Canadian COVID-19 News

[Macblaze]

Originally Posted by AiniA

Good news that vaccinations are starting next week even if the number of available shots is quite small to start. Apparently three million by the end of January. I think Canada has hedged its bets pretty well with contracts with five different vaccine producers and 5x the number of doses needed.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves....

Dr. Supriya Sharma, the chief medical adviser at Health Canada, has said her department could approve the Pfizer product as soon as this week.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/tru...tion-1.5830938

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Macblaze

Let's not get ahead of ourselves....
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/tru...tion-1.5830938

Provinces discuss rollout plans, preach patience ahead of COVID-19 vaccine arrival
Provinces discussed their respective COVID-19 vaccine rollout plans, and urged patience following Monday's announcement that Canada is expecting to receive up to 249,000 doses, enough for nearly 125,000 people, of the Pfizer/BioNTech ‘BNT162b2' vaccine, by the end of December (pending approval, this week).
Here's a look at how provinces and territories are planning for the arrival of the first round of vaccines.
More ➥ https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/vacci...nces-1.5831787


Meanwhile, in Britain:
‘V-Day’: UK rolls out vaccine, 90-year-old woman, Margaret Keenan, first in line
UK becomes first in world to make Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine available for widespread use as mass inoculation begins.
➥ https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/...-first-in-line

[Mike OReilly]

A big change for Alberta:

Alberta imposes tough new restrictions in bid to curb soaring COVID-19 infections
Provincewide mask mandate takes effect immediately; casinos, restaurants, pubs closing on Sunday

The Alberta government ordered the closure of all casinos and gyms, banned dine-in service at restaurants and bars, and imposed a mandatory provincewide mask requirement on Tuesday under new restrictions aimed at curbing the province's soaring COVID-19 infection rates.

The province also banned all outdoor and indoor social gatherings, and imposed mandatory work-from-home measures.
...
The closures taking effect at midnight Sunday include all:

• Restaurants, pubs, bars, lounges and cafes to in-person service. Only takeout, curbside pickup and delivery services will be permitted.
• Casinos, bingo halls, gaming entertainment centres, racing entertainment centres, horse tracks, raceways, bowling alleys, pool halls, legions and private clubs.
• Recreational facilities such as fitness centres, recreation centres, pools, spas, gyms, studios, camps, indoor rinks and arenas.
• Libraries, science centres, interpretive centres, museums, galleries, amusement parks and water parks.
• Businesses offering personal and wellness services such as hair salons, nail salons, tattoo parlours and massage businesses.

Funerals and wedding ceremonies will be limited to 10 people.
Regulated health services such as physiotherapy, social or protective services, shelters for vulnerable persons, emergency services and soup kitchens can remain open for in-person attendance.

Hotels may remain open but must follow all relevant restrictions. Outdoor recreation is permitted but facilities with indoor space will be closed except for the washrooms.

[NaClyDog]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

A big change for Alberta:

It's sad it took them this long to do it...

[Macblaze]

Originally Posted by NaClyDog

It's sad it took them this long to do it...

And that we did it so haphazardly. My partner can't go for her weekly distanced walks in a park with her vulnerable friend any more, but they can still go to church or shopping at the mall (indoors).

Still, as we rip this bandaid off oh so incrementally and painfully, one day we will get there.

[Macblaze]

Originally Posted by AiniA

Good news that vaccinations are starting next week even if the number of available shots is quite small to start. Apparently three million by the end of January. I think Canada has hedged its bets pretty well with contracts with five different vaccine producers and 5x the number of doses needed.

Ok. You were right. I was being pessimistic about the approval process. Time to start allowing some hope to shine through

https://www.canada.ca/en/health-cana...9-vaccine.html

[sv_pelagia]

Damned (by the Conservatives) if you don't and damned if you do (by Amnesty International)...

"Amnesty said Canada was the country that had bought the most shots when considering the size of its population with enough doses to vaccinate every Canadian five times."

https://www.reuters.com/article/heal...-idUSKBN28J1BE

[NaClyDog]

Originally Posted by sv_pelagia

Damned (by the Conservatives) if you don't and damned if you do (by Amnesty International)...

"Amnesty said Canada was the country that had bought the most shots when considering the size of its population with enough doses to vaccinate every Canadian five times."

https://www.reuters.com/article/heal...-idUSKBN28J1BE

Since we have zero domestic production, we had no choice if we wanted to ensure full coverage soonest.


I suspect the extra doses we bought will end up going to countries that need them.

[Macblaze]

Originally Posted by NaClyDog

Since we have zero domestic production, we had no choice if we wanted to ensure full coverage soonest.


I suspect the extra doses we bought will end up going to countries that need them.

