COVID-19 'Pandemic'
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The Ugly Truth About COVID
STORY AT-A-GLANCE
- Pandemics ~ Data & Analytics (PANDA), co-founded by Nick Hudson, is using live data and open science to empower the public to exercise freedom of choice and preserve free societies
- Hudson explains the ugly truth about COVID-19, which is that the world is being needlessly crippled by fear due to a false narrative
- The pandemic response has created “homosapienophobia” — the idea that everyone is dangerous until proven healthy
- Data compiled by PANDA found no relationship between lockdowns and COVID-19 deaths per million people; the disease followed a trajectory of linear decline regardless of whether or not lockdowns were imposed
- With looming vaccine passports, the loss of personal liberties is at an unprecedented level, while people are generally living “enslaved by fear” — fear of infection or reinfection, “long COVID,” resurgence and mutant variants
But according to Hudson, the 3.4% represents case fatality rate (CFR), which is the number of deaths from COVID-19 divided by the number of cases of COVID-19, while the 1% is infection fatality rate (IFR), or the number of deaths divided by all infected individuals.
“By conflating these two separate points (CFR and IFR),” Hudson said, “Tedros was effectively lying.” Quantitative scientist John Ioannidis, professor of medicine at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, calculated the IFR for COVID-19 in a review of 61 seroprevalence studies, which was a median of 0.23%, and 0.05% in people younger than 70.6
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Mandatory hotel stay for travellers has support but not confidence: Survey
Author of the article:Kevin Connor
Publishing date:Apr 15, 2021 • 1 day ago • 1 minute read • Join the conversation
Passengers at Toronto Pearson airport wait to head to hotels to quarantine on Monday, March 1, 2021.
Passengers at Toronto Pearson airport wait to head to hotels to quarantine on Monday, March 1, 2021. PHOTO BY VERONICA HENRI /Toronto Sun
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Most Canadians approve of continuing the practice of having three-day hotel stays for air travellers and think the U.S. border should be kept closed until at least the fall, a new survey shows.
The findings from Angus Reid Institute show Canadians are largely unwilling to open the border despite the fact Americans are on pace to have pandemic herd immunity by the summer.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said “no time soon” when it comes to reopening the border with the States.
A quarter of those surveyed said they would be OK with opening the border to non-essential travel by the fall, but 31% said the end of the year is a reasonable target.
Half of those surveyed (51%) would support a full ban on international travel, which is a 14% drop compared to January.
Canada is still imposing restrictions on travellers arriving by air and land. Fifty-eight per cent see the rules as necessary, but only 30% think it the measures do much to reduce the spread of the virus.
Eighty per cent agree that travellers should have a mandatory two-week quarantine no matter how they got to Canada, but 37% think travellers should be exempt if they can prove they are fully vaccinated.
When it comes to three-day hotel stays, 52% want the policy in place until at least September, while 29% say it should be shelved now.
On a dismal note, 29% of respondents said life will never go back to how it was pre-pandemic, an increase of eight points since January.
kconnor@postmedia.com
angusreid.org
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Kevin Connor
Publishing date:Apr 15, 2021 • 1 day ago • 1 minute read • Join the conversation
Passengers at Toronto Pearson airport wait to head to hotels to quarantine on Monday, March 1, 2021.
Passengers at Toronto Pearson airport wait to head to hotels to quarantine on Monday, March 1, 2021. PHOTO BY VERONICA HENRI /Toronto Sun
Article content
Most Canadians approve of continuing the practice of having three-day hotel stays for air travellers and think the U.S. border should be kept closed until at least the fall, a new survey shows.
The findings from Angus Reid Institute show Canadians are largely unwilling to open the border despite the fact Americans are on pace to have pandemic herd immunity by the summer.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said “no time soon” when it comes to reopening the border with the States.
A quarter of those surveyed said they would be OK with opening the border to non-essential travel by the fall, but 31% said the end of the year is a reasonable target.
Half of those surveyed (51%) would support a full ban on international travel, which is a 14% drop compared to January.
Canada is still imposing restrictions on travellers arriving by air and land. Fifty-eight per cent see the rules as necessary, but only 30% think it the measures do much to reduce the spread of the virus.
Eighty per cent agree that travellers should have a mandatory two-week quarantine no matter how they got to Canada, but 37% think travellers should be exempt if they can prove they are fully vaccinated.
When it comes to three-day hotel stays, 52% want the policy in place until at least September, while 29% say it should be shelved now.
On a dismal note, 29% of respondents said life will never go back to how it was pre-pandemic, an increase of eight points since January.
kconnor@postmedia.com
Quarantine Questions: Most support 3-day hotel stay for returning air travellers, but far fewer think it’s effective - Angus Reid Institute
Most want border with United States to remain closed until at least autumn April 15, 2021 – ‘No time soon’ was the message from Canada’s Prime Minister when recently asked
angusreid.org
Mandatory hotel stay for travellers has support but not confidence: Survey
Most Canadians approve of continuing the practice of having three-day hotel stays for air travellers and think the U.S. border should be kept closed until at…
Canada's P.1 outbreak prompted end to Brazil screening: Public Health
Canada quietly ended enhanced screening of passengers from Brazil earlier this week
Author of the article:Bryan Passifiume
Publishing date:Apr 16, 2021 • 21 hours ago • 2 minute read • 92 Comments
Canada's Minister of Health Patty Hajdu speaks to media on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
Canada's Minister of Health Patty Hajdu speaks to media on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. PHOTO BY BLAIR GABLE /Reuters
Article content
Growing outbreaks of the Brazilian COVID-19 variant in Canada prompted health officials to quietly cease enhanced screening measures for travellers arriving from the South American nation.
In a statement sent to the Sun, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) said the extra screening didn’t seem necessary as the infectious and increasingly vaccine-resistant variant of concern (VOC) had already gained a significant foothold in this country.
“Given that the P.1 variant is no longer limited to Brazil and is found in a range of countries, including Canada, and that it is not clear that screening for incoming travellers who have been in Brazil was adding operational value given the significantly enhanced testing measures for all incoming travellers, PHAC requested that Canada Border Services Agency no longer question incoming travellers from Brazil,” reads the statement.
Since the story was broken earlier this week by the Globe and Mail, both PHAC and Health Minister Patty Hajdu declined to elaborate on the decision to end the enhanced screening a little under two weeks since it began.
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That news came a day after Hajdu dismissed calls to limit the numerous daily flights coming into Canada from India — a country dealing with a devastating second wave fuelled by the ‘double-mutant’ B.1.617 variant and that is a top source of flights arriving in Canada with COVID-infected passengers.
PHAC told the Sun they’re aware of B.1.617, designating it as a ‘variant of interest.’
Despite both Hajdu and PHAC describing Canada as having some of the ‘strictest travel and border measures in the world,’ hundreds of international flights still arrive every month carrying passengers infected with COVID-19.
The P.1 variant, first identified in Brazil, is sickening hundreds in western Canada — prompting talk of cutting interprovincial travel.
As the Sunreported on Thursday, Vancouver remains the top source of domestic flights carrying COVID-19 infected passengers.
And on Thursday, health officials in Manitoba confirmed their first case of P.1 COVID in that province.
P.1 is one of three COVID-19 VOCs in wide circulation in Canada, alongside the B.1.1.7 U.K. and B.1.351 South African variants.
The U.K. variant remains the most prevalent in Ontario, with 30,175 confirmed cases as of Friday — an increase of 2,897 over the previous day.
Eleven new P.1 cases were reported on Friday, bringing the provincial total to 202, while four new B.1.351 cases brought the total of that variant in Ontario to 99.
bpassifiume@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @bryanpassifiume
torontosun.com
Canada quietly ended enhanced screening of passengers from Brazil earlier this week
Author of the article:Bryan Passifiume
Publishing date:Apr 16, 2021 • 21 hours ago • 2 minute read • 92 Comments
Canada's Minister of Health Patty Hajdu speaks to media on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
Canada's Minister of Health Patty Hajdu speaks to media on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. PHOTO BY BLAIR GABLE /Reuters
Article content
Growing outbreaks of the Brazilian COVID-19 variant in Canada prompted health officials to quietly cease enhanced screening measures for travellers arriving from the South American nation.
In a statement sent to the Sun, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) said the extra screening didn’t seem necessary as the infectious and increasingly vaccine-resistant variant of concern (VOC) had already gained a significant foothold in this country.
“Given that the P.1 variant is no longer limited to Brazil and is found in a range of countries, including Canada, and that it is not clear that screening for incoming travellers who have been in Brazil was adding operational value given the significantly enhanced testing measures for all incoming travellers, PHAC requested that Canada Border Services Agency no longer question incoming travellers from Brazil,” reads the statement.
Since the story was broken earlier this week by the Globe and Mail, both PHAC and Health Minister Patty Hajdu declined to elaborate on the decision to end the enhanced screening a little under two weeks since it began.
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That news came a day after Hajdu dismissed calls to limit the numerous daily flights coming into Canada from India — a country dealing with a devastating second wave fuelled by the ‘double-mutant’ B.1.617 variant and that is a top source of flights arriving in Canada with COVID-infected passengers.
PHAC told the Sun they’re aware of B.1.617, designating it as a ‘variant of interest.’
Despite both Hajdu and PHAC describing Canada as having some of the ‘strictest travel and border measures in the world,’ hundreds of international flights still arrive every month carrying passengers infected with COVID-19.
The P.1 variant, first identified in Brazil, is sickening hundreds in western Canada — prompting talk of cutting interprovincial travel.
As the Sunreported on Thursday, Vancouver remains the top source of domestic flights carrying COVID-19 infected passengers.
And on Thursday, health officials in Manitoba confirmed their first case of P.1 COVID in that province.
P.1 is one of three COVID-19 VOCs in wide circulation in Canada, alongside the B.1.1.7 U.K. and B.1.351 South African variants.
The U.K. variant remains the most prevalent in Ontario, with 30,175 confirmed cases as of Friday — an increase of 2,897 over the previous day.
