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Dr. Theresa Tam

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Some Optimism Surrounding The Pandemic

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Canada is moving out of the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

That’s according to the Chief Public Health Officer.

Dr. Theresa Tam says there is evidence the omicron variant is starting to wane.

“I think we are speaking on both counts, so coming out of the omicron wave, but also in the more than the two years of experience with this pandemic is that there is a significant build-up of immunity in the population,” states Tam.

Tam adds Canada is transitioning out of the crisis phase of COVID-19.

“We could do with a bit more boosting of the boosters. We’ve got treatments now coming on board. We should be able to manage the pandemic going into the future without, I think, some of the more stringent or restrictive public health measures.”

Dr. Tam adds we might have to re-impose health restrictions if other variants that prove to be severe and are immune to the vaccines.

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Another COVID-19 Vaccine Approved In Canada

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Health Canada has approved the country’s first protein-based COVID-19 vaccine for adults.

Novavax’s Nuvaxovid vaccine received approval from the federal health agency on Thursday.

Overall clinic trials show the vaccine is 90 per cent effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 and 100 per cent effective at preventing severe disease, according to Health Canada.

“Preliminary data available at this time suggests that the vaccine also produces neutralizing antibodies against the Omicron variant, but more data is still needed,” said Dr. Supriya Sharma, senior medical advisor at Health Canada.

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) continues to recommend mRNA vaccines for most people due to their “excellence protection and well-established safety profiles,” said Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer.

NACI recommends that the Novavax vaccine may be offered to people who are unable or willing to receive an mRNA vaccine.

Sharma said both vaccine types have the same objective — to expose a person’s immune system to the SARS-CoV2 spike protein and activate the immune system to make antibodies — but their approach is different.

“mRNA vaccines contain molecular manufacturing instructions for our cells to make the spike protein. With a protein subunit vaccine, a modified version of the spike protein itself is delivered,” said Sharma.

“These vaccines cannot cause COVID-19 because they only contain small purified pieces of proteins and not the virus itself.”

Tam said having more authorized COVID-19 vaccines can help remove barriers to vaccination by providing another option to adults who have not yet received a vaccine.

She said the first doses are expected to arrive in Canada in March.

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COVID Activity Still ‘Widespread’ Despite Declining Case Count: Tam

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Canada’s top doctor says while COVID-19 case counts are declining, several trends indicate ongoing widespread activity.

“This winter, unprecedented numbers of people in Canada have been infected with the highly contagious Omicron variant,” Dr. Theresa Tam said during a news conference Friday.

“Though declining, daily new case counts averaging over 10,000 daily, together with other indicators of COVID-19 disease activity — including test positivity, the effective reproduction number, and wastewater surveillance trends — indicate widespread activity across the country.”

Tam continued to stress the importance of Canadians getting their COVID-19 vaccine.

She said the latest data shows two doses offer “reasonably good” protection against the virus.

But Tam said a booster dose provides “superior protection” against hospitalization and death.

“In general, data show that protection against hospitalizations is over 90 per cent with an mRNA booster dose, with is 15 to 40 per cent higher effectiveness than with just two doses,” she said.

As of Jan. 30, 85 per cent of all eligible Canadians had received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, 79 per cent had two doses, and 50 per cent had a booster, according to Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos.

Meanwhile, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) has released updated recommendations for those who have been infected with COVID-19.

They say a booster shot should be given at least six months after a previous dose or three months following infection, whichever is longer, according to Tam.

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Current Surge In COVID-19 Cases Nearing A Peak

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The most recent modeling of COVID-19 shows the current wave of the omicron variant could ease by the beginning of February.

Dr. Theresa Tam says according to their data, the surge in cases is peaking.

“A number of the provinces, the biggest ones who have particularly experienced the omicron surge the earliest, are seeing some stabilization, at a very high level, but some a stabilization in the daily case rates,” says Tam.

“So I think that’s the early signal we could be approaching that peak.”

Dr. Tam adds that even though the omicron variant is less virulent, the sudden increase in cases is resulting in large numbers of hospitalizations.

