All Things COVID-19

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Alberta making rules like a positive test results in no longer having to isolate is a joke.
what’s the logic here? Are Albertans happy with this decision? I would think people on both sides of the issue would be raising eyebrows at this one.
There is a strong push to vax the globe but all of the sudden it’s ok for positive cases to just mix with the population?
 
Alberta making rules like a positive test results in no longer having to isolate is a joke.
what’s the logic here? Are Albertans happy with this decision? I would think people on both sides of the issue would be raising eyebrows at this one.
There is a strong push to vax the globe but all of the sudden it’s ok for positive cases to just mix with the population?
To be honest, I’m indifferent to this decision. We’ve known for a long time that this was going to be endemic. Vaccination rates are slowing down in all of Canada (and the US). Can’t keep going with 14 day quarantines indefinitely. With so many people living paycheck to paycheck, they simply can’t afford to miss that much work. For many, the mental toll of the last 16 months has had as profound an effect as the disease itself.
Or the government is promoting Darwinism. Frankly, with some of the things I’ve seen out of the States recently (cough Florida cough), a little Darwinism might not be a bad thing.
 
To be honest, I’m indifferent to this decision. We’ve known for a long time that this was going to be endemic. Vaccination rates are slowing down in all of Canada (and the US). Can’t keep going with 14 day quarantines indefinitely. With so many people living paycheck to paycheck, they simply can’t afford to miss that much work. For many, the mental toll of the last 16 months has had as profound an effect as the disease itself.
Or the government is promoting Darwinism. Frankly, with some of the things I’ve seen out of the States recently (cough Florida cough), a little Darwinism might not be a bad thing.
That decision seems really odd. The country is on its final push telling everyone who isn’t vaccinated they are going to kill grandma or others who are vulnerable.
The interior of BC is about to reinstate indoor mask policies and over in Alberta positive Covid cases don’t even have to isolate, they can just go spread it at will? I get people are wanting to get back to work but what will happen if infected people act do go to work? This should be interesting.
 
That decision seems really odd. The country is on its final push telling everyone who isn’t vaccinated they are going to kill grandma or others who are vulnerable.
The interior of BC is about to reinstate indoor mask policies and over in Alberta positive Covid cases don’t even have to isolate, they can just go spread it at will? I get people are wanting to get back to work but what will happen if infected people act do go to work? This should be interesting.
 

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Nothing will happen- covid has been circulating in the general population for 20 months. Do you think they are capturing all the cases? Look at the R0 and extrapolate it. Every single person on earth has had it or been exposed at this point. For the love of God basic math evades people. Cost benefit analysis on covid rules? would love to see the justification for any of it
 
Nothing will happen- covid has been circulating in the general population for 20 months. Do you think they are capturing all the cases? Look at the R0 and extrapolate it. Every single person on earth has had it or been exposed at this point. For the love of God basic math evades people. Cost benefit analysis on covid rules? would love to see the justification for any of it
Statistics Canada is clearly in disagreement with your analysis.

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/210706/dq210706a-eng.htm

Few Canadians had antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in early 2021​


Released: 2021-07-06

At the time of this release (early July 2021), over 35 million total COVID-19 tests, and more than 1.4 million cases of COVID-19 (caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus) have been reported in the total Canadian population (including people living in private households and in institutions). Since not everyone infected with the virus may have been tested, the true number of cases among the total Canadian population is likely higher.

Antibodies are the body's defence against infections from a virus such as SARS-CoV-2. A blood test can be used to detect SARS-CoV-2 antibodies due to a previous infection, or after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. The proportion of Canadians who have these antibodies is referred to as the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.

Statistics Canada, in partnership with Canada's COVID-19 Immunity Task Force, the Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada, conducted the Canadian COVID-19 Antibody and Health Survey (CCAHS) to better understand the actual spread of the virus in Canada by estimating how many Canadians over the age of 1 and living in private households have antibodies in their blood against the virus. Data were collected from November 2020 to April 2021. First results of the CCAHS show that about 2.6% of Canadians living in private households had antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 due to a past infection.

