Ontario health officials have announced they will be no longer administering the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine as a first dose option, due to increased concerns of the vaccine’s link to blood clots.
Over the last few days, there have been increased rates of vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) from 0.9 per 100,000 doses to 1.7 per 100,000 doses. That means about 1 in 60,000 people could be affected by the rare, but at times deadly, side effect.
As of May 8, Ontario has seen eight cases of VITT. There have been approximately 850,000 AstraZeneca doses administered in the province.
Health officials are currently reviewing the use of the vaccine for second doses and will provide guidance to those waiting for second doses of AstraZeneca in the next few weeks.
The vaccine is currently only available at pharmacies for adults aged 40 and over.
Health officials say their decision was also influenced by the high and reliable supply of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams says they have been reviewing data out of the U.K. that shows the risk of blood clots is much lower when AstraZeneca is used as second dose.
Mixing doses of the COVID-19 vaccine is also being studied.
“We maintain that those who received their first dose with the AstraZeneca vaccine did absolutely the right thing to prevent illness and to protect their families, loved ones and communities,” he said.
Health policy expert for McMaster University Dr. Firas Khalid said he was not surprised by the province’s announcement and believes they are just trying to “err on the side of caution.”
“Right now with an abundance of the other types of vaccines, I think it makes sense why [Ontario] has decided right now to pause the vaccine,” said Dr. Khalid.
He said it’s important for those who have taken the first does of AstraZeneca to contact their health care provider to receive guidance on the best way forward for them.
Dr. Khalid said he believes this could be the end of the distribution of AstraZeneca.
“I don’t suspect that they will resume the rollout of them. I think if we continue getting the supply of Pfizer and Madonna, as expected. I think that it will be the end of AstraZeneca for the time being,” said Dr. Khalid.
He added his concerns is there will be a spillover effect of vaccine hesitancy towards the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. Dr. Khalid said one of the factors that contributes to vaccine hesitancy is misinformation or lack of answers to their questions so the government should be focused on communicating to the public that the vaccines currently available in Canada are all safe.
“So our job, whether it’s a health policy experts, or whether it’s the government is to really supply the best available evidence to people, and let individuals make their best informed decision. At the end of the day, the choice of what vaccine you want to take is upon the person themselves.”
Of the more than two million people vaccinated with AstraZeneca in Canada, 12 have been were diagnosed with vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT), and three of them died.
Alberta became the first province to pause administering AstraZeneca as a first dose vaccine because there weren’t any confirmed new shipments of the vaccine.
Fewer than 200,000 doses remain of the 2.3 million already shipped, and only 1.65 million more are expected before the end of June.
With files from The Canadian Press
The federal government announced Tuesday that they will be helping Ontario fund four major subway projects in the GTA and a rapid transit project in Hamilton.
The $12-billion funding plan is being billed as “once-in-a-generation” and the largest single announcement of transit funding in Canadian history.
The four projects receiving the cash infusion in Toronto are:
- Ontario Line: from Exhibition Place through downtown to the Ontario Science Centre
- Eglinton Crosstown West extension: connecting Scarborough and Mississauga directly along Eglinton Avenue
- Yonge Street North subway: extending Line 1 to Vaughan, Markham and Richmond Hill
- Scarborough subway: extending Line 2 at Bloor-Danforth at Kennedy Station to Sheppard Avenue East – a 7.8 kilometre extension, adding three more stops along Line 2.
In Hamilton, the funding will go toward a rapid transit line that will go from McMaster University in the west, through downtown to Eastgate Centennial Park in Stoney Creek.
“The GTA represents 20 per cent of Canada’s population and growing, and it has the third highest transit system ridership in North America,” said Catherine McKenna, Federal Minister of Infrastructure and Communities. “When complete, over six-million people across the GTA will have better access to Toronto services with public transit routes covering 1,200 kilometres. These investments are a key part of our plan to kickstart our economy and create one million jobs.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also said the projects will help “support jobs, make people’s commutes better and cut down on pollution.”
“Public transit is at the heart of a strong recovery and growing middle class. It’s also part of our plan to reach net-zero by 2050,” he said. “This $12-billion in funding means people will get where they need to go faster, all with tens of thousands fewer cars on the road daily. The bottom line is this — rapid transit shortens commutes which gives parents more time with their kids and ensures kids will inherit a cleaner future.”
