1 more COVID death, 20 new cases announced in Nova Scotia on Sunday, May 29 - Halifax Examiner

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Overview
Vaccination
Demographics
Testing
Potential exposure advisories

A woman in her 80s who lived in Nova Scotia Scotia Health’s Central Zone has died from COVID-19. She is the 85th person in the province to die from the disease, and the 19th since April 1.

Otherwise, the province has announced 20 new cases of COVID-19 today (Sunday, May 30). This is the lowest daily case count since April 20.

Of today’s cases, 14 are in Nova Scotia Health’s Central Zone, five are in the Eastern Zone, and two are in the Western Zone.

There are now 505 known active cases in the province; 42 people are in hospital with the disease, 17 of whom are in ICU; 80 more people are considered recovered today.

Here are the daily new case numbers and the seven-day rolling averages (today at 38) for the current outbreak, dating from March 28, the last day Nova Scotia had zero new daily cases:

Here is the graph of daily new case numbers from the start of the pandemic in March 2020:

Here is the active caseload for the current outbreak:

And here is the active caseload from the start of the pandemic in March 2020:

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Vaccination

Vaccination data are not provided on weekends.

People 12 years old and older can book a vaccination appointment here.

People in rural areas who need transportation to a vaccine clinic should contact Rural Rides, which will get you there and back home for just $5. You need to book the ride 24 hours ahead of time.

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Demographics

Because new case counts have been so reduced, I’m now tracking the cases by age cohorts weekly, on Wednesdays.

The active cases across the province are distributed as follows:

Central Zone
• 175 in the Halifax Peninsula/Chebucto Community Health Network
• 87 in the Dartmouth/Southeastern Community Health Network
• 47 in the Bedford/Sackville Community Health Network
• 11 in the Eastern Shore/Musquodoboit Community Health Network
• 1 in the West Hants Community Health Network
• 34 not assigned to a Community Health Network
Total: 355

Eastern Zone
• 102 in the Cape Breton Community Health Network
• 1 in the Inverness, Victoria & Richmond Community Health Network
• 3 in the Antigonish & Guysborough Community Health Network
Total: 106

Northern Zone
• 15 in the Colchester/East Hants Community Health Network
• 9 in the Pictou Community Health Network
• 9 in the Cumberland Community Health Network
• 2 not assigned to a Community Health Network
Total: 35

Western Zone
• 6 in the Annapolis and Kings Community Health Network
• 5 in the Lunenburg & Queens Community Health Network
• 0 in the Yarmouth, Shelburne & Digby Community Health Network
Total: 11

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Testing

Pop-up testing at Alderney Library on May 1, 2021. Photo: Lauren Mills

Nova Scotia Health labs completed 6,157 PCR tests yesterday. This does not include the antigen tests administered at the various pop-up testing sites.

You do not need a health card to get tested.

Pop-up testing (antigen testing) is for asymptomatic people over 16 who have not been to the potential COVID exposure sites (see map below); results usually within 20 minutes. Pop-up testing has been scheduled for the following sites:

Sunday 
Alderney Gate Public Library, noon-7pm
Dartmouth South Academy, noon-7pm
Cole Harbour Place, noon-7pm
Sackville Sports Stadium, noon-7pm
Halifax Central Library, noon-7pm
Halifax Convention Centre, noon-7pm
Burton Ettinger School, noon-7pm
Centre 200 (Sydney), 11am-4pm

Monday
Burton Ettinger School, noon-7pm
Cole Harbour Place, noon-7pm
Centre 200 (Sydney), 3pm-7pm

Tuesday
Burton Ettinger School, noon-7pm
Cole Harbour Place, noon-7pm
Centre 200 (Sydney), 3pm-7pm

Wednesday
Burton Ettinger School, noon-7pm
Cole Harbour Place, noon-7pm
Centre 200 (Sydney), 3pm-7pm

Thursday
Burton Ettinger School, noon-7pm
Cole Harbour Place, noon-7pm
Centre 200 (Sydney), 3pm-7pm

Friday
Burton Ettinger School, noon-7pm
Cole Harbour Place, noon-7pm
Centre 200 (Sydney), 3pm-7pm

You can volunteer to work at the pop-up testing sites here or here. No medical experience is necessary.

You can also get PCR testing at the Nova Scotia Health labs by going here. Appointments can be made for the IWK, or for various locations listed below in each of the health zones (appointments may not be available at each site).

