because if it’s like delta, the main thing we can do is slow down progression,” said Bourque.
“We need to learn as much as we can from experiments that we’ll be doing here on those samples, but also from other colleagues from all over the world.”
Bourque says Canadian scientists can piece together a better picture of omicron in the coming days, which will help “buy ourselves a few weeks” to make the most educated decision possible going forward on how best to mitigate potential spread.
“What concerns I think a lot of scientists, including myself, is that we’re seeing omicron slowly overtaking delta in southern parts of Africa. So at least over there, it looks like it is more transmissible than delta,” Langlois said.
“Will that hold true for Canada and the northern hemisphere? We don’t know. But it is likely to be more transmissible.”
Delta remains the dominant variant in Canada, but if premature speculation about omicron being more transmissible and causing less severe disease holds true, experts say we could be looking at a very different epidemic picture in Canada soon. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
‘Concerning’ mutations don’t tell whole story
Omicron contains more than 30 mutations in the spike protein alone, the part of the coronavirus which helps it enter human cells, some of which are associated with resistance to neutralization from antibodies.
But scientists are urging caution before drawing too much from the limited data on the real world impact of omicron to date.
“Those mutations are concerning, but we had several different variants across this pandemic that had mutations in very concerning sites and they didn’t end up being highly transmissible or more pathogenic,” said Lopez-Correa.
Kelvin says just because a variant has concerning mutations, does not mean it will necessarily take off — especially in the face of other variants like delta.
“The beta variant, which was first identified in South Africa, had probably the lowest amount of neutralization from either vaccine antibodies or antibodies from people who’ve recovered from COVID-19,” she said.
“But that’s not the variant that we saw that spread around the world.”
Until we know more from laboratory tests and real world data in highly vaccinated populations, speculation about the impact omicron could have in Canada and around the world should be weighed carefully.
“Yes, this variant is concerning. Yes it will likely be more resistant to neutralization. But is this variant a monster? Probably not. The vaccines will work against this variant,” said Langlois.
REGINA – Saskatchewan Opposition NDP Leader Carla Beck says she wants to prove to residents her party is the government in waiting as she heads into the incoming legislative session.
Beck held her first caucus meeting with 27 members, nearly double than what she had before the Oct. 28 election but short of the 31 required to form a majority in the 61-seat legislature.
She says her priorities will be health care and cost-of-living issues.
Beck says people need affordability help right now and will press Premier Scott Moe’s Saskatchewan Party government to cut the gas tax and the provincial sales tax on children’s clothing and some grocery items.
Beck’s NDP is Saskatchewan’s largest Opposition in nearly two decades after sweeping Regina and winning all but one seat in Saskatoon.
The Saskatchewan Party won 34 seats, retaining its hold on all of the rural ridings and smaller cities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
Telus Corp. says it is avoiding offering “unprofitable” discounts as fierce competition in the Canadian telecommunications sector shows no sign of slowing down.
The company said Friday it had fewer net new customers during its third quarter compared with the same time last year, as it copes with increasingly “aggressive marketing and promotional pricing” that is prompting more customers to switch providers.
Telus said it added 347,000 net new customers, down around 14.5 per cent compared with last year. The figure includes 130,000 mobile phone subscribers and 34,000 internet customers, down 30,000 and 3,000, respectively, year-over-year.
The company reported its mobile phone churn rate — a metric measuring subscribers who cancelled their services — was 1.09 per cent in the third quarter, up from 1.03 per cent in the third quarter of 2023. That included a postpaid mobile phone churn rate of 0.90 per cent in its latest quarter.
Telus said its focus is on customer retention through its “industry-leading service and network quality, along with successful promotions and bundled offerings.”
“The customers we have are the most important customers we can get,” said chief financial officer Doug French in an interview.
“We’ve, again, just continued to focus on what matters most to our customers, from a product and customer service perspective, while not loading unprofitable customers.”
Meanwhile, Telus reported its net income attributable to common shares more than doubled during its third quarter.
The telecommunications company said it earned $280 million, up 105.9 per cent from the same three-month period in 2023. Earnings per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 was 19 cents compared with nine cents a year earlier.
It reported adjusted net income was $413 million, up 10.7 per cent year-over-year from $373 million in the same quarter last year. Operating revenue and other income for the quarter was $5.1 billion, up 1.8 per cent from the previous year.
