Coronavirus outbreak

[RUPERTKBD]

11 minutes ago, 24K PureCool said:

We need both the carrot and stick at this point.  

I agree......

 

....dangle the carrot in front of them and when they reach for it, club them over the head with the stick....

[24K PureCool]

17 minutes ago, Fanuck said:

Sounds great on paper.  But it's far, far more complicated than that.

Hospitals for one thing - if you make a passport mandatory to go to a hospital to receive medical care you are either making vaccinations mandatory for these people and/or you are denying a group of people their constitutional right and that is problematic.

Schools as well, if you make a passport mandatory for schools (they are after all, as you describe, public institutions) you are essentially making vaccinations mandatory for people to enter schools and/or you will be denying people their constitutional right to public education in Canada. 

What about the courts - you cannot deny a person a right to a trial in person nor can you force a person to vaccinate in order to receive said trial. 

 

Like I said, easy on paper, more problematic in reality. 

As far as school goes, vaccine mandate as requirement of enrollment has been a thing and condition of employment for a long time already so adding covid to that list ain't gonna be a constitutional issue. 

 

But agree with the medical and judicial aspect (though we can overcome the court one with zoom now)

[Fanuck]

6 minutes ago, 24K PureCool said:

As far as school goes, vaccine mandate as requirement of enrollment has been a thing and condition of employment for a long time already so adding covid to that list ain't gonna be a constitutional issue. 

At post secondary yes, they can mandate vaccine requirements and proof thereof,  but in BC K-12 public schools they can't/won't for a number of reasons.   As such government cannot deny a child their constitutional rights to education because they can't/won't vaccinate.

[thedestroyerofworlds]

 

 

 

 

https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/blue-jays-get-approval-30000-fans-next-week/

Blue Jays get approval for 30,000 fans for final week

 

 

https://www.sportsnet.ca/cfl/article/blue-jays-leafs-sens-others-ready-ontario-capacity-announcement/

Leafs, Senators can fill half their seats under new COVID-19 rules

[JM_]

2 hours ago, Fanuck said:

Sounds great on paper.  But it's far, far more complicated than that.

Hospitals for one thing - if you make a passport mandatory to go to a hospital to receive medical care you are either making vaccinations mandatory for these people and/or you are denying a group of people their constitutional right and that is problematic.

Schools as well, if you make a passport mandatory for schools (they are after all, as you describe, public institutions) you are essentially making vaccinations mandatory for people to enter schools and/or you will be denying people their constitutional right to public education in Canada. 

What about the courts - you cannot deny a person a right to a trial in person nor can you force a person to vaccinate in order to receive said trial. 

 

Like I said, easy on paper, more problematic in reality. 

you actually don't have an absolute right to go to school. We don't let people in who aren't vaccinated for measles, e.g. 

 

They can try to seek care at home for covid. I'm sure there's someone out there who will take their money. 

[RUPERTKBD]

I think I speak for the majority here when I say I hope they catch this a**hole and send him to jail for a significant amount of time....

 

https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/police-in-sherbrooke-que-searching-for-man-who-allegedly-punched-nurse-for-vaccinating-his-wife-1.5595631

 

Quote

 

Sherbrooke police are looking for a suspect who allegedly assaulted a nurse in a pharmacy.

According to police, on Monday morning a man entered the office of a nurse assigned to administer COVID-19 vaccinations at a pharmacy on 12th Avenue North.

"He was angry and aggressive," said Martin Carrier, spokesperson for Sherbrooke police.

The suspect allegedly accused the nurse of having "vaccinated his wife without consent" before repeatedly "punching her in the face" and fleeing the scene.

The nurse, who is in her 40s, was transported to hospital to be treated for "significant facial injuries," according to police.

On Wednesday, Quebec's order of nurses tweeted that the alleged assault was "unacceptable" and wished the nurse a full recovery.

The police force says it is looking for a man between 30 and 45 years old, with a medium build.

He has short, dark hair, dark eyes and large eyebrows. The man, who spoke in French, was wearing a dark shirt and jeans.

