Canada - Coronavirus COVID-19 #2

[LadyL]

Toronto, Peel to close businesses with 5 or more COVID-19 cases linked to the workplace

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toro...h61U7R8PEMQ_rvg-Aj3mo83V4lhh_OhlOyEHx7lqKsNmk

 

[dotr]

April 19 2021
Amid surging cases and 'double mutant' variant, flights from India touch down in Canada | National Post

1. 
   ''A federal government website that lists flights where someone has been confirmed to have been infected with COVID-19shows that from April 4 to April 16, there were 120 flights with a COVID-positive passenger or passengers.
   Of those flights, 27 were from Delhi.''
   ''India banned international flights last month, but Canada is one of 13 nations exempted through an “air bridge” arrangement between the two governments.
   When asked whether Canada was considering banning flights from India on Wednesday, federal minister of health Patty Hajdu said that the challenge with country-by-country approaches is that “COVID spreads in ways that we can see and ways that we can’t.”

Rupa Subramanya: Canada must immediately suspend flights to and from India | National Post
April 20 2021
''As deadly new variants of COVID-19 wreak havoc around the world, two countries of great concern are Brazil and India, each of which is reeling from a huge spike in infections and deaths from new variants, the P.1 variant in Brazil and the B.1.617 in India. The Indian variant — the “double mutant” strain — has two mutations, the E484Q and the L452R. The L452R is especially problematic, as it has 20 per cent greater transmissibility and leads to a greater than 50 per cent reduction in antibody efficacy.''

 

[10ofRods]

So...Canada is still allowing international flights (but not to the US? But allows to India?)

Maybe I'm misunderstanding. Brazil and India would definitely be the places with the most variants (which happen at random throughout the COVID genome, and the number increases with the number of people who are infected).

Canada is implementing a phased vaccination program, right? I thought I read that not all healthcare workers were taking the vaccine, and that they had moved on to the segment for non-frontline healthcare workers.

It's very frightening and it's sad, because Canada was doing so well, for so long - if only the vaccines had come sooner. And been more plentiful. No one seems to really understand the exact reason - except that Pfizer's new plant is not fully online yet, and its existing plant is at maximum output; Moderna announced more capacity but has a "US-first" and "UK-first" contract with those two nations.

EU nations and Canada come next. US says it will have enough vaccines for everyone by the end of May, IIRC and Britain should not be far behind. The people who negotiated the vaccine contracts for both US and UK included experts on Big Pharma contracts, whereas I'm not sure that the other nations paid for that kind of consultation.

There's an impolite word to describe all this.

 

[Tadpole12]

COVID-19: Ontario's science advisers call for a change in direction; province reports 3,469 new cases, 186 in Ottawa | Ottawa Citizen

 

[Satchie]

So...Canada is still allowing international flights (but not to the US? But allows to India?)

RSBM
The US land border is the same as the air borders, closed to foreign visitors, but open to Canadians/ Permanent Residents, or foreigners who qualify as 'essential', or a few other exceptions. There's a large population with close ties to India. Canadians are strongly discouraged from travelling, but can't legally be prevented.

There are quarantine requirements for arrivals, they have to pass a test after they arrive, and even then are supposed to stay in isolation for 2 weeks.

Yet, of course, some people don't follow the rules.

One of the first variant cases was from an adult child returning from the UK, who visited their parents in violation of quarantine, the parents soon tested positive but lied about their contact with the adult child even though they were both medical professionals!

 

[LadyL]

Weddings, funerals and other religious services will be limited to 10 people indoors or outdoors, but receptions are prohibited. The stay at home order was extended for an additional two weeks as well. This means the stay at home order won’t expire until at least May 20th.

Ontario government announces further measures to combat COVID-19

 

[LadyL]

Biden says U.S. plans to offer Canada extra COVID-19 vaccines in future

 

[LadyL]

Nurse begs B.C. residents to take pandemic seriously after tear-filled night on COVID-19 unit

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/brit...VxEqaOMct02iroYnRC9Xfjl42vub6uJfELJCKbxfo8z_I

 

[Tadpole12]

Ontario reports 4,212 new COVID-19 cases; 32 more deaths

 

[LadyL]

5 Ontarians from different addresses charged after riding in same car during stay-at-home order

 

[otto]

There we have it! People with Canadian passports who sometimes live in other countries have brought the India virus variant to Canada.

"Health officials in Quebec have confirmed a first case of B1617, the coronavirus variant first detected in India.

The variant was detected in a patient in the Mauricie–Centre-du-Québec region, between Montreal and Quebec City, according to public health.