Eleven new P.1 cases were reported on Friday, bringing the provincial total to 202, while four new B.1.351 cases brought the total of that variant in Ontario to 99.
bpassifiume@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @bryanpassifiume
Canada's P.1 outbreak prompted end to Brazil screening: Public Health
Canada quietly ended enhanced screening of passengers from Brazil earlier this week
Australia reports first death from blood clots 'likely' linked to AstraZeneca vaccine
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Publishing date:Apr 16, 2021 • 1 day ago • 1 minute read • Join the conversation
A medical worker prepares a dose of Oxford/AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination centre in Antwerp, Belgium, March 18, 2021.
A medical worker prepares a dose of Oxford/AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination centre in Antwerp, Belgium, March 18, 2021. PHOTO BY YVES HERMAN /REUTERS / FILES
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SYDNEY — Australia on Friday reported its first death from blood clots linked to the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine after the country’s regulator said a 48-year-old woman’s fatality was “likely” linked to the shot.
Australia’s Vaccine Safety Investigation Group (VSIG), which held a late meeting on Friday, concluded the New South Wales woman’s death was likely linked to the vaccination, the Therapeutic Goods Administration said in a statement.
“In the absence of an alternative cause for the clinical syndrome, VSIG believed that a causative link to vaccination should be assumed at this time,” the TGA said.
This was the third instance of the rare blood clots linked to the vaccine in Australia with the other two patients recovering well, the TGA added.
The 48-year-old woman died four days after receiving the vaccination.
The TGA said her case had been complicated by underlying medical conditions, including diabetes, “as well as some atypical features.”
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Publishing date:Apr 16, 2021 • 1 day ago • 1 minute read • Join the conversation
A medical worker prepares a dose of Oxford/AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination centre in Antwerp, Belgium, March 18, 2021.
A medical worker prepares a dose of Oxford/AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination centre in Antwerp, Belgium, March 18, 2021. PHOTO BY YVES HERMAN /REUTERS / FILES
Article content
SYDNEY — Australia on Friday reported its first death from blood clots linked to the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine after the country’s regulator said a 48-year-old woman’s fatality was “likely” linked to the shot.
Australia’s Vaccine Safety Investigation Group (VSIG), which held a late meeting on Friday, concluded the New South Wales woman’s death was likely linked to the vaccination, the Therapeutic Goods Administration said in a statement.
“In the absence of an alternative cause for the clinical syndrome, VSIG believed that a causative link to vaccination should be assumed at this time,” the TGA said.
This was the third instance of the rare blood clots linked to the vaccine in Australia with the other two patients recovering well, the TGA added.
The 48-year-old woman died four days after receiving the vaccination.
The TGA said her case had been complicated by underlying medical conditions, including diabetes, “as well as some atypical features.”
Australia reports first death from blood clots 'likely' linked to AstraZeneca vaccine
SYDNEY — Australia on Friday reported its first death from blood clots linked to the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine after the country’s regulator said a…
Brazil scrambles to secure sedatives as hospitals overwhelmed by COVID-19
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Publishing date:Apr 16, 2021 • 21 hours ago • 1 minute read • Join the conversation
A physiotherapist adjusts an oxygen mask on a patient with COVID-19 at the ICU of Parelheiros Municipal Hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil, April 8, 2021.
A physiotherapist adjusts an oxygen mask on a patient with COVID-19 at the ICU of Parelheiros Municipal Hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil, April 8, 2021. PHOTO BY AMANDA PEROBELLI /REUTERS
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SAO PAULO — An emergency shipment of sedatives needed to intubate severely ill COVID-19 patients arrived in Brazil late on Thursday from China, as the South American country scrambles for supplies due to severe shortages of the vital drugs.
In recent days, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo have both sounded the alarm over shortages of sedatives, with Sao Paulo’s Health Secretary saying the city’s ability to care for seriously ill COVID-19 patients is on the verge of collapse.
Brazil has become the epicentre of the pandemic, with more Brazilians dying of the virus each day than anywhere else in the world.
President Jair Bolsonaro has opposed lockdowns and held large events in which he often does not wear a mask. He has only recently embraced vaccines as a possible solution.
The cargo of 2.3 million drugs, donated by major Brazilian companies including miner Vale and oil producer Petrobras, touched down in Sao Paulo just after 10 p.m. local time.
As the health crisis worsens, Brazil is also negotiating with other countries for emergency supplies, with donations from Spain expected to arrive next week.
Brazil has recorded a total of 365,444 coronavirus deaths – second only to the United States – and 13,746,681 confirmed COVID-19 cases.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Publishing date:Apr 16, 2021 • 21 hours ago • 1 minute read • Join the conversation
A physiotherapist adjusts an oxygen mask on a patient with COVID-19 at the ICU of Parelheiros Municipal Hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil, April 8, 2021.
A physiotherapist adjusts an oxygen mask on a patient with COVID-19 at the ICU of Parelheiros Municipal Hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil, April 8, 2021. PHOTO BY AMANDA PEROBELLI /REUTERS
Article content
SAO PAULO — An emergency shipment of sedatives needed to intubate severely ill COVID-19 patients arrived in Brazil late on Thursday from China, as the South American country scrambles for supplies due to severe shortages of the vital drugs.
In recent days, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo have both sounded the alarm over shortages of sedatives, with Sao Paulo’s Health Secretary saying the city’s ability to care for seriously ill COVID-19 patients is on the verge of collapse.
Brazil has become the epicentre of the pandemic, with more Brazilians dying of the virus each day than anywhere else in the world.
President Jair Bolsonaro has opposed lockdowns and held large events in which he often does not wear a mask. He has only recently embraced vaccines as a possible solution.
The cargo of 2.3 million drugs, donated by major Brazilian companies including miner Vale and oil producer Petrobras, touched down in Sao Paulo just after 10 p.m. local time.
As the health crisis worsens, Brazil is also negotiating with other countries for emergency supplies, with donations from Spain expected to arrive next week.
Brazil has recorded a total of 365,444 coronavirus deaths – second only to the United States – and 13,746,681 confirmed COVID-19 cases.
Brazil scrambles to secure sedatives as hospitals overwhelmed by COVID-19
SAO PAULO — An emergency shipment of sedatives needed to intubate severely ill COVID-19 patients arrived in Brazil late on Thursday from China, as the South…
Residents, whose jobs or livelihoods were affected by stricter restrictions imposed amid rising coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases, wait to receive cash assistance from the government, at an elementary school in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, April 12, 2021. PHOTO BY ELOISA LOPEZ /REUTERS
MAN DIES AFTER DOING 300 SQUATS AS LOCKDOWN PUNISHMENT
Breaking lockdown rules has some fatal consequences in the Philippines.
A Filipino man died after cops forced him to do 300 squats as punishment for breaking strict COVID-19 lockdown rules, the Telegraph reported.
According to his friends and family, Darren Manaog Peñaredondo, 28, died in hospital after suffering a seizure as a result of doing the squats. The man’s official cause of death was “stroke and cardiovascular hypertension.”
Peñaredondo lived in the Cavite province on the island of Luzon, an area under strict lockdown after a spike in COVID-19 cases in the country. The lockdown measures include a strict nighttime curfew.
Peñaredondo reportedly left his home after 6 p.m. one day to buy drinking water. The man’s girlfriend, Reichelyn Balce, told the Telegraph her beau and other curfew violators were caught by police and herded into the town square, then forced to do hundreds of squat-like exercises while holding their ears.
The group of people were forced to do 300 squats after they were unable to do them in sync. Peñaredondo reportedly collapsed from exhaustion and was taken home where he suffered the seizure.
Police Lt.-Col. Marlo Solero, the chief of police in General Trias, has denied cops used squats as punishment for curfew violators.
telegraph.co.uk
MAN DIES AFTER DOING 300 SQUATS AS LOCKDOWN PUNISHMENT
Breaking lockdown rules has some fatal consequences in the Philippines.
A Filipino man died after cops forced him to do 300 squats as punishment for breaking strict COVID-19 lockdown rules, the Telegraph reported.
According to his friends and family, Darren Manaog Peñaredondo, 28, died in hospital after suffering a seizure as a result of doing the squats. The man’s official cause of death was “stroke and cardiovascular hypertension.”
Peñaredondo lived in the Cavite province on the island of Luzon, an area under strict lockdown after a spike in COVID-19 cases in the country. The lockdown measures include a strict nighttime curfew.
Peñaredondo reportedly left his home after 6 p.m. one day to buy drinking water. The man’s girlfriend, Reichelyn Balce, told the Telegraph her beau and other curfew violators were caught by police and herded into the town square, then forced to do hundreds of squat-like exercises while holding their ears.
The group of people were forced to do 300 squats after they were unable to do them in sync. Peñaredondo reportedly collapsed from exhaustion and was taken home where he suffered the seizure.
Police Lt.-Col. Marlo Solero, the chief of police in General Trias, has denied cops used squats as punishment for curfew violators.
Filipino man dies after being forced to do 300 squats as punishment for breaking lockdown
The south east Asian country has one of the harshest lockdowns in the world as the number of cases of Covid continues to soar
telegraph.co.uk
Alberta confirms country's second blood clot after AstraZeneca vaccine
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Publishing date:Apr 17, 2021 • 1 hour ago • 4 minute read • Join the conversation
Vials of used Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine lay discarded at a make-shift vaccination centre at the Cyprus State Fair grounds in the capital Nicosia's suburb of Engomi on April 15, 2021.
Vials of used Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine lay discarded at a make-shift vaccination centre at the Cyprus State Fair grounds in the capital Nicosia's suburb of Engomi on April 15, 2021. PHOTO BY AMIR MAKAR /AFP via Getty Images
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Alberta has confirmed the country’s second rare blood clot case in a patient who received the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, the province’s chief medical health officer announced Saturday.
Dr. Deena Hinshaw said the male patient, who is in his 60s and recovering, marks the second Canadian case of the blood clot disorder known as vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia, or VITT.
The diagnosis does not change the province’s risk assessment of the vaccine, she said, adding that she is taking the event “extremely seriously.”
“These blood clots remain extremely rare, and anyone who is aged 55 and older faces much higher risks from COVID-19 infection than from this vaccine,” Hinshaw told reporters on a conference call.
She continued to recommend AstraZeneca for anyone 55 and older, saying it is the best way to protect their health.
“I know that reports of any adverse events can be scary, especially when it involves a new vaccine,” she said. “If I were in this age category I would get this vaccine.”
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More than 700,000 doses of AstraZeneca have been administered across Canada to date.