He was also wearing earrings and had a tattoo on one hand that looked like a cross.

Sherbrooke police are asking anyone with information about the suspect to call them at 819 821-5555 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-771-1800.

 

 

[Hamhuis Hip Check]

Just now, RUPERTKBD said:

I think I speak for the majority here when I say I hope they catch this a**hole and send him to jail for a significant amount of time....

 

https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/police-in-sherbrooke-que-searching-for-man-who-allegedly-punched-nurse-for-vaccinating-his-wife-1.5595631

 

 

He seems like a douche regardless of his opinions on covid

[The Lock]

1 minute ago, RUPERTKBD said:

I think I speak for the majority here when I say I hope they catch this a**hole and send him to jail for a significant amount of time....

 

https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/police-in-sherbrooke-que-searching-for-man-who-allegedly-punched-nurse-for-vaccinating-his-wife-1.5595631

 

 

Obvious reactions aside, he sounds like an abusive husband trying to control whether or nor his wife gets vaccinated.

[JM_]

7 minutes ago, RUPERTKBD said:

I think I speak for the majority here when I say I hope they catch this a**hole and send him to jail for a significant amount of time....

 

https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/police-in-sherbrooke-que-searching-for-man-who-allegedly-punched-nurse-for-vaccinating-his-wife-1.5595631

 

 

bet you a coke he went to the wrong pharmacy. 

[RUPERTKBD]

6 minutes ago, The Lock said:

Obvious reactions aside, he sounds like an abusive husband trying to control whether or nor his wife gets vaccinated.

That's what I was thinking too.....if he did that to the nurse, what did he do to his wife?

 

As I said earlier: Lock the POS up....

[Gurn]

More news about Alberta:

Seems it is now only covid deaths, that are keeping the system somewhat functional. If people were not dying, they would have run out of beds.

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/sad-reality-alberta-top-doc-says-covid-deaths-keeping-hospitals-from-being-overrun/ar-AAOKYkj?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531

 

EDMONTON — The head of Alberta's health system says the COVID-19 hospital crisis has become so dire, a key reason the system hasn't collapsed is because patients are dying.

"Each day we see a new high (total of critically ill patients)," Dr. Verna Yiu, president and CEO of Alberta Health Services, said Thursday.

Yiu said hospitals have admitted two dozen or more critically ill COVID-19 patients on average each day since Sunday.

"It's tragic that we are only able to keep pace with these sort of numbers because in part some of our ICU patients have passed away," she said. "This reality has a deep and lasting impact on our ICU teams."

There were 310 patients Thursday in intensive care, the vast majority of them with COVID, and the vast majority of the COVID patients are not fully vaccinated or not vaccinated at all.

Alberta normally has 173 ICU beds, but has doubled that number to 350 by taking over extra spaces, such as operating rooms, and reassigning staff.

The result is non-urgent surgeries have been cancelled en masse across the province, including transplants, tumours, cancer operations and surgeries on children.

Physicians are being briefed in case resources get so short, they have to decide on the spot which patients get life-saving care and which don’t.

Yiu said it's a fluid situation and they're still determining when and how doctors will be asked to make those life-and-death decisions.

The United Conservative Party government has reached out for medical help from other provinces and from the federal government.

Bill Blair, the federal minister of public safety and emergency preparedness, said Ottawa can help by providing more critical care medical staff and by having the military airlift patients to other provinces.

"The Government of Canada will support the provincial government's recent request and provide the necessary support," Blair wrote in a statement on social media earlier Thursday

"The federal assistance includes a range of capabilities, including the deployment of (Canadian Armed Forces) medical resources and/or aeromedical evacuation capability, as well as the deployment of Canadian Red Cross resources."

There are more than 20,100 active COVID-19 cases in Alberta and more than 1,000 people in hospital with the illness. Deaths have also been on the rise. There were 29 fatalities reported Tuesday, 20 more Wednesday — including the first person under age 20 — and 17 on Thursday. More than 2,600 people have died in Alberta.