Central Zone
Bayers Lake (41 Washmill Lake Drive)
Burnside/Dartmouth Crossing (77 Finnian Row)
Canada Games Centre
Dartmouth General Hospital Drive-Thru (No Taxis)
Eastern Shore Memorial Hospital
Mayflower Curling Club
The Old School (Musquodoboit)
Saint Mary’s University (Homburg Centre)
Twin Oaks Memorial Hospital (Musquodoboit Harbour)
Zatzman Sportsplex

Northern Zone
Lloyd E. Matheson Centre (Elmsdale)
Colchester Legion Stadium (14 Lorne Street, Truro)
Truro (625 Abenaki Road, with drive-thru at 600 Abenaki Road)
Truro Farmers Market Drive-Thru testing
Amherst (34 Prince Arthur Street) — moving to Amherst Stadium on Monday
Pictou County Assessment Center (678 East River Rd, New Glasgow)

Eastern Zone
Antigonish Market Square
Buchanan Memorial Community Health Centre (Neils Harbour)
Eastern Memorial Hospital (Canso)
Grand Lake Road Fire Hall (Sydney)
Inverness Consolidated Memorial Hospital
Membertou Entertainment Centre
Northside General Hospital (North Sydney)
Sacred Heart Community Health Centre (Cheticamp)
Strait Richmond Hospital (Evanston)
Victoria County Memorial Hosptial (Baddeck)

Western Zone
Acadia Festival Theatre
Acadia University Club
Berwick Firehall
Digby Station (7 Birch Street)
Liverpool PAC (157 School Street)
Roseway Hospital (Shelburne)
South Shore Assessment Centre (215 Dominion Road, Bridgewater)
Yarmouth Mariners Centre
Yarmouth Visitor Information Centre (228 Main Street)

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Potential exposure advisories

Public Health only issues potential exposure advisories when they think they may not have been able to contact all close contacts at that locale. The large majority of potential exposure sites never make it onto a public advisory.

Potential COVID exposure advisories were issued last night:

Anyone who worked at or visited the following locations on the specified dates and times should visit covid-self-assessment.novascotia.ca/ to book a COVID-19 test, regardless of whether or not they have symptoms. You can also call 811 if you don’t have online access, or if you have other symptoms that concern you.

For the following locations, if you do not have any symptoms of COVID-19 you do not need to self-isolate while you wait for your test result. If you have symptoms of COVID-19 you are required to self-isolate while you wait for your test result, as are the other members of your household.

• Burrito Jax (3117 Kempt Road, Halifax) on May 22 between 3:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. It is anticipated that anyone exposed to the virus at this location on the named dates may develop symptoms up to, and including June 5.
• Sobeys Queen Street (1120 Queen St, Halifax) on
  • May 26 between 7:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.
  • May 27 between 7:00 a.m. and 6:15 p.m.
  • May 28 between 11:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
  • It is anticipated that anyone exposed to the virus at this location on the named dates may develop symptoms up to, and including June 11.

• Dollarama (16 Dentith Road, Halifax) on May 27 between 6:45 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. It is anticipated that anyone exposed to the virus at this location on the named dates may develop symptoms up to, and including June 10.

• Walmart (80 Sydney Port Access Road, Sydney) on May 22 between 6:15 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. It is anticipated that anyone exposed to the virus at this location on the named dates may develop symptoms up to, and including June 5.

• NSLC (65 Keltic Drive, Sydney River) on May 27 between 3:15 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. It is anticipated that anyone exposed to the virus at this location on the named dates may develop symptoms up to, and including June 10.

• Walmart (65 Keltic Drive, Sydney River) on May 27 between 3:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. It is anticipated that anyone exposed to the virus at this location on the named dates may develop symptoms up to, and including June 10.

Regardless of whether or not you have COVID-19 symptoms, any passengers who were on the following transit routes for at least 15 minutes on the named dates and times are required to self-isolate while waiting for their test result. If you get a negative result, you do not need to keep self-isolating, however, you are asked to get retested 6-8 and 10-12 days after this exposure. If you get a positive result, you will be contacted by Public Health about what to do next.

• Halifax Transit Route #82 (First Lake) which runs from Sackville Terminal to Cobequid Terminal, on May 26 between 9:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. It is anticipated that anyone exposed to the virus on the named date may develop symptoms up to, and including, June 9.

