The COVID Times newsletter – the activist edition, December 2023

Welcome to the December issue of The COVID Times, a newsletter to provide updates and tips for navigating life as a COVID-safe person in Canada.

In this edition, we’ve included some opportunities for advocacy — if you have some time off, it could be nice to take a moment to write some emails.

Hope everyone is staying safe! Happy holidays! ❄️

Help support renewed funding for COVID-related programs in BC!

⚠️ Urgent! BC’s funding for COVID-19 health initiatives is set to end! Please help ensure that there is continued access to vaccination, testing, and personal protective equipment (PPE).

📣 Check out DoNoHarm BC’s call to action! Find easy-to-use email, phone, fax, and social media templates for contacting your MLA in support of forward-thinking investments in public health. Not from BC? You can share info about the campaign with your friends — let’s help spread the word!

News about Novavax

CBC News reports that Health Canada has approved an updated Novavax vaccine to protect against COVID-19.

The Novavax Nuvaxovid XBB.1.5 Omicron subvariant COVID-19 vaccine is authorized for people who are 12 years of age and older, and may be used both for those who were or were not vaccinated previously. For details, visit Health Canada’s Novavax web page.

Statistics Canada report on long COVID

According to a new report from Statistics Canada, by June 2023, one in nine Canadian adults (3.5 million people) experienced long COVID. Repeat infections dramatically increased the risks. For people with three or more infections, about 38% reported long COVID symptoms.

Many of the people who have reported long-term symptoms are still suffering. As of June 2023, 6.8% of all Canadian adults (2.1 million people) continue to experience symptoms.

It’s clear that the current laissez-faire approach is not sustainable. We need preventative public health measures, and collective action.

Keeping schools safe

The group Ontario School Safety (OSS) has created a helpful video that explains how carbon dioxide (CO2) monitoring in schools keeps students safe. You can watch the video on YouTube and visit their Facebook page for information on their latest calls to action.

📣 Speaking of action alerts, now’s a good time to contact your Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) — you can voice your support for the Improving Air Quality for Our Children Act.

We need universal masking with N95 respirators

The COVID-19 viral wastewater signal has surged in most regions of Ontario. There are many outbreaks at hospitals. In Ottawa, there have been 129 COVID-19 outbreaks at hospitals in 2023 so far, leading to 20 deaths and 1,027 known cases of COVID-19.

📣 Please take a moment to voice your support for universal masking with N95 respirators in Ontario. You can use a template with your own email software, or take a couple of seconds to fill out a form and click send.

How bad is COVID in Canada right now?

Tara Moriarty’s Canadian COVID Forecast: December 2–15, 2023 notes that about 1 in 39 people in Canada are currently infected.

Screenshot of tweet by Tara Moriarty. Canadian COVID Forecast: December 2–15, 2023. SEVERE: CAN, AB, BC, MB, NB, NL, North, NS, ON, PEI, QC, SK. VERY HIGH: none. HIGH: none. ELEVATED: none. MODERATE: none. LOW: none. About 1 in 39 people in Canada are currently infected. The image shows a series of gauges with the December 2-15, 2023 Hazard Index scores for Canada, the provinces, and territories. Read from left to right: Canada: 16.7 - SEVERE Alberta: 16.7 - SEVERE British Columbia: 13.6 - SEVERE Manitoba: 24.5 - SEVERE New Brunswick: 16.6 - SEVERE Newfoundland and Labrador: 15.7 - SEVERE North: 15.7 - SEVERE Nova Scotia: 14.8 - SEVERE Ontario: 14.2 - SEVERE Prince Edward Island: 20.4 - SEVERE Quebec: 19.3 - SEVERE Saskatchewan: 19.7 - SEVERE All Hazard Index input data and sources are available here (https://covid19resources.ca/covid-hazard-index/) Hazard index scores are grouped into 6 ranges: LOW (

Heading into the holiday season

COVID-19 and influenza levels are on the rise across Canada. Get vaccine information by province and territory:

BC AB SK MB ON QC NB NS PE NL YT NT NU

Many hospitals are experiencing surges, including the Kingston General Hospital and the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. At the same time, cities such as Toronto and Ottawa are closing vaccine clinics, thanks to Ontario’s budget cuts. You can contact MPPs to ask them why Ontario is acting as a grinch, when it comes to funding for essential COVID-19 programs.

Some useful links for the holidays:

Disclaimer: This newsletter is for awareness purposes only. It is not medical advice or treatment. Read more.