In Calgary, Alberta's Opposition NDP leader said it's time for Premier Jason Kenney to hand over public health decisions related to COVID-19 to medical professionals.

Rachel Notley said it has become clear that Kenney is more focused on his political survival than the pandemic.

"It never should have come to this," Notley said.

"Jason Kenney knew his plan wasn't working as early as July and he did nothing. In fact, he left (on a vacation). All through August and into September the UCP refused to act while the crisis escalated.

"Now all Albertans are suffering the consequences of the UCP's collective inaction and ineptitude."

Notley said sound public health decisions are being undermined by political compromises and called for the decisions to be turned over to Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta's chief medical health officer, backed by an independent scientific panel of advisers.

For months, Kenney has faced escalating criticism and calls for his resignation over his handling of COVID-19. The criticism began before last Christmas when his government was late to react to a second wave swamping hospitals. The government was late again in the third wave in May and is now chasing the pandemic again in what has become the fourth, and worst, wave.

At each stage, Kenney has been accused of pandering to anti-restriction elements in his party and waiting too late to implement rules to maintain public health.

Some United Conservative constituency associations are pushing for an immediate review of his leadership. 

Joel Mullan, the party's vice-president in charge of policy, has openly called for Kenney's resignation, saying the public and the party have lost trust.

Kenney met with his caucus Wednesday and later asked the party to move up a leadership review from late 2022. 

"The premier spoke with the president ... and requested that the 2022 UCP (annual general meeting) take place in the spring and that the scheduled leadership review occur at that time," Dave Prisco, the UCP director of communications, said in a statement. "The party is working to confirm a date and venue to make it a reality."

Kenney deflected reporters' questions earlier this week on whether he should resign, saying he's focused on COVID-19 and not on political intrigue.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 23, 2021.

 

[Warhippy]

28 minutes ago, gurn said:

More news about Alberta:

Seems it is now only covid deaths, that are keeping the system somewhat functional. If people were not dying, they would have run out of beds.

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/sad-reality-alberta-top-doc-says-covid-deaths-keeping-hospitals-from-being-overrun/ar-AAOKYkj?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531

 

EDMONTON — The head of Alberta's health system says the COVID-19 hospital crisis has become so dire, a key reason the system hasn't collapsed is because patients are dying.

"Each day we see a new high (total of critically ill patients)," Dr. Verna Yiu, president and CEO of Alberta Health Services, said Thursday.

Yiu said hospitals have admitted two dozen or more critically ill COVID-19 patients on average each day since Sunday.

"It's tragic that we are only able to keep pace with these sort of numbers because in part some of our ICU patients have passed away," she said. "This reality has a deep and lasting impact on our ICU teams."

There were 310 patients Thursday in intensive care, the vast majority of them with COVID, and the vast majority of the COVID patients are not fully vaccinated or not vaccinated at all.

Alberta normally has 173 ICU beds, but has doubled that number to 350 by taking over extra spaces, such as operating rooms, and reassigning staff.

The result is non-urgent surgeries have been cancelled en masse across the province, including transplants, tumours, cancer operations and surgeries on children.

Physicians are being briefed in case resources get so short, they have to decide on the spot which patients get life-saving care and which don’t.

Yiu said it's a fluid situation and they're still determining when and how doctors will be asked to make those life-and-death decisions.

The United Conservative Party government has reached out for medical help from other provinces and from the federal government.

Bill Blair, the federal minister of public safety and emergency preparedness, said Ottawa can help by providing more critical care medical staff and by having the military airlift patients to other provinces.

"The Government of Canada will support the provincial government's recent request and provide the necessary support," Blair wrote in a statement on social media earlier Thursday

"The federal assistance includes a range of capabilities, including the deployment of (Canadian Armed Forces) medical resources and/or aeromedical evacuation capability, as well as the deployment of Canadian Red Cross resources."