• Halifax Transit Route #182 (First Lake Express) which runs from Cobequid Terminal to Barrington and Duke, on May 27 between 8:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. It is anticipated that anyone exposed to the virus on the named date may develop symptoms up to, and including, June 10.

• Halifax Transit Route #51 (Windmill) which runs from Burnside to Bridge Terminal, on May 27 between 9:30 a.m. and 9:45 a.m. It is anticipated that anyone exposed to the virus on the named date may develop symptoms up to, and including, June 10.

• Halifax Transit Route #3 (Crosstown) which runs from Bridge Terminal to Lacewood Terminal, on May 27 between 9:50 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. It is anticipated that anyone exposed to the virus on the named date may develop symptoms up to, and including, June 10.

Anyone who was on the following flight in the specified rows and seats should visit https://covid-self-assessment.novascotia.ca/en to book a COVID-19 test,regardless of whether or not they have COVID-19 symptoms. You can also call 811 if you don’t have online access or if you have other symptoms that concern you. All other passengers on this flight should continue to self-isolate as required and monitor for signs and symptoms of COVID-19.

• Air Canada 612 travelling on May 26 from Toronto (5:09 p.m.) to Halifax (8:12 p.m.). Passengers in rows 22-28, seats C, D, E and F. It is anticipated that anyone exposed to the virus on this flight on the named date may develop symptoms up to, and including, June 9.

I’ve collected all the active advisories for potential COVID exposures on bus routes and flights here.

The updated potential COVID exposure advisory map is below; you can zoom in and click on the coronavirus icons to get information about each site.

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1 more COVID death, 20 new cases announced in Nova Scotia on Sunday, May 29 - Halifax Examiner
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The truth about fake Google reviews; Bank fees are going up despite profits: CBC's Marketplace cheat sheet - CBC.ca

Miss something this week? Don't panic. CBC's Marketplace rounds up the consumer and health news you need. Want this in your inbox? 

Get the Marketplace newsletter every Friday.

Customers call out banks for increasing fees during pandemic while profits are up

As many Canadians continue to struggle financially during the pandemic, some are questioning why Canada's big banks are raising fees even as they continue to see profits increase. 

Customers with TD, CIBC, Bank of Montreal and Scotiabank have recently contacted Go Public about fees that increased, or are about to, for a range of accounts, products and services.

"This is really not the right time for the banks to raise any kind of fees," said Kisan Gunjal, from his home in Milton, Ont. "We have to insert the ethics part."

The banks tell Go Public that the increases were made after careful consideration and that other options are available to customers. Read more

A CBC News investigation traced a web of fake Google reviews criss-crossing North America, as one business owner tries to deal with the fallout of watching his Google rating plummet because of fake reviews. 8:04

Fake Google reviews are fooling customers and hurting businesses

If you've ever searched the name of a business online, chances are you've seen its Google reviews. The rating system is an easy way to assess the quality of a business before spending your hard-earned money there. But not all the reviews are necessarily accurate or even from real people.

A CBC News investigation found there's a widespread problem plaguing the popular star-rating system — a growing black market in which some companies pay for fake positive reviews, while others are seemingly being extorted by web firms who post negative comments then propose their "review-fixing" services to get them taken down.

Using data gathering and analysis techniques, the investigation catalogued just a portion of one fake review network: 1,279 businesses across North America connected by 208 fake accounts that posted 3,574 fake reviews.

In an email, Google said its systems "check every single review before it gets published to Google Maps, looking for signs of inauthentic content," but also acknowledged that "they're not perfect as inauthentic reviews can slip through from time to time." Read more

Marketplace has investigated fake listings and reviews on Google before, in January 2020 when our team looked into fake locksmith listings and reviews. We also investigated fake reviews associated with the appliance repair industry in October 2020.

Several customers of Canada’s big banks reached out to Go Public with frustrations about increased bank fees during the pandemic. The fee increases come after each of the big five banks reported billions in profit for this year's first quarter. 2:05

Want to make your home more energy efficient? A new grant of up to $5,000 might be a start

The government of Canada is launching a new program that offers Canadians grants of up to $5,000 to pay for energy-saving home upgrades.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Natural Resources Minister Seamus O'Regan rolled out the Canada Greener Homes Grants program Thursday — worth about $2.6 billion over seven years — to help homeowners upgrade heaters, install solar panels and replace windows and doors.

Homeowners will be able to receive grants of up to $5,000 to make energy efficient retrofits to their primary residences, and up to $600 to help with the cost of home energy evaluations. Read more

Justin Trudeau spoke by video from Parliament Hill on Thursday. 1:25

What else is going on?