B1617 is known for transmitting easily and causing more severe symptoms. The Quebec patient had received a first vaccine dose in January but became infected a couple of months later, according to Dr. Gaston De Serres of Quebec's public health institute (INSPQ)."
​

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/coronavirus-covid19-canada-world-april21-2021-1.5995908

 

[Sundog]

There we have it! People with Canadian passports who sometimes live in other countries have brought the India virus variant to Canada.

"Health officials in Quebec have confirmed a first case of B1617, the coronavirus variant first detected in India.

The variant was detected in a patient in the Mauricie–Centre-du-Québec region, between Montreal and Quebec City, according to public health.

B1617 is known for transmitting easily and causing more severe symptoms. The Quebec patient had received a first vaccine dose in January but became infected a couple of months later, according to Dr. Gaston De Serres of Quebec's public health institute (INSPQ)."
​

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/coronavirus-covid19-canada-world-april21-2021-1.5995908

So these are Canadians who travel abroad for various reasons, including because they have homes in Canada and abroad? Seems that the issue is that the quarantine system at entry isn't working very well, like it does in Australia, for example, when Australians living abroad return to Australia and are quarantined for two weeks.

 

[Satchie]

So these are Canadians who travel abroad for various reasons, including because they have homes in Canada and abroad? Seems that the issue is that the quarantine system at entry isn't working very well, like it does in Australia, for example, when Australians living abroad return to Australia and are quarantined for two weeks.

No, I think Canada is much more accessible to the rest of the world than Oz, people are accustomed to lots of routine international travel.

I don't think there would be tolerance of a full two week hotel quarantine, new measures require a day or two (paid by the traveller) and that's been challenging.

Though people sure are travelling back home: I checked international flights arriving tomorrow to the airport in Toronto, there are over a dozen coming from the US, almost as many from Europe, a few from Asia and the Middle East, only one from south of US, 2 from New Dehli.

Airlines are not supposed to let anyone on board without a negative test in the previous x hours. But people could well be catching Covid at the airport.

 

[LadyL]

The Canadian government is looking at options to toughen border controls and an announcement is coming soon, Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Howard Njoo said today.

"There is an urgent need to address issues with testing and quarantining at the borders, including falsified COVID-19 testing documentation, travellers opting [for] fines over complying [with] quarantine requirements, or travelling via private vehicle/plane to avoid quarantine, among several other areas of concern," they wrote.

Video (at link): O'Toole wants temporary ban on flights from India, Brazil, U.K. (The Canadian Press)

Decision on further border restrictions coming 'shortly,' says federal health official

© motive56/Shutterstock In April alone, 17 flights from Delhi to Vancouver have had a COVID-19-positive person aboard. In the same period, seven other flights from Amsterdam, Tokyo, Mexico City, and the U.S. have reported exposures.

 

[LadyL]

Canada banning flights from India, Pakistan for 30 days as COVID-19 cases soar

 

[LadyL]

COVID-19 variant first detected in India found in Canada. What we know so far

 

[LadyL]

‘The ICU is a nightmare’: Wife thanks community after husband and Regina chef dies of COVID-19

 

[Lexiintoronto]

An oil tanker that left from from Belgium to Montreal is now anchored off Cape Breton, NS, because of a COVID outbreak on board. One crew member is onshore in hospital, 8 onboard are infected.

NS sent medical personnel, and added a big shipment of honey, NS hats, Tim Horton Doughnuts and Girl Guide cookies etc. for them.

They’ll only be able to move once the Public Health Agency of Canada clears them to move again.


https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5997662

 

[LadyL]

Labatt president calls on 'corporate Canada' to help combat vaccine hesitancy

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/lond...NL1gmsVJdcGWQWN7jU3oKj-Hr8VJtjUrpFMLjUNERVNDg

 

[10ofRods]

It is awful to read about these events and the numbers. Falsified documents are heinous.

The Canadian government is looking at options to toughen border controls and an announcement is coming soon, Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Howard Njoo said today.

"There is an urgent need to address issues with testing and quarantining at the borders, including falsified COVID-19 testing documentation, travellers opting [for] fines over complying [with] quarantine requirements, or travelling via private vehicle/plane to avoid quarantine, among several other areas of concern," they wrote.

Video (at link): O'Toole wants temporary ban on flights from India, Brazil, U.K. (The Canadian Press)

Decision on further border restrictions coming 'shortly,' says federal health official

© motive56/Shutterstock In April alone, 17 flights from Delhi to Vancouver have had a COVID-19-positive person aboard. In the same period, seven other flights from Amsterdam, Tokyo, Mexico City, and the U.S. have reported exposures.

This is terrible - but it's hard to say that epidemiologists didn't see it coming. I really fear for the effects that India's surge (really, their first wave) are going to have on the rest of the world.