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Tag: Manitoba

Manitoba reports first case of mpox, province says risk to public is low

The Manitoba government is reporting the first confirmed case of mpox in the province, noting it is also a strain that has not been seen in Canada before.

The province said a confirmed case of clade Ib mpox has been identified in Manitoba and is related to travel in central and eastern Africa.

“The individual was assessed and diagnosed shortly after returning to Manitoba and is currently isolating,” the province said in a news release. “Based on travel history and symptoms, specimens were tested and confirmed by the National Microbiology Laboratory for clade Ib mpox virus.”

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COVID-19 boosters start rolling out to some Canadians. Who can get them?

Updated COVID-19 vaccines are starting to roll out to some high-risk Canadians, but others will have to wait a little while longer before these new shots are offered to them.

Last month, Health Canada approved Pfizer and Moderna’s latest COVID-19 vaccines targeting the most recent variants of the virus.

Both shots are approved for everyone aged six months and older.

The new mRNA vaccines from both pharmaceutical companies target the KP.2 subvariant of Omicron that was dominating COVID-19 spread earlier this year.

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Health Canada orders provinces to destroy old COVID-19 vaccines amid wait for new batch

Health Canada has directed provinces to withdraw and destroy remaining supplies of last year’s COVID-19 vaccines while it works to authorize updated shots, which is expected to happen in October, according to Ontario’s health ministry.

“Vaccines will be available once Ontario receives supply from Health Canada following their regulatory authorization of the new, updated vaccine formulation,” read a statement from Ontario spokesperson Hannah Jensen.

A notice posted on the federal government’s immunization guide says vaccines aimed at Omicron variant XBB.1.5 is no longer available in Canada. Updated shots, made to target the now-dominant JN.1 or KP.2 strains are expected to get the green light “in the coming weeks.”

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Wildfire smoke could move into Ottawa, eastern Ontario tonight

Wildfires in western Canada will likely bring smoke into Ottawa and eastern Ontario starting on Monday and into Tuesday morning.

CTV’s Your Morning chief meteorologist Kelsey McEwen says smoke could travel as far as Quebec City by Tuesday morning with air quality advisories being issued in five provinces.

“You can see the Jetstream pulling that smoke down south of the border through the Dakotas and back up through the Great Lakes,” McEwen said.

“By tomorrow, this begins to slide toward the Ottawa-Gatineau area, tomorrow morning and out toward Quebec City.”

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Scientists, clinicians across Canada preparing for future pandemic threats

Nearly $574 million will be doled out to researchers across the country for projects aimed at ramping up Canada’s preparedness for future health emergencies, including the next pandemic, the federal government announced on Monday.

One of the 19 projects is a national network of existing emergency departments and primary-care clinics, called Prepared, that will screen for any new viruses or pathogens that start to appear in patients.

“As a public health specialist and as a practising physician, I would very much anticipate there being another respiratory pandemic in the future. The challenge is we don’t know when it will be or what it will be,” said Dr. Andrew Pinto, Prepared project lead and a family physician at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.

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Mask rules being relaxed at Manitoba health-care facilities

Mask requirements for health-care workers are being loosened at Manitoba facilities starting next month.

In a memo to staff issued last week, Shared Health Chief Operating Officer Monika Warren writes the requirement to mask during direct care interactions will be lifted in most areas starting May 1.

She notes health-care workers are required to wear PPE according to approved protocols, including if respiratory symptoms are present.

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La distribution des vaccins contre la COVID-19 sera interrompue cet été

Manitoba indicated that the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines will be discontinued as of May 1. The vaccination campaign will resume in autumn 2024.

A provincial spokesperson says the province has taken this approach based on scientific evidence and advice from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization.

Based on seasonal trends in respiratory viruses in Manitoba, a dose administered in the fall is more likely to provide protection when respiratory virus circulation levels are higher, he said.

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Paxlovid to no longer be provided to provinces for free

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is no longer paying for an antiviral pill used to treat COVID-19.

The PHAC said it will no longer procure Paxlovid, which is intended to be used after being diagnosed with COVID, for provinces and territories.

“The provinces and territories are responsible for determining how best to implement and manage the available supply of COVID-19 therapeutics, including Paxlovid,” a spokesperson for Health Canada said in a statement.

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Do you need a spring COVID-19 vaccine? Research backs extra round for high-risk groups

New guidelines suggest certain high-risk groups could benefit from having another dose of a COVID-19 vaccine this spring — and more frequent shots in general — while the broader population could be entering once-a-year territory, much like an annual flu shot.

Medical experts told CBC News that falling behind on the latest shots can come with health risks, particularly for individuals who are older or immunocompromised.

“Even when the risk of infection starts to increase, the vaccines still do a really good job at decreasing risk of severe disease,” said McMaster University researcher and immunologist Matthew Miller.

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Supreme Court will not hear appeal from churches who fought Manitoba COVID rules

The Supreme Court of Canada has decided not to hear an appeal by several churches that fought Manitoba’s COVID-19 restrictions.

Lawyers for the churches argued public health orders in 2020 and 2021 that temporarily closed in-person religious services, then permitted them with caps on attendance, violated the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

They lost that argument in two lower courts.

The Manitoba Court of Appeal ruled last year the restrictions were necessary to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and allowable under the Charter.

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Manitoba reduces recommended wait time between COVID-19 shots

Respiratory viruses are on the rise in Manitoba and the province is reducing recommended intervals between COVID-19 vaccines.

Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s chief provincial public health officer, said residents are now eligible to receive an updated vaccine three months after their previous shot.

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Manitoba’s two major political parties say they would not repeat COVID-19 lockdowns

The leaders of Manitoba’s two largest political parties said Wednesday they would not impose the kind of restrictions on people and businesses seen during the…

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High schoolers walk out to protest lax COVID policies

High school students across Manitoba walked out of class last Monday to demand improved COVID-19 safety measures as in-person learning resumes.

‍Organized by the group MB Students for COVID Safety, the walkout’s demands included the option to return to remote learning if students wish and increased funding for safety measures for those who prefer in-person learning.

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