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Marketplace needs your help

Are you selling or planning to sell your home? Are you interested in using a non-traditional real estate model such as a low fee/flat fee brokerage, for sale by owner, or an open auction bidding process? If so, we want to hear from you. Email us at marketplace@cbc.ca

When it comes to car parts, such as tires and batteries, do you think a higher price usually means better performance? We want to hear from you! Send us your story at marketplace@cbc.ca

Catch up on past episodes of Marketplace anytime on CBC Gem.

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Barkerville needs more gold from the Crown purse to cover costs, says heritage site's CEO - CBC.ca

People were once lured to Barkerville, B.C., by the promise of riches and now operators of the historic gold rush site turned tourist attraction say they need more money to keep drawing visitors.

Managers from Barkerville and five other heritage sites penned a letter to B.C.'s Minister of Lands, Forests, Natural Resources Katrine Conroy asking the government to give the Heritage Branch more resources to get the sites through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Point Ellice House Museum and Gardens and Carr House in Victoria, Kilby Historic Site in Harrison Mills, Historic Hat Creek Ranch near Cache Creek and Yale Historic Site in the Fraser Canyon are all represented in letter. 

Kate Cox, chief executive officer with Barkerville, said historic sites often have trouble generating enough revenue to keep up with expenses, even when there aren't pandemic-related restrictions to contend with. 

"A general problem for all heritage sites is that we [have] aging buildings, a lot of wood structures, significant weather issues that we have to deal with," she told Daybreak North host Carolina de Ryk.  

"We have these considerable costs, but it's very difficult for us to lock in a growing sustainable funding [source] in order to augment those costs."

Finding ways to deal with costs means historic sites have to get creative with staffing and make tough decisions about what maintenance work gets done at the site. One of the 125 historic buildings at Barkerville is currently sliding off its foundation and work on that won't be possible until this fall at the earliest  — at a cost upwards of $100,000. 

"That is a considerable project cost that would be in addition to the operations funding that we need in order to operate every day," Cox said. 

Barkerville Historic Town & Park is located on the western edge of the Cariboo Mountains, about 80 kilometres east of Quesnel, B.C. (Facebook/Barkerville Historic Town & Park)

News of easing restrictions in coming weeks and months has taken some of the pressure off, but Cox said Barkerville plans to stick to their plan of opening June 26, with physical distancing and safe programming in place. 

"I am not anticipating being able to bring large groups here this year without putting more strain on the site, more strain on staff," she said. 

"Our goal is to make sure that every visitor, from individuals to small groups, have an intimate and yet exciting experience. And we want to be careful how we do that this year. So safety first and we want to make sure that everyone has an equal opportunity to enjoy."

To hear Kate Cox's interview on CBC's Daybreak North, tap here: 

Daybreak North5:39Barkerville and other historic sites call for more stable funding

The historic town says while grants are helpful, they really need a stable source of provincial funding to help plan for their future. 5:39

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More Canadians turning to cannabis to help deal with pandemic pressures - CBC.ca

Kacie Fann had three kids and a full-time job as a realtor when the pandemic hit last year. Like so many others, her life was turned upside-down and she found herself at a loss as to how to cope.

"I didn't know how I was going to do it," Fann said. "I started having severe anxiety attacks because I was so overwhelmed with the news and everything else."

Fann walked away from the career she had spent years building, taught herself how to trade stocks to generate some income, and turned her attention to helping her kids, including a two-year-old, navigate online school. However, despite these radical lifestyle changes meant to help reduce daily pressures, Fann says her attacks did not abate until she tried something completely new to her.

"A friend of mine told me about CBD," she said, referring to cannabidiol, a compound found in cannabis plants. "And I would say within the first week [of trying it], my nerves started to calm down and I was able to just think and come up with a plan of how I was going to do this, how I was going to manage."

At first she did worry about the stigma associated with cannabis, especially as a mom of three, but after doing her own research she says she felt comfortable with the choice. Fann adds that cannabis has made more of a difference to her stress levels and mood than anything else she's tried, including exercise and meditating.

"It has tremendously helped relieve me of my anxiety," she said.

Fann is far from alone among Canadians who are turning to cannabis in some form during the pandemic. According to a recent Statistics Canada survey that looked at changes in alcohol, drug and medication consumption habits, 20 per cent of Canadians now report using cannabis, up from 14 per cent before COVID-19.