There are more than 20,100 active COVID-19 cases in Alberta and more than 1,000 people in hospital with the illness. Deaths have also been on the rise. There were 29 fatalities reported Tuesday, 20 more Wednesday — including the first person under age 20 — and 17 on Thursday. More than 2,600 people have died in Alberta.

In Calgary, Alberta's Opposition NDP leader said it's time for Premier Jason Kenney to hand over public health decisions related to COVID-19 to medical professionals.

Rachel Notley said it has become clear that Kenney is more focused on his political survival than the pandemic.

"It never should have come to this," Notley said.

"Jason Kenney knew his plan wasn't working as early as July and he did nothing. In fact, he left (on a vacation). All through August and into September the UCP refused to act while the crisis escalated.

"Now all Albertans are suffering the consequences of the UCP's collective inaction and ineptitude."

Notley said sound public health decisions are being undermined by political compromises and called for the decisions to be turned over to Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta's chief medical health officer, backed by an independent scientific panel of advisers.

For months, Kenney has faced escalating criticism and calls for his resignation over his handling of COVID-19. The criticism began before last Christmas when his government was late to react to a second wave swamping hospitals. The government was late again in the third wave in May and is now chasing the pandemic again in what has become the fourth, and worst, wave.

At each stage, Kenney has been accused of pandering to anti-restriction elements in his party and waiting too late to implement rules to maintain public health.

Some United Conservative constituency associations are pushing for an immediate review of his leadership. 

Joel Mullan, the party's vice-president in charge of policy, has openly called for Kenney's resignation, saying the public and the party have lost trust.

Kenney met with his caucus Wednesday and later asked the party to move up a leadership review from late 2022. 

"The premier spoke with the president ... and requested that the 2022 UCP (annual general meeting) take place in the spring and that the scheduled leadership review occur at that time," Dave Prisco, the UCP director of communications, said in a statement. "The party is working to confirm a date and venue to make it a reality."

Kenney deflected reporters' questions earlier this week on whether he should resign, saying he's focused on COVID-19 and not on political intrigue.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 23, 2021.

 

You can't overflow the ICU's if people die fast enough.

 

Smart thinking

[Gurn]

11 minutes ago, Warhippy said:

You can't overflow the ICU's if people die fast enough.

 

Smart thinking

Bit of a spin on schizophrenic logic:

 

Sick people take pills

So, if I don't take pills, I won't be sick.

[thedestroyerofworlds]

[-Vintage Canuck-]

B.C. COVID-19 pandemic update:

 

As of Friday, Sept. 24, 2021, 87.5% (4,053,738) of eligible people 12 and older in B.C. have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine and 80.0% (3,709,554) received their second dose.

 

In addition, 88.0% (3,805,580) of all eligible adults in B.C. have received their first dose and 80.9% (3,497,809) received their second dose.

 

B.C. is reporting 743 new cases of COVID-19, for a total of 182,541 cases in the province.

 

Note: The numbers of total and new cases are provisional due to a delayed data refresh and will be verified once confirmed.

 

There are 5,979 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 174,281 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 319 individuals are in hospital and 149 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.

 

Note: Intensive care numbers are a subset of the total in hospital. They are not in addition to the number of people in hospital.

 

The new/active cases include:

• 292 new cases in Fraser Health
  • Total active cases: 2,029
• 111 new cases in Vancouver Coastal Health
  • Total active cases: 955
• 177 new cases in Interior Health
  • Total active cases: 1,268
• 106 new cases in Northern Health
  • Total active cases: 1,023
• 57 new cases in Island Health
  • Total active cases: 660
• no new cases of people who reside outside of Canada
  • Total active cases: 44

In the past 24 hours, seven new deaths have been reported, for an overall total of 1,922.