Part of the funding will also go toward buying zero-emissions streetcars for the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). Trudeau said the new streetcars will keep Toronto’s air cleaner and help protect “good middle class jobs” at the Alstom automotive plant in Thunder Bay.
“Canada is a world leader in the public transit manufacturing sector … we will continue to encourage this industry in our country,” said Trudeau.
The funding agreement includes key conditions that are expected to improve the outcomes from the projects including community and environmental benefits, affordable housing and more citizen engagement.
McKenna said that every dollar invested in infrastructure must have multiple benefits. As such, federal funding will depend on satisfying those conditions, including:
- Demonstrating how the investments will drive down emissions and build climate resilience
- Substantive environmental reviews
- Community benefit agreements
- Incorporating barrier free and accessibility features
- Ensuring affordable housing along the new lines
- Meeting employment thresholds for underrepresented communities including Black, Indigenous, people of colour and women.
Provincial and municipal officials lauded the announcement and hailed it as a historic partnership between all levels of government.
Ontario’s Minister of Transportation, Caroline Mulroney, said when she took over the transportation portfolio, she received a clear mandate from Premier Doug Ford to move these transit projects forward.
“Reaching this milestone with our federal partners brings us one step closer to delivering on our promise to build a modern, reliable and sustainable transit system that the City of Toronto and York Region so desperately need,” she said. “Today’s announcement is an endorsement by the federal government of our government’s and premier Ford’s vision for transit in the GTA.”
Along with connecting underserved communities and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, Mulroney said the projects will support over 16,000 jobs each year during construction, with continued employment for the operation and maintenance of the new lines.
Toronto Mayor John Tory said the announcement “proves that when people work together we can get things done” and thanked Trudeau and Ford for being good partners to the City of Toronto.
“It was a bit of a difficult path to get to where we are, but the bottom line is we got there,” he said. “As mayor of Canada’s largest city and the country’s economic engine, I am proud to secure the support from these governments, both federal and provincial, for our transit system because transit expansion is vitally important to the future of our city.”
He added that Toronto is a partner with the federal and provincial governments in this plan and will continue to invest the City Building Fund in transit infrastructure upgrades and repairs.
Markham mayor Frank Scarpitti has been a longtime supporter of the Yonge North extension and called the investment an “outstanding commitment” that will contribute to creating a sustainable future for generations to come.
“With the addition of the Yonge North subway extension we will reduce greenhouse gases annually by 4,800 tons … and it will also eliminate the over 3,300 bus trips that are taken daily on an already jam-packed Yonge Street corridor,” he said.
Scarpitti added that Minister McKenna has been instrumental in pushing through the funding agreement and thanked both Trudeau and Ford for their commitment to York Region’s transit needs.
Ontario’s science advisors say the province could safely reopen many outdoor recreational facilities even if it extends a stay-at-home order in the coming weeks.
The scientific director of Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table says outdoor activities like golf, tennis and beach volleyball are low risk.
Dr. Peter Juni says that in some cases, if physical distancing cannot be maintained during the activity, people should wear masks.
Juni says public health officials must address activities linked with the sports — like car-pooling or sharing a locker room — which represent greater risk of COVID-19 exposure.
The province imposed a stay-at-home order last month that closed thousands of business and outdoor recreational facilities, except playgrounds.
The science table criticized the restriction of outdoor activities, saying they will not control COVID-19 and disproportionately harm children and those who don’t have access to their own green space.
Health Minister Christine Elliott said Monday that the province was considering extending the stay-at-home order, which would mean the outdoor facilities would likely remain closed.
The province’s top doctor said he would like to see “well below 1,000” daily cases before Ontario lifts the stay-at-home order. Dr. David Williams stressed that while the province is bending the pandemic curve, it has not brought the numbers down far enough.
Ontario reported 2,073 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday and 15 additional deaths from the virus.
The case numbers were based on more than 28,100 tests completed since the last daily report.
The province said there are currently 1,782 people hospitalized with COVID-19, including 802 in intensive care units.
Meanwhile, people with at-risk health conditions in Ontario became eligible to book their COVID-19 vaccines on Tuesday. That includes people with dementia, diabetes and sickle cell disease.
Another group of people who cannot work from home including grocery store, restaurant and transportation workers also became eligible to book a shot.
Starting Thursday, anyone 40 or older will be able to book a shot anywhere in the province.
The government said it has been able to expand eligibility to more age groups because it is expecting to receive millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses in the coming weeks.
Ontario said it expects 65 per cent of adults to have their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by the end of May.