Kacie Fann says she started having severe anxiety attacks during the pandemic because she was, 'so overwhelmed with the news and everything else.' (Perlita Stroh/CBC)

The StatsCan report also found that the top reasons Canadians cited for using cannabis include increased stress, boredom and loneliness.

Yad Singh is the owner of Dolly's Cannabis, a dispensary in Toronto's Annex neighbourhood. He has a degree in nuclear medicine, and became interested in therapeutic uses of cannabis while looking for ways to alleviate some of the symptoms a family member was suffering as they battled terminal cancer.

These days, he says his dispensary is helping people ease some of the stress they are experiencing as a result of repeated pandemic lockdowns.

"You know, a good majority of everyone that comes here is definitely affected by COVID and how it's impacting their mood," Singh said.

"So, whether they put on a good face about it, it's still impacting them and is still tough to deal with."

Yad Singh is the owner of Dolly’s Cannabis, a dispensary in Toronto's Annex neighbourhood. He said new customers often tell him they are trying to deal with increased fear and anxiety surrounding the pandemic. (Perlita Stroh/CBC)

Singh says he's seen a marked increase recently in the number of people coming in for the first time — people who've never tried cannabis before.

"I've noticed in the last two months new users increasingly coming to our store. I would say, from our perspective, maybe about a five to 10 per cent jump in these types of customers," Singh said.

He adds that people tell him they are trying to deal with increased fear and anxiety surrounding the pandemic, and they often come to the dispensary after trying other means to regulate their mood. Some also say they're trying to avoid turning to other substances, such as alcohol.

"I hear from people in casual conversation, they'll tell me, 'you know, you can't drink beer all the time, and I need something to kind of get through this period,'" Singh said.

Cannabidiol, used to produce CBD oil, is a compound found in the cannabis plant. (Mike Segar/Reuters)

Researchers at Toronto's Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) have been monitoring the uptick in cannabis consumption.

"The pandemic has certainly created the perfect storm in terms of use," said Dr. Leslie Buckley, chief addictions psychiatrist at CAMH.

Researchers at CAMH note the potential health risks associated with frequent reliance on cannabis. Possible long-term effects include heightened anxiety, depression and even psychosis, especially among those with a family history of mental health issues.

CAMH is urging younger people and pregnant women to avoid using cannabis entirely, as well as warning people to wait at least six hours to drive after consuming it. It also cautions all users to exercise moderation.

"One way to reduce risk is to decrease the THC content, and decrease the amount of cannabis being consumed," Dr. Buckley said.

Despite these warnings, Singh says he is seeing people all along the spectrum of anxiety and depression who are trying cannabis.

One of his dispensary's new customers, Daniel Guedes de Andrade, is an articling student who came to Dolly's for relief for intense anxiety after several visits to the emergency room with a racing heartbeat that shook him.

"When it was really bad, I had a very fast heart rate and it felt like pressure in the chest and a shortness of breath," Guedes de Andrade said. "This pandemic has definitely increased my levels of anxiety."

Daniel Guedes de Andrade said CBD has helped him relax and focus. (Perlita Stroh/CBC)

Guedes de Andrade is currently being monitored by a doctor to rule out any cardiac issues, but he says at times the anxiety was so intense that it was debilitating. He was unable to focus on work or calm down enough to enjoy much of anything, he adds, but since starting to vape CBD he says that's changed.

"It has helped me a lot with managing anxiety and with enabling relaxation as well," he said. "It works in a matter of a few seconds and it's been very helpful. It's like, I'm able to be functional and excited to be doing my work."

Fann says she plans to keep using CBD oil. She was initially using the oil once a day, but adds that she now needs less of it to cope than she did when she first started using it.

"I'm pretty much down to maybe like one drop a week now, because I've gotten to a place where I've been able to manage everything that I have on my plate," Fann said.

Dr. Buckley says CAMH plans to continue studying the usage levels of people, to see if cannabis consumption goes down or stays at the same level after the pandemic.

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‘It’s extremely stressful’: Manitobans wait in limbo for more AstraZeneca doses - Global News

Just over a year before the COVID-19 pandemic hit Manitoba, Cari Goncalves was diagnosed with cancer.

In July 2019, she received a stem cell transplant as part of her treatment for multiple myeloma. It was a procedure that put her on the former Priority 1 list for the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in March 2021.

“Of course, I jumped all over that opportunity,” she said.

