Ontario’s latest #COVID19 epidemiological report has some experts saying the province should be prepared for the rise of a more tenacious version of the coronavirus, even as more people are vaccinated.

tgam.ca/variant
The report shows a dip in prevalence of known variants of concern, but a possible suggestion is that they’re being outcompeted by a more transmissible variant that tests haven’t directly identified.

tgam.ca/variant
The obvious candidate is the B.1.617.2, a sub-branch previously associated with India.

tgam.ca/variant
A study last month found the variant cut the effectiveness of the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines after a first dose from 52% and 78%, respectively, to 33.5% each. After a second dose, protection against the variant rose to about 90% and 60% respectively.

tgam.ca/variant
Ontario’s situation could be similar to what it faced in late February after lifting numerous public health measures, causing cases to rise again.

“It adds an element of uncertainty that makes the decision far less straightforward,” an expert said.

tgam.ca/variant
All of this underscores the importance of continued genetic testing of COVID-19 cases, particularly during the period before most Canadians have received their second shots.

tgam.ca/variant

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More from @globeandmail

3 Jun
In the United States, some companies are struggling to find workers, despite the millions of Americans who remain jobless after pandemic layoffs.

Job openings have surged, but small business are also reporting difficulties in filling positions.

theglobeandmail.com/business/artic…
Parents struggling to find child care, lingering health concerns, or generous income supports are some reasons why some workers are in no rush to accept job offers, analysts say.

Now that Canada is starting to reopen, can it expect the same?

theglobeandmail.com/business/artic…
As it stands, Canada has a shorter path to recovery, in part thanks to its wage-subsidy program. It's recouped 83% of its pandemic job losses, next to the U.S.'s 63%, keeping employees "a little more engaged" with their employers, an economist said.

tgam.ca/worker-shortage Image
Read 7 tweets
3 Jun
Prime Minister @JustinTrudeau said bonuses Air Canada paid to executives while the company was negotiating a government bailout are “completely unacceptable.”

theglobeandmail.com/business/artic…
“I completely understand the incomprehension and even anger of many Canadians regarding this news from Air Canada,” Trudeau said in French during Question Period on Wednesday.

theglobeandmail.com/business/artic…
Trudeau’s comments followed a report from @davidmilstead that Air Canada paid $10-million in “COVID-19 Pandemic Mitigation Bonuses” to executives and managers earlier this year, while it was negotiating a bailout.

theglobeandmail.com/business/artic…
Read 6 tweets
2 Jun
Ontario’s two million public school students will learn remotely for the last four weeks of the academic year as the government looks to keep its reopening plans for the summer on track, rather than have children return to the classroom.

theglobeandmail.com/canada/article…
Ontario schools have been closed for 23 weeks – longer than anywhere else in Canada.

theglobeandmail.com/canada/article…
Educators and medical experts are increasingly worried about the mental health and well-being of children, not to mention the learning gaps that are associated with school closures.

theglobeandmail.com/canada/article…
Read 5 tweets
1 Jun
Canadians who got the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for the first dose can be offered either Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna for the second, NACI says

theglobeandmail.com/canada/article…
The advice from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization affects more than two million Canadians who received the AstraZeneca vaccine before provinces stopped using it for first doses last month.

theglobeandmail.com/canada/article…
NACI’s published report says AstraZeneca recipients can be offered the same vaccine if they want it, or can be given either Pfizer or Moderna.

theglobeandmail.com/backgrounds/ar…
Read 5 tweets
1 Jun
In an at-times scathing report tabled in the House of Commons Tuesday, Morris Fish says his review confirmed that the nature, extent and human cost of sexual misconduct in the military remains as rampant as in 2015

tgam.ca/military-report
In 2015, retired Supreme Court justice Marie Deschamps released her own report that revealed a highly sexualized culture within the military that was hostile to women and victims of inappropriate and criminal sexual behaviour

tgam.ca/military-report
The review, mandated by law, says the military should eliminate the requirement that victims report incidents to the chain of command.

tgam.ca/military-report
Read 5 tweets
25 May
From 72 hour book quarantines to constant sanitation measures, experts are saying it’s time to move past “hygiene theatre” – cleaning behaviours that give people a sense of security, but are actually unlikely to reduce COVID-19 transmission.

tgam.ca/hygiene
Research has repeatedly shown that the risk of surface transmission is relatively low and can be addressed through conventional cleaning, the scientific director of Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table said.

tgam.ca/hygiene
The environmental impact of disposable wipes, the cost of disinfecting supplies, and the burden on restaurant and retail employees are further reasons to start being pragmatic about hygiene practices

tgam.ca/hygiene
Read 7 tweets

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