The North Division playoff matchups have been set after the Winnipeg Jets beat the Vancouver Canucks 5-0 Tuesday to clinch third place in the division.
As a result, the top-seeded Toronto Maple Leafs will host the fourth-seeded Montreal Canadiens, while the No. 2 seed Edmonton Oilers will host the Jets.
Both series carry plenty of historical significance. The Original Six matchup between Toronto and Montreal will be the 16th such series but the first one since 1979, when the Canadiens swept the Maple Leafs on the way to winning the Stanley Cup.
Overall, the Canadiens have won eight of the 15 prior series but the Maple Leafs have won four of the seven times when the teams met in the championship round.
The Oilers and original Jets rivalry has plenty of playoff history as well. The Oilers and Jets both entered the NHL in 1979-80 and would go on to meet in the Stanley Cup Playoffs six times over the next 10 years.
The rivalry was very one-sided, however, with the dynasty Oilers winning all six series and the Jets only winning four games, three of them in the final series in 1990.
Now these teams will get a chance to write a new playoff chapter with their first meeting since Atlanta re-located to Winnipeg 10 years ago.
The North Division playoffs will begin next week.
TORONTO — Ontario has become the latest province to signal it will likely mix COVID-19 vaccine brands as the country prepares for a flood of Pfizer and Moderna shots while some doctors questioned further use of Oxford-AstraZeneca.
Health Minister Christine Elliott said Monday it’s likely that Ontarians who have received a dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine may get a different shot for their second dose.
“We don’t have a supply date for more AstraZeneca, so it’s very likely that we will need to mix the different products together,” she said.
Elliott said the province is waiting for the results from a U.K. study on mixing different vaccines and on advice from a federal immunization panel.
“I expect that should come very soon because there are some people who are coming up in terms of times for their second shot.”
Quebec has also said that it plans to mix vaccines due to supply shortages, substituting the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines for the Moderna vaccines in order to quickly give booster shots to long-term care residents.
Dr. Theresa Tam, the country’s top doctor, has also said that Canada is closely following the results of the U.K. study on mixing doses.
Molecular biologist and science communicator Samantha Yammine said some Canadians who have already received the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine may be comforted to know they have the option of a different dose, given recent attention directed at the shot.
“It’s nice to know that people will have the option depending on what risks they’re comfortable to take on,” she said in a recent interview.
Yammine, who goes by “Science Sam” on social media, said the pandemic has given rise to an “infodemic,” with a flood of advice about areas like the low risk of blood clots from viral-vector shots compared with mRNA vaccines.
Conflicting advice coming from experts and officials, even if well-intentioned, can overwhelm the public, Yammine said. And Oxford-AstraZeneca’s vaccine has been in the spotlight in Canada in recent weeks.
The National Advisory Committee on Immunization, or NACI, attracted criticism when it recommended that Canadians who aren’t at high risk from COVID-19 may want to wait until a dose of Pfizer-BioNtech or Moderna is available, calling them the “preferred” vaccines.
Since then, the chair of the committee has said people who took the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot did the right thing, and some prominent physicians have suggested on social media that Canada could focus on distributing mRNA shots with millions of doses expected to arrive over the next few weeks.
Dr. Andrew Morris, an infectious diseases specialist and a member Ontario’s COVID-19 science advisory table, argued on Twitter this weekend that while AstraZeneca “was a good vaccine that served its purpose,” Canada has enough Pfizer and Moderna shots to avoid using AstraZeneca, removing the risk of rare but serious blood clots.
Yammine said the biggest damage from NACI’s initial remarks was feelings of remorse among people who took the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot.
She stressed that people should not regret taking the vaccine and said it’s still advisable for people in virus hot spots to take the first vaccine they can get, but highlighted the importance of local guidance for those in lower-risk areas who are trying to make sense of the advice.
“What we really need now, in my opinion, is for the provinces to now do the risk calculation for the people in their province, because it’s all a gradient, it’s not black or white,” she said.
Yammine has also shared infographics on social media comparing normal side-effects and possible signs of the rare blood-clotting disorder in some COVID-19 recipients, so people who have received the shots can seek treatment if necessary.
“We don’t want people to be scared and freaking out, but we want you to know what to look out for, so that you’re prepared and you can get the treatment that you deserve,” she said.
Jessica Mudry, an associate professor in health communication at Ryerson University, said communication about the difference between vaccines has been poorly handled by officials and it may end up hurting Canada’s vaccination campaign.