Goncalves had her first dose of the vaccine on March 17 and is now in the long line of Manitobans aged 40 and over waiting for their second shot.

It’s recommended AstraZeneca recipients wait 12 weeks between each vaccination, however, some could receive it earlier.

Read more: 10-week gap between AstraZeneca COVID-19 shots unlikely to impact effectiveness: expert

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During a vaccine technical briefing Wednesday morning, task force implementation lead Dr. Joss Reimer said people could speak with a pharmacist or physician who could prioritize them sooner after an assessment.

After Goncalves spoke with her doctors about potentially getting her second dose two weeks sooner, they decided it wouldn’t be in her best interest.

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“I have trusted my doctors in my cancer treatment all along, why would I not trust them with this?” she said.

A recent study out of the United Kingdom found that lengthening AstraZeneca’s dosing interval to 12 weeks or more was more effective against COVID-19 than administering the doses six weeks apart.

Goncalves said efficacy was her main concern given her weakened immune system due to her cancer treatment, but now she’s wondering if a second dose will even be available.

The province said Saturday it has roughly 4,600 doses of AstraZeneca, with 3,000 set to expire at the end of May — two days away.

Today, Health Canada said the expiry date of two lots of the AstraZeneca vaccine has been extended from May 31 to July 1.

Read more: Safe to extend AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine expiry date by 1 more month: experts

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The province was unable to provide a response Saturday on how this will affect Manitoba.

Before today’s announcement, Goncalves said she was putting in her own leg work in search of answers.

“It’s extremely stressful when I have to call around to Shoppers Drug Marts in the city,” Goncalves said. “All I was trying to find out was what the stockpile is … will there be a vaccine for me come June 10?”

As of May 28, the vaccine task force said an AstraZeneca shipment is being held until “early” June, leaving Goncalves and many other Manitobans in limbo.

© 2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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‘It’s extremely stressful’: Manitobans wait in limbo for more AstraZeneca doses - Global News
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Safe to extend AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine expiry date by 1 more month: experts - Global News

Several public health experts say they’re confident that Canada’s current batches of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines would still be safe and effective, despite having their expiry date extended by a month.

In a statement Saturday, Health Canada said the expiry date of two lots of the AstraZeneca vaccine has been extended from May 31 to July 1.

“The approval to extend the shelf life was supported by scientific evidence,” the statement reads. Health Canada had previously approved a six-month shelf-life for the shot.

However, the agency said on Thursday it received a submission from AstraZeneca that “included product stability and mathematical modelling data that demonstrated that the quality, safety and efficacy of the two lots would be maintained for an extra month, for a total of up to seven months.”

Read more: Health Canada extends expiration date of ‘specific’ AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine lots in Ontario

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Health Canada said the extension will “ensure that provinces and territories are able to use up their existing inventory and provide Canadians access to much-needed doses of the vaccine.”

A Health Canada spokesperson told the Canadian Press that 49,000 doses of the vaccine across Canada were previously set to expire on Monday.

The news comes as provinces rushed to get needles into the arms of Canadians as the deadline fast approached.

But, is extending the expiry date of vaccines safe to do? Could this impact the efficacy of the shots?

Here’s what experts say.

2:20 More provinces to give 2nd dose sooner as confusion lingers over AstraZeneca vaccine

More provinces to give 2nd dose sooner as confusion lingers over AstraZeneca vaccine

Is it safe to extend the expiry date?

Asked if it was a good idea to extend the expiration date, Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious diseases faculty member at the University of Toronto, said: “Quite frankly, yes.”

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Bogoch said it’s “fantastic” if Health Canada and AstraZeneca deemed that the vaccine to be a “safe product,” and that it was safe to extend the expiration date by a month.

“That’s great,” he said. “I mean, obviously it just gives us more wiggle room to use this vaccine, and it just means that there’s a far less probability that any will expire (and) that they’ll be able to go safely [into] the arms.”

2:11 Where does Alberta sit with second doses of AstraZeneca?

Where does Alberta sit with second doses of AstraZeneca?

Dr. Zain Chagla, an infectious diseases physician at St. Joe’s Hamilton, said we can be “pretty reassured” of the doses’ efficacy even if they were used past the expiry date.

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“The best before date isn’t always the day that everything spoils, right, and I think that the vaccines are appropriate and safe,” said Chagla, likening the expiry date to an “arbitrary date” that the drug company thought would be reasonable to place.

