The third wave of the Omickron epidemic driven by Omickron subtype variant BA.5 is accelerating across Canada, including BC province .
data shows that in just half a year from December 2021 to May 2022, 17 million people in Canada infected Omickron . In response to this, the Canadian federal government announced today that international passengers arriving at Vancouver , Calgary , Montreal and Toronto Airport will be re-accepted for the new coronavirus sampling test . In addition, the "Spikevax" new crown vaccine for children aged 6 months to 5 years old has been approved by the Canadian Ministry of Health recently, becoming the first new crown vaccine for this age group
Figure from: CBC
BC province BA.5 cases account for 80% of the total
Ontario The fourth shot of the vaccine was started
According to Times colonist reported that the latest report on the new coronavirus in BC released by the BC Coronavirus Modeling Team pointed out that the third wave of the Omickron epidemic driven by the Omickron subtype variant BA.5 is accelerating the spread of BC, including the accelerated number of confirmed and hospitalized cases. In particular, the number of cases over the age of 170 has increased significantly by . More cases are expected to occur by the end of July, but experts are currently struggling to determine what happened in August.
Figure from: Times colonisttml3
Experts say that the BA.5 variant is more transmissible and seems to be able to avoid antibodies to prevent infection, resulting in repeated infections. Therefore, its impact is even more difficult to predict.
At present, BA.5 cases in BC province account for about 80% of the total number of cases . There were 24 new deaths in BC Province on the week of July 2. As of July 7, 369 people were hospitalized for infection with new coronary , and 36 people were in the intensive care unit .
During the first wave of Omickron epidemic on January 31, 2022, the number of hospitalizations in the new crown reached its peak, reaching 1,038. Sarah Otto, a member of the
modeling group and professor UBC, said that the wave of BA.5 occurred earlier in Ontario and Quebec, and hospitalization rates in both places have increased significantly.
In response to this, Ontario health officials announced on Wednesday (July 13) that all adults under 60 years old will start receiving the fourth shot of the vaccine from today (July 14).
Ontario health officer Dr. Kieran Moor called on people aged 18 to 59 who have underlying diseases, such as adults with diabetes , heart disease or immune function problems, to get the fourth shot, that is, the second booster shot. Other young people, if they are healthy and have no underlying conditions, have received two shots of vaccines and one booster shot, can also choose to wait until the new vaccine for the Omicron variant is launched in the fall.
At the same time, Professor Otto also advises everyone to wear a mask again and move the party to the outdoors for .
Canada's four major airports restart entry into the new crown inspection
According to CTV news, starting from July 19, the Canadian federal government will resume mandatory random COVID-19 testing for international airline passengers entering Canada.
After suspending the measure for more than a month, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) announced today (July 14) that it will resume random COVID-19 testing of incoming passengers arriving at four major airports, namely Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Toronto .
Picture from: CTV news
All tests will be conducted outside the airport. Passengers can make an online appointment at designated testing locations through on-site appointments or self-swab test tests.
It should be noted that . The ArriveCAN application will make random selections. Passengers will receive an email within 15 minutes after filling out the customs declaration form, explaining in detail how to arrange the test and how long it should be quarantined. About 4% to 5% of international travelers entering Canada will be drawn for random tests .
Image from: CTV news
mandatory random test is only available for travelers who are fully vaccinated. Unvaccinated travelers will still need to be tested on the first and eighth days of mandatory quarantine unless exempted. If a fully vaccinated traveler tests positive, he or she will need to be isolated for 10 days regardless of the province or region in which the traveler lives.
In addition, the testing regulations for entry points at land borders remain unchanged, and mandatory testing for inbound travelers who have not completed two shots of the vaccine has never been suspended.
Modna Infant and Toddler COVID-19 vaccine was approved in Canada
According to CBC, Canadian drug regulators have approved Moderna Infant and Preschool Children's COVID-19 vaccine, which is the first COVID-19 vaccine approved for use in this age group in Canada .
Figure from: CBC
Health Canada said that the Moderna vaccine can be used in young children aged 6 months to 5 years old, and its dose is one quarter of the approved dose for adults . This vaccine requires two doses, and the injection interval is about four weeks. Children who test positive for the new crown or have related symptoms should wait eight weeks before receiving the vaccine .
Public Health Canada announced on Twitter today (July 14): "After a thorough and independent scientific review of the evidence, the department has determined that the vaccine can safely and effectively prevent COVID-19 in children between 6 months and 5 years old."
Picture from: CBC
Health Canada said it will continue to pay close attention to the safety of vaccines and ask Moderna to provide the latest data on the safety and effectiveness of vaccines.
Han Canada did not find any security issues in the study. Results of the third phase of the vaccine product showed that the immune response of children aged 6 months to 5 years is comparable to that of Moderna’s 18 to 25 years old.
The most common reactions are similar to those of children when they receive other pediatric vaccines, such as injection site pain, lethargy and loss of appetite. Among them, less common reactions are mild to moderate fever, swelling of the injection site, nausea, swollen armpit lymph nodes, headache and muscle aches, etc. During the experimental phase, the incidence of adverse side effects was less than 6 in 100,000.
Health Canada said there is still some uncertainty about the vaccine because it is a new vaccine and there is no long-term data available. For example, there are very few data on the risk of very rare reactions such as myocarditis , heart tissue swelling, although no cases were found in the trial.
At this point, the scope of COVID-19 vaccination in Canada has expanded to all people who meet the vaccination conditions for those over 6 months old.
News source:
https://www.timescolonist.com/local-news/bc-covid-cases-rising-significantly-in-those-age-70-as-omicron-variant-ba5-takes-hold-5578669
https:/// www.ctvnews.ca/canada/canada-resuming-mandatory-random-covid-19-testing-for-air-travellers-1.5987380
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/health-canada-moderna-kids-vaccine-approval-1.6520320
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