Canadian COVID-19 News

[N Coast Murray]

People with Delta variant can be contagious for two days before they have any symptoms:

https://www.healthline.com/health-ne...aving-symptoms

Hopefully this will be the last big Covid push, unless another variant with problematic mutations is lurking out there somewhere...

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by N Coast Murray

People with Delta variant can be contagious for two days before they have any symptoms:

https://www.healthline.com/health-ne...aving-symptoms

Hopefully this will be the last big Covid push, unless another variant with problematic mutations is lurking out there somewhere...

lambda is definitely worrying

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by N Coast Murray

People with Delta variant can be contagious for two days before they have any symptoms:

https://www.healthline.com/health-ne...aving-symptoms

Hopefully this will be the last big Covid push, unless another variant with problematic mutations is lurking out there somewhere...

Good point, Murray, and another good reason for everyone to mask up. Those of us who can read know what masks do and why and how they help.


Last Push? Hmm, I wish it could be. But with the ungodly number of willfully ignorant citizens in that country to our south, I doubt it and hope they stay there. At least entry rules for visitors make sense. My friend's kid came up from NJ last week, hadda prove negative, etc. At least that seems to be working.

[N Coast Murray]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

Good point, Murray, and another good reason for everyone to mask up...

Yup.

Meanwhile, in some poor, densely populated under vaccinated country far removed from our attention, Covid finds fertile ground to mutate.

[Mike OReilly]

A bit of politics, but a sign that some sort of national* vaccine certificate/passport is inevitable (as I said months ago):

Liberals pledge $1-billion fund to help provinces bring in proof-of-vaccine programs


* It will have to be provincially run, of course. But using national standards.

[Midnight Son]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

A bit of politics, but a sign that some sort of national* vaccine certificate/passport is inevitable (as I said months ago):

Liberals pledge $1-billion fund to help provinces bring in proof-of-vaccine programs


* It will have to be provincially run, of course. But using national standards.

Sound off by province:
Manitoba - complete. Surprising for a Conservative Govt.

[Macblaze]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

A bit of politics, but a sign that some sort of national* vaccine certificate/passport is inevitable (as I said months ago):

Liberals pledge $1-billion fund to help provinces bring in proof-of-vaccine programs


* It will have to be provincially run, of course. But using national standards.

I am starting to wonder what a "Vaccine Passport" actually is. Do we have an accepted definition?

Alberta: Tyler Shandro (Minister of Health) https://twitter.com/shandro/status/1430988046216794119

I would like to inform Albertans that a new section has been added to the @youralberta website with information on accessing proof of vaccination records. 1/8

Albertans have been asking more questions about proof of vaccination in recent days so we have posted answers to some of the most common questions online.

To be clear, the Alberta government has not and will not mandate a so-called ‘vaccine passport’ for domestic use. 2/8

Other jurisdictions (provinces/countries) may have different requirements which the Alberta govt does not control.

Albertans already receive proof of vaccination when they get their shot, be it from AHS, pharmacies, or a doctor. 3/8

But some Albertans, for whatever reason, are still hoping to receive a more formal document (ex. for international travel).

Alberta MyHealth Records was launched in March 2019, providing Albertans with secure digital access to their personal health records. 4/8

800,000 Albertans already have MyHealth accounts.

Thousands have signed up in recent days, 2,000 yesterday alone. You too can sign up at https://myhealth.alberta.ca 5/8

While not specific to COVID-19 or vaccines, MyHealth has long included vaccination records – not just for COVID19 – as part of Albertans’ health records.

Albertans can then print a hard copy of the record or display the vaccination record through the mobile app. 6/8

Finally, they may take a screenshot to display upon request.

We are working on making MyHealth Records more accessible for Albertans. Soon, Albertans will be able to print a conveniently sized paper card. 7/8

If you have not already received both doses of a #COVID19AB vaccine, you can book an appointment at http://alberta.ca/vaccine.

Please consider doing so.

95% of ICU patients since June were either unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated. 8/8

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Midnight Son

Sound off by province:
Manitoba - complete. Surprising for a Conservative Govt.

Yes indeed... it hopefully shows that politics and public health don't have to be intertwined.

As further evidence, most of the Atlantic provinces have had conservative governments during the pandemic, and yet they've had some of the most restrictive responses to the disease. Even Quebec's ruling party is politically right-of-centre on most issues (but with their own "distinct" Quebec flair, of course). Even Saskatchewan has a vaccine certificate, although they are careful not to call it a "passport."

