Canadian COVID-19 News

[Montanan]

Sobering to consider.

Moderna Chief Medical Officer Tal Zaks told Axios that the public should not "over-interpret" the vaccine trial results to assume life could go back to normal after adults are vaccinated.

Zaks warned that the trial results show that the vaccine can prevent someone from getting sick or "severely sick," from COVID-19, however, the results don't show that the vaccine prevents transmission of the virus.

"They do not show that they prevent you from potentially carrying this virus transiently and infecting others," Zaks said in an interview for "Axios," the outlet's show on HBO.

Zaks added: "When we start the deployment of this vaccine we will not have sufficient concrete data to prove that this vaccine reduces transmission."

While he believes based on the science that it's likely that vaccine does prevent transmission, there's still no solid proof of that.

"I think it's important that we don't change behavior solely on the basis of vaccination," he said.

Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine is one of three vaccines that have shown effectiveness in trial results. The company said its vaccine is 94.5% effective at protecting people against COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by GordMay

As is mostly usual, I agree with your observations, however I felt moved to one slight modification to your final statement.

Yes, I'd accept your friendly amendment .

There are almost always multiple choices one can theoretically make. Some of these people could find other ways to stay in Canada. In fact, I'm an example of that. My only home is my boat, but I don't stay on it over winter. Most years I've wintered in Canada.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Yes, I'd accept your friendly amendment .
There are almost always multiple choices one can theoretically make. Some of these people could find other ways to stay in Canada. In fact, I'm an example of that. My only home is my boat, but I don't stay on it over winter. Most years I've wintered in Canada.

You were among those, in my thoughts, when I proffered the amendment.

[hpeer]

Does “easy” equate to “cost tolerable”? LOL

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Montanan

Sobering to consider.



Moderna Chief Medical Officer Tal Zaks told Axios that the public should not "over-interpret" the vaccine trial results to assume life could go back to normal after adults are vaccinated.



Zaks warned that the trial results show that the vaccine can prevent someone from getting sick or "severely sick," from COVID-19, however, the results don't show that the vaccine prevents transmission of the virus.



"They do not show that they prevent you from potentially carrying this virus transiently and infecting others," Zaks said in an interview for "Axios," the outlet's show on HBO.



Zaks added: "When we start the deployment of this vaccine we will not have sufficient concrete data to prove that this vaccine reduces transmission."



While he believes based on the science that it's likely that vaccine does prevent transmission, there's still no solid proof of that.



"I think it's important that we don't change behavior solely on the basis of vaccination," he said.



Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine is one of three vaccines that have shown effectiveness in trial results. The company said its vaccine is 94.5% effective at protecting people against COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

Once we vaccinate a significant proportion we get effectively herd immunity hence the virus runs out of hosts in which to replicate

Also populations will have had “ enough “ you can see lockdown fatigue everywhere

So the brakes will come off once we see mass vaccinations

[Lake-Effect]

Drag to hear that Thunder Bay is having a breakout. I still have family there; I hoped that TBay might get spared for the most part.

And of course here in S Ont the new Toronto/Peel lockdown is biting hard. It's really going to affect many businesses for whom this pre-Christmas season is 50% or more of their yearly take. And restaurants/bars! One guy just dropped $35k on a patio setup with heaters etc... and he can't use it.

I do question whether authorities have made the best choice this time. In particular - if they had put up the sort of extra staffing and protections around the vulnerable places like seniors homes, LTC, etc (that should have been there all along, grrrr), AND if they lay on some extra beds and staff in a separate COVID-only treatment center, then maybe we could maintain some openness, and still avoid a higher death-rate. I sound like Dockhead now, right?

Perhaps we should have had restrictions sooner, in order to hold the numbers down, so that the current lockdown wouldn't have been necessary, or as hard on small business.

PLUS they're letting many big-box and dept stores stay open, but not the small businesses.