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“Given that these lots seem like they were stored appropriately,” and based on the studies considered by AstraZeneca and Health Canada, the vaccines should “still [be] effective even in that month.”

2:39 Select Ontarians scramble to book 2nd AstraZeneca dose

Select Ontarians scramble to book 2nd AstraZeneca dose

Chagla also said that considering seems to be a fairly wide demand for a second dose of the vaccine, the remaining shots should be used up in the next one or two weeks.

“I doubt they’re going to be sitting around until July 1, but I think people can be reassured that in the next week or two these are [would be], you know, as effective as they were the week or two before.”

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According to the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) website, the AstraZeneca vaccine has demonstrated an average efficacy of approximately 62 per cent in those 18-64 years of age.

The committee said in adults 65 and older who have received one dose of the shot, “real-world observational data of vaccine effectiveness have shown a reduction in the risk of symptomatic disease and hospitalization.”

While Bogoch also stated that there shouldn’t be any concerns over the vaccines’ efficacy, he mentioned that there should “transparency” from Health Canada and AstraZeneca on how they came to the conclusion on extending the dates.

Read more: COVID-19 vaccine tracker: How many Canadians are vaccinated?

He said that more information would help “give people more confidence if they had some questions as to whether or not this was safe to do.”

“But I mean, in all fairness, I have faith in our health and regulatory bodies,” he said. “They’ve done a very good job steering us through this so far, and I think it’s totally reasonable.”

Vaccination in Canada

By Thursday, Health Canada said 26,142,532 vaccines had been delivered to the provinces and territories. Of those, 2,852,880 were AstraZeneca.

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As of Saturday morning, Canada had administered a total of 22,809,939 COVID-19 vaccine doses.

So far, 55.62 per cent of Canadians have received at least one vaccine, while a total of 1,928,405 Canadians are fully vaccinated against the virus, according to COVID Tracker Canada.

— With files from the Canadian Press

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© 2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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More than 2 million COVID-19 doses administered in Toronto, city says - CBC.ca

Health care workers have administered more than two million doses of COVID-19 vaccines in Toronto, the city announced on Saturday, as officials continue to urge residents to get the shot.

"We are doing everything we can as a city government to get every resident vaccinated," Toronto Mayor John Tory said in a statement. "Getting vaccinated as soon as possible is the right thing to do so that we can bring this pandemic to an end."

As of Friday evening, about 739,669 people have booked COVID-19 vaccination appointments at a city-run clinic.

💉 2,092,608 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a> vaccine doses administered to date<br><br>THIS WEEKEND:<br>🏢9 City-run clinics<br>🏥45 hospital-run clinics<br>🏪170+ pharmacies<br>🚑Hot spot pop-up and mobile clinics<br><br>🔎Eligibility info: <a href="https://t.co/gT1TbFfkgd">https://t.co/gT1TbFfkgd</a> <a href="https://t.co/kAL6wCfYC2">pic.twitter.com/kAL6wCfYC2</a>

&mdash;@JohnTory

A medical expert, meanwhile, told CBC Toronto that the number of adverse events following immunization in Toronto and Ontario shows that COVID-19 vaccines are "incredibly" safe.

Dr. Sarah Wilson, a public health physician at Public Health Ontario (PHO), said vaccine safety monitoring is an important part of vaccine programs and is done for all vaccines.

"In the context of COVID-19 vaccines, I think it's obviously very important given the number of individuals we're vaccinating," Wilson said.

COVID-19 vaccines are new vaccines, she added. "We're still learning about these vaccines and it's really important for us to be able to understand the safety of these vaccines outside of clinical trials and in the real world setting."

Toronto has had 527 adverse events after immunization

There have been 527 reports of adverse events in Toronto in the last five months, according to Public Health Ontario, in a weekly report. Each report represents one person who received a COVID-19 vaccine and had at least one adverse event.

The 572 reports are out of a total of 3,569 adverse event reports received following the administration of 8,069,397 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to date in Ontario, the report says. Of the total, 3,429 are considered non-serious, or 96.1 per cent, while 140 meet the definition of serious, or 3.9 per cent. 

"I think it actually shows how incredibly safe these vaccines are as part of the COVID-19 vaccination program," Wilson said. 

Ontario defines adverse events as "any untoward medical occurrences that followed immunization." The event happens after a person is vaccinated, but does not necessarily mean it was caused by the vaccine. 