Few Canadians protected against SARS-CoV-2 during the study period​

Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies was determined using a new leading-edge laboratory test which, when combined with respondent questionnaire data, was able to distinguish whether the respondent had antibodies due to a past infection from the SARS-CoV-2 virus, or antibodies due to having received a COVID-19 vaccine. Overall, 3.6%, or fewer than 1 in 25 Canadians, had SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in their blood from a previous infection or vaccination, which may indicate some degree of protection against future infection from SARS-CoV-2. About 2.6% of Canadians had antibodies due to a past infection, while about 1% of Canadians had antibodies due to a vaccination, reflecting the fact that vaccination was not widespread during the survey period.

A larger proportion of males than females had antibodies due to past infection​

Antibody seroprevalence due to a previous infection was slightly higher in males (2.8%) than females (2.4%). Early in the vaccination campaign, women were significantly more likely than men to have been vaccinated. This could explain why nationally, antibody seroprevalence due to vaccination in females (1.5%) was more than three times higher than in males (0.4%). Due to the higher proportion of females having antibodies due to vaccination, overall antibody seroprevalence (due to past infection, having received a vaccine, or both) was slightly higher among women (3.9%) than men (3.3%).

Antibody seroprevalence due to past infection higher in younger age groups​

The overall seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies was 3.4% among children and youth aged 1 to 19 years. Antibody seroprevalence due to vaccination in this age group was too low to report accurately, therefore nearly all of the antibody seroprevalence observed in Canadians aged 1 to 19 was due to a previous infection. Initially, at least one COVID-19 vaccine was approved by Health Canada for youth aged 16 to 19. However, this age group was not a priority for early vaccination. A COVID-19 vaccine was approved in May 2021 for children aged 12 to 15, after the survey study period.

In comparison, the seroprevalence of antibodies due to past infection among Canadian adults was 2.9% for those aged 20 to 59 and 1.4% for those aged 60 and older. Estimates for the Canadian population aged 60 and older do not include those living in an institutional setting, such as a retirement home or in a long-term care setting.

Taking into account both vaccine-induced and antibodies acquired through a past infection, overall antibody seroprevalence was highest within Canadians adults aged 20 to 59 (4.5%). Among those aged 60 and older, overall antibody seroprevalence was 2.1%.

Antibody seroprevalence due to past infection or vaccine varied across the country​

SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroprevalence due to a past infection was higher in Alberta (4.0%), followed by Quebec (3.2%), Saskatchewan (2.9%), Ontario (2.5%), Manitoba (2.4%) and British Columbia (1.6%). The proportion of Canadian adults aged 20 and older with antibodies due to vaccination was similar across these provinces, accounting for about one in three adults with antibodies.

Taking into account antibody seroprevalence from both vaccination and past infection, Alberta (5.6%) had the highest overall antibody seroprevalence followed by Quebec (4.4%), Saskatchewan (4.1%), Ontario (3.3%), Manitoba (3.1%) and British Columbia (2.4%).

Within the territories and Atlantic regions, antibody seroprevalence due to vaccination accounted for the majority of the antibody seroprevalence. About 1 in 5 (21.1%) territorial residents had SARS-CoV-2 antibodies due to vaccination. Antibody seroprevalence due to past infection was too low to produce a reliable statistical estimate.

The Atlantic Region, which comprises the four Atlantic provinces, had the lowest antibody seroprevalence due to past infection (0.5%), and the lowest overall antibody seroprevalence (1.3%). In this region, about two out of every three adults aged 20 and older with antibodies in their blood had them due to vaccination. To obtain reliable seroprevalence estimates, the four Atlantic provinces were grouped together, as were the three territories.

Visible minority Canadians had a higher antibody seroprevalence due to a past infection than non-visible minorities​

Visible minority Canadians (4.3%) had a higher proportion of antibodies acquired through past infection compared to non-visible minority Canadians (2.1%). This contributed to a higher overall SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroprevalence among visible minorities (4.8%) compared to non-visible minorities (3.3%).

One in three Canadians who had SARS-CoV-2 antibodies due to a previous infection had never been tested before​

Not all Canadians displaying SARS-CoV-2 antibodies from a previous infection may have known that they had COVID-19. Among Canadians with these antibodies, about one in three (30.3%) reported never having taken a COVID-19 nasal or throat swab test. From this group, three out of four, (76.6%) indicated that it was because they did not have symptoms. While this statistic alone does not estimate the degree of asymptomatic spread of SARS-CoV-2 in the population, it does confirm that asymptomatic spread contributed to infection rates.
 
