A single vaccine jab seems to be effective against COVID

According to federal and Quebec health authorities, a single dose of the COVID-19 vaccine is highly effective, allowing better use of the shortage of supplies and more people being vaccinated. You can see.

Health officials in Ottawa said experts are considering whether one shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is about as good as the recommended two shots.

Dr. Howard Nyo, Deputy Chief Public Health Officer of Canada, called the data from the new study produced by Canada compelling.

As written in the New England Journal of Medicine, two doctors show that US data are 92% effective against COVID-19 two weeks after a single dose of the vaccine. Is called. The original data suggested that the first dose provided about 52 percent protection.

Preliminary data, co-authors of Dr. Gaston de Ceres and the Quebec National Public Institute, show that single doses given to state health care workers and caregivers were 80% effective within two years. Said that. 3 weeks.

De Serres and Dr. Danuta Skowronski, along with the British Columbia Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said delaying the second dose could protect the most vulnerable people with at least one injection.

New Brunswick will give a second vaccination for up to 3 months so that residents at low risk of serious illness can get the first vaccination as much as possible to expand supply He said he would wait.

“This isn’t the perfect approach, but it requires action,” said Dr. Jennifer Russell, director of state health.

Throughout Canada, COVID-19 killed 21,435 of the 834,000 infectious diseases. According to federal data, about 33,000 people are currently infected.

Ontario reported an additional 44 pandemic-related deaths, bringing the total to 6,773, and Quebec reported another 10 deaths, bringing the total to 10,268.

“It’s important to remember that the majority of Canadians remain vulnerable to COVID-19,” said the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Beyond the rise in deaths, the tragedy caused by the pandemic was highlighted by reports of record unemployment in the country’s largest state last year, when young people were hit hardest.

The Ontario financial oversight agency said 355,000 jobs were lost and an additional 765,000 reduced working hours. Youth unemployment has jumped to 22%.

The Canadian Labor Congress noted that many are still absent from work and are facing the end of emergency benefits and called on Ottawa to provide up to more than 26 additional weekly aid. -One week of assistance to over 1.7 million people in the last four months.

Despite the increase in casualties, new cases of COVID-19 have plummeted in recent weeks and have been deregulated in many areas.

Alberta Health Minister Tyler Shandro said it might be safe to lift more restrictions as soon as numbers are on the decline. The state announced 415 new infectious diseases on Thursday.

However, Saskatchewan Prime Minister Scott Moe recommended that residents traveling outside the state be tested twice for COVID-19 to prevent more infectious variants from settling there.

In British Columbia, after an increase in cases earlier this week, health officials cautioned residents to comply with public health orders and restrictions. The state reported 617 new cases on Thursday after recording 348 cases between Sunday and Monday.

In a joint statement, state health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and health minister Adrian Dix said much of the increase in incidents occurred in Lower Mainland and the northern part of the state.

Ontario Prime Minister Doug Ford said his state is considering locking down petition from two hotspots in the Toronto and Peel regions for another two weeks.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, where a stubborn outbreak of coronavirus disease struck the metropolitan area, the mayor of the fly-in community expressed shock after an unidentified incident in his village.

Barry Andersen, mayor of Makkovik on the north coast of Labrador, said the incident appeared to be related to a medical trip to St. John’s. With the exception of some scattered cases, Labrador health officials have so far succeeded in keeping the virus away from the area.

Makkovik is one of the first vaccination sites in the state to receive the modelna vaccine, with approximately 75% of its population receiving two doses.

In Manitoba, anyone who can receive a shot can access and carry proof of vaccination. Information can be printed from the government website while states are working on more formal vaccination cards, such as British Columbia.

Meanwhile, Quebec’s Prime Minister François Legor said the government will compensate for the upcoming reopening cinema, which has been banned from selling popcorn and other snacks as a pandemic measure.

— Files from Mia Rabson and Jordan Press in Ottawa, Jacob Serebrin in Montreal, Sarah Smellie in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Holly McKenzie-Sutter in Toronto, and Kevin Bisett in Fredericton.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on February 18, 2021.