Allergic skin reactions as well as pain, redness and swelling at the injection site are the most commonly reported adverse events, the report said. These adverse events represent 26.4 per cent and 24.9 per cent, or more than 50 per cent, of the total number of reports, respectively. 

Dr. Sarah Wilson, a public health physician at Public Health Ontario, says: 'I think it actually shows how incredibly safe these vaccines are as the part of COVID-19 vaccination program.' (Submitted by Public Health Ontario)

"Most people would regard them as being what might be expected to some degree after vaccination," Wilson said.

She said more than 8 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in the province. Of that number, 0.04 per cent of those immunizations — "a very small number" — have resulted in an adverse event.

More women report adverse events than men

The number of adverse events in Toronto, 527, compares with 287 in York Region and 227 in Peel Region. Toronto has the largest number of reports of any health unit in Ontario.

As well, 2,912 adverse events reported to date in Ontario involve women, while 585 adverse events reported involve men. PHO has just begun to track adverse events among people aged 12 to 17 years.

Health care providers, or vaccine recipients themselves, report adverse events to public health units, which in turn report the events to PHO. All of the events are investigated and summarized in a provincial database.

PHO then presents the information in a weekly report and shares it with the Public Health Agency of Canada. 

Vials with the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine against the novel coronavirus are pictured at the vaccination center in Nuremberg, southern Germany, on March 18, 2021. (Christof Stache/AFP/Getty Images)

A total of 143 reports which PHO says were "managed as anaphylaxis" have been received, of which 13 meet the definition of serious. Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction.

The report said 113 reports include a COVID-19 vaccine-specific adverse event of special interest, in which 56 reports meet the serious definition.

An adverse event of special interest is defined by Health Canada as "pre-specified medically significant event that has the potential to be causally associated with a COVID 19 vaccine product." 

Empty vials of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine lie in a box during a vaccine campaign on Saturday, May 15, 2021. (Matthias Schrader/Associated Press)

Ontario has had 16 reports of rare blood clots known as thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) after people received the AstraZeneca vaccine. Thirteen of these cases are considered to be vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT).

One person, a man in his 40s, who had VITT died weeks after he was vaccinated in late April. The exact cause of his death is being investigated. PHO has declined to say in which region the man lived in Ontario.

Toronto Public Health sets up team to track adverse events

Toronto Public Health (TPH), for its part, has set up a team to track adverse events following immunization involving COVID-19 vaccines.

The team, set up in December 2020, consists of a public health physician, a manager, two clerical staff, and 15 public health nurses, 10 of which were added at the end of March 2021. 

Dr. Vinita Dubey, associate medical officer of health for TPH, said all health care providers who administer vaccines must report such events. It is required under Section 38 of the Health Protection and Promotion Act and Regulation 569.

"In Ontario, local public health units are required to investigate reports of adverse events related to all vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, to provide recommendations to individuals who have experienced an adverse event and their family physicians regarding the safety of further doses, and to provide adverse event data to the province via their surveillance system," Dubey said.

Dr. Vinita Dubey, associate medical officer of health for Toronto Public Health, says of vaccine safety monitoring: 'This is to help address any safety issues immediately and to inform individuals receiving the vaccine who experience an adverse event about recommendations for future vaccinations.' (Martin Trainor/CBC)

The collection of information is how the provincial and federal governments monitor vaccine safety, she said.

After people receive a COVID-19 vaccine, they may experience side effects and the majority will last from one to three days. The most common side effects include a sore arm, headache, fatigue, muscle or joint pain, fever, chills, nausea or vomiting.

Dubey said some side effects, including fever, are more common after the second dose of the mRNA vaccines, but not with the AstraZeneca vaccine. 

Some side effects indicate vaccine working

"These types of side effects are expected and simply indicate the vaccine is working to produce antibodies that provide protection against COVID-19," Dubey said.

People who have received COVID-19 vaccine are advised to seek medical attention if they have any unusual symptoms, or symptoms that last longer than three days after vaccination. Dubey said they should call 911 if they need immediate care, or should speak with their health care provider, or call TPH.

Dubey said it's important to remember that Health Canada authorizes vaccines when there has been enough scientific and clinical evidence to show that they are safe, effective and manufactured to the highest standards. She said vaccines that are being used in Canada have been manufactured at plants around the world that meet these standards. 

"There are several systems in place to monitor the vaccine's safety before, during and after the vaccine has been licensed," Dubey said.

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