The global frequency of VITT has been estimated at about one case in 100,000 to 250,000 doses. In a stark comparison, Albertans 55 and older who are diagnosed with COVID-19 have a one in 200 chance of dying from that infection, Hinshaw said.
In Europe, only a few dozen cases of the rare blood clots following inoculation have been reported compared to the millions vaccinated with AstraZeneca. Most of those cases have occurred within 14 days of the shot, and the majority were in women under 55.
“It’s not that there’s no risk of this outcome in those who are over 55 or that there’s no risk in men, but rather that it is still such a very rare risk,” Hinshaw said.
A Quebec woman was the first in Canada to develop a blood clot after being vaccinated with AstraZeneca.
The woman received the vaccine produced at the Serum Institute of India, known as Covishield, and was recovering at home, the Public Health Agency of Canada said Tuesday.
A decision around a broader age range in which it is deemed safe to receive AstraZeneca shots is coming in the “near future,” Hinshaw said.
Other pandemic concerns simmered to the surface in Ontario on Saturday, a day after the premier announced anti-pandemic powers that allow police to stop any motorist or pedestrian and ask where they live and why they’re not home.
The strict new measures drew furious criticism as the number of infected people in hospital reached record levels, prompting the provincial government to reconsider the clampdown.
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A government source speaking on background told The Canadian Press that a “clarification” of the police powers was pending final approval.
“We have heard a lot of feedback on this in the last 24 hours in terms of the scope and applicability,” said the source, who was not authorized to speak publicly. “We will be issuing a clarification to police chiefs and the public about the scope and scale of the order.”
The “scoping down” clarification would make clear the aim of enforcement would be larger social gatherings in progress and people out and about would not be targeted, the source said.
Politicians and civil libertarians attacked the anti-pandemic restrictions earlier in the day, calling them misguided and describing the beefed-up police powers aimed at enforcing stay-at-home orders as overkill.
“I am very concerned about arbitrary stops of people by police at any time,” Toronto Mayor John Tory said in a Saturday tweet.
While violating restrictions can carry a $750 fine, failure to provide police with requested information can result in criminal charges, according to the province’s association of police chiefs.
Big and small police forces across the province, however, said they had no intention of exercising their new-found powers.
Civil rights groups, however, took little comfort in such statements.
“Ontario is one step closer to becoming a police state,” said Joanna Baron, executive director of the Calgary-based Canadian Constitution Foundation.
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“Low income and minority communities have borne the brunt of this pandemic in terms of cases and mortality, and they are now more likely to bear the brunt of police enforcement.”
More than 2,000 patients were in Ontario’s hospitals due to the novel coronavirus for the first time since the onset of the year-long pandemic. Of the 2,065 patients receiving treatment, the province said 726 were in intensive care and 501 were on a ventilator.
Ontario logged 4,362 new COVID-19 infections on Saturday, down from the single-day peak of 4,812 recorded a day earlier.
Quebec also reported its highest number of hospitalizations and intensive care cases due to COVID-19 since the second wave.
The province recorded 692 hospitalizations —175 of them in ICUs — over the previous 24 hours, health officials said Saturday.
The figures mark the highest number of hospitalizations since Feb. 19 and the highest number of ICU cases since Feb. 3.
Quebec’s case count climbed by 1,537 on Saturday.
Elsewhere, officials in Nunavut reported six new cases of COVID-19, all in the capital city of Iqaluit.
New Brunswick reported 11 new infections, while Nova Scotia logged eight.
Manitoba reported 183 new COVID-19 cases.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Publishing date:Apr 17, 2021 • 1 hour ago • 4 minute read • Join the conversation
Vials of used Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine lay discarded at a make-shift vaccination centre at the Cyprus State Fair grounds in the capital Nicosia's suburb of Engomi on April 15, 2021.
Vials of used Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine lay discarded at a make-shift vaccination centre at the Cyprus State Fair grounds in the capital Nicosia's suburb of Engomi on April 15, 2021. PHOTO BY AMIR MAKAR /AFP via Getty Images
Article content
Alberta has confirmed the country’s second rare blood clot case in a patient who received the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, the province’s chief medical health officer announced Saturday.
Dr. Deena Hinshaw said the male patient, who is in his 60s and recovering, marks the second Canadian case of the blood clot disorder known as vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia, or VITT.
The diagnosis does not change the province’s risk assessment of the vaccine, she said, adding that she is taking the event “extremely seriously.”
“These blood clots remain extremely rare, and anyone who is aged 55 and older faces much higher risks from COVID-19 infection than from this vaccine,” Hinshaw told reporters on a conference call.
She continued to recommend AstraZeneca for anyone 55 and older, saying it is the best way to protect their health.
“I know that reports of any adverse events can be scary, especially when it involves a new vaccine,” she said. “If I were in this age category I would get this vaccine.”
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Article content
More than 700,000 doses of AstraZeneca have been administered across Canada to date.
The global frequency of VITT has been estimated at about one case in 100,000 to 250,000 doses. In a stark comparison, Albertans 55 and older who are diagnosed with COVID-19 have a one in 200 chance of dying from that infection, Hinshaw said.
In Europe, only a few dozen cases of the rare blood clots following inoculation have been reported compared to the millions vaccinated with AstraZeneca. Most of those cases have occurred within 14 days of the shot, and the majority were in women under 55.
“It’s not that there’s no risk of this outcome in those who are over 55 or that there’s no risk in men, but rather that it is still such a very rare risk,” Hinshaw said.
A Quebec woman was the first in Canada to develop a blood clot after being vaccinated with AstraZeneca.
The woman received the vaccine produced at the Serum Institute of India, known as Covishield, and was recovering at home, the Public Health Agency of Canada said Tuesday.
A decision around a broader age range in which it is deemed safe to receive AstraZeneca shots is coming in the “near future,” Hinshaw said.
Other pandemic concerns simmered to the surface in Ontario on Saturday, a day after the premier announced anti-pandemic powers that allow police to stop any motorist or pedestrian and ask where they live and why they’re not home.
The strict new measures drew furious criticism as the number of infected people in hospital reached record levels, prompting the provincial government to reconsider the clampdown.
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A government source speaking on background told The Canadian Press that a “clarification” of the police powers was pending final approval.
“We have heard a lot of feedback on this in the last 24 hours in terms of the scope and applicability,” said the source, who was not authorized to speak publicly. “We will be issuing a clarification to police chiefs and the public about the scope and scale of the order.”
The “scoping down” clarification would make clear the aim of enforcement would be larger social gatherings in progress and people out and about would not be targeted, the source said.
Politicians and civil libertarians attacked the anti-pandemic restrictions earlier in the day, calling them misguided and describing the beefed-up police powers aimed at enforcing stay-at-home orders as overkill.
“I am very concerned about arbitrary stops of people by police at any time,” Toronto Mayor John Tory said in a Saturday tweet.
While violating restrictions can carry a $750 fine, failure to provide police with requested information can result in criminal charges, according to the province’s association of police chiefs.
Big and small police forces across the province, however, said they had no intention of exercising their new-found powers.
Civil rights groups, however, took little comfort in such statements.
“Ontario is one step closer to becoming a police state,” said Joanna Baron, executive director of the Calgary-based Canadian Constitution Foundation.
Advertisement
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
“Low income and minority communities have borne the brunt of this pandemic in terms of cases and mortality, and they are now more likely to bear the brunt of police enforcement.”
More than 2,000 patients were in Ontario’s hospitals due to the novel coronavirus for the first time since the onset of the year-long pandemic. Of the 2,065 patients receiving treatment, the province said 726 were in intensive care and 501 were on a ventilator.
Ontario logged 4,362 new COVID-19 infections on Saturday, down from the single-day peak of 4,812 recorded a day earlier.
Quebec also reported its highest number of hospitalizations and intensive care cases due to COVID-19 since the second wave.
The province recorded 692 hospitalizations —175 of them in ICUs — over the previous 24 hours, health officials said Saturday.
The figures mark the highest number of hospitalizations since Feb. 19 and the highest number of ICU cases since Feb. 3.
Quebec’s case count climbed by 1,537 on Saturday.
Elsewhere, officials in Nunavut reported six new cases of COVID-19, all in the capital city of Iqaluit.
New Brunswick reported 11 new infections, while Nova Scotia logged eight.
Manitoba reported 183 new COVID-19 cases.
Alberta confirms country's second blood clot after AstraZeneca vaccine
Alberta has confirmed the country’s second rare blood clot case in a patient who received the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, the province’s chief medical health…
LILLEY: Trudeau taking reins from premiers would be disastrous
Author of the article:Brian Lilley
Publishing date:Apr 17, 2021 • 52 minutes ago • 3 minute read • Join the conversation
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (L) and Premier Doug Ford
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (L) and Premier Doug Ford
Article content
If you are upset with one government that you think is incompetent, is the best idea to replace them with a government that has proven itself incompetent?
Based on the number of people now calling for the federal government to take power away from provincial governments, it seems some believe that.
“We need the Emergencies Act!”
“Put Justin Trudeau in charge!”
“Ford can’t handle this!”
These calls for the Trudeau government to relieve provinces of their duties – specifically the Ford government in Ontario – aren’t coming from random Twitter trolls but from doctors, lawyers and seasoned political pundits.
“We need the emergencies act. This is wartime and we are leaderless,” wrote Dr. Shady Ashamalla, a surgeon at Toronto’s Sunnybrook Hospital.
Ashamalla pleaded on Twitter for Justin Trudeau to take over.
Given Trudeau’s record, that would be a disaster.
Look, I understand the frustration with the situation we are in right now. I’ve written about my own issues with the Ford government’s response here in Ontario and offered alternative actions they should be taking. That said, Ontario is not alone in facing a third wave and acting like we would be out of this if only Doug Ford were not in charge – or we had paid sick days – amounts to nothing more than partisan rhetoric.
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Let’s look at the federal government’s response to COVID-19 and ask if we really want to put Trudeau and his cabinet in charge of running provincial systems they know nothing about.
Prior to the pandemic, the Trudeau Liberals downgraded Canada’s pandemic early warning system, an international success story that had helped identify previous outbreaks around the world. Instead of having the independent advice of doctors and specialists, the Trudeau government took the official statements of the government of China at face value.