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Dear Alberta, It's not to late to change course.
You don't have to throw in the towel and let the virus win.
Your friends, Canada

 
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Dear Alberta, It's not to late to change course.
You don't have to throw in the towel and let the virus win.
Your friends, Canada


I can almost guarantee Alberta will change what’s its planning to do. I can’t see them dropping testing and contact tracing that seems a bit over the top at this point.
 
Dear Alberta, It's not to late to change course.
You don't have to throw in the towel and let the virus win.
Your friends, Canada


I'm no epidemiologist, but if not now, then when?

Right now most who are willing to get vaccinated have been, those that aren't willing, aren't going to be persuaded, or forced to. If we wait til the winter, the virus that has strong seasonality will have an edge, vaccine immunity may be waning if the data out of Israel is accurate. The UK experiment seems to be showing high levels of infection in a mostly immunized population doesn't lead to high hospitalizations and deaths.

It's time to stop letting fear politics rule public health decisions.
 
I'm no epidemiologist, but if not now, then when?

Right now most who are willing to get vaccinated have been, those that aren't willing, aren't going to be persuaded, or forced to. If we wait til the winter, the virus that has strong seasonality will have an edge, vaccine immunity may be waning if the data out of Israel is accurate. The UK experiment seems to be showing high levels of infection in a mostly immunized population doesn't lead to high hospitalizations and deaths.

It's time to stop letting fear politics rule public health decisions.
This is an important question but consider that it's the wrong question given the statements coming out of Alberta.

The question should be why would you stop your testing and contract tracing just when the delta variant has taking over?
Did the UK and Israel quit their testing and contract tracing? No, of course not.

Why would you drop the mandatory quarantine on a test positive. (if you do even get a test as that's being stopped)
The UK and Israel didn't do this.

This is just basic stuff here that any modern society should do unless your thinking is that you rely solely on "personal responsibility."
Clearly the one province that relied heavily on "personal responsibility" found that there is a small portion that couldn't give a dam.
The spill over effect of these decision will visit us here in BC and we are seeing the start of it in Kelowna.

As for your other good questions.

"If we wait til the winter, the virus that has strong seasonality will have an edge"
We don't let the virus get the edge. That's the whole point.
Would you rather know what the case count is or would you prefer not to know?
In a free society we have a right to know then I can decide what's best for me and my family.

"vaccine immunity may be waning if the data out of Israel is accurate"
I think OBD hit the nail on the head when he posted that one reason is the difference in the delay between 1st and 2nd doses. The studies that I have read seem to indicate that the spacing should be minimum 6 to 8 weeks to get the best results from the vaccines. That's why the UK and Canada aren't showing the same results as Israel.

"The UK experiment seems to be showing high levels of infection in a mostly immunized population doesn't lead to high hospitalizations and deaths."
This experiment is not over yet and I would be interested in hospitalizations numbers if you have them. Does UK have more hospital capacity per capita then Alberta of BC?

"It's time to stop letting fear politics rule public health decisions."
It's no secret that Kenney runs a tight ship on public health decisions. Nothing happens unless it is passed by his desk. There is a reason he sent out Dr. Hinshaw out to deliver the bad news and why Minister Shandro, the next day confirmed it was all Dr. Hinshaw's idea. They are gambling one more time and they need to lay the blame on her and her team if it doesn't work out.

I'll leave you with one thought.
Test, Trace, Vaccinate and Educate
 
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Did they identify the Delta Variant with the PCR test?
It's three different tests.
PCR test tells you that it's SARS-CoV-2 (Covid)
SNIP test tells you if it's a variant.
Genomic sequence tells you what variant it is.
 
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It’s odd because testing and tracking and self isolating for things like measles is part of normal public health. Just normal operation for communicable diseases.
 
Right now most who are willing to get vaccinated have been, those that aren't willing, aren't going to be persuaded, or forced to.
I think there's another 5% of population who are too busy, too lazy or too apathetic to get vaxed. The mobile popup clinics should collar a good number of these folks by making it super convenient. Another 5% are the reluctant ones who want to wait and see because it's all too new and too fast. Now with hundreds of millions of doses administered and the media becoming less fanatical about reporting on the pandemic, those folks as well will probably decide to become vaxed once they see their friends haven't developed a third ear or whatever.

Leaves roughly 10% remaining. Those are the ones directly opposed to vaccines. I suspect most provinces will just taper off their vax programs and let the anti vaxers go on their own. If they get sick, they get sick. A tenth of the population spread across the province probably can't all get sick at the same time and overload the hospitals.
 
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