The latest on the coronavirus outbreak for March 3rd.
- COVID-19 outlook in Canada's North trending in right direction.
- Omicron hampered protection against infection for vaccinated kids aged 5 to 11, U.S. study suggests.
- White House pandemic plans includes on-the-spot Paxlovid prescriptions in pharmacies, which could pose challenges.
- Explore: Bank of Canada's governor explains rationale behind planned rate hikes.... Alberta investing in critical care beds, Ontario in rehab centre for first responders.... Manitoba phasing out isolation, tracing requirements.
Quebec eyes next month for lifting mask mandate in most public places
Quebec's interim public health director says all signs point to the spread of COVID-19 being under control, and the time is right to speed up the process to lift COVID-19 measures, including the gradual removal of mask rules in public places.
"The epidemiological situation is going much better than it did a few weeks ago. It's not surprising," Dr. Luc Boileau said while meeting with reporters on Thursday. "When it comes to hospitalizations, the number of cases, the specific cases among particular clienteles, the outbreaks, everything is going in the same, good direction."
As of March 12 — two days earlier than originally planned — Quebecers will no longer need to show proof of vaccination to enter public venues such as restaurants, bars, theatres as well as cinemas, and businesses will be allowed to operate at 100 per cent capacity.
The province intends to do away with mandatory mask rules in public spaces by mid-April, with the exception of public transit. The government plans to scrap the requirement to wear masks on the bus, metro and commuter trains in May.
Boileau also clarified that the expected changes to the province's masking rules do not apply to hospitals and long-term care homes. Combined with earlier statements, it means three-quarters of Canada's population (who live in the three most populous provinces) are still at least a couple weeks way from being able to remove masks in indoor public settings.
Ontario's chief medical officer of health Dr. Kieran Moore gave an update on the province's coronavirus picture on Thursday afternoon. Moore said last week that masks remain "an important tool in our tool box" in reducing transmission of the virus, and added Thursday that a lifting of the mask mandate could take place by the end of the month.
Earlier this week, Premier Doug Ford made his feelings clear on masks, floating a date just after the March 14-20 break for students, although he said he would act on the advice of the chief medical officer.
"There's no secret — there isn't a person I talk to [who] likes these masks," said Ford. "No one likes them. But I'm going to follow the advice and we aren't far away."
Separately this week, the medical officer of health for Peel Region near Toronto said if trends continue in the same direction, the region is unlikely to renew a mask mandate that is in effect until March 31.
In British Columbia, Provincial Health Officer Bonnie Henry said Tuesday she's optimistic that the province is "moving to a better place, rapidly," but that masks are a "necessary part of our strategy, for now."
Alberta and Saskatchewan have scrapped mandatory mask requirements — although some exceptions for public transit and at local levels remain — while Manitoba is planning to let its mask mandates lapse on March 15.
Canada's top public health doctor last week said she believed masking is a mitigation strategy that's still smart to follow.
"I still think that masks remain one of the foundational layers of protection and it may be one of the last things you want to remove," said Dr. Theresa Tam.
From CBC News
In his state of the union address, U.S. President Joe Biden spoke of four 'common sense steps' people can remember while living alongside COVID-19. Shawn Thew/Reuters
N.W.T. says mandatory reporting of rapid test results has been a boon for tracking virus
Northwest Territories Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Kami Kandola believes the amount of COVID-19 testing the territory is doing might put it in a better position to handle reopening than other provinces and territories in Canada.
Despite the fact that official figures show the N.W.T. has the second-highest rate of infection in the country behind P.E.I., Kandola told CBC Radio's The Trailbreaker that the territory is capturing a broader range of testing data than other provinces and territories. That means the territory has a more accurate idea of the impacts of the Omicron variant than other areas.
"We have made self-reporting rapid antigen [test results] mandatory, and that is basically providing up to 39 per cent of our results," she said.
"Other jurisdictions do not report their positive rapid antigen tests [and] if you look at their websites, are all stating that they have eligibility criteria for who gets PCR testing. So therefore, they are vastly undercounting their cases."