“The sudden acceleration, and the enormous volume of cases associated with the omicron surge, puts an intense strain on hospitals over several weeks and adds to longer-lasting impacts such as extended backlogs and strained workforce.”

In her media briefing on Friday, Dr. Tam says most cases of COVID-19 in Canada are now the omicron variant.

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Omicron ‘Increasingly Responsible’ For Rising Case Numbers: Tam

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Canada’s chief public health officer said the Omicron variant is increasingly responsible for rising case counts.

During a federal COVID-19 briefing on Wednesday, Dr. Theresa Tam said in less than a week, we’ve seen a “rapid acceleration” of epidemic activity in locations across the country.

There have been more than 2360 confirmed Omicron cases so far.

“Modelling shows that by the beginning of January, we could have very high numbers of cases which underscore the need to act urgently now to reduce the acceleration,” Tam said.

During the last week, an average of 1,500 people were treated for COVID-19 in Canadian hospitals with 17 deaths daily.

Tam said current trends may be a lagging impact of increased Delta activity, the rapid increase in Omicron cases is expected to further impact trends even if it turns out to be less severe.

“We’re especially worried about the potential impact of a sudden and strong surge on the healthcare system. We’re urging all Canadians to do what they can to help mitigate this,” Tam said.

Tam said this variant spreads extremely quickly meaning a situation can quickly get out of hand.

She said we can all help by keeping gatherings small and getting booster doses as soon as they are available.

More than 7 million Canadians who have not been vaccinated are eligible for their first and second doses.

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Federal Support Coming For Struggling Businesses

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The federal government is temporarily expanding eligibility to programs such as the Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit and the Local Lockdown Program.

Employers and workers can apply if they are subject to capacity-limiting restrictions.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said everyone must do what it takes so all Canadians are protected and can weather the storm.

“We’re gonna be there for the hard-hit regions for specific sectors like art and culture, hospitality and arts and tourism. We’ll be there to you and your family safe. We’re going to work closely with the provinces and territories,” Trudeau said.

Trudeau said there is enough booster vaccine supply for anyone who wants the shot to get it.

He says 85-million rapid tests were delivered to provinces and territories by early December and another 35-million were being sent out this month.

The prime minister added booster shots will help in the fight against Omicron.

He urged Canadians to follow public health guidelines to protect their loved ones and support healthcare workers.

He understands we are tired of COVID and we want it to just go away.

“Know that there are people more tired than you. Our healthcare workers haven’t had much of a break over the last two years. They’ve been going flat out keeping people safe working in long-term care homes, hospitals and clinics, administering vaccines and boosters,” Trudeau said.

Trudeau noted his own office is not immune from the Omicron variant as members of his staff and security detail tested positive recently.

 

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Canada Now In Fourth Wave Of COVID-19 Pandemic

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The country’s top doctor says Canada is now in the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and is being driven by the Delta variant.

Dr. Theresa Tam is urging younger Canadians to get vaccinated noting how the majority of new cases are people under 40 who have not received a jab.

Tam’s news conference coincided with reports a federal election could be called for September 20.

When asked about the safety of holding an election at this time, Tam’s key advice would be to continue following public health guidelines.

“You do have to watch the local epidemiology and the local public health advice as well… so that could vary over time. Anyone who is campaigning must observe those best practices.”

“Different rules are being applied in different areas of the country,” Tam added.

At the same media briefing, federal procurement minister Anita Anand reiterated the importance of public health measures in any situation when asked about an election campaign during the pandemic.

Anand urged Canadians to get fully vaccinated if they haven’t done so already.

Anand also announced the federal government will donate another ten million vaccines to other countries noting how Canada now has enough vaccines to vaccinate all Canadians twice.

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NACI Offers New Advice For 2nd AstraZeneca Shots

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A key federal advisory committee is no longer recommending that Canadians receive a second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) previously said that people who received a first dose of AstraZeneca could get it as their second or could choose an mRNA vaccine, such as Pfizer or Moderna.

But new guidance released Thursday said the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine is “now preferred” for the second dose.

“This change is based on emerging evidence indicating a potentially better immune response from this mixed vaccine schedule and to mitigate the potential risk of VITT associated with viral vector vaccines,” Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, said in a news conference.

