OT: Covid-19 (Part 32) Numbers Up

[Habs Halifax]

There is an ongoing debate about when a vaccine rollout will begin in Canada.

One major obstacle is that the producing companies will first and foremost favor the countries they’re making it in. Canada apparently does not have the manufacturing ability to produce its own.

So while several other countries are slated to begin rollouts next month, it’s not exactly clear when Canada might begin theirs.

It’s looking like Canada’s rollout will lag but that may not be a totally bad thing:

Didn't think about the later rollout but better vaccine cause the bugs are worked out. I just wonder though... Doesn't side affects take longer to develop in some cases? How much can we learn in lets say 3 months?

 

[Habs Halifax]

Well there's a nuance here, we can manufacture vaccine that use the traditional method (Chicken egg, like most flu vaccine) we cannot manufacture RNA vaccine, which are a new thing and that's mostly because we let the Canadian pharma industry fall behind in the last ~2 decades.

I'd like to know what's up with Canada on the imports/exports formula cause they seem to be horny on buying from others. I don't get it... Lets create manufacturing ability here in Canada and this helps create stable jobs and also helps keep cost down. Look at the combat ship building and plane industry. They also ignored that for several decades. Now that we need them at the 11th hour, we are recreating a whole new ship building industry where it cost us more per boat and the plane contracts are a mess!

Seems to me this might be about Liberal vs Conservatives where one party wants to delay the problem for the next party. Reactive type thinking vs proactive. I'm not a fan of the culture of how our politicians are running our country.

Canada relies on the US way too much and it's our own fault!

 

[Runner77]

Didn't think about the later rollout but better vaccine cause the bugs are worked out. I just wonder though... Doesn't side affects take longer to develop in some cases? How much can we learn in lets say 3 months?

It was just a little upside take from a twitter user, nothing more.

If someone wants to dig in deeper, go for it. I don't know if there is a threshold that may reasonably establish how many vaccinations might have to be done and how much time needs to have elapsed from receiving a dose, before we get an acceptable standard of reliability.

 

[Runner77]

They call it "food insecurity" but it's just plainly a real fear of going hungry.

I hope our US neighbors find a way to get through this.

 

[GoodKiwi]

Quebec daily COVID-19 data

 

[Runner77]

FDA has approved Covid saliva testing. Looks to be as effective as nasal swabs:

The New Mexico Department of Health, evolving with the demands of COVID-19, will begin administering an FDA-approved COVID test that involves swabbing the mouth to collect a saliva sample. The department will begin offering the test at Balloon Fiesta Park on Monday.

NMDOH is collaborating with Curative, a research company in California that has created the first oral fluid test in the United States. The saliva samples have been demonstrated to be at least as accurate as the more traditional nasopharyngeal test swab. The tests will be self-collected – meaning they do not require a trained health care worker to administer -- but trained personnel will be present when and where these tests are made available to ensure samples are properly collected.

NMDOH to introduce COVID-19 Saliva Tests

 

[Runner77]

MSNBC says that saliva testing is being pioneered in the US and in the UK and could be a game changer for the reopening of schools.

It could greatly reduce the costs and logistical challenges of testing students on a wide scale.

Also, it avoids shoving swabs up their noses and throats, esp. with young children.

It requires far less person power and personnel wearing PPE to do the testing. With saliva testing, you just spit into a tube. Kids in the UK are dropping their samples off at the school gate once a week and they get their results by the end of the day. It's funded by the British govt and it's at no cost to families.

It can apparently be scaled up significantly.

 

[Per Sjoblom]

If Canada had its own ability to massively manufacture vaccines, they wouldn't have needed to buy so many vaccines.

Canada is said to have ordered the highest number of vaccines per capita.



There is an upside for poorer countries at least.

That is why Canada has very good reputation everywhere (apart from hockey (goons)) . I remember when Des Moroney played for Tingsryd. There were 4 second divisions, and NBIS (Nyköpings Boll & Idrotts Sällskap) Literally it means Newborough's Ball & Athletic Society which sounds funny in English. Nyköping which is my hometown and we won one of the division 2. We played them in a qualification series for the chance to join Allsvenskan which then was the equivalent of what is now SHL and Des Moroney was a Canadian player (I just noticed he has a Wikipedia entry). Anyway he was sent off and we booed and he pretended to coming towards the spectators and and my friend and I (I was not very old) were getting ready to run from the stadium which was what was called a Moonshine Rink because it was outside and it was cold watching hockey. We got really scared.

Des Moroney - Wikipedia

I mean Robin Williams was correct about Canada. I firmly believe that the reason many Canadians have small flags on their backpacks and T-shirts with the maple leaf when they travel is so they don't get mistaken for US Americans.