Mobile phone average revenue per user was $58.85 in the third quarter, a decrease of $2.09 or 3.4 per cent from a year ago. Telus said the drop was attributable to customers signing up for base rate plans with lower prices, along with a decline in overage and roaming revenues.
It said customers are increasingly adopting unlimited data and Canada-U.S. plans which provide higher and more stable ARPU on a monthly basis.
“In a tough operating environment and relative to peers, we view Q3 results that were in line to slightly better than forecast as the best of the bunch,” said RBC analyst Drew McReynolds in a note.
Scotiabank analyst Maher Yaghi added that “the telecom industry in Canada remains very challenging for all players, however, Telus has been able to face these pressures” and still deliver growth.
The Big 3 telecom providers — which also include Rogers Communications Inc. and BCE Inc. — have frequently stressed that the market has grown more competitive in recent years, especially after the closing of Quebecor Inc.’s purchase of Freedom Mobile in April 2023.
Hailed as a fourth national carrier, Quebecor has invested in enhancements to Freedom’s network while offering more affordable plans as part of a set of commitments it was mandated by Ottawa to agree to.
The cost of telephone services in September was down eight per cent compared with a year earlier, according to Statistics Canada’s most recent inflation report last month.
“I think competition has been and continues to be, I’d say, quite intense in Canada, and we’ve obviously had to just manage our business the way we see fit,” said French.
Asked how long that environment could last, he said that’s out of Telus’ hands.
“What I can control, though, is how we go to market and how we lead with our products,” he said.
“I think the conditions within the market will have to adjust accordingly over time. We’ve continued to focus on digitization, continued to bring our cost structure down to compete, irrespective of the price and the current market conditions.”
Still, Canada’s telecom regulator continues to warn providers about customers facing more charges on their cellphone and internet bills.
On Tuesday, CRTC vice-president of consumer, analytics and strategy Scott Hutton called on providers to ensure they clearly inform their customers of charges such as early cancellation fees.
That followed statements from the regulator in recent weeks cautioning against rising international roaming fees and “surprise” price increases being found on their bills.
Hutton said the CRTC plans to launch public consultations in the coming weeks that will focus “on ensuring that information is clear and consistent, making it easier to compare offers and switch services or providers.”
“The CRTC is concerned with recent trends, which suggest that Canadians may not be benefiting from the full protections of our codes,” he said.
“We will continue to monitor developments and will take further action if our codes are not being followed.”
French said any initiative to boost transparency is a step in the right direction.
“I can’t say we are perfect across the board, but what I can say is we are absolutely taking it under consideration and trying to be the best at communicating with our customers,” he said.
“I think everyone looking in the mirror would say there’s room for improvement.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
Two years after the failed launch of a lending program, Canada Post is making another foray into banking services.
The postal service confirmed Friday that it will be offering a chequing and savings account in partnership with Koho Financial Inc.
The accounts will be launched nationally next year, though Canada Post employees will be offered early access as the product is tested.
Canada Post spokeswoman Lisa Liu said in a statement that there are gaps in the banking and savings products available that the Crown corporation looks to fill.
“Canada Post is uniquely positioned to fill some of these demands. Many of our existing financial products help meet the needs of new Canadians and those living in rural, remote and Indigenous communities, but we believe more is required.”
The MyMoney offering will be a spending and savings account where customers will be able to choose between features like high interest rates, cashback rewards and credit-building tools.
A document briefly posted to the Canadian Union of Postal Workers website said it would use a prepaid, reloadable Mastercard that will use money from the account like a debit card but offer the features of a Mastercard.
It said there will be a range of account tiers, including no-fee accounts and paid accounts with more features.
The plans comes after Canada Post launched a lending program with TD Bank Group in late 2022, only to shut it down weeks later because of what it said were processing issues.
Liu said the postal service has since been exploring other possible financial service offerings.
“Utilizing what we’ve learned, we are making a strategic shift from loans toward products more aligned with our core financial service products.”
The new account will be delivered with financial technology company Koho. A few months ago the company paired with Canada Post to allow its customers to deposit cash into their account through post offices.
Koho is also working to secure a Canadian banking license to expand its services.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
