Canada - Coronavirus COVID-19

[LadyL]

If the measures that are in place are not preventing sick people from entering the country, then stricter measures have to be implemented. The virus first arrived in Canada through travel and the new variants arrived through travel. It's obvious that travel restriction is the only option to prevent more sick people from spreading virus in Canada.

I agree. Should've been implemented in the spring IMO.

 

[LadyL]

wow!

About 58 per cent of Ontario’s nursing homes are privately owned, with 24 per cent operated by non-profit organizations or charities and 16 per cent by municipalities.

Ontario’s for-profit nursing homes have 78% more COVID-19 deaths than non-profits, report finds

 

[otto]

This looks promising:

"A COVID-19 vaccine candidate that entered clinical trials last week proposes not only to be a made-in-Canada solution to the pandemic, but a made-in-Calgary one.

Providence Therapeutics, a Canadian biotechnology company with offices in Calgary and Toronto, announced Tuesday it has begun Phase I trials of its vaccine. Providence is also working with another Calgary company, Northern RNA, which aims to develop vaccine manufacturing capacity in this city.

Providence Therapeutics was founded as a cancer research company by Calgarian Brad Sorenson, whose young son was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2013. Because all of the company’s work was focused on messenger RNA (the same technology used in the Pfizer and Moderna COVID vaccines), Providence was able to quickly pivot in 2020 to trying to find a vaccine for the novel coronavirus.

Sorenson said results from Providence’s animal trials were promising, and on par with Pfizer and Moderna in terms of effectiveness. Like those vaccines, the Providence vaccine uses mRNA to send a message to the body’s cells to build a harmless piece of the “spike protein” found on the surface of the COVID-19 virus. The body can then build an immune response to the virus."​

Made-in-Canada COVID vaccine to be manufactured in Calgary | Calgary Herald

 

[otto]

wow!

About 58 per cent of Ontario’s nursing homes are privately owned, with 24 per cent operated by non-profit organizations or charities and 16 per cent by municipalities.

Ontario’s for-profit nursing homes have 78% more COVID-19 deaths than non-profits, report finds

Clearly more oversight of for-profit care homes is necessary. We've heard these stories for years, where CBC does an undercover investigation of these homes and discovers that clients are mistreated / abused, there are staff shortages and people are warehoused rather than provided care.

When my mom was in her mid-80s, she toured many senior homes and none were acceptable in terms of aging with dignity. She chose to die at home with gov't provided home care as needed. Canada needs to establish aging with dignity communities or residences that adhere to strict protocols similar to the oversight that is provided to the care of young children, including ratios of clients to caregiver. Caregivers should be restricted to one location, and they should have salaried positions that eliminate the tendency to have several jobs at various facilities.

I think that governments need to take a more active role in ensuring that the aging population is a priority.

The Hogeweyk Dementia Village ~ Care concept

This Dutch village is exclusively for people with dementia

 

[otto]

Here we go with requests for special treatment. People are looking for reasons to jump to the front of the line for the vaccines - any reason they can imagine.

I hope this is diplomatically refused. People who live in apartments, regardless of how many floors in the apartment, should not be given priority over people who live in houses.

"Thorncliffe Park has been a hotspot since the start of the pandemic, with a disproportionately higher number of COVID-19 cases. According to the latest 2016 census, more than 20,000 people live there. Community leaders say the current number is much higher, with more than 30,000 people living in a three kilometre radius, a statistic they say makes the neighbourhood in Toronto's east end the most densely populated in Canada.

The vast majority of residents live in apartment towers, and Hussein says families on average include five people. Most of them are newcomers and many are essential workers. How they live, and what they do, puts them at higher risk of catching COVID and spreading it.

It's why Hussein is advocating to have the entire neighbourhood prioritized for vaccination.

A lot of these buildings are 15 floors, 20 floors, some of them 25 floors," Hussein said, adding that most of the aging buildings only have two working elevators."
​

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/vaccination-at-risk-communities-toronto-1.5886443

 

[Tadpole12]

Ontario records lowest number of new COVID-19 cases in more than two months with fewer than 1,700 infections

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-long-term-care-1.5888226
Onrario heath experts demand province abolish for-profit long-term care

 

[otto]

Ontario records lowest number of new COVID-19 cases in more than two months with fewer than 1,700 infections

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-long-term-care-1.5888226
Onrario heath experts demand province abolish for-profit long-term care

Ontario has seen the for-profit care homes fail not once, but twice. That is in addition to years of undercover footage showing very serious problems in the care homes.

