Canada - Coronavirus COVID-19 #3

[dotr]

‎https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/in-the-crosshairs/id270907475?i=1000542518146
''For the most part, Canadians admire doctors. But Ottawa family doctor Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth got a death threat because of her public support for COVID vaccines. And she’s not alone.''

White Coat, Black Art on CBC Radio: Friendly persuasion on Apple Podcasts
''Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto tackles vaccine hesitancy among its healthcare workers by friendly peer persuasion. Dr. Adina Weinerman and nurse Diana Beckford explain how it works.''

 

[JDG]

I was just reading that SAGE, in Britain, is expecting COVID to go on for at least another five years.

5 more years…..and at least two more boosters.

source: DailyMail

 

[deugirtni]

I was just reading that SAGE, in Britain, is expecting COVID to go on for at least another five years.

5 more years…..and at least two more boosters.

source: DailyMail

Link :
SAGE calls for WFH and vaccine passports in face of Omicron wave | Daily Mail Online

 

[JDG]

Merci

 

[otto]

I keep reading about people returning from Nigeria with the omicron virus. I'm curious why so many people travel there. South Korea has a surge in cases, including omicron from Nigeria.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/coronavirus-covid19-canada-world-dec4-2021-1.6273691

 

[LadyL]

Canadian employers, facing labor shortage, accommodate the unvaccinated - CNN

 

[otto]

Wearing a mask is better than social distancing in EVERY scenario, study finds | Daily Mail Online

 

[otto]

The more I read about large groups of people infected with omicron, the more it sounds like fully vaccinated people experience mild cold like symptoms. Hopefully this it the beginning of the end of the pandemic, where new variants cause minor cold-like symptoms in vaccinated people.

Unvaccinated people might continue to get very ill or die, but that is their choice.

 

[JDG]

I think the hospitalized numbers are evenly split with this latest variant.

After the holidays we’ll see fairly high numbers from large family get togethers. IMO, MOO

 

[Tadpole12]

I keep reading about people returning from Nigeria with the omicron virus. I'm curious why so many people travel there. South Korea has a surge in cases, including omicron from Nigeria.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/coronavirus-covid19-canada-world-dec4-2021-1.6273691

Idk, family connections

Nigerian Canadians - Wikipedia
There is a significant number of Nigerians living in the Greater Toronto.[4] In the 2016 Census, 51,800 people identified themselves as Nigerians, with over half living in Ontario. There are many more Nigerians in Canada, who identified themselves by their tribe instead of their country - such as 9,600 as Yoruba, 5,600 as Igbo, and 1,900 as Edo. There has also been a steady increase in the number of Nigerians living in the western cities of Canada, such as Calgary, Edmonton, and Winnipeg.[5]

 

[Tadpole12]

In several Canadian provinces, vaccine booster shots are reserved for Indigenous people and anyone over age 70. What are the rules for covid booster shots in light of the big mutation Omicron - that does not seem to be more deadly.

Does anyone know how booster shots are being distributed in Canada? Are they Pfizer, Moderna? Does it depend on Trudeau making a purchase? What's the hold-up?

Ontario Newsroom

"Starting on Monday, December 13, 2021 at 8:00 a.m., individuals aged 50 and over will be eligible to schedule their booster dose appointment through the COVID-19 vaccination portal, by calling the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre, through Indigenous-led vaccination clinics, select pharmacies and primary care settings. Appointments will be booked for approximately six months (168 days) after a second dose."

 

[LadyL]

so this is fun ... this is my hood:

London has largest probable Omicron cluster in country

 

[otto]

so this is fun ... this is my hood:

London has largest probable Omicron cluster in country

From the link, how did it spread so far if they were quarantining at home? Were the travellers staying at home, but the rest of the family took no precautions?

"The two vaccinated individuals had been quarantining in a home setting when the virus was transmitted within the household.

The cluster now includes 18 families, seven schools, two child care centres and one church. In addition, cases not linked to the cluster are under investigation."​

 

[LadyL]

Majority of Canadians not worried about Omicron COVID variant: Survey - CityNews Ottawa

 

[LadyL]

From the link, how did it spread so far if they were quarantining at home? Were the travellers staying at home, but the rest of the family took no precautions?

"The two vaccinated individuals had been quarantining in a home setting when the virus was transmitted within the household.

The cluster now includes 18 families, seven schools, two child care centres and one church. In addition, cases not linked to the cluster are under investigation."​

yeah it sounds like other people came to visit and then went out into the world

 

[casesensitive]

From the link, how did it spread so far if they were quarantining at home? Were the travellers staying at home, but the rest of the family took no precautions?

"The two vaccinated individuals had been quarantining in a home setting when the virus was transmitted within the household.

The cluster now includes 18 families, seven schools, two child care centres and one church. In addition, cases not linked to the cluster are under investigation."​

Good question. How did the Omicron get linked to 40 confirmed new cases and 171 high-risk close contacts within two weeks if the two travellers from Nigeria were under quarantine during that time?
Either there was a breach in the quarantine, or this variant is a monster infector.
Although cases seem to be mild in vaccinated people, that likely won't be the case for immunocompromised people.

"The Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) says there are currently 40 confirmed cases that have been linked to two travellers who arrived from Nigeria in late November, with 171 high-risk close contacts now identified."

CityNews

 

[tarabull]

Toronto Police dealing with COVID-19 outbreaks among vaccinated cops | Toronto Sun

 

[otto]

Majority of Canadians not worried about Omicron COVID variant: Survey - CityNews Ottawa

That must be due to reports that the virus has fewer and lesser symptoms. Reports also suggest that the vaccine is 40% less effective with this variant. People who are double and triple boosted are getting sick, but the symptoms are lessened by the vaccine. Unvaccinated will get sick faster with perhaps the full impact of covid. It's also been reported that people can repeatedly get sick with the omicron - getting sick once does not provide immunity.

I have a sibling who is suggesting a family get together of four households next week even though provincial regulation is two households including the host family. That tells me that even siblings see the omicron as harmless.

 

[otto]

Toronto Police dealing with COVID-19 outbreaks among vaccinated cops | Toronto Sun

It's a good question. If virus spread is not from unvaccinated people, why not ensure that all staff are clear at the beginning of each day? Both vaccinated and unvaccinated are spreaders, but it's unknown whether unvaccinated people have more severe symptoms or die more often. Maybe they can sign a waiver. If every officer is tested prior to going to work - not a long term solution, expensive - it levels the playing field.

 

[otto]

What if the vaccine is more or less useless in fighting the omicron, and whatever comes next? The vaccine was 10% less effective with the delta variant, and the vaccine is 40% less effective with the omicron. Is that 40% of 100% or 40% of 90%?

Either way, is the vaccine making a significant difference regarding stopping the virus? In the olden days, pre-2020, vaccine meant never getting the illness. Now it means percentage of effectiveness against illness. The language alone is confusing.

We already know that the vaccine, double shots close togethers, are only good for six months, then we need boosters for the variant that has been over-taken by a variant that is more virulent. It seems so chaotic.

Perhaps the omicron is the beginning of the end, and the symptoms are no worse than the common cold for normally healthy populations.