That was quite literally a deadly mistake.
MORE ON THIS TOPIC
Ontario Premier Doug Ford receives the Astrazeneca-Oxford coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine from pharmacist Anmol Soor at Shoppers Drug Mart in Toronto, Ontario, Canada April 9, 2021.
LILLEY: Ford should focus on vaccinating hotspots rather than closing parks
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
LILLEY: Trudeau needs to change gears on flights and vaccine distribution
The Trudeau Liberals also failed to properly stock and maintain the National Emergency Strategic Stockpile. In place since the 1950s, the NESS was tasked with keeping adequate backup supplies of personal protective equipment after the SARS crisis.
That wasn’t deemed important to the Trudeau government, so they not only threw away millions of pieces of PPE, they didn’t replace it. When COVID came, we weren’t ready.
Of course, as we have learned from documents released to the House of Commons health committee, the government did have the chance to buy PPE — like N95 masks — at the start of the pandemic but declined. A representative from Honeywell, a major manufacturer of the sought-after masks, approached the government but they were told to fill out an online application like everyone else.
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We didn’t get the masks.
On vaccines, the Trudeau government was slow off the mark. The U.K., a country with less vaccine manufacturing capacity than Canada at the start of this, decided to ensure domestic production.
On May 16, 2020, the British Government announced a vaccine task force to make the U.K. a vaccine leader while on the same day Trudeau announced a deal to develop a vaccine with China. That deal with China fell apart three days later but it would be months before Canadians found out and months before the Trudeau Liberals sought new vaccine deals.
The single biggest contributor to Canada dealing with the third wave is Trudeau’s failure to get an adequate supply of vaccines. Every debate over who gets a vaccine and when can be traced back to the fact we don’t have an adequate supply.
So now premiers are bringing in new restrictions, including travel restrictions between provinces, while Trudeau leaves our international border open. Between April 2 and April 14, more than 100 flights have arrived in Canada with COVID-infected passengers, many from variant hot spots, and there isn’t even additional screening measures.
In every area of the COVID response that the Trudeau government is charged with, they have failed.
Anyone who thinks the answer to provincial woes, to righting Ontario, Alberta or British Columbia is to put Trudeau in charge needs to take off their rose-coloured partisan glasses and face reality.
blilley@postmedia.com
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Brian Lilley
Publishing date:Apr 17, 2021 • 52 minutes ago • 3 minute read • Join the conversation
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (L) and Premier Doug Ford
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (L) and Premier Doug Ford
Article content
If you are upset with one government that you think is incompetent, is the best idea to replace them with a government that has proven itself incompetent?
Based on the number of people now calling for the federal government to take power away from provincial governments, it seems some believe that.
“We need the Emergencies Act!”
“Put Justin Trudeau in charge!”
“Ford can’t handle this!”
These calls for the Trudeau government to relieve provinces of their duties – specifically the Ford government in Ontario – aren’t coming from random Twitter trolls but from doctors, lawyers and seasoned political pundits.
“We need the emergencies act. This is wartime and we are leaderless,” wrote Dr. Shady Ashamalla, a surgeon at Toronto’s Sunnybrook Hospital.
Ashamalla pleaded on Twitter for Justin Trudeau to take over.
Given Trudeau’s record, that would be a disaster.
Look, I understand the frustration with the situation we are in right now. I’ve written about my own issues with the Ford government’s response here in Ontario and offered alternative actions they should be taking. That said, Ontario is not alone in facing a third wave and acting like we would be out of this if only Doug Ford were not in charge – or we had paid sick days – amounts to nothing more than partisan rhetoric.
Advertisement
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
Let’s look at the federal government’s response to COVID-19 and ask if we really want to put Trudeau and his cabinet in charge of running provincial systems they know nothing about.
Prior to the pandemic, the Trudeau Liberals downgraded Canada’s pandemic early warning system, an international success story that had helped identify previous outbreaks around the world. Instead of having the independent advice of doctors and specialists, the Trudeau government took the official statements of the government of China at face value.
That was quite literally a deadly mistake.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford receives the Astrazeneca-Oxford coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine from pharmacist Anmol Soor at Shoppers Drug Mart in Toronto, Ontario, Canada April 9, 2021.
LILLEY: Ford should focus on vaccinating hotspots rather than closing parks
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
LILLEY: Trudeau needs to change gears on flights and vaccine distribution
The Trudeau Liberals also failed to properly stock and maintain the National Emergency Strategic Stockpile. In place since the 1950s, the NESS was tasked with keeping adequate backup supplies of personal protective equipment after the SARS crisis.
That wasn’t deemed important to the Trudeau government, so they not only threw away millions of pieces of PPE, they didn’t replace it. When COVID came, we weren’t ready.
Of course, as we have learned from documents released to the House of Commons health committee, the government did have the chance to buy PPE — like N95 masks — at the start of the pandemic but declined. A representative from Honeywell, a major manufacturer of the sought-after masks, approached the government but they were told to fill out an online application like everyone else.
Advertisement
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
We didn’t get the masks.
On vaccines, the Trudeau government was slow off the mark. The U.K., a country with less vaccine manufacturing capacity than Canada at the start of this, decided to ensure domestic production.
On May 16, 2020, the British Government announced a vaccine task force to make the U.K. a vaccine leader while on the same day Trudeau announced a deal to develop a vaccine with China. That deal with China fell apart three days later but it would be months before Canadians found out and months before the Trudeau Liberals sought new vaccine deals.
The single biggest contributor to Canada dealing with the third wave is Trudeau’s failure to get an adequate supply of vaccines. Every debate over who gets a vaccine and when can be traced back to the fact we don’t have an adequate supply.
So now premiers are bringing in new restrictions, including travel restrictions between provinces, while Trudeau leaves our international border open. Between April 2 and April 14, more than 100 flights have arrived in Canada with COVID-infected passengers, many from variant hot spots, and there isn’t even additional screening measures.
In every area of the COVID response that the Trudeau government is charged with, they have failed.
Anyone who thinks the answer to provincial woes, to righting Ontario, Alberta or British Columbia is to put Trudeau in charge needs to take off their rose-coloured partisan glasses and face reality.
blilley@postmedia.com
LILLEY: Trudeau taking reins from premiers would be disastrous
If you are upset with a government that you think is incompetent, is it wise to replace it with another that has proven itself incompetent?
Non-stop cremations cast doubt on India's counting of COVID dead
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Sumit Khanna and Alasdair Pal and Saurabh Sharma
Publishing date:Apr 19, 2021 • 5 hours ago • 4 minute read • Join the conversation
A frontline worker in personal protective equipment (PPE) sprays a flammable liquid on a burning funeral pyre of a man who died from COVID-19, at a crematorium on the outskirts of Mumbai India, April 15, 2021.
A frontline worker in personal protective equipment (PPE) sprays a flammable liquid on a burning funeral pyre of a man who died from COVID-19, at a crematorium on the outskirts of Mumbai India, April 15, 2021. PHOTO BY FRANCIS MASCARENHAS /REUTERS
Article content
AHMEDABAD — Gas and firewood furnaces at a crematorium in the western Indian state of Gujurat have been running so long without a break during the COVID-19 pandemic that metal parts have begun to melt.
“We are working around the clock at 100% capacity to cremate bodies on time,” Kamlesh Sailor, the president of the trust that runs the crematorium in the diamond-polishing city of Surat, told Reuters.
And with hospitals full and oxygen and medicines in short supply in an already creaky health system, several major cities are reporting far larger numbers of cremations and burials under coronavirus protocols than official COVID-19 death tolls, according to crematorium and cemetery workers, media and a review of government data.
India on Monday registered a record 273,810 new daily infections and 1,619 deaths. Its total number of cases now stands at more than 15 million, second only to the United States.
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Article content
Reliable data is at the heart of any government response to the pandemic, without which planning for hospital vacancies, oxygen and medicine becomes difficult, experts say.
Government officials say the mismatch in death tallies may be caused by several factors, including over-caution.
A senior state health official said the increase in numbers of cremations had been due to bodies being cremated using COVID protocols “even if there is 0.1% probability of the person being positive.”
“In many cases, patients come to hospital in an extremely critical condition and die before they are tested, and there are instances where patients are brought dead to hospital, and we do not know if they are positive or not,” the official said.
‘VERY IRKSOME’
But Bhramar Mukherjee, a professor of biostatistics and epidemiology at the University of Michigan, said many parts of India were in “data denial.”
“Everything is so muddy,” she said. “It feels like nobody understands the situation very clearly, and that’s very irksome.”
In Surat, Gujarat’s second largest city, Sailor’s Kurukshetra crematorium and a second crematorium known as Umra have cremated more than 100 bodies a day under COVID protocols over the last week, far in excess of the city’s official daily COVID death toll of around 25, according to interviews with workers.
Prashant Kabrawala, trustee of Narayan Trust, which manages a third city crematorium called Ashwinikumar, declined to provide the number of bodies received under COVID protocols, but said cremations there had tripled in recent weeks.
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“I have been regularly going to the crematorium since 1987, and been involved in its day-to-day functioning since 2005, but I haven’t seen so many dead bodies coming for cremation in all these years,” even during an outbreak of the bubonic plague in 1994 and floods in 2006.
Government spokesmen in Gujurat did not respond to requests for comment.
India is not the only country to have its coronavirus statistics questioned. But the testimony of workers and a growing body of academic literature suggest deaths in India are being underreported compared to other countries.
Mukherjee’s research of India’s first wave concludes that there were 11 times more infections than were reported, in line with estimates from studies in other countries. There were also between two and five times as many deaths than were reported, far in excess of global averages.
WORKING DAY AND NIGHT
In Lucknow, capital of the populous northern state of Uttar Pradesh, data from the largest COVID-only crematorium, Baikunthdham, shows double the number of bodies arriving on six different days in April than government data on COVID deaths for the entire city.
The figures do not take into account a second COVID-only crematorium in the city, or burials in the Muslim community that makes up a quarter of the city’s population.
Crematorium head Azad, who goes by only one name, said the number of cremations under COVID protocols had risen five-fold in recent weeks.
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Article content
“We are working day and night,” he said. “The incinerators are running full time but still many people have to wait with the bodies for the last rites.”
A spokesman for the Uttar Pradesh government did not respond to a request for comment.