Really, the only holdouts are Ontario and Alberta. In the case of Ontario, there is going to be a provincial certificate whether the provincial government wants it or not. I expect something similar will happen in Alberta.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Macblaze

I am starting to wonder what a "Vaccine Passport" actually is. Do we have an accepted definition?

Alberta: Tyler Shandro (Minister of Health) https://twitter.com/shandro/status/1430988046216794119

It's a damn good question. As an official Ontarian I already have my official vaccination record online. I carry both the printed version and the official PDF document, but as we all know, it's not hard to forge either, so I see the "passport" as being some sort of secure direct linkage to the online database.

It just would be so much easier if there was one national approach to providing verified certification. But as you noted earlier, we don't have a national healthcare system. We have 13.

[Mike OReilly]

Right on cue: (CBC) Ontario to institute vaccine passport system, sources say

Ontario will announce a form of proof-of-vaccine certification — commonly known as a "vaccine "passport" — for the province, sources tell CBC News. The plan is expected to be revealed early next week.

[NaClyDog]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Right on cue: (CBC) Ontario to institute vaccine passport system, sources say

But but but... Dougie said no no no.

[Mike OReilly]

CBC:
Ontario's COVID-19 vaccine passport plan unveiled, won't apply to retail

Plan goes into effect Sept. 22, digital verification app to follow on Oct. 22

Where will proof be needed?

The vaccine certificate system will cover "higher-risk" indoor spaces where masks can't be worn at all times, officials said. It applies to the following settings:

• Restaurants and bars (excluding outdoor patios, delivery and takeout).
• Nightclubs, including outdoor areas.
• Meeting and event spaces like banquet halls and convention centres.
• Sports and fitness facilities and gyms, with the exception of youth recreational sports.
• Sporting events.
• Casinos, bingo halls and gaming establishments.
• Concerts, music festivals, theatres and cinemas.
• Strip clubs, bath houses and sex clubs.
• Racing venues.

and

Quebec's vaccine passport goes into effect, limiting much of public life for those unvaccinated

In Quebec, the list of non-essential activities prohibited to those without a vaccine is wide-ranging: restaurants, movie theatres, gyms, team sports and indoor pools are all now off limits to those who aren't adequately vaccinated, or granted a rare exemption for medical reasons.

[Montanan]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/med...?ocid=msedgntp

A study conducted in the U.K. offers some of the first large-scale, real-world data on how well vaccination protects people against catching a "breakthrough" COVID-19 infection, and how well it protects breakthrough patients from becoming seriously ill. The results are encouraging.
. . .

The vaccines were never intended to prevent infections completely, but to reduce the rates of infection within a population and, most importantly, to reduce the severity of illness in people who do catch it. The study found that people who contracted the coronavirus despite being fully vaccinated were almost twice as likely to have no symptoms at all, compared to the wider population. Crucially, the odds of a fully-vaccinated person who does catch COIVD-19 ending up hospitalized with severe symptoms were reduced by more than two-thirds compared to an unvaccinated coronavirus patient. The survey also found that the risk of breakthrough patients suffering from long-COVID, with symptoms lasting more than a month, were cut in half by full vaccination.

[Montanan]

So since Montana is not going to issue a "vaccine passport", and has made it illegal for businesses to have any vaccine mandate or even ask for vaccine status, of their employees, customers, suppliers, services, accommodations, or otherwise, might I be able to finagle one from Up North.

Just asking.

[GordMay]

These charts show that COVID-19 vaccines are doing their job

Immunizations are keeping the majority of vaccinated people out of the hospital.

One of those charts shows that, from January 24 to July 24, vaccinated individuals were hospitalized with COVID-19, at a much lower cumulative rate, than unvaccinated individuals [1].

A separate study [2], described August 24 in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, that focused on Los Angeles County also showed that while COVID-19 vaccines don’t always stop infections, the shots still prevent people from landing in the hospital. That’s even with the spread of the highly contagious delta variant, which has raised concerns among public health officials because some vaccinated people who get infected can transmit the coronavirus to others

More about ➥ https://www.sciencenews.org/article/...test_Headlines

[1]“COVID-19-associated hospitalizations among vaccinated and unvaccinated adults ≥18 years – COVID-NET, 13 states, January 1 – July 24, 2021" ~ by Fiona P. Havers et al
➥ https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...56v1.full-text

[2] “SARS-CoV-2 Infections and Hospitalizations Among Persons Aged ≥16 Years, by Vaccination Status — Los Angeles County, California, May 1–July 25, 2021" ~ by Jennifer B. Griffin et al
➥ https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/...cid=mm7034e5_w