She said new government plans to mix doses without preparing the public for that possibility ahead of time may backfire among people who took already one shot and are now caught off guard.
“I think that this kind of this concept of the cocktail, you do one, then you do a different one, is actually going to be quite difficult for people, because people don’t like surprises,” Mudry said.
Even with more mRNA vaccines on the way, Yammine noted that Canada should be careful before outright dismissing shots like Oxford-AstraZeneca’s because they are important to ending the global pandemic and Canada has a strong healthcare reputation on the world stage.
“We act locally but we have to think globally,” she said. “By us just saying, no, these vaccines are not for Canadians, what message does that send to people in crisis around the world who don’t have the luxury of choosing a vaccine.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 10, 2021.
The City of Toronto is looking at its biggest and busiest vaccination week yet, with more than 98,000 appointments booked in its nine city-run clinics alone.
In the city’s daily COVID-19 briefing, Chief Matthew Pegg said 17,000 additional appointments were opened up in city-run clinics for this week thanks to additional vaccine supply being made available.
While city operated clinics are 92 per cent booked for this week, as of Monday morning, 7,600 appointments were still available.
In addition, city operated clinics are close to being fully booked for a number of weeks, but there are still some appointments available between now and June 13, Pegg said.
Appointment availability in city-run clinics by booking percentage:
- Week of May 17 – fully booked
- Week of May 24 – 99 per cent booked
- Week of May 31 – 95 per cent booked
- June 7 – 53 per cent booked
Appointments can be booked via the provincial portal.
“Should the province of Ontario make additional vaccine available to us for any of these periods of time, we are able to open additional appointments to match,” said Pegg, adding that hospitals and Ontario Health are also administering vaccines every day.
To find vaccine appointments across that network of clinics click here.
Mayor John Tory said vaccination efforts over the last several weeks have been focused on the “hottest hotspot postal codes” and it is making a “major difference” in the fight against COVID-19.
“In the 13 hottest hotspot postal codes, where there were very low rates of vaccination, we have gone from under 15 per cent vaccinated as of April 5 to more than 40 per cent as of May 2,” he said.
Tory added that while it took from late last December to May 1 to get 40 per cent of eligible residents vaccinated, that number has jumped from 40 to more than 50 per cent in the past week alone.
Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health added that the city is on track to have over 65 per cent of residents 18 and older receive their first dose of the vaccine by the end of May.
As of Sunday, over 1.4 million doses of vaccines have been administered in the city.
On Tuesday, vaccine eligibility will be expanded to those with at risk health conditions like diabetes and dementia as well as to Group 2 of those who cannot work from home which includes grocery, restaurant and transportation workers.
Vaccine eligibility will expand to all those 40 years and older on Thursday.
Toronto police broke up a large party at a commercial building downtown over the weekend, charging 24 people and seizing $13,000 worth of alcohol.
In a release, police said they were first called to a laneway hear Huron Street and Dundas Street West for reports of a dispute on Sunday at around 1:30 a.m.
When officers arrived they could hear loud music and people partying at a nearby property.
Realizing they were dealing with a large crowd, COVID-19 enforcement teams were called to assist.
Police say around 150 people were inside the commercial building partying without masks on.
Twenty-four people were charged under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMCPA) and $13,000 worth of alcohol was seized.
But police say more charges could be pending as investigators try to identify others in attendance.
“The Toronto Police Service continues to attend gatherings every day and has 16 dedicated enforcement teams which specifically target large gatherings indoors at short-term rentals and businesses, as well as outdoors. Anyone breaching the provincial orders could face a fine of $750 and officers will take steps to disperse and lay charges. Charges can also be laid at a later date.”
Toronto officials expressed their frustration and dismay at the large number of people who gathered indoors while ignoring public health guidelines.
“[Their friends] should be the ones who are the maddest about this kind of behaviour because this is slowing down the process of getting to the day when we can all get together again,” said Mayor John Tory.
“As for the people who did this – $13,000 worth of alcohol is not a couple of people getting together for a beer …so I don’t know what planet these people are on. …I don’t know why people behave in this selfish manner.”
MONTREAL (CityNews) – The Iskweu Project, an initiative of the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal, has put in place a tip line to immediately answer calls and provide assistance to families and loved ones in cases when Indigenous women, girls or trans people go missing.
Created in 2017, Iskweu, which mean women in Cree, works to reduce, and ultimately, eradicate the number of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and trans people in Quebec.
