Canada - Coronavirus COVID-19 #2

[LadyL]

750K more COVID-19 vaccinations needed for B.C. to start reopening: expert

 

[LadyL]

Medical experts in Ontario calling for creative strategies in next phase of COVID-19 vaccine rollout

 

[LadyL]

Vancouver police used RCMP helicopter to disperse beach-goers Saturday night

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/brit...-01FfkSKCSENHFkhGHjKoLoMJ-BA9oFtcDOxZXNfhNMmo

 

[LadyL]

Discretion, compassion part of being a COVID-19 contact tracer during 3rd wave

 

[LadyL]

Doug Ford says Ontario summer camps will be allowed to open this year

 

[Tadpole12]

Fri,
Ontario reports 2,362 new COVID-19 cases, 26 more deaths

Sat,
The Ontario reports 2,584 new COVID-19 cases and 24 deaths; ICU occupancy remains elevated

Sun,
Ontario reports 2,199 new COVID-19 cases; 30 more deaths


Mon,
Ontario reports 2,170 new COVID cases Monday - Bradford News

7-day avg. 2,352 May 16

 

[LadyL]

Survey shows Saskatchewan leading the country in COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy

 

[otto]

Although the vaccine seems to work with the India Variant, according to outbreaks in the UK, the India Variant is more infectious (transmissible) than the UK Kent variation. According to memory, the UK variation was more transmissible that the original virus.

I'm curious whether global variations are becoming more transmissible on an exponential basis - where each variation has double the transmission of earlier virus variations. For example, the UK version was more infectious than the original version, the India variation is more infectious than the UK version.

Is the risk that the virus will not become more deadly, but it will spread more easily? That seems to be the point of argument amongst experts in Canada - how big is the air that carries the virus.

 

[JDG]

I believe the Indian variation is up to 50% more transmissible/potent than the Kent variant.

50 physicians died on Sunday in India. 269 doctors have died in the second wave in India.

Once again, governments are choosing how to 'count' the dead.

One family member said his father died of COVID (he had fever and other symptoms) not tested tho, yet on the death certificate it said he had a cardiac arrest.

When the family member questioned this, he was told it 'no point in testing his father as he was already dead'.

This is the opposite of what was happening in Britain, where if one had tested positive and died a few months later in a car accident, they were classified as a COVID death.

 

[JDG]

Although the vaccine seems to work with the India Variant, according to outbreaks in the UK, the India Variant is more infectious (transmissible) than the UK Kent variation. According to memory, the UK variation was more transmissible that the original virus.

I'm curious whether global variations are becoming more transmissible on an exponential basis - where each variation has double the transmission of earlier virus variations. For example, the UK version was more infectious than the original version, the India variation is more infectious than the UK version.

Is the risk that the virus will not become more deadly, but it will spread more easily? That seems to be the point of argument amongst experts in Canada - how big is the air that carries the virus.

Otto, I believe the risk is two-fold, its more easily transmitted and its more virulent. As its mutating, it seems to be getting stronger at this time.

We will know shortly, as it is rampant in parts of England where many were eligible for the shot but didnt bother getting it.

Also, I believe there are 45 cases of the India variant in Ontario as of yesterday.

Lets see how we fare over the next week or two.

With the long weekend ahead, I expect all COVID numbers to go up again as people meet up and enjoy themselves.

In my neighbourhood, lots of people have been playing tennis, soccer etc for weeks now. Kids sneak under the locked gates and now the openings are large enough for adults to get through.

Many dont seem to care anymore.

 

[otto]

Otto, I believe the risk is two-fold, its more easily transmitted and its more virulent. As its mutating, it seems to be getting stronger at this time.

We will know shortly, as it is rampant in parts of England where many were eligible for the shot but didnt bother getting it.

Also, I believe there are 45 cases of the India variant in Ontario as of yesterday.

Lets see how we fare over the next week or two.

With the long weekend ahead, I expect all COVID numbers to go up again as people meet up and enjoy themselves.