Elsewhere, India Today reported two crematoriums in Bhopal, the capital of the central state of Madhya Pradesh, 187 bodies were cremated following COVID protocols in four days this month, while the official COVID death toll stood at five.
Last week Sandesh, a Gujarati newspaper, counted 63 bodies leaving a single COVID-only hospital for burial in the state’s largest city, Ahmedabad, on a day where government data showed 20 coronavirus deaths.
The Lancet medical journal noted last year that four Indian states making up 65% of COVID fatalities nationally each registered 100% of their coronavirus deaths.
But fewer than a quarter of deaths in India are medically certified, particularly in rural areas, meaning the true COVID death rate in many of India’s 24 other states may never be known.
“Most of the deaths are not registered so it’s impossible to do a validation calculation,” Mukherjee said.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Sumit Khanna and Alasdair Pal and Saurabh Sharma
Publishing date:Apr 19, 2021 • 5 hours ago • 4 minute read • Join the conversation
A frontline worker in personal protective equipment (PPE) sprays a flammable liquid on a burning funeral pyre of a man who died from COVID-19, at a crematorium on the outskirts of Mumbai India, April 15, 2021.
A frontline worker in personal protective equipment (PPE) sprays a flammable liquid on a burning funeral pyre of a man who died from COVID-19, at a crematorium on the outskirts of Mumbai India, April 15, 2021. PHOTO BY FRANCIS MASCARENHAS /REUTERS
Article content
AHMEDABAD — Gas and firewood furnaces at a crematorium in the western Indian state of Gujurat have been running so long without a break during the COVID-19 pandemic that metal parts have begun to melt.
“We are working around the clock at 100% capacity to cremate bodies on time,” Kamlesh Sailor, the president of the trust that runs the crematorium in the diamond-polishing city of Surat, told Reuters.
And with hospitals full and oxygen and medicines in short supply in an already creaky health system, several major cities are reporting far larger numbers of cremations and burials under coronavirus protocols than official COVID-19 death tolls, according to crematorium and cemetery workers, media and a review of government data.
India on Monday registered a record 273,810 new daily infections and 1,619 deaths. Its total number of cases now stands at more than 15 million, second only to the United States.
Advertisement
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
Reliable data is at the heart of any government response to the pandemic, without which planning for hospital vacancies, oxygen and medicine becomes difficult, experts say.
Government officials say the mismatch in death tallies may be caused by several factors, including over-caution.
A senior state health official said the increase in numbers of cremations had been due to bodies being cremated using COVID protocols “even if there is 0.1% probability of the person being positive.”
“In many cases, patients come to hospital in an extremely critical condition and die before they are tested, and there are instances where patients are brought dead to hospital, and we do not know if they are positive or not,” the official said.
‘VERY IRKSOME’
But Bhramar Mukherjee, a professor of biostatistics and epidemiology at the University of Michigan, said many parts of India were in “data denial.”
“Everything is so muddy,” she said. “It feels like nobody understands the situation very clearly, and that’s very irksome.”
In Surat, Gujarat’s second largest city, Sailor’s Kurukshetra crematorium and a second crematorium known as Umra have cremated more than 100 bodies a day under COVID protocols over the last week, far in excess of the city’s official daily COVID death toll of around 25, according to interviews with workers.
Prashant Kabrawala, trustee of Narayan Trust, which manages a third city crematorium called Ashwinikumar, declined to provide the number of bodies received under COVID protocols, but said cremations there had tripled in recent weeks.
Advertisement
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
“I have been regularly going to the crematorium since 1987, and been involved in its day-to-day functioning since 2005, but I haven’t seen so many dead bodies coming for cremation in all these years,” even during an outbreak of the bubonic plague in 1994 and floods in 2006.
Government spokesmen in Gujurat did not respond to requests for comment.
India is not the only country to have its coronavirus statistics questioned. But the testimony of workers and a growing body of academic literature suggest deaths in India are being underreported compared to other countries.
Mukherjee’s research of India’s first wave concludes that there were 11 times more infections than were reported, in line with estimates from studies in other countries. There were also between two and five times as many deaths than were reported, far in excess of global averages.
WORKING DAY AND NIGHT
In Lucknow, capital of the populous northern state of Uttar Pradesh, data from the largest COVID-only crematorium, Baikunthdham, shows double the number of bodies arriving on six different days in April than government data on COVID deaths for the entire city.
The figures do not take into account a second COVID-only crematorium in the city, or burials in the Muslim community that makes up a quarter of the city’s population.
Crematorium head Azad, who goes by only one name, said the number of cremations under COVID protocols had risen five-fold in recent weeks.
Advertisement
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
“We are working day and night,” he said. “The incinerators are running full time but still many people have to wait with the bodies for the last rites.”
A spokesman for the Uttar Pradesh government did not respond to a request for comment.
Elsewhere, India Today reported two crematoriums in Bhopal, the capital of the central state of Madhya Pradesh, 187 bodies were cremated following COVID protocols in four days this month, while the official COVID death toll stood at five.
Last week Sandesh, a Gujarati newspaper, counted 63 bodies leaving a single COVID-only hospital for burial in the state’s largest city, Ahmedabad, on a day where government data showed 20 coronavirus deaths.
The Lancet medical journal noted last year that four Indian states making up 65% of COVID fatalities nationally each registered 100% of their coronavirus deaths.
But fewer than a quarter of deaths in India are medically certified, particularly in rural areas, meaning the true COVID death rate in many of India’s 24 other states may never be known.
“Most of the deaths are not registered so it’s impossible to do a validation calculation,” Mukherjee said.
Non-stop cremations cast doubt on India's counting of COVID dead
AHMEDABAD — Gas and firewood furnaces at a crematorium in the western Indian state of Gujurat have been running so long without a break during the COVID-19…
Could be a business worth looking in to. Can't see needing much in the way of required training, 150 per week would add up.Non-stop cremations cast doubt on India's counting of COVID dead
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Sumit Khanna and Alasdair Pal and Saurabh Sharma
Publishing date:Apr 19, 2021 • 5 hours ago • 4 minute read • Join the conversation
A frontline worker in personal protective equipment (PPE) sprays a flammable liquid on a burning funeral pyre of a man who died from COVID-19, at a crematorium on the outskirts of Mumbai India, April 15, 2021.
A frontline worker in personal protective equipment (PPE) sprays a flammable liquid on a burning funeral pyre of a man who died from COVID-19, at a crematorium on the outskirts of Mumbai India, April 15, 2021. PHOTO BY FRANCIS MASCARENHAS /REUTERS
Article content
AHMEDABAD — Gas and firewood furnaces at a crematorium in the western Indian state of Gujurat have been running so long without a break during the COVID-19 pandemic that metal parts have begun to melt.
“We are working around the clock at 100% capacity to cremate bodies on time,” Kamlesh Sailor, the president of the trust that runs the crematorium in the diamond-polishing city of Surat, told Reuters.
And with hospitals full and oxygen and medicines in short supply in an already creaky health system, several major cities are reporting far larger numbers of cremations and burials under coronavirus protocols than official COVID-19 death tolls, according to crematorium and cemetery workers, media and a review of government data.
India on Monday registered a record 273,810 new daily infections and 1,619 deaths. Its total number of cases now stands at more than 15 million, second only to the United States.
Advertisement
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
Reliable data is at the heart of any government response to the pandemic, without which planning for hospital vacancies, oxygen and medicine becomes difficult, experts say.
Government officials say the mismatch in death tallies may be caused by several factors, including over-caution.
A senior state health official said the increase in numbers of cremations had been due to bodies being cremated using COVID protocols “even if there is 0.1% probability of the person being positive.”
“In many cases, patients come to hospital in an extremely critical condition and die before they are tested, and there are instances where patients are brought dead to hospital, and we do not know if they are positive or not,” the official said.
‘VERY IRKSOME’
But Bhramar Mukherjee, a professor of biostatistics and epidemiology at the University of Michigan, said many parts of India were in “data denial.”
“Everything is so muddy,” she said. “It feels like nobody understands the situation very clearly, and that’s very irksome.”
In Surat, Gujarat’s second largest city, Sailor’s Kurukshetra crematorium and a second crematorium known as Umra have cremated more than 100 bodies a day under COVID protocols over the last week, far in excess of the city’s official daily COVID death toll of around 25, according to interviews with workers.
Prashant Kabrawala, trustee of Narayan Trust, which manages a third city crematorium called Ashwinikumar, declined to provide the number of bodies received under COVID protocols, but said cremations there had tripled in recent weeks.
Advertisement
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
“I have been regularly going to the crematorium since 1987, and been involved in its day-to-day functioning since 2005, but I haven’t seen so many dead bodies coming for cremation in all these years,” even during an outbreak of the bubonic plague in 1994 and floods in 2006.
Government spokesmen in Gujurat did not respond to requests for comment.
India is not the only country to have its coronavirus statistics questioned. But the testimony of workers and a growing body of academic literature suggest deaths in India are being underreported compared to other countries.
Mukherjee’s research of India’s first wave concludes that there were 11 times more infections than were reported, in line with estimates from studies in other countries. There were also between two and five times as many deaths than were reported, far in excess of global averages.
WORKING DAY AND NIGHT
In Lucknow, capital of the populous northern state of Uttar Pradesh, data from the largest COVID-only crematorium, Baikunthdham, shows double the number of bodies arriving on six different days in April than government data on COVID deaths for the entire city.
The figures do not take into account a second COVID-only crematorium in the city, or burials in the Muslim community that makes up a quarter of the city’s population.
Crematorium head Azad, who goes by only one name, said the number of cremations under COVID protocols had risen five-fold in recent weeks.
Advertisement
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
“We are working day and night,” he said. “The incinerators are running full time but still many people have to wait with the bodies for the last rites.”
A spokesman for the Uttar Pradesh government did not respond to a request for comment.
Elsewhere, India Today reported two crematoriums in Bhopal, the capital of the central state of Madhya Pradesh, 187 bodies were cremated following COVID protocols in four days this month, while the official COVID death toll stood at five.
Last week Sandesh, a Gujarati newspaper, counted 63 bodies leaving a single COVID-only hospital for burial in the state’s largest city, Ahmedabad, on a day where government data showed 20 coronavirus deaths.