I got the impression that the gov't was buying on spec from multiple suppliers. I would be surprised if those were "firm" orders. The business side of this vaccine thing is frankly horrifying...

[Capn Jimbo]

Canada has done a bang up job compared to the US. It's my understanding that your government contracted with six or seven different companies who would guarantee 20 million doses each, but with options to buy more.


The notion seems to be that in good time, they would purchase more from the company(ies) whose vaccine(s) were doing the best.

[TrentePieds]

Does the name "Connaught Laboratories" ring a bell with anyone here?

If so you will recall that we Canadians had, once upon a time, one of the world's leading producers of vaccines. That we do not now, is directly because an ambitious, if indigent, young man from Baie-Comeau, a company town on the St. Lawrence River established to house the workers at the newsprint producing paper mill built there by "Col" Robert McCormick of Chicago Tribune fame. This young lad's farther was an electrician at that plant, and the lad himself sang for his supper (or at least for the odd fifty-dollar bill) — He sang for McCormick as later on he sang for the 40th POTUS.

By the reign of the 40th POTUS, the young lad had, with a little help from those friends in Chicago who loved his voice, risen to become a prominent corporate lawyer and, indeed, become CEO of the Iron Ore Company of Canada located in Schefferville, Quebec. The young lad in his capacity of CEO of the IOC dictated in 1982 that all mining of iron ore at Schefferville should cease, and, miracle of miracles, he transisted smoothly to becoming leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada and Prime Minister of Canada, a post he held for 11 years.

Production of ore at Schefferville commenced again in 2011, which, to my mind, would indicate that the shutdown in 1982 was NOT necessitated by the mine having become "uneconomical", though that was, of course, claimed at the time.

It was during the reign of this lad, Brian Mulroney, as PM, that Connaught was sold to the French firm Mérieux as but one of the steps taken during that period to dismantle Canada's ability to "fend for herself". Let no-one be surprised that the decisions to set out on this destructive path of divestiture were taken by the likes of Mulroney and his Minister of Industry, Science and Technology, Harvie Andre, on the basis of recommendations made to the Government of Canada by the Boston Consulting Group!

Indeed, the ghost of Jimmy Monroe walks among us! When will it ever stop?

Yet, our present want of native industrial capacity could, given men of vision in Ottawa, be the spur to the creation of import substituting industries. It's not as if we don't have the physical and intellectual resources to create them. All that's wanting is political backbone :-)

TP

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by sv_pelagia

Damned (by the Conservatives) if you don't and damned if you do (by Amnesty International)...

"Amnesty said Canada was the country that had bought the most shots when considering the size of its population with enough doses to vaccinate every Canadian five times."

https://www.reuters.com/article/heal...-idUSKBN28J1BE

There was a vague G20 pledge to assist poorer nations. Canada signed on, of course, but it's not really clear what it means. Maybe we'll give them our excess once we're done inoculating everyone (and probably after they've all gone past the 'best-before' date).

G20 leaders pledge to fund fair distribution of COVID-19 vaccines

[Montanan]

Originally Posted by Macblaze

And that we did it so haphazardly. My partner can't go for her weekly distanced walks in a park with her vulnerable friend any more, but they can still go to church or shopping at the mall (indoors).

Still, as we rip this bandaid off oh so incrementally and painfully, one day we will get there.

On point, there be an important and fundamental difference between "can" or "can't" [allowed or not allowed] and should or should not. The "hazardly" root portion of your adverb haphazardly applies to making contact with anyone during a pandemic outside of your "bubble" / immediate cohabitating household.

Stay safe.

[Macblaze]

Originally Posted by Montanan

On point, there be an important and fundamental difference between "can" or "can't" [allowed or not allowed] and should or should not. The "hazardly" root portion of your adverb haphazardly applies to making contact with anyone during a pandemic outside of your "bubble" / immediate cohabitating household.

Stay safe.

I see what you are saying though let's be clear, it's not the restrictions I object to but rather the permissions. I can go to church. I can go to the mall. These are IMHO idiotic permissions if it has been determined that I can't (am not allowed/it is hazardly) visit select people in a socially distanced, outdoor environment.

But the underlying ideologies of our leadership dictate otherwise.

[sv_pelagia]

Originally Posted by Macblaze

I see what you are saying though let's be clear, it's not the restrictions I object to but rather the permissions. I can go to church. I can go to the mall. These are IMHO idiotic permissions if it has been determined that I can't (am not allowed/it is hazardly) visit select people in a socially distanced, outdoor environment.

But the underlying ideologies of our leadership dictate otherwise.

Here in BC, it is more "shouldn't" or "PLEASE don't" rather than "can't" or "mustn't". Most, though not all (and perhaps not enough) seem to be following our BC style of "lockdown" (which it isn't).

[Did I include enough contractions above?]