In my neighbourhood, lots of people have been playing tennis, soccer etc for weeks now. Kids sneak under the locked gates and now the openings are large enough for adults to get through.

Many dont seem to care anymore.

There is definitely a shift in thinking after people receive even one dose of the vaccine. It's going to be very difficult to convince people to be careful after 2 doses.

I suppose the governments need to release stats on vaccinated people getting sick, and whether those people have any long terms side effects.

 

[otto]

I believe the Indian variation is up to 50% more transmissible/potent than the Kent variant.

50 physicians died on Sunday in India. 269 doctors have died in the second wave in India.

Once again, governments are choosing how to 'count' the dead.

One family member said his father died of COVID (he had fever and other symptoms) not tested tho, yet on the death certificate it said he had a cardiac arrest.

When the family member questioned this, he was told it 'no point in testing his father as he was already dead'.

This is the opposite of what was happening in Britain, where if one had tested positive and died a few months later in a car accident, they were classified as a COVID death.

Irregular reporting has been a problem from the outset. It's truly sad that India decided their populations are somehow more protected against the virus, that they prioritized religious and political events over public safety, and that they unleashed another dangerous variant on the world.

In Canada, there's now a question of whether stroke deaths in older adults who received the AstraZeneca vaccine were in fact deaths due to vaccine related blood clots. It's quite likely that this mistake led to the belief that vaccine related blood clots were rare, when in fact new information suggests that they are far more common.

 

[JDG]

^^^^^ but the older you are, the more likely you are to stroke, in general.

The older you are, the more likely you are to have AFib, one of the stronger indicators of impending stroke as well.

Yes, some younger people have naturally occurring strokes but the odds go up with each decade, moreso after 65.

It would be very hard to differentiate 'natural' from vaccine related stroke at this point in time. Perhaps after much more research if we have a protracted length of COVID time. (I'm hoping not!)

 

[otto]

^^^^^ but the older you are, the more likely you are to stroke, in general.

The older you are, the more likely you are to have AFib, one of the stronger indicators of impending stroke as well.

Yes, some younger people have naturally occurring strokes but the odds go up with each decade, moreso after 65.

It would be very hard to differentiate 'natural' from vaccine related stroke at this point in time. Perhaps after much more research if we have a protracted length of COVID time. (I'm hoping not!)

Stats for AstraZeneca safety seem to be based on testing of an older population that is more vulnerable to stroke, so the frequency of that serious side effect was missed.

"[Dr. David Fisman, a University of Toronto professor, epidemiologist and an infectious disease specialist with Ontario's COVID-19 Science Advisory Table] believes that Canada may have initially missed signals about the rate of risk as AstraZeneca initially was given to older people so strokes caused by the vaccine may have gone undetected."
​

Langley-area man loses 2 metres of intestine after a blood clot following his AstraZeneca jab

 

[LadyL]

Snowbirds continue to evade COVID-19 hotel quarantine by returning to Canada via taxis with workarounds by travellers, say critics

 

[LadyL]

A Toronto family has figured out an awesome patio dining hack for lockdown

 

[JDG]

^^^one very clever man had his brother and son both drive cars to the Canadian side of the Bridge.

He then took a cab from Buffalo airport to said Bridge (cant remember which one) and he walked across with his little suitcase.

Then, his brother and son got into one car, he took the other and drove himself home.

Said he wrecked the wheels on his little suitcase, oh well. lol

 

[otto]

Snowbirds continue to evade COVID-19 hotel quarantine by returning to Canada via taxis with workarounds by travellers, say critics

My neighbours did that. They spent the Winter in Arizona and flew to some place on the border, then they drove across the border. They somewhat isolated for 2 weeks, however they were both fully vaccinated.

 

[LadyL]

Sofas, recliners from Vietnam, China under tariffs up to 300% by CBSA

 

[otto]

Sofas, recliners from Vietnam, China under tariffs up to 300% by CBSA

That's bad news! I ordered a sofa in February, fully believing that it was manufactured in Montreal. Given the delay in delivery, I did a deep dive into the company and discovered that the sofa is manufactured in China. I'm still waiting for it.