Covid-19

[Ciel21]

It is truly terrible how people made to quarantine in the hotels cannot verify when meals will be brought, cannot order in (whether paid for or sent in by family) and if anyone has a specific meal request for health reasons, no idea if anything appropriate will come if at all. There could be grounds for a legal case or more.

Highlights the importance of having Internet access and a mobile device. I'm stunned that PHAC cannot track everyone (I would not be surprised to eventually hear "insufficient budget/people power" is the main reason). For the savvier quarantinees, those who know the MPs social media handles in whose ridings their quarantine hotels are situated, they can post their concerns directly to them as well as PHAC and any other federal entity they think should be notified. Perhaps some MPs or even MPPs are tracking requests on social media for help if there are meal issues and such.

Red Cross is an organization relying on on few staff (to release funds/acquire goods) and mostly volunteers (actual distribution/set up/face contact) to handle group emergency needs in large places. I think for Red Cross to basically be the de facto catering/needs supplier might have overstretched actual staff resources. The impression is also that hotel staff seem keen to avoid having more than basic interaction with quarantinees, even if an issue might involve something malfunctioning like a toilet in a room. No wonder Canadians rely on media/social media to vent and even shame entities into doing better. Bonus points if the Canadians know who the US House Representatives are in the state ridings where the crossings back to Canada are made and alerting the US people on social media of how the crossings/passport verifications are working or not.

A few federal ministers ought to be made responsible for ensuring meals and needs are are actually being covered at all of the quarantine hotels across Canada, not just providing sound bites for news networks while not setting foot in the hotels or tasking key staffers to assess situations twice per week. Maybe the federal government could incentivize the ministers by cutting their pays and office budgets to get better response and allocate cut funds to quarantine meals and supports.

[HermanH]

I'm stunned that PHAC cannot track everyone (I would not be surprised to eventually hear "insufficient budget/people power" is the main reason).

You already know that will be the excuse.

Of course, the 'remedy' will always be: "Throw more money at us. Make our empire bigger. Give us more power."

[Ciel21]

Rapid antigen test kits (pack of 5) started being distributed for free on late Dec. 15 in the GTHA. Queues galore at malls on Dec. 16.
Some GO Vaxx bus vaccine clinics also offer them -like vaccines, the kits are while supplies last.

Ontario link to kit distribution sites-if accessing LCBO store, best to find out if they even got them first before heading out (early birds get the kits):
https://www.ontario.ca/page/pop-up-h...-antigen-tests

News coverage of Dec. 16 lineups for the testing kits:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toron...ests-1.6288461

https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/seven-otta...iday-1.5710554

https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/people-ru...ices-1.5710762

The province of Ontario said it will be handing out the free test kits from now through to mid-January, but it’s not clear what will happen after that.

https://twitter.com/ConsumerSOS/stat...7Ctwgr%5Etweet

https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ontario-s...reak-1.5671232

Rapid antigen tests are less sensitive than PCR tests but cost only a fraction of PCR and take as little as 15 minutes to complete.Officials said the province had to go out and procure additional tests from BTNX of Markham, Ont. in addition to the federal stockpile which has supplied them with nearly 28 million rapid tests to date, in order to get rapid tests to all students by mid-December.
Officials said the additional rapid test purchase cost the province $50 million.
They added that 100 First Nations schools in the province will also be offered packs of rapid tests, but said they were not sure if all schools would take them up on the offer.

[heartgirl99]

here's some good news. paxlovid has just been approved for treatment of covid by the fda for eua. it has undergone two randomized trials with good results. it could provide our beleaguered healthcare system some relief.

https://erictopol.substack.com/p/why...e-breakthrough

https://www.fda.gov/news-events/pres...tment-covid-19

[hagbard]

Why is it that they never report if a person who's died of/with Covid has been vaccinated or has commodities? Also frustrated that making any mention of treatments are censored. And that bringing up things like the lab leak hypothesis can get you banned on some sites (a competitor to this site being a prime example). The time to have open discussion and criticisms is now, no, throughout this pandemic but the useful info is low from the so called "experts", govts, the MSM and on social media sites. You'd think we were under the control of the CCP.

[Ciel21]

Why is it that they never report if a person who's died of/with Covid has been vaccinated or has commodities? Also frustrated that making any mention of treatments are censored. And that bringing up things like the lab leak hypothesis can get you banned on some sites (a competitor to this site being a prime example). The time to have open discussion and criticisms is now, no, throughout this pandemic but the useful info is low from the so called "experts", govts, the MSM and on social media sites. You'd think we were under the control of the CCP.

You meant "comorbidities," not commodities? I've noticed that some COVID-19 deaths seem to be attributed to a pre-existing condition rather than COVID-19 itself.
@heartgirl99 The medical remedy sounds fine if the COVID-19 patients are conscious and still able to take oral medication. I wonder how pricey that 30 pill dosage will be. The disclaimer for persons with kidney or liver issues-won't help them if they are intubated or unconscious. Guess they will have to learn about the remedy well before COVID-19 comes their way and prepare an advance care directive. I understand that COVID-19 primarily affects lungs but kidney or other organs have been compromised too by the virus.

