For Canadians, life has almost completely returned to what it was before the epidemic, with very few people wearing masks on the streets. Even the most closely guarded Chinese community has relaxed its vigilance. Unfortunately, reality is always unsatisfactory. After a brief show of weakness, the new coronavirus began another round of strong counterattack.
The latest data shows that in just 5 months from December 2021 to May 2022, 17 million Canadians were infected Omicron, Of which the BA.5 variant accounted for the vast majority of cases. most.
Just today (July 14), The World Health Organization issued a warning to the world: BA.5 is spreading at a "very strong level"! COVID-19 cases rise for fifth consecutive week. In the last week alone, there have been 5.7 million new infections and 9,800 deaths worldwide!
Source: Global News
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he was worried about the recent surge. "The virus is spreading freely, and countries are not effectively controlling the disease."
In the past two weeks, WHO Organization has reported a 30% surge in COVID-19 cases, primarily due to the Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5. Both variants have shown a worrying ability to easily infect people who have been previously vaccinated or who have recovered from the virus.
The latest data from the BC Provincial modeling team shows that BA.5 cases currently account for about 80% of the total number of cases in the province, and it is already the "King of Poisons". There has been a significant surge in the number of people aged 70 and older infected with BA.5 in BC and more cases are expected to appear by the end of July. This new "drug king" has begun to spread in British Columbia and even across Canada.
Source: vancouversun
The situation in the United States next door is even worse. Over the past week, the number of COVID-19 deaths in the United States has increased by 97% to 649 per day, nearly doubling. Daily new infections increased by 24% in one week to 136,000. —— This is the largest increase in deaths in the United States since December 2021. All data suggests the summer surge driven by BA.5 has begun!
Source: DailyMail
According to the latest data from the US CDC, the BA.5 variant now accounts for 65% of active cases in the United States. The BA 2.12.1 variant, which was previously dominant before BA.5, now accounts for only 17% of cases and has been snuffed out by the new strain. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the United States, also emphasized: BA.5 has the ability to evade the natural immunity provided by previous infections.
To this end, Fauci has recommended that Americans resume wearing masks in indoor public places. If BA.5 continues to spread, the return of mandatory mask orders may become imminent.
Faced with global tensions, Canada announced today (July 14) that it will resume mandatory random COVID-19 testing for fully vaccinated international air travelers next week.
After a pause of more than a month, fully vaccinated international travelers arriving in Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver and Montreal international travelers will once again undergo mandatory randomization starting next Tuesday, July 19 detection.
Source: CBC
Mandatory random inspections will not be conducted on site. Instead, you can make an appointment with an offline testing agency by yourself, or make an appointment online and use a test kit to test yourself. The ArriveCAN application will conduct random inspections on its own, and those selected will receive an email within 15 minutes after filling in the customs declaration form. The email will provide details on how to arrange the test and how long they need to self-isolate.
Mandatory random inspections only apply to vaccinated passengers. Unvaccinated travelers, unless exempt, still need to be tested on the first and eighth days of the 14-day mandatory quarantine period. And if a fully vaccinated traveler tests positive, they will need to self-isolate for 10 days, regardless of which province the traveler lives in.
Canada’s Health Minister said that PHAC will track travelers who are randomly tested to ensure that they complete the test. Those who do not comply will face warnings and fines.
About 4%-5% of all arrivals will be randomly inspected. Therefore, starting from July 19, travelers entering Canada must remember to check their mailbox to avoid delays in spot checks.
Finally, there is good news: Health Canada finally approved the first new crown vaccine for children under 5 years old today (July 14). The vaccine is suitable for children between 6 months and 5 years old. Produced by Dana. This is also the first COVID-19 vaccine in Canada that can be used on infants and young children.
Source: CBC
In a report released on the official website of Health Canada, the results of the Phase 3 drug trial of the vaccine showed that the immune response of children aged 6 months to 5 years was equivalent to that of young people aged 18 to 25 years old, and it was safe and effective. . The most common adverse reactions after injection are drowsiness, pain, and loss of appetite. Some children develop fever, nausea, lymph node pain, headache, and muscle pain.
The vaccine requires 2 doses administered 4 weeks apart.
Health Canada says there is no long-term data on this new vaccine for infants and young children. Although rare adverse reactions such as myocarditis and heart tissue swelling did not occur in the trial, there are still some uncertainties.
