A roundup of COVID-19 developments for Monday, March 29, 2021

Much earlier in the pandemic, I finally had to admit it was time to see a doctor.

Whatever bit or scratched me on Canada Day had left a bump on my forehead that wasn’t going away. It was red. It was irritating. It hurt when I put on my hockey helmet. And even though my online research had taken me to the end of the internet, no homemade elixir had been identified.

Fortunately, a 10-minute doctors appointment led to an antibiotic cream that instantly provided not only comfort but also the healing that eluded me for the previous two weeks.

Of course, there’s no comparison between whatever bit me and the big bite COVID-19 has taken out of all our lives. But there’s a lesson here in the role doctors can play in helping us navigate the coronavirus, which is novel to all of us.

So much that has happened in the past year is beyond any of our reference points. Most of us don’t get the science. At every turn, it seems, there’s another pandemic plot twist like the latest involving AstraZeneca’s jab.

In a perfect world, the Manitoba government should have done a better job of keeping everyone informed on what is literally a life and death issue. But as the Jan. 26^th edition of this newsletter made clear, Manitoba Health was a tad slow with the public health education critical to getting everyone to roll up their arms for the jab.

Fortunately, Doctors Manitoba has done some of the heavy lifting to produce a user-friendly site delivering the information you can trust about what’s in the syringe and how to get your shot. The website manitobavaccine.ca is a distillation of thousands of questions into the answers most of us need to know and deserve to know.

Now if only that website could tell me what bit my forehead on Canada Day…

— Paul Samyn, Winnipeg Free Press editor

THE LATEST NUMBERS

COVID-19 NEW DAILY CASES IN CANADA

CANADA COVID CASES OVER TIME

Note: Manitoba and Canada figures may not match due to differences in data sources.

THE LATEST IN MANITOBA

• Provincial health officials announced 53 new cases of COVID-19 and no new deaths Monday. Laboratory testing has identified variants of concern in 136 previously reported cases. Dr. Brent Roussin said on Monday that the B.1.1.7 variant, first identified in the United Kingdom, is becoming the predominant form of the virus in the province. There are 1,177 active cases in Manitoba, including 149 people in hospital, of which 27 are in intensive care. Of the new cases announced Monday, 21 are in the Winnipeg health region, 27 are in the Northern health region, two are in both Interlake-Eastern and Prairie Mountain, and one is in Southern Health. The five-day test positivity rate is 4.2 in Manitoba, and 3.3 in Winnipeg.

Vaccine eligibility:

• Vaccine age eligibility was lowered by another year on Monday to include people 64 years old or older and First Nations people 44 or older. Appointments can be booked by calling 1-844-626-8222 between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. or by going online at wfp.to/eligibility. Dr. Joss Reimer also announced a pause on doses of the AstraZeneca/Covishield vaccine to people under 55 years old following new information about side-effects. The vaccine will be recommended for only those who are 55 to 64 at this time. Anyone under the age of 55 who has already booked an appointment with their physician or pharmacist will be contacted to cancel.

For the latest information on current public health orders, restrictions, essential items and other guidance, visit the provincial government's website.

For up-to-date information about which Manitobans are eligible for vaccination, click here. Only individuals who meet the criteria on that page can make an appointment; provincial officials ask that you do not call if you are not yet eligible to avoid tying up phone lines.

THE LATEST ELSEWHERE

• The number of patients in intensive care in France on Monday surpassed the worst point of the country's last coronavirus surge in the autumn of 2020, another indicator of how a renewed crush of infections is bearing down on French hospitals. ICU admissions are increasing by double digits on a daily basis. Doctors are increasingly sounding the alarm that they may have to start turning patients away for ICU care, particularly in the Paris region.

• Johnson & Johnson says it’s agreed to provide up to 400 million doses of its one-dose COVID-19 vaccine to African countries, starting this summer. The drugmaker said under its agreement with the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust, the company will provide up to 220 million vaccine doses for the African Union’s 55 member countries, with delivery beginning in the July-to-September quarter. The company’s vaccine still must receive authorization from regulators in the African countries, but the World Health Organization approved it for emergency use on March 12.

• The Palestinian Authority received a shipment of 100,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine donated by China. Health Minister Mai al-Kaila said the Sinopharm vaccines that arrived in Ramallah will "greatly contribute to speeding up the community vaccination campaign." Israel has come under international criticism for not sharing more of its vaccines with the Palestinians. Israel has said its priority was vaccinating its own citizens, but recently began vaccinating the estimated 100,000 Palestinians from the West Bank who work in Israel and Jewish settlements.

• Hungary has vaccinated more of its population than any other country in the European Union, but continues to be among the world’s worst in the number of COVID-19 deaths per capita. The Central European country has given at least a first dose of a vaccine to nearly 22 per cent of its population, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. The EU average is 12.3 per cent. But the high rate, a product of Hungary’s purchase of doses from China and Russia as well as from the EU, has been unable to slow a surge in the pandemic.

QUOTE, UNQUOTE

"We have so much to look forward to, so much promise and potential of where we are and so much reason for hope. But right now, I’m scared."