[heartgirl99]

You meant "comorbidities," not commodities? I've noticed that some COVID-19 deaths seem to be attributed to a pre-existing condition rather than COVID-19 itself.
@heartgirl99 The medical remedy sounds fine if the COVID-19 patients are conscious and still able to take oral medication. I wonder how pricey that 30 pill dosage will be. The disclaimer for persons with kidney or liver issues-won't help them if they are intubated or unconscious. Guess they will have to learn about the remedy well before COVID-19 comes their way and prepare an advance care directive. I understand that COVID-19 primarily affects lungs but kidney or other organs have been compromised too by the virus.

hi @Ciel -
the hope is to get started on the meds within a few days of onset of symptoms so before things get really bad. no idea of the cost yet.

** if anyone can find the data from the randomized trials please post a link here. so far, it seems that pfizer has done the trials and submitted the data to the fda. i can't find any reports in a peer-reviewed journal yet. thanks in advance. **

found an outline:
https://www.bmj.com/content/375/bmj.n2713

[hagbard]

You meant "comorbidities," not commodities? I've noticed that some COVID-19 deaths seem to be attributed to a pre-existing condition rather than COVID-19 itself.

The spell checker isn't very impressive.

[Midnightly]

Why is it that they never report if a person who's died of/with Covid has been vaccinated or has commodities? Also frustrated that making any mention of treatments are censored. And that bringing up things like the lab leak hypothesis can get you banned on some sites (a competitor to this site being a prime example). The time to have open discussion and criticisms is now, no, throughout this pandemic but the useful info is low from the so called "experts", govts, the MSM and on social media sites. You'd think we were under the control of the CCP.

i do think there may be a privacy aspect to it.. i do know our local news does occasionally give info about some people who have died unvaccinated but that is usually connected with interviews with families.. occasionally they will give stats on hospital admittance ratios of vaccinated vrs unvaccinated in care... also ratios of the provinces as a whole and even smaller sections on the percentages of those vaccinated vrs non... and ofcourse the daily numbers... with how they are jumping can be a bit scary

[Ciel21]

@heartgirl99 Found this FDA item online and there's a link to the trial in question supporting this drug's efficacy.
https://www.fda.gov/media/155052/download

https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04960202

[HermanH]

Dr. Juni, with the Ontario health authority, was on CBC talking about the infection rate for persons with 2 doses. He showed that inoculation was only about 15% effective against infection by Omicron. Yowza.

[bhlombardy]

Dr. Juni, with the Ontario health authority, was on CBC talking about the infection rate for persons with 2 doses. He showed that inoculation was only about 15% effective against infection by Omicron. Yowza.

Being infected and being sick are two very different outcomes, however. I hope Dr Juni clarified that the vaccines are intended to mitigate or reduce the effect Covid-19 has on the body. Being "infected" with the Covid-19 virus doesn't mean you'll get sick. It means you are carrying it and you may be transmissible. This was always the case, even before omicron. Having a vaccine protects you from becoming sick and/or drastically reducing the symptoms you MAY get. As well, being vaccinated reduces the virus' ability to survive and multiply and thus makes you less transmissible. But you can still have it, carry it, and transmit it.

That's why it's still very important for even the vaccinated to still follow hygiene, masking and physical distancing standards.

And yes, we do hear about "break-through" cases among those vaccinated, but those cases are not nearly as severe as they could be because the person IS vaccinated.

[HermanH]

Dr. Juni did show that the rate of hospitalizations remained fairly stable, even with the dramatic drop in vaccine effectiveness. You are correct in that inoculation does not prevent infection, even though the media does not report it. The majority are continually allowed to believe that their two doses somehow miraculously prevents any infection and the medical community says nothing to dispell this myth.

Everyone gets infected. The inoculated are just better able to prevent the infection from rising to a level requiring their hospital admission. Hopefully, their infection is also limited so that their viral load level is low enough to reduce re-transmission. It is particularly frustrating to see folks (after two doses) walking around without a care in the world, all the while (mistakenly) thinking that they have somehow become impervious to the pandemic. Omicron, with its high ability to re-infect previous survivors, is going to be a shock for many.

[crafter]

Yeah this new strain is tough. We have a booster dose appt booked for DH next week. We decided to to avoid in person socialization with everyone including close family until DH has had his dose and a few days for it to kick in. It just makes sense to play it safe

[Shwa Girl]

Yeah this new strain is tough. We have a booster dose appt booked for DH next week. We decided to to avoid in person socialization with everyone including close family until DH has had his dose and a few days for it to kick in. It just makes sense to play it safe

@crafter , that's a good idea to wait until after the booster dose to get together. After 14 days, you can be sure that the body will be fully vaccinated.