The Lancet medical journal noted last year that four Indian states making up 65% of COVID fatalities nationally each registered 100% of their coronavirus deaths.
But fewer than a quarter of deaths in India are medically certified, particularly in rural areas, meaning the true COVID death rate in many of India’s 24 other states may never be known.
“Most of the deaths are not registered so it’s impossible to do a validation calculation,” Mukherjee said.
Non-stop cremations cast doubt on India's counting of COVID dead
AHMEDABAD — Gas and firewood furnaces at a crematorium in the western Indian state of Gujurat have been running so long without a break during the COVID-19…
Belgian artist's 'portable oasis' creates COVID-free bubble for one
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Bart Biesemans and Clement Rossignol
Publishing date:Apr 19, 2021 • 1 hour ago • 1 minute read • Join the conversation
Belgian artist Alain Verschueren wears his "Portable Oasis" while performing in a street, saying he wanted to be in his bubble in the middle of the city, amid the COVID-19 outbreak in Brussels, Belgium, April 16, 2021.
Belgian artist Alain Verschueren wears his "Portable Oasis" while performing in a street, saying he wanted to be in his bubble in the middle of the city, amid the COVID-19 outbreak in Brussels, Belgium, April 16, 2021. PHOTO BY YVES HERMAN /REUTERS
Article content
BRUSSELS — When governments around Europe told people to create a “bubble” to limit their social contacts during the COVID-19 pandemic, this was probably not what they had in mind.
Alain Verschueren, a Belgian artist and social worker, has been strolling through the capital Brussels wearing a “portable oasis” – a plexiglass mini-greenhouse which rests on his shoulders, cocooning him in a bubble of air purified by the aromatic plants inside.
Verschueren, 61, developed the idea 15 years ago, inspired by the lush oases in Tunisia where he had previously worked. In a city where face coverings are mandatory to curb the spread of COVID-19, his invention has gained a new lease of life.
“It was about creating a bubble in which I could lock myself in, to cut myself off a world that I found too dull, too noisy or smelly,” Verschueren said, adding that he has asthma and finds breathing within his contraption more comfortable than wearing a facemask.
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“As time went by, I noticed that people were coming up to me and talking to me. This isolation became much more a way of connecting,” he said.
Onlookers in Brussels appeared amused and confused by the man wandering between the shops – mostly closed due to COVID-19 restrictions – encased in a pod of thyme, rosemary and lavender plants.
“Is it a greenhouse? Is it for the bees? Is it for the plants? We don’t know, but it’s a good idea,” Charlie Elkiess, a retired jeweler, told Reuters.
Verschueren said he hoped to encourage people to take better care of the environment, to reduce the need to protect ourselves from air and noise pollution.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Bart Biesemans and Clement Rossignol
Publishing date:Apr 19, 2021 • 1 hour ago • 1 minute read • Join the conversation
Belgian artist Alain Verschueren wears his "Portable Oasis" while performing in a street, saying he wanted to be in his bubble in the middle of the city, amid the COVID-19 outbreak in Brussels, Belgium, April 16, 2021.
Belgian artist Alain Verschueren wears his "Portable Oasis" while performing in a street, saying he wanted to be in his bubble in the middle of the city, amid the COVID-19 outbreak in Brussels, Belgium, April 16, 2021. PHOTO BY YVES HERMAN /REUTERS
Article content
BRUSSELS — When governments around Europe told people to create a “bubble” to limit their social contacts during the COVID-19 pandemic, this was probably not what they had in mind.
Alain Verschueren, a Belgian artist and social worker, has been strolling through the capital Brussels wearing a “portable oasis” – a plexiglass mini-greenhouse which rests on his shoulders, cocooning him in a bubble of air purified by the aromatic plants inside.
Verschueren, 61, developed the idea 15 years ago, inspired by the lush oases in Tunisia where he had previously worked. In a city where face coverings are mandatory to curb the spread of COVID-19, his invention has gained a new lease of life.
“It was about creating a bubble in which I could lock myself in, to cut myself off a world that I found too dull, too noisy or smelly,” Verschueren said, adding that he has asthma and finds breathing within his contraption more comfortable than wearing a facemask.
Advertisement
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
“As time went by, I noticed that people were coming up to me and talking to me. This isolation became much more a way of connecting,” he said.
Onlookers in Brussels appeared amused and confused by the man wandering between the shops – mostly closed due to COVID-19 restrictions – encased in a pod of thyme, rosemary and lavender plants.
“Is it a greenhouse? Is it for the bees? Is it for the plants? We don’t know, but it’s a good idea,” Charlie Elkiess, a retired jeweler, told Reuters.
Verschueren said he hoped to encourage people to take better care of the environment, to reduce the need to protect ourselves from air and noise pollution.
Belgian artist's 'portable oasis' creates COVID-free bubble for one
BRUSSELS — When governments around Europe told people to create a “bubble” to limit their social contacts during the COVID-19 pandemic, this was probably not…
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Replying to
@Breaking911
Herpes Zoster, which is shingles, not "real" herpes. Plus it's only in people with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases. That's so fucking misleading lmao
Replying to
@Breaking911
Herpes Zoster, which is shingles, not "real" herpes. Plus it's only in people with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases. That's so fucking misleading lmao
J&J vaccine reviewed for links to additional reports of severe side effects: CDC
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Carl O'Donnell
Publishing date:Apr 19, 2021 • 22 hours ago • 2 minute read • Join the conversation
Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccines are seen at Northwell Health's South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore, New York, March 3, 2021.
Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccines are seen at Northwell Health's South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore, New York, March 3, 2021. PHOTO BY SHANNON STAPLETON /REUTERS
Article content
The United States is reviewing reports of a handful of potential cases of severe side effects among people who received Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine in addition to those that led to a pause in its use, a top U.S. public health official said on Monday.
U.S. health regulators called for a pause in administering the J&J vaccine last week due to reports of serious brain blood clots in six women under age 50 who received the shot out of some 7 million vaccinated with it in the United States.
“We are encouraged that it hasn’t been an overwhelming number of cases but we’re looking and seeing what’s come in,” U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky said during a Monday news briefing.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is monitoring the U.S. government’s database for additional reports of side effects, she added. Walensky did not provide any details on the nature of the additional side effects.
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An advisory panel for the CDC is meeting on Friday to review data on severe side effects and will make a recommendation on whether the United States should resume using the J&J vaccine.
Public health experts have predicted a resumption, but only after healthcare providers are given clear guidelines for how to recognize and treat the blood clots that can emerge as a rare side effect of the vaccine.
J&J’s COVID-19 vaccine production ramp up may still move more slowly than originally projected. The FDA has postponed authorization of a large J&J vaccine plant in the United States because of factory errors that ruined millions of doses last month.
White House COVID-19 adviser Andy Slavitt on Monday assured Americans that vaccine supply remains robust and that “it has never been easier” for Americans to obtain a vaccine. More than 3 million COVID-19 shots are going into arms each day in the United States using the Pfizer Inc/BioNTech and Moderna Inc two-dose vaccines.
Over 260 million COVID-19 shots have been shipped in the United States and nearly 210 million people have received doses, according to CDC data last updated on Sunday.
Walensky said that of the 84 million people who have been fully vaccinated in the United States, fewer than 6,000 have gotten sick with COVID-19 more than two weeks after being fully dosed. Of those, nearly 400 were hospitalized and around 75 died, according to CDC data. Some of the hospitalizations and deaths were not due to COVID-19 infections.
“It still makes a really important point. These vaccines are working,” Walensky said.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Carl O'Donnell
Publishing date:Apr 19, 2021 • 22 hours ago • 2 minute read • Join the conversation
Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccines are seen at Northwell Health's South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore, New York, March 3, 2021.
Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccines are seen at Northwell Health's South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore, New York, March 3, 2021. PHOTO BY SHANNON STAPLETON /REUTERS
Article content
The United States is reviewing reports of a handful of potential cases of severe side effects among people who received Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine in addition to those that led to a pause in its use, a top U.S. public health official said on Monday.
U.S. health regulators called for a pause in administering the J&J vaccine last week due to reports of serious brain blood clots in six women under age 50 who received the shot out of some 7 million vaccinated with it in the United States.
“We are encouraged that it hasn’t been an overwhelming number of cases but we’re looking and seeing what’s come in,” U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky said during a Monday news briefing.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is monitoring the U.S. government’s database for additional reports of side effects, she added. Walensky did not provide any details on the nature of the additional side effects.
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An advisory panel for the CDC is meeting on Friday to review data on severe side effects and will make a recommendation on whether the United States should resume using the J&J vaccine.
Public health experts have predicted a resumption, but only after healthcare providers are given clear guidelines for how to recognize and treat the blood clots that can emerge as a rare side effect of the vaccine.
J&J’s COVID-19 vaccine production ramp up may still move more slowly than originally projected. The FDA has postponed authorization of a large J&J vaccine plant in the United States because of factory errors that ruined millions of doses last month.
White House COVID-19 adviser Andy Slavitt on Monday assured Americans that vaccine supply remains robust and that “it has never been easier” for Americans to obtain a vaccine. More than 3 million COVID-19 shots are going into arms each day in the United States using the Pfizer Inc/BioNTech and Moderna Inc two-dose vaccines.
Over 260 million COVID-19 shots have been shipped in the United States and nearly 210 million people have received doses, according to CDC data last updated on Sunday.
Walensky said that of the 84 million people who have been fully vaccinated in the United States, fewer than 6,000 have gotten sick with COVID-19 more than two weeks after being fully dosed. Of those, nearly 400 were hospitalized and around 75 died, according to CDC data. Some of the hospitalizations and deaths were not due to COVID-19 infections.
“It still makes a really important point. These vaccines are working,” Walensky said.
J&J vaccine reviewed for links to additional reports of severe side effects: CDC
The United States is reviewing reports of a handful of potential cases of severe side effects among people who received Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine in…
LILLEY: India shuts down, we keep taking flights
Author of the article:Brian Lilley
Publishing date:Apr 19, 2021 • 20 hours ago • 3 minute read • 86 Comments
A woman arriving from overseas has been charged with allegedly using a fraudulent COVID-19 document after arriving at Pearson Airport.