This one's gonna hurt, for sure.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Lake-Effect

Drag to hear that Thunder Bay is having a breakout. I still have family there; I hoped that TBay might get spared for the most part.

Gord can speak to the details, but the numbers are still pretty low in comparison to southern Ontario. But it is a disturbing trend. The first wave barely touched the Thunder Bay district. I sure hope things don't get out of hand up there. Health facilities, especially in the smaller communities, are very limited.

Originally Posted by Lake-Effect

And of course here in S Ont the new Toronto/Peel lockdown is biting hard. It's really going to affect many businesses for whom this pre-Christmas season is 50% or more of their yearly take. And restaurants/bars! One guy just dropped $35k on a patio setup with heaters etc... and he can't use it.

It's interesting looking at how other provinces are managing things. In BC, for example, they are specifically NOT closing bars and restaurants, even though the whole province is under pretty tight lockdown restrictions. The reason I've heard stated is because they don't see much transmission coming from this sector.

It's unfortunate policy makers can't be far more targetted in their approach. But this is why we need strong contract tracing. Without it, we lose count of where the infections are coming from, so we act broadly and blindly.

[hpeer]

Exactly right Mike.

And a lot of the “reporting” is just telling stories our of context, which jacks up the population and makes everything more difficult.

[Montanan]

Albertans tune in to live news conference.

https://twitter.com/YourAlberta/stat...shaw-1.5814089

An announcement will come today on new measures intended to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Alberta.

Premier Jason Kenney, Health Minister Tyler Shandro, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw and Dr. Verna Yiu, CEO of Alberta Health Services, will be at today's COVID-19 briefing to provide an update on the pandemic and the province's response.

Albertans have been bracing for new restrictions, as cases continue to surge rapidly.

As of Monday, the province had 13,166 active cases, more than any other province in Canada. In her briefing Monday, Hinshaw warned that cases are escalating out of control.

'Like a snowball'
"This is like a snowball rolling down a hill, growing bigger and faster, and it will continue unless we implement strong measures to stop [it]. We must take action," Hinshaw said Monday.

"Waiting any longer will impact our ability to care for Albertans in the weeks and months ahead."

The news conference has been scheduled for 4:30 p.m. MT.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

... It's unfortunate policy makers can't be far more targetted in their approach. But this is why we need strong contract tracing. Without it, we lose count of where the infections are coming from, so we act broadly and blindly.

As any batter (or shooter) will tell us, you can't hit (target) what you can't see (trace).


As I noted early yesterday morning on Nov. 23 (#804):
“Since Nov. 6, there have been 109 cases reported in the Thunder Bay District, which accounts for 48% of the total cases since the start of the pandemic.”

Now, as of today (Nov 24) our positive test rate is 0.3%, whereas Ontario’s rate is 1.8%, and we’re up to 221 confirmed cases in the city (347 in region). Today 14 cases reported, 23RD had 7 cases reported, so now 130 cases since Nov 6 (59% of total) - Not a pretty set of curves!
See the stats & CURVES ➥ https://www.tbdhu.com/coviddata

[Midnight Son]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Once we vaccinate a significant proportion we get effectively herd immunity hence the virus runs out of hosts in which to replicate

Also populations will have had “ enough “ you can see lockdown fatigue everywhere

So the brakes will come off once we see mass vaccinations

That is what I'm afraid of, it takes ~28 days after the last of the injections for the body to generate it's full immunity or the limited amount it will attain.

[Montanan]

Alberta's new Covid-19 restrictions.

The new measures introduced on Tuesday will be evaluated after three weeks, Kenney said.

They are:

Social gatherings — No indoor social gatherings allowed. Outdoor gatherings limited to 10 people. Unlike previous measures, these are mandatory and Kenney said they will be enforced with fines of $1,000.

Places of worship — Faith-based groups can operate with mandatory reduced capacity, of one-third of the building's occupancy. Mask use is mandatory.