If the government does not act, they are endorsing the current practice of charging seniors in need $5000 per month while delivering as little as possible. Everyone over the age of 40 should sign a petition because they are the next generation to be victimized by those for-profit home care companies.

 

[LadyL]

Nova Scotia snowbirds face huge medical bill after contracting COVID-19 in Florida | The Chronicle Herald

 

[LadyL]

Ontario has seen the for-profit care homes fail not once, but twice. That is in addition to years of undercover footage showing very serious problems in the care homes.

If the government does not act, they are endorsing the current practice of charging seniors in need $5000 per month while delivering as little as possible. Everyone over the age of 40 should sign a petition because they are the next generation to be victimized by those for-profit home care companies.

I'll gladly sign.

 

[LadyL]

William Osler physician alleges he was let go from key role for criticizing province’s pandemic response

 

[otto]

Nova Scotia snowbirds face huge medical bill after contracting COVID-19 in Florida | The Chronicle Herald

I'm not sure whether they're complaining about insurance, asking for a handout, or warning people that travel during covid can have big financial consequences.

I think that even if they had insurance coverage starting on Dec 5, insurance could be denied based on existing illness.

 

[otto]

Cargill Meat employees have announced that they should jump the line for the vaccine because they had an outbreak in the Spring.

Every special interest group is going to come up with a similar argument.

Meat-plant workers in Alberta should be given COVID-19 vaccine priority: Union president

This is where it started

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/indigenous-vaccinations-priority-marc-miller-1.5889826

 

[otto]

William Osler physician alleges he was let go from key role for criticizing province’s pandemic response

Interim positions don't always result in appointment to full time position. Everyone knows that. He seems to be looking to blame covid when the real reason may be that he's not a team player.

 

[LadyL]

COVID outbreak grows to 32 inmates, staff at London jail with more likely | London Free Press

47 COVID-19 tests and still on the road: The life of a travelling surgeon

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prin...XD_cOu6eOZwoGIJyM97pdBGWwScZ8LbAzlG6IHsU6SBJA

 

[otto]

So far, people who want special treatment regarding vaccine in Canada are:

• Indigenous People (given priority)
• Prison Inmates
• High Density high rise residents in Toronto
• Cargill Meat Plant in Alberta
• Olympic Athletes

Meanwhile, seniors who do not live in care facilities are in Phase 2.

 

[deugirtni]

I'm not sure whether they're complaining about insurance, asking for a handout, or warning people that travel during covid can have big financial consequences.

I think that even if they had insurance coverage starting on Dec 5, insurance could be denied based on existing illness.

Nevermind that they were advised by our government not to travel.

 

[deugirtni]

Nova Scotia snowbirds face huge medical bill after contracting COVID-19 in Florida | The Chronicle Herald

That story really irks me. From everything I have known, people are absolutely concerned about their ability to secure health insurance coverage while 'snowbirding' in the USA. Virtually everyone knows how outrageously expensive healthcare is when you have to actually fork out the money for it. To say they forgot to make it start sooner is not believable to me. Imho, they took a few gambles with this trip, they won some, and they lost some. At least they are both still alive. Sometimes it's really difficult to live with the consequences of our decisions.

 

[deugirtni]

So far, people who want special treatment regarding vaccine in Canada are:

• Indigenous People (given priority)
• Prison Inmates
• High Density high rise residents in Toronto
• Cargill Meat Plant in Alberta
• Olympic Athletes

Meanwhile, seniors who do not live in care facilities are in Phase 2.

I remember initially, I had understood that people with 'underlying health conditions' would be prioritized. But then it seemed to change, or else I had misunderstood in the first place. Then when I thought about it, I figured the reasoning could be that SO many of our populations suffer from obesity, which is a main 'underlying condition'. When the number is so high, then it might as well just be in with the general poulation numbers, and put on the backburner with everyone else.

 

[LadyL]

Halifax man without face mask fined after approaching people in apartment lobby

 

[Tadpole12]

Data error sees number of Ontario residents who received two COVID-19 vaccine doses slashed in half

Ontario closer to requiring all arriving international travellers at Pearson airport to get coronavirus tests