The new tip line in place, is meant to help them achieve their goal, by making communications smoother between the Indigenous community and law enforcement.
“We all know the history of missing and murdered women, especially what happened in B.C., where Indigenous women would go to the police and their complaints were not picked up,” explained Nakuset, Director of the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal.
“When the RCMP was created, it was to push people onto reservations and then later on to bring the children to residential school and parents to jail. I think there still needs to be a lot of work done in order to mend that relationship,” added Nakuset.
“The community cares about their people. And often government and police don’t necessarily care and that’s just the sad reality,” said Jessica Quijano, co-ordinator of Iskweu Project.
“My grandma was murdered back in 2005. So, I hope it gives justice to people who don’t have necessarily answers to their cases of their relatives being murdered or people who have been missing I really hope it brings light to some people,” explained Janis Qavavauq-Bibeau, Research Coordinator with Iskweu project.
“So, what’s different about this project is that we literally have a procedure where if someone goes missing instead of calling the police, they can call [Quijano with the Iskweu Project, where a there’s already a] procedure with the police, and she can help that woman by doing a three way phone call. If the woman doesn’t speak French, she can do the translation. She can support the clientele bring them to court, and she’s going to follow up on all the million of things,” explained Nakuset.
The tip line number will start appearing on buses, bus stops and billboards across the city.
“Donna Paré, I’m going to keep going back to her. She’s been missing since 2018, she a 33-year-old Inuuk women. Someone knows something out there,” explained Quijano. “So we just want some resolve when it come to that. We are really hoping that somebody will hear this will see this number call leave a tip and it might be able to resolve the case.”
If you have any information or need assistance on a missing Indigenous woman, girl or trans person, please call 1-855-547-5938.
A person is in custody after a driver allegedly crashed their vehicle into the front of a Toronto fire truck, then assaulted a firefighter.
Toronto Fire Services said they had responded to a report of a collision near Victoria Park Avenue and Ellesmere Road late Sunday afternoon.
When the crew arrived, a person was allegedly seen “acting irrational”– and then drove their vehicle into the front of a pumper truck, a spokesperson for Toronto fire said.
Toronto police allege a firefighter tried to deescalate the situation but was then assaulted by the driver.
Police said they have a male in custody in connection to the incident. The male has been taken to the hospital, police added.
No other information has been released at this time, including if the firefighter was injured during the incident or how damaged the fire truck is.
Photos and video from the scene showed a white sedan with front-end damage, but it is not known if this was the vehicle involved in the collision with the firetruck or the initial collision call.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the police directly. Tips can also be left anonymously with Crime Stoppers.
The coming week is expected to see more COVID-19 vaccine appointments open up for more individuals across the GTA.
Peel Region says it is aiming to get 150,000 shots into arms this coming week, adding 10,000 appointments for residents 18 years of age and older. Dr. Lawrence Loh, the region’s medical officer of health, says he hopes to administer a first dose to 75 per cent of residents by the end of May. As of Friday, just over 638,000 vaccine doses have been administered in Peel.
Starting Monday, adults over the age of 40 and those who cannot work from home will be able to start booking vaccine appointments in York Region. Approximately 78,000 appointments will be available.
Halton Region is also opening up COVID-19 vaccine appointments to anyone 16 years of age or older who cannot work from home as well as anyone 50 years of age and older starting on Monday. Health officials say anyone aged 40 and older can start booking their appointments on May 12 before lowering the threshold to anyone over the age of 30 by May 14. It’s hoped that anyone 16 years of age and older, regardless of postal code, will be able to start booking their appointments by May 19. The region has already been accepting appointments for those 40 and up as well as 50 and up who cannot work from home.
In Durham, adults 40 years of age and older will be eligible for a vaccine shot as well as those with at-risk health conditions.
The City of Toronto is adding more than 17,000 new appointments spread across its five City-operated clinics this week following the confirmation of additional vaccine supply. City-operated clinics are hoping to administer approximately 98,000 vaccine doses between May 10 and 16.
The City is also hoping to open up vaccine appointments at its clinics for anyone 40 years of age and older this week, as well as additional frontline workers who cannot work from home. Those with at-risk health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and autoimmune disorders are also eligible to book appointments at City-run clinics and hospital-run clinics. Visit toronto.ca/covid19 for more details on if you qualify within one of those groups.
The province of Ontario says it is on track to administer first doses to 65 per cent of adults by the end of May.