Businesses that must close include banquet halls, conference centres, trade shows, auditoriums and concert venues, community centres, children's play places and indoor playgrounds. Sports are also included in this category.

Food and beverage — Restaurants, bars, pubs and lounges will be open. Tables can seat a maximum of six people from the same household, while people who live alone can meet with up to two non-household contacts who are part of their cohort. Last call will continue to be at 10 p.m. and licensed food-serving establishments must close at 11.

Businesses that can remain open with restrictions include most retail businesses, with capacity limited to 25 per cent of fire code occupancy. That includes liquor and cannabis shops, grocery stores, pharmacies, clothing stores, computer and technology stores, hardware, automotive and approved farmers and seasonal markets. Also included are movie theatres, museums and galleries, libraries, casinos (though table games must close) and indoor entertainment centres.

Fitness and recreation centres can operate with reduced capacity, but only for individual workouts, with no group fitness, group classes, group training, team practices or games.

'Social gatherings are the biggest problem'

"Let me just be absolutely clear about this," Kenney said. "Social gatherings are the biggest problem. Many people may think that a family dinner or a get-together with friends is no big deal, it's just normal. And you know, we don't imagine when we gather with family that people are going to be transmitting a virus like this.

"But it is the key reason why COVID-19 is winning. These gatherings in the home continue to be the largest source of transmission and so they must stop now. That's why, effective immediately, no indoor social gatherings will be permitted in any setting, and outdoor social gatherings will be limited to a maximum of 10 people. Let me repeat: no indoor social gatherings will be permitted, period."

[GordMay]

Second COVID-19 death reported in Thunder Bay District
Previous COVID-19 related death reported in Thunder Bay District was in April.
More ➥ https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thund...v-24-1.5814169

[Montanan]

COVID-19 in Canada: Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador leave Atlantic bubble

Yahoo News Canada
COVID-19 in Canada: Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador leave Atlantic bubble
Elisabetta Bianchini
Mon, November 23, 2020, 11:48 AM MST
Scroll back up to restore default view.

For more on today’s top stories and the spread of the novel coronavirus across the country, please refer to our live updates below throughout the day, as well as our COVID-19 news hub.


The provincial governments of Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island, announced Monday morning that anyone arriving to the provinces from other regions in the Maritimes will have to self-isolate for 14 days, breaking down the Atlantic bubble.

The government of Newfoundland and Labrador said updates on this “temporary” change, which comes into effect on Wednesday, are expected to be made in two weeks for the province. Officials will be looking at the epidemiology in Atlantic regions and outbreak numbers, including the level of community spread.

“Implementing this change for a two-week period is an effort to avoid a full lockdown,” Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador Dr. Andrew Furey said at a press conference. “As we have seen the number of [infections] begin to creep up throughout the Maritimes, our own alarm bells began to sound.”

“The circuit break means all travel to and from the province will only be for essential reasons...If anyone within the group has particularly extenuating circumstances, making 14 days of self-isolation impossible, there will be an option to apply for testing to possibly shorten that time of quarantine.”

P.E.I. Premier Dennis King confirmed at a separate press conference that the province is suspending all non-essential travel to and from P.E.I. for a two-week period, beginning on Tuesday.

“I don’t believe it is a step backwards for us, even though we know it is a tough measures,” King said. “I feel it is a proactive measure, I feel it is a preventative step and a preemptive decision, which we hope will allow us to maintain the level of almost ordinary life that we have been enjoying in this province.”

“The risk to our province from an infection standpoint has always been from the outside. All of our cases have been imported through travel and I think it is important to note that even though we are seeing escalation in the region, none of our cases to date have come from the bubble but...we know that things are changing.”

Dr. Furey identified that this is not the news people in the province wanted to hear before Christmas, but stressed that officials need to be “proactive” to limit COVID-19 transmission in Newfoundland and Labrador.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/canada-co...184808926.html

[goboatingnow]

Wow Alberta has a very tough set of restrictions