VITT is a rare blood clot that has occurred in some people who received the AstraZeneca shot.

NACI also recommended that an mRNA vaccine is preferred as a first dose unless one is inaccessible or there is a contraindication, for example, an allergy to an mRNA vaccine or its components.

“I wish to emphasize that people who received two doses of the AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD vaccine can rest assured that the vaccine they received provides good protection against infection and very good protection against severe disease and hospitalization,” said Tam.

NACI is now also recommending that people who received Pfizer or Moderna as their first dose should be offered the same vaccine for their second.

Tam said if the same vaccine is not readily available, the mRNA vaccines are considered “interchangeable,” meaning a person can be offered another mRNA vaccine instead.

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Canadians Can Safely Mix COVID-19 Vaccines: NACI

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Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunizations says it’s safe for Canadians to mix COVID-19 vaccine types.

Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, announced Tuesday anyone with their first dose of AstraZeneca can receive an mRNA vaccine like Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna, for their second dose.

Those who received a first dose of a mRNA vaccine are advised to get a second dose of the same type, but if they are unavailable when it comes time for the second shot Tam said Pfizer and Moderna can be ‘considered interchangeable.’

“The interchangeability of vaccines means you can receive one vaccine product for your first dose, and safely receive a different vaccine for your second dose to complete your two-dose vaccine series for optimal protection from COVID-19,” Tam said.

As provinces reach the threshold of offering first doses to all Canadians aged 12 and older, Tam says it’s now important to turn our attention toward getting second doses into the arms of the most vulnerable residents.

“The committee recommended last week that second doses be offered as soon as possible. NACI recommends that priority for second doses should be given to those at highest risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19 disease after or at the same time as first doses are offered to all remaining eligible populations,” Tam said in a press briefing.

The announcement follows studies and clinical trials into vaccine interchangeability in Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom.

Updated guidance from NACI says those studies show following a dose of AstraZeneca with a mRNA vaccine provides an immune response boost, though there is a possibility of increased short-term side effects, including headache, fatigue and general illness.

Studies have also shown that while the risk of VITT or blood clots caused by vaccines appears to be lower from a second dose, the rate has increased over time. NACI says the second dose of AstraZeneca appears to trigger VITT in 1 out of every 600,000 people who received the shot.

NACI also says so long as Canadians receive two doses of any of the three currently-approved COVID-19 vaccines that individual should be considered to be fully vaccinated from COVID-19.

Individual provincial governments will now have to consider NACI’s guidance and determine whether they will offer residents the opportunity to mix vaccine types for their second doses.

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Federal Gov’t Updates COVID-19 Projections

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Canada could have up to 577,000 cases of COVID-19 and nearly 15,000 deaths by Christmas Day.

That is according to new federal projections released Friday by Canada’s top doctor.

“The resurgence of COVID-19 in Canada clearly shows that the current daily case count far exceeded the peak of the first wave … and there’s little indication this upward trajectory will change without further intensifying public health measures,” said Dr. Theresa Tam.

Tam, the country’s chief public health officer, said the continued rapid growth is being driven primarily by provinces outside of Atlantic Canada.

More than half of the country’s health regions are now reporting more than 100 cases per 100,000 population, with the highest rates being in Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, she said.

“Community-level public health measures have been strengthened but we have yet to see the kind of sustained decline in daily case counts that would indicate we are bringing the pandemic under control,” said Tam.

Over the past week, Canada has averaged more than 6,500 new cases and nearly 100 deaths daily.

Tam said COVID-19 cases are highest and continue to escalate among adults 80 years and older, who are at high risk of severe outcomes, including death. She noted the country continues to see an increasing number of outbreaks in long-term care facilities.

The number of hospitalizations has also increased, she said, with an average of 2,900 people in hospital on any given day over the past week, including 565 people in an intensive care unit.

Tam said unless we all do our part to get the virus under control, the number of cases will continue to climb.

“We are forecast to have 12,000 daily cases by the beginning of January with increased hospitalizations and death following this rise unless significant reductions in contact rates are achieved,” said Tam.

She urged all Canadians to reduce their close contacts, maintain physical distancing, wash their hands and wear masks.

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