— U.S. Centers for Disease Control Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky calls on Americans to not let their guard down in the fight against COVID-19

LOCAL NEWS

U.K. COVID-19 variant becoming predominant strain in Manitoba

6.4 per cent of Manitobans infected with highly contagious strains of COVID-19 had to be hospitalized, the province confirmed Monday. Read More
AstraZeneca vaccine rollout hits snag

Province pauses injections in doctors' offices, pharmacies for people under age 55 because of rare side-effect on young European women Read More
Bus drivers deserve 'full picture' on COVID-19 threat: union

The union for Winnipeg bus drivers says the true risk level of COVID-19 remains unknown as it continues to fight to learn the total number of virus cases among its members. Read More

NATIONAL NEWS

Canada expecting to receive 3.3M vaccine doses this week

OTTAWA - Canada is scheduled to receive a flood of new COVID-19 vaccine doses this week, with around 3.3 million shots due for delivery from different pharmaceutical companies over the coming days. Read More
Canadians answer what they think post-COVID-19 life will look like in new survey

REGINA - New research suggests that while Canadians feel COVID-19 will have negative consequences on mental health and the economy, they feel it will be good for online shopping and public mask-wearing once the pandemic is over. Read More
Canada stops using AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine for people under 55

A federal advisory committee recommended against injecting the AstraZeneca vaccine into younger adults due to reports of “rare” blood clotting events, especially in women in Europe. Read More
What do we know about the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine?

The messaging around the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine hit another roadblock Monday as theNational Advisory Committee on Immunization said those inoculations should be paused for people under 55 due to concerns it may be linked to rare blood clots. Read More
A look at the rare blood clot condition known as VIPIT

TORONTO - Federal officials limited the use of Oxford-AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine Monday while it announced an investigation into reported links to a rare blood clot condition known as VIPIT. Read More
Quebec health minister says province firmly in third wave of COVID-19

MONTREAL - A third wave of COVID-19 has hit Quebec but the government has no short-term plans to tighten health orders, Health Minister Christian Dube said Monday. Read More
Saskatchewan follows advice on AstraZeneca vaccine, not immunizing those under 55

REGINA - Saskatchewan says it's following national advice that recommends not giving shots of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to those under 55 years of age until a further safety review is done. Read More
Prince Edward Island suspends Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine program on national advice

CHARLOTTETOWN - Health officials in Prince Edward Island have suspended all use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine because of safety concerns. Read More
Alberta joins other provinces in halting use of AstraZeneca shot for people under 55

EDMONTON - Alberta's top doctor says the roughly 900 people in the province under 55 who have received a first dose of Oxford-AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine are at low risk of complications and there's ample time to figure out what should be done for their second shot. Read More
Restrictions imposed to curb COVID-19 in B.C. as new cases strain the system

VICTORIA - British Columbia has taken a step backwards in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing the province to impose circuit breaker measures for the next three weeks to slow the rapid spread of the virus, says the provincial health officer. Read More
Ontario to study vaccine hesitancy, health minister says as rollout continues

TORONTO, Ohio - Ontario is looking at how it can address vaccine hesitancy amongst some of its oldest citizens, the province's health minister said Monday as the government urged people 75 and older to get their shots. Read More

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

ICU cases hit new peak in French virus surge

PARIS - The number of patients in intensive care in France on Monday surpassed the worst point of the country's last coronavirus surge in the autumn of 2020, another indicator of how a renewed crush of infections is bearing down on French hospitals. Read More
WHO report: COVID likely 1st jumped into humans from animals

GENEVA - A joint World Health Organization-China study on the origins of COVID-19 says that transmission of the virus from bats to humans through another animal is the most likely scenario and that a lab leak is “extremely unlikely,” according to a draft copy obtained by The Associated Press. Read More
COVID vaccine found highly effective in real-world US study

NEW YORK - The U.S. government’s first look at the real-world use of COVID-19 vaccines found their effectiveness was nearly as robust as it was in controlled studies. Read More
Merkel faults German 'perfectionism' for current virus woes

BERLIN - German Chancellor Angela Merkel has blamed her country's difficulties during the coronavirus pandemic — from the slow vaccine rollout to the back-and-forth over lockdown rules — partly on “a tendency toward perfectionism” and called for greater flexibility to tackle the latest surge in cases. Read More
New Yorkers 30 and over can get COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday

ALBANY, N.Y. - New York state residents over 30 will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations starting Tuesday, and everyone over 16 will be eligible starting April 6, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday. Read More
Happy Monday? England embarks on major easing of lockdown

LONDON - It's been dubbed Happy Monday — the day people could put on a bathing suit and swim in an outdoor pool for the first time in months, or rusty golfers strove to hit their drives down the middle of the fairway. Read More
Dear Normal: Were you really that great in the first place?

Dear Normal, Read More
MLB to relax virus protocols when 85% on field vaccinated

NEW YORK - Card games, car pools and eating at restaurants may be back in the major leagues later this season. Trips to church and sponsor events may return, too. Read More