 

The new deaths include:

• Fraser Health: four
• Interior Health: one
• Northern Health: one
• Island Health: one

There have been no new health-care facility outbreaks. The outbreak at Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital (Interior Health) has been declared over, for a total of 21 active outbreaks, including:

• long-term care: Northcrest Care Centre, Westminster House, Menno Terrace East (Fraser Health), Arbutus Care Centre, Louis Brier Home and Hospital (Vancouver Coastal Health), Village at Mill Creek – second floor, Cottonwoods Care Centre, Spring Valley Care Centre, Kamloops Seniors Village, Hillside Village, The Hamlets at Westsyde, Joseph Creek Care Village, Overlander (Interior Health), Jubilee Lodge (Northern Health) and Victoria Chinatown Care Centre (Island Health)
• acute care: Chilliwack General Hospital (Fraser Health) and Fort St. John Hospital (Northern Health)
• assisted or independent living: Sunset Manor (Fraser Health), David Lloyd Jones, Sun Pointe Village and Hardy View Lodge (Interior Health)

From Sept. 16-22, people not fully vaccinated accounted for 75.0% of cases and from Sept. 9-22, they accounted for 81.9% of hospitalizations.

 

Past week cases (Sept. 16-22) – Total 4,543

• Not vaccinated: 3,057 (67.3%)
• Partially vaccinated: 351 (7.7%)
• Fully vaccinated: 1,135 (25.0%)

Past two weeks cases hospitalized (Sept. 9-22) – Total 436

• Not vaccinated: 322 (73.9%)
• Partially vaccinated: 35 (8.0%)
• Fully vaccinated: 79 (18.1%)

Past week, cases per 100,000 population after adjusting for age (Sept. 16-22)    

• Not vaccinated: 292.8
• Partially vaccinated: 90.8
• Fully vaccinated: 28.3

Past two weeks, cases hospitalized per 100,000 population after adjusting for age (Sept. 9-22)

• Not vaccinated: 46.6
• Partially vaccinated: 14.1
• Fully vaccinated: 1.8

After factoring for age, people not vaccinated are 25.9 times more likely to be hospitalized than those fully vaccinated.

 

Since December 2020, the Province has administered 7,771,314 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines.

 

https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2021HLTH0059-001847

[Fanuck]

2 hours ago, JM_ said:

you actually don't have an absolute right to go to school. We don't let people in who aren't vaccinated for measles, e.g. 

I believe this is inaccurate.  You have to register with the government’s immunization registry,  but that's just to track which kids are/aren't immunized - it doesn't prevent a child from attending school if their parent/guardian decides against immunization. 

[Jaimito]

In the US we can book third doses now at the pharmacy. 

 

I will do this for my in laws who are 70+ with multiple comorbidities. They had their second dose in Feb.  

 

I am eligible due to work at the hospital, but I will wait since I'm not doing procedures at the moment. More data will come out and I will see if I need to get one before returning home for Xmas to see my parents for the first time in almost two years.  In the US, Pfizer doses were given 3 weeks apart. There is some evidence that 16 week interval is better than 3 weeks for Pfizer, Quebec study preprint:

 

 

UK data 3 v 8+ week interval in protection against symptomatic infection:

 

 

 

Note the flu shot option:

 

Edited September 25, 2021 by Jaimito

[BPA]

5 hours ago, Fanuck said:

At post secondary yes, they can mandate vaccine requirements and proof thereof,  but in BC K-12 public schools they can't/won't for a number of reasons.   As such government cannot deny a child their constitutional rights to education because they can't/won't vaccinate.

Zoom classes. Not the best but it sorta worked last time.

[JM_]

1 hour ago, Fanuck said:

I believe this is inaccurate.  You have to register with the government’s immunization registry,  but that's just to track which kids are/aren't immunized - it doesn't prevent a child from attending school if their parent/guardian decides against immunization. 

it is in some places s: https://immunize.ca/immunization-mandatory-canada

 

and it should be across the board. There's no justifiable excuse for it not to be. 

[Alflives]

1 minute ago, JM_ said:

it is in some places s: https://immunize.ca/immunization-mandatory-canada

 

and it should be across the board. There's no justifiable excuse for it not to be. 

If it’s not for a medical reason, a parent not getting their kids properly vaccinated should be considered neglect.