Thoughts on BC Politics and More

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government promised that Canada would become a vaccine hub. But did that ever happen? The answer, according to an epidemiologist, is “sort of.” The University of Ottawa’s Raywat Deonandan said Canada is in a better position now than it was six years ago, but some elements are still lacking. “We’ve got about a dozen vaccine manufacturing centres across the country, but only three can be scaled up to industrial-level manufacturing" ... CLICK HERE for the full story 

Want to ease the burden of health-care costs, and especially hospitalization? Easy. Just spend whatever it costs to provide all Canadians with free vaccinations — for life. The other day I went to the local pharmacy for my flu and COVID-19 shots, which are free to all B.C. residents. I asked the pharmacist about the vaccination for respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. I learned that it would cost me about $300. And a vaccination for shingles, recommended for adults age 50 and older and sometimes administered together with the RSV vaccine, costs about $160 per dose. Like most people, I pondered whether it was worth spending that amount to stay out of hospital and maybe stay alive; older adults are at highest risk for RSV complications, and shingles disproportionately affects adults aged 60 and older. But I decided I had better uses for the money. Then I asked myself: Why should any of us old folks pay for any vaccine? ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Earlier this year, Canada became the only western country to make the “Top Ten” list in a dubious category: confirmed cases of measles. More than 3,500 Canadians—many of them infants and children—experienced a disease that was supposedly eradicated in 1998. For decades, scientists have pointed to the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine as the best way to stave off this particular virus. However, years of people “doing their own research” online, celebrities attempting to provide medical advice and a long-debunked article that linked the MMR vaccine to autism have contributed to setbacks ...  CLICK HERE for the full story

IMAGE CREDIT:   The Associated Press TODAY, an on-line friend, and co-moderator with me on the Politics and More in BC and Across Canada Facebook page, wrote a commentary; “ Florida Drops all vaccine mandates including those for children: What should Canadians know ?” That quickly stirred up Rob K. who’s response was to say: One of the stupidest things I read this week, and it’s Friday!!! You’re basically saying people in Florida are so uneducated and dumb that they need to be told what to do?  If it is that safe, then educate them and try to gain confidence back…. Here as well, you might as well say people are too stupid and uneducated to make these decisions….  Let’s force them?  Isn’t that what started all these trust issues? I have to say I’ve bitten my tongue several times, recently, upon reading and hearing some of the inane comments being made about vaccines.   That ended today, because it looks like he has a very different idea of what is 'stupid', ...

Why is Pierre Poilievre pushing the discussion about vaccine mandates? It would seem counter-intuitive given the public’s focus on the cost of living and housing. But it’s important to understand the nuances around vaccines in Canada, especially when evaluating the Conservative Party leaders’s push for Bill C-278 (An Act to prevent the imposition by the federal government of vaccination mandates for employment and travel). Recent Abacus Data polling data offers some insights that can shed light on the political risks and opportunities of pushing this ... CLICK HERE for the full story

A former Ontario medical officer of health who became a lightning rod during Covid for his opposition to lockdowns and vaccine mandates is trying his hand at politics.   Matt Strauss, a physician who served as Haldimand-Norfolk’s acting medical officer of health throughout much of the pandemic, is seeking the Conservative nomination in the southern Ontario riding of Kitchener South–Hespeler.   If successful, Strauss will be running against Liberal MP Valerie Bradford ... CLICK HERE for the full story

  Here in Canada we have witnessed firsthand the challenges of COVID vaccine administration due to lack of procurement supply from the Trudeau Liberal government. To put this in perspective, Washington State between January 25-29th went from having administered over 500,000 doses of COVID vaccine to 616,589 doses. That is an increase of 116,589 doses in a matter of days. Here in B.C. , over the same time frame, we went from having administered 119,850 doses up 129,241 doses. This is an increase of just 9,391 doses by comparison. This is by no means a criticism of the Provincial Health Officer or any of the regional health authorities. Simply put, provinces cannot vaccinate citizens without sufficient vaccine supply. For these reasons Canada has now fallen to 15th place in terms of total doses of vaccine administered per country. Canada drops even further behind if factoring in the total number of vaccination doses administered per 100 people in the population. With t...

Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, has provided an update on the measles immunization catch-up program that was launched April 1, 2019. Since April, more than 551,000 letters were sent to families with school-aged children, 129 in-school clinics were held, 1,343 clinics were held in the community and 3,807 doses of measles-containing vaccines were administered by health authorities to K-12 students – a 106% increase compared to last April. In April 2019, health authorities’ efforts focused on reviewing all students’ immunization records, and informing families and schools. This preparation was necessary to effectively plan the immunization clinics, which focus on students who are under-immunized or unimmunized for measles. Community pharmacists and primary care providers are key partners in the catch-up program. Pharmacists administered 219 doses of vaccine for measles for children and youth aged five to 19 years in the past month. Efforts will c...