International arrivals at Toronto's Pearson airport. PHOTO BY JACK BOLAND /Toronto Sun
Article content
As India’s capital went into a serious lockdown, extended its curfew, closed schools and tried to recover from a record 23,000 new cases — many of them the result of a double-mutant variant — we welcomed more flights from Delhi to Canada. Yes, travel inside of Canada may be restricted but outside the country, it is not.
Want to hop over from Ottawa, Ont., to Gatineau, Que., for some cheap beer? You can’t do that but you can hop on a flight to Delhi for some cheap whiskey with a side of double-mutant variant COVID.
Such are the strange COVID-19 restrictions that we have in this country.
Moving around your own city or town has become more difficult, while every single day, flights land in Canada from all over the world with COVID infected passengers. If these were buses between cities inside Canada, we would have shut this down — but not when it comes to flights.
I’m not picking on India; in fact, my heart breaks for the country. They are producing so much of the vaccine being used around the world and yet are also dealing with spiralling cases.
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Perhaps this is why the Ford government in Ontario on Monday announced that deliveries of the AstraZeneca vaccine made in India have been put off. A total of more than 550,000 doses expected over the next few weeks won’t be coming.
We can’t get COVID vaccines from India now, just flights with passengers who have COVID.
Out of 107 flights arriving in Canada between April 5 and April 17, 29 of those flights arrived from Delhi, but there is no extra screening, no talk of banning or pausing flights as we did from Britain and sun destinations earlier this year. The Trudeau government doesn’t see a point in doing that, just like they don’t see a point doing extra screening on passengers from Brazil.
British Columbia is now home to the second-biggest outbreak of the Brazilian variant after, you guessed it, Brazil. Last week, the Trudeau government dropped extra screening saying that the virus is already here.
Maybe with the Indian double mutant variant, they will just wait until it’s here.
The “variant of interest” as the World Health Organization calls this strain, has already been found in at least 10 countries, including Australia, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Namibia, New Zealand, Singapore, the U.K. Something tells me Canada will soon be on the list.
The Trudeau government was slow to react on border issues when COVID-19 first showed up in Canada in January 2020.
The initial screening was incredibly weak on flights from Wuhan, China, but then also failed to adjust as the source of infection moved to Iran, Italy, Egypt, and the United States.
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We didn’t impose quarantine restrictions on anyone coming into Canada until March 25, 2020 — a full two months after our first cases had arrived and after the virus was too widespread to stop with quarantine measures.
The government has been weak on enforcing quarantine measures as has been shown by mobility data shared by provincial leaders and by the fact that the U.K. variant is not dominant in Ontario while the Brazilian variant runs through B.C.
And soon, for all of us, we will be dealing with the Indian double mutant variant and the Trudeau government will have done nothing to stop it. He has failed to get us adequate vaccines as protection, he refuses to take extra border measures or enforcement, and he won’t consider banning frequent flights from Delhi.
Once this variant is here, though, he’ll spend lots of time blaming premiers for not locking Canadians in their homes tightly enough to stop the spread of COVID.
Hypocrite.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Brian Lilley
Publishing date:Apr 19, 2021 • 20 hours ago • 3 minute read • 86 Comments
A woman arriving from overseas has been charged with allegedly using a fraudulent COVID-19 document after arriving at Pearson Airport.
International arrivals at Toronto's Pearson airport. PHOTO BY JACK BOLAND /Toronto Sun
Article content
As India’s capital went into a serious lockdown, extended its curfew, closed schools and tried to recover from a record 23,000 new cases — many of them the result of a double-mutant variant — we welcomed more flights from Delhi to Canada. Yes, travel inside of Canada may be restricted but outside the country, it is not.
Want to hop over from Ottawa, Ont., to Gatineau, Que., for some cheap beer? You can’t do that but you can hop on a flight to Delhi for some cheap whiskey with a side of double-mutant variant COVID.
Such are the strange COVID-19 restrictions that we have in this country.
Moving around your own city or town has become more difficult, while every single day, flights land in Canada from all over the world with COVID infected passengers. If these were buses between cities inside Canada, we would have shut this down — but not when it comes to flights.
I’m not picking on India; in fact, my heart breaks for the country. They are producing so much of the vaccine being used around the world and yet are also dealing with spiralling cases.
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Article content
Perhaps this is why the Ford government in Ontario on Monday announced that deliveries of the AstraZeneca vaccine made in India have been put off. A total of more than 550,000 doses expected over the next few weeks won’t be coming.
We can’t get COVID vaccines from India now, just flights with passengers who have COVID.
Out of 107 flights arriving in Canada between April 5 and April 17, 29 of those flights arrived from Delhi, but there is no extra screening, no talk of banning or pausing flights as we did from Britain and sun destinations earlier this year. The Trudeau government doesn’t see a point in doing that, just like they don’t see a point doing extra screening on passengers from Brazil.
British Columbia is now home to the second-biggest outbreak of the Brazilian variant after, you guessed it, Brazil. Last week, the Trudeau government dropped extra screening saying that the virus is already here.
Maybe with the Indian double mutant variant, they will just wait until it’s here.
The “variant of interest” as the World Health Organization calls this strain, has already been found in at least 10 countries, including Australia, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Namibia, New Zealand, Singapore, the U.K. Something tells me Canada will soon be on the list.
The Trudeau government was slow to react on border issues when COVID-19 first showed up in Canada in January 2020.
The initial screening was incredibly weak on flights from Wuhan, China, but then also failed to adjust as the source of infection moved to Iran, Italy, Egypt, and the United States.
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Article content
We didn’t impose quarantine restrictions on anyone coming into Canada until March 25, 2020 — a full two months after our first cases had arrived and after the virus was too widespread to stop with quarantine measures.
The government has been weak on enforcing quarantine measures as has been shown by mobility data shared by provincial leaders and by the fact that the U.K. variant is not dominant in Ontario while the Brazilian variant runs through B.C.
And soon, for all of us, we will be dealing with the Indian double mutant variant and the Trudeau government will have done nothing to stop it. He has failed to get us adequate vaccines as protection, he refuses to take extra border measures or enforcement, and he won’t consider banning frequent flights from Delhi.
Once this variant is here, though, he’ll spend lots of time blaming premiers for not locking Canadians in their homes tightly enough to stop the spread of COVID.
Hypocrite.
LILLEY: India shuts down, we keep taking flights
As India’s capital went into a serious lockdown, we welcomed more flights from Delhi to Canada.
Canada-U.S. land border restrictions, hotel quarantine extended
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Publishing date:Apr 20, 2021 • 3 hours ago • 1 minute read • Join the conversation
A motorist enters Windsor, Ont. via the Windsor/Detroit tunnel on Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021.
A motorist enters Windsor, Ont. via the Windsor/Detroit tunnel on Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021. PHOTO BY DAN JANISSE /THE WINDSOR STAR
Article content
OTTAWA — Canada and the United States on Tuesday extended a land-border closure for non-essential travellers, and air passengers arriving in Canada will continue to be tested for COVID-19 ahead of a hotel quarantine period, authorities said.
The land-border restrictions, imposed in March 2020, have been extended to May 21. Now in place for 13 months, they are being renewed month by month. Mexico said late on Monday it was maintaining some of its border restrictions, too.
“We are guided by science and public health data and engaged in discussions with Canada and Mexico about easing restrictions as health conditions improve,” the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said on Twitter.
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The restrictions have hit many border communities and businesses hard. Many U.S. lawmakers have urged loosening the restrictions or setting a road map to resuming normalized travel.
Canada continues to lag the United States on vaccinations, and much of the country is now fighting a virulent third wave of the disease with school and business closures.
Canada’s required three-day hotel quarantine following testing at airports, which was introduced as a temporary measure to discourage spring break travel, was also extended to May 21, health authorities said.
Canada began testing international air arrivals in February, and requiring them to pay for a three-day hotel quarantine themselves, a measure criticized by airlines hit hard by the pandemic.
Air travellers are also are required to have had a test within three days of departure. If the airport text comes back negative, they can finish a 14-day quarantine at home.
However, data obtained by Reuters showed that more than 1,000 passengers, or 1.5% of those who arrived from Feb 22 to March 25, tested positive for COVID-19, casting doubt over a broad easing of restrictions before the summer travel season.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Publishing date:Apr 20, 2021 • 3 hours ago • 1 minute read • Join the conversation
A motorist enters Windsor, Ont. via the Windsor/Detroit tunnel on Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021.
A motorist enters Windsor, Ont. via the Windsor/Detroit tunnel on Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021. PHOTO BY DAN JANISSE /THE WINDSOR STAR
Article content
OTTAWA — Canada and the United States on Tuesday extended a land-border closure for non-essential travellers, and air passengers arriving in Canada will continue to be tested for COVID-19 ahead of a hotel quarantine period, authorities said.
The land-border restrictions, imposed in March 2020, have been extended to May 21. Now in place for 13 months, they are being renewed month by month. Mexico said late on Monday it was maintaining some of its border restrictions, too.
“We are guided by science and public health data and engaged in discussions with Canada and Mexico about easing restrictions as health conditions improve,” the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said on Twitter.
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The restrictions have hit many border communities and businesses hard. Many U.S. lawmakers have urged loosening the restrictions or setting a road map to resuming normalized travel.
Canada continues to lag the United States on vaccinations, and much of the country is now fighting a virulent third wave of the disease with school and business closures.
Canada’s required three-day hotel quarantine following testing at airports, which was introduced as a temporary measure to discourage spring break travel, was also extended to May 21, health authorities said.
Canada began testing international air arrivals in February, and requiring them to pay for a three-day hotel quarantine themselves, a measure criticized by airlines hit hard by the pandemic.
Air travellers are also are required to have had a test within three days of departure. If the airport text comes back negative, they can finish a 14-day quarantine at home.
However, data obtained by Reuters showed that more than 1,000 passengers, or 1.5% of those who arrived from Feb 22 to March 25, tested positive for COVID-19, casting doubt over a broad easing of restrictions before the summer travel season.
Canada-U.S. land border restrictions, hotel quarantine extended
OTTAWA — Canada and the United States on Tuesday extended a land-border closure for non-essential travellers, and air passengers arriving in Canada will…
EU regulator backs J&J vaccine despite finding possible link to blood clots
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Publishing date:Apr 20, 2021 • 6 hours ago • 2 minute read • Join the conversation
A vial of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is seen at Northwell Health's South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore, New York, March 3, 2021.