As has been reported in this newsletter, the highly transmissible Omicron variant has hampered testing surveillance in more populous jurisdictions.
The territory's public health emergency is set to come to an end April 1, along with many of its COVID-19 restrictions.The mandatory indoor masking order for the territory will lift on that date, including for classrooms, but Kandola said health officials are looking at keeping masking policies in elder care facilities as well.
Yukon, meanwhile, plans to drop its remaining COVID-19 public health restrictions in the coming weeks, including mandatory masking and the requirement for public servants to be vaccinated, Premier Sandy Silver said at a news conference Wednesday morning.
Silver said that private businesses and organizations can still require masks as well as use the province's proof of vaccination system.
In terms of the government's vaccine mandate for public servants, Silver said that as of Feb. 15 nearly 95 per cent of those workers had attested to being fully vaccinated. He said if things continue to go well in the coming weeks, many public sector workers working remotely could be able to return in person on April 4.
Yukon did report COVID-19-related deaths on consecutive days this week, bringing the pandemic death toll attributable to the virus to 22 persons.
Nunavut officials cancelled a planned COVID-19 update two days ago but have eased health restrictions in many communities in recent weeks.
On Monday, Arctic Bay, Pangnirtung, Iqaluit, Rankin Inlet, Coral Harbour, Sanikiluaq, Cambridge Bay, Kugaaruk, Resolute Bay and Pond Inlet joined the list of communities that could hold bigger indoor and outdoor gatherings. That's part of the territory's new approach to managing COVID-19, which is expected to involve lifting certain areas of health restrictions every few weeks.
Separately, federal officials said Thursday there were 432 active cases of COVID-19 in 22 First Nations communities in Nunavut as of March 2.
White House outlines plan for next phase of pandemic, with U.S. still averaging 1,700 COVID deaths per day
It's time for the United States to stop letting the coronavirus "dictate how we live," President Joe Biden's White House declared Wednesday, outlining a strategy to allow people to return to many normal activities safely after two years of pandemic disruptions.
The 90-page National COVID-19 Preparedness Plan spells out initiatives and investments to continue to drive down serious illness and deaths from the virus — about 950,000 Americans have died — while preparing for potential new variants and providing employers and schools the resources to remain open. The document dropped a day after Biden teased some of the new plans in his first state of the union address as president.
A key component of the administration's plan to convince Americans that it is safe to resume normal activities is the increasing availability of the antiviral pill Paxlovid from Pfizer.
A White House official said the "test-to-treat" plan would initially roll out in hundreds of pharmacies across the country and would soon expand beyond that. Those who test positive at the sites would be able to obtain the antiviral pills for quick use, dramatically reducing the risk of bad outcomes.
The test-to-treat plan is not without its concerns for those in the industry.
Anne Burns, a vice-president with the American Pharmacists Association, said pharmacies across the country have struggled with staffing issues in recent months. Pharmacists already doling out vaccines, prescriptions and health advice are worried about the extra time needed if they add more COVID-19 testing and treating.
"There's just a lot of considerations that go into this," she said. "It takes far longer than it takes to dispense most normal prescriptions."
As well, and as reported in this newsletter before, the use of Paxlovid is incumbent on symptoms being confirmed in a matter of a few days. Health regulators have said the product shouldn't be used while a patient is on any of a long list of other drugs, including common medications used to treat erectile dysfunction, high cholesterol and seasonal allergies, among others. It is an open question if those type of considerations and medical histories could be dealt with effectively in busy pharmacies.
The White House said in its statement on Wednesday the plan was to no longer "let COVID-19 dictate how we live," a statement that might read curiously given that the current seven-day average of deaths in the U.S. is 1,700 persons per day.
Officials emphasize that the vaccinated are well-protected, with most instances of serious illnesses and death in the U.S. occurring among those who are unvaccinated or who have not received a booster dose of vaccine.
Some 69 per cent of Americans over five years of age are considered fully vaccinated, with exactly half of the eligible population having received a booster shot, according to CDC tracking.
Read the full story
Today's graphic
COVID-19 outlook in the Americas
Cases fall significantly in all regions of the Americas, deaths in most regions.
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