A vial of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is seen at Northwell Health's South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore, New York, March 3, 2021. PHOTO BY SHANNON STAPLETON /REUTERS
Article content
Europe’s drug regulator has found a possible link between Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine and rare blood clotting issues in adults who received doses in the United States, but backed its overall benefits against any risks.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Tuesday its safety committee had concluded that a warning about unusual blood clots with low platelets must be added to the vaccine’s labels, just as it has also required of rival vaccine maker AstraZeneca.
The findings are a blow to the European Union, which is battling major hurdles to its immunization campaign after several nations suspended or limited the use of AstraZeneca’s vaccine over possible blood clots.
The EMA found that all instances of clotting had occurred in adults under 60 years, mostly women, within three weeks of vaccination with J&J’s single shot.
It said all available evidence, including eight U.S. reports of cases, had formed part of its assessment.
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The watchdog also said that most clots had occurred in the brain and abdomen, as was the case with AstraZeneca’s shot, Vaxzevria, which is also being studied for similar blood clotting problems.
“One plausible explanation for the combination of blood clots and low blood platelets is an immune response, leading to a condition similar to one seen sometimes in patients treated with heparin,” the EMA said.
The U.S. health regulator last week recommended pausing the use of the J&J single-dose shot after six women under the age of 50 developed rare blood clots after receiving it, in a fresh setback to global efforts to tackle the pandemic.
The cases were reported out of more than 7 million doses administered in the United States as of April 13, the EMA said.
J&J, which recorded $100 million in COVID-19 vaccine sales, has delayed rolling out the vaccine to Europe, but is prepared to resume the deployment. It has said it would aim to deliver 55 million doses to the EU, as contracted, by the end of June.
J&J’s vaccine, developed by its Janssen unit, is one of four COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use in Europe.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Publishing date:Apr 20, 2021 • 6 hours ago • 2 minute read • Join the conversation
A vial of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is seen at Northwell Health's South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore, New York, March 3, 2021.
A vial of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is seen at Northwell Health's South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore, New York, March 3, 2021. PHOTO BY SHANNON STAPLETON /REUTERS
Article content
Europe’s drug regulator has found a possible link between Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine and rare blood clotting issues in adults who received doses in the United States, but backed its overall benefits against any risks.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Tuesday its safety committee had concluded that a warning about unusual blood clots with low platelets must be added to the vaccine’s labels, just as it has also required of rival vaccine maker AstraZeneca.
The findings are a blow to the European Union, which is battling major hurdles to its immunization campaign after several nations suspended or limited the use of AstraZeneca’s vaccine over possible blood clots.
The EMA found that all instances of clotting had occurred in adults under 60 years, mostly women, within three weeks of vaccination with J&J’s single shot.
It said all available evidence, including eight U.S. reports of cases, had formed part of its assessment.
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Article content
The watchdog also said that most clots had occurred in the brain and abdomen, as was the case with AstraZeneca’s shot, Vaxzevria, which is also being studied for similar blood clotting problems.
“One plausible explanation for the combination of blood clots and low blood platelets is an immune response, leading to a condition similar to one seen sometimes in patients treated with heparin,” the EMA said.
The U.S. health regulator last week recommended pausing the use of the J&J single-dose shot after six women under the age of 50 developed rare blood clots after receiving it, in a fresh setback to global efforts to tackle the pandemic.
The cases were reported out of more than 7 million doses administered in the United States as of April 13, the EMA said.
J&J, which recorded $100 million in COVID-19 vaccine sales, has delayed rolling out the vaccine to Europe, but is prepared to resume the deployment. It has said it would aim to deliver 55 million doses to the EU, as contracted, by the end of June.
J&J’s vaccine, developed by its Janssen unit, is one of four COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use in Europe.
EU regulator backs J&J vaccine despite finding possible link to blood clots
Europe’s drug regulator has found a possible link between Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine and rare blood clotting issues in adults who received doses in…
Crew members concerned as Air Canada sells out flights from COVID hotspots
Booking info shows no economy seats available on Air Canada's Delhi to Toronto flights until late May
Author of the article:Bryan Passifiume
Publishing date:Apr 21, 2021 • 3 hours ago • 2 minute read • 20 Comments
Air Canada passenger planes take off at Pearson International Airport on Sunday Jan. 24, 2021.
Air Canada passenger planes take off at Pearson International Airport on Sunday Jan. 24, 2021. PHOTO BY JACK BOLAND /Toronto Sun
Article content
Anybody hoping to book a seat from Delhi to Toronto on Canada’s largest airline over the next four weeks is pretty much out of luck.
And as Air Canada continues to operate near-or-at capacity flights from world COVID-19 hotspots, concern is growing among those who crew them.
Air Canada flight crew members reported to the Toronto Sun that there’s widespread anxiety concerning flights from Delhi — which since February, has grown into Canada’s single-highest source of international passengers infected with the potentially deadly respiratory disease.
At least half of the four-daily non-stop flights from India’s capital this month carried COVID-positive passengers, according to information posted online by Health Canada.
Between April 1-19, both Air Canada and Air India operated 47 infected flights from Delhi to Canadian airports.
India’s second wave — fuelled by the virulent “‘double-mutant” B.1.617 variant — has unleashed a nightmare in the South Asian country with 300,000 new cases reported on Wednesday.
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The 166 infected international flights that landed in Canada so far this month include 27 from the United States, 14 from Paris, 13 from Doha, Qatar, and eight from Frankfurt — destinations served by Air Canada.
One crew member told the Sun Delhi-assigned crews are fearful as they watch co-workers book off to quarantine or recover from COVID — a sentiment shared by their union, which has fielded “multiple” complaints from members regarding those flights.
“While it has been on our radar as a hotspot for a long time, the union is increasingly deeply concerned about this route,” said CUPE spokesperson Hugh Pouliot.
Booking information shows no available tickets on Toronto-bound AC43 from Delhi for the rest of this month, except for limited business class seats on April 23, 25 and 27.
No economy seats on that flight are available until May 24.
Inquires to Air Canada by the Sun went unreturned by deadline.
Canadian officials have dismissed growing calls to ban flights from India.
On Wednesday, Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam gave the first hint the government is considering changing course, describing India as an “emerging situation” under close observation.
MORE ON THIS TOPIC
Travellers from an international flight are directed to the COVID-19 testing area as part of Canada's measures against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga, February 24, 2021.
LILLEY: Trudeau still won't act on flights from India and other hotspots
International arrivals at Toronto's Pearson airport.
Canada eyes policy on travel from India due to massive COVID-19 outbreak
Travellers walk through Terminal 2 at Heathrow Airport, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in London, Britain February 14, 2021.
Britain's Heathrow Airport turns down airline requests for extra flights from India
“We will be doing that risk assessment again, and using the data that we have now collected at the border to inform our next steps,” she said.
Officials like Tam, Health Minister Patty Hajdu and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau describe Canada’s borders among the world’s strongest, key to preventing spread from international travel.
bpassifiume@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @bryanpassifiume
torontosun.com
Booking info shows no economy seats available on Air Canada's Delhi to Toronto flights until late May
Author of the article:Bryan Passifiume
Publishing date:Apr 21, 2021 • 3 hours ago • 2 minute read • 20 Comments
Air Canada passenger planes take off at Pearson International Airport on Sunday Jan. 24, 2021.
Air Canada passenger planes take off at Pearson International Airport on Sunday Jan. 24, 2021. PHOTO BY JACK BOLAND /Toronto Sun
Article content
Anybody hoping to book a seat from Delhi to Toronto on Canada’s largest airline over the next four weeks is pretty much out of luck.
And as Air Canada continues to operate near-or-at capacity flights from world COVID-19 hotspots, concern is growing among those who crew them.
Air Canada flight crew members reported to the Toronto Sun that there’s widespread anxiety concerning flights from Delhi — which since February, has grown into Canada’s single-highest source of international passengers infected with the potentially deadly respiratory disease.
At least half of the four-daily non-stop flights from India’s capital this month carried COVID-positive passengers, according to information posted online by Health Canada.
Between April 1-19, both Air Canada and Air India operated 47 infected flights from Delhi to Canadian airports.
India’s second wave — fuelled by the virulent “‘double-mutant” B.1.617 variant — has unleashed a nightmare in the South Asian country with 300,000 new cases reported on Wednesday.
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STORY CONTINUES BELOW
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Article content
The 166 infected international flights that landed in Canada so far this month include 27 from the United States, 14 from Paris, 13 from Doha, Qatar, and eight from Frankfurt — destinations served by Air Canada.
One crew member told the Sun Delhi-assigned crews are fearful as they watch co-workers book off to quarantine or recover from COVID — a sentiment shared by their union, which has fielded “multiple” complaints from members regarding those flights.
“While it has been on our radar as a hotspot for a long time, the union is increasingly deeply concerned about this route,” said CUPE spokesperson Hugh Pouliot.
Booking information shows no available tickets on Toronto-bound AC43 from Delhi for the rest of this month, except for limited business class seats on April 23, 25 and 27.
No economy seats on that flight are available until May 24.
Inquires to Air Canada by the Sun went unreturned by deadline.
Canadian officials have dismissed growing calls to ban flights from India.
On Wednesday, Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam gave the first hint the government is considering changing course, describing India as an “emerging situation” under close observation.
Travellers from an international flight are directed to the COVID-19 testing area as part of Canada's measures against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga, February 24, 2021.
LILLEY: Trudeau still won't act on flights from India and other hotspots
International arrivals at Toronto's Pearson airport.
Canada eyes policy on travel from India due to massive COVID-19 outbreak
Travellers walk through Terminal 2 at Heathrow Airport, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in London, Britain February 14, 2021.
Britain's Heathrow Airport turns down airline requests for extra flights from India
“We will be doing that risk assessment again, and using the data that we have now collected at the border to inform our next steps,” she said.
Officials like Tam, Health Minister Patty Hajdu and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau describe Canada’s borders among the world’s strongest, key to preventing spread from international travel.
bpassifiume@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @bryanpassifiume
Crew members concerned as Air Canada sells out flights from COVID hotspots
Booking info shows no economy seats available on Air Canada's Delhi to Toronto flights until late May