In Europe, Canada is very highly rated and in general is seen as a very decent country which you guys have proved to me. 3 of my favorite artists of all time are Canadian, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. I also love Kate and Anna McGarrigle and was lucky enough to catch them live in Sweden. Of course Cohen and the 2 sisters are from Montreal I believe.

 

[Runner77]

I mean Robin Williams was correct about Canada. I firmly believe that the reason many Canadians have small flags on their backpacks and T-shirts with the maple leaf when they travel is so they don't get mistaken for US Americans.

In Europe, Canada is very highly rated and in general is seen as a very decent country which you guys have proved to me. 3 of my favorite artists of all time are Canadian, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. I also love Kate and Anna McGarrigle and was lucky enough to catch them live in Sweden. Of course Cohen and the 2 sisters are from Montreal I believe.

You're not wrong. You know that you are Canadian at heart, it won't be long before you admit to yourself.

I know you probably meant to write "us Americans" and not what appears above, which is "US Americans", but it did open the door to a precedent.

The last time I heard someone refer to US citizens as "US Americans", was notorious:

 

[Per Sjoblom]

This is also why Canada has agreements with multiple vaccine makers -- some of them will fail or will be less desirable. So having agreements with several ensures you cast a wide enough web that includes the best options:

Astra was a Swedish company that got bought up by a British one. I remember them mostly from what was known as the Neurosedyn scandal. Neurosedyn was a medicine recommended to pregnant women for morning sickness. About 40% of about 10,000 children worldwide died, in Sweden there we 186 children born with the defects and 66 died. They were born with deformed limbs, eye and heart problems. I had a classmate who had a brother who was in a wheelchair due to this, one arm was just a little stump maybe about 40 centimeters long and the other arm was also deformed and he only had 3 fingers on that hand. Astra refused to accept responsibility and was sued and eventually there was a settlement and they have/had to pay a yearly amount to each surviving child. It was also known as Thalidomide, I am sure Treb knows what it is. Below is an example.

 

[Kriss E]

I'd like to know what's up with Canada on the imports/exports formula cause they seem to be horny on buying from others. I don't get it... Lets create manufacturing ability here in Canada and this helps create stable jobs and also helps keep cost down. Look at the combat ship building and plane industry. They also ignored that for several decades. Now that we need them at the 11th hour, we are recreating a whole new ship building industry where it cost us more per boat and the plane contracts are a mess!

Seems to me this might be about Liberal vs Conservatives where one party wants to delay the problem for the next party. Reactive type thinking vs proactive. I'm not a fan of the culture of how our politicians are running our country.

Canada relies on the US way too much and it's our own fault!

It's not so much political, it simply isnt cost effective for many things. We are just better off trading/importing a lot of things.

 

[Per Sjoblom]

Indeed, but it's par for the course, our level of readiness to face a global pandemic was poor at best and it remain to be seen if things will actually change for better after we are out of the current mess. (I hope it will tho.)

"our level of readiness to face a global pandemic was poor at best" This is true for all countries though.

 

[Habs Halifax]

It's not so much political, it simply isnt cost effective for many things. We are just better off trading/importing a lot of things.

I rather we shoot higher than that. If we settle on being a country with lots of land and 35M of population, yeah, we fall into that trading trap of imports and exports where we rely on other countries. Like the old saying goes... if you build it, they will come. Got to spend money to make money or create a stronger independent country over the long run.

 

[Per Sjoblom]

You're not wrong. You know that you are Canadian at heart, it won't be long before you admit to yourself.

I know you probably meant to write "us Americans" and not what appears above, which is "US Americans", but it did open the door to a precedent.

The last time I heard someone refer to US citizens as "US Americans", was notorious:

Actually I meant US as in United States, I always feel conflicted using Americans for people in the US only, especially in a place full of Canadians.

 

[Habs Halifax]

You're not wrong. You know that you are Canadian at heart, it won't be long before you admit to yourself.

I know you probably meant to write "us Americans" and not what appears above, which is "US Americans", but it did open the door to a precedent.

The last time I heard someone refer to US citizens as "US Americans", was notorious:

Sounds like Trudeau's explanation of paper water bottles to me

 

[Runner77]

Astra was a Swedish company that got bought up by a British one. I remember them mostly from what was known as the Neurosedyn scandal. Neurosedyn was a medicine recommended to pregnant women for morning sickness. About 40% of about 10,000 children worldwide died, in Sweden there we 186 children born with the defects and 66 died. They were born with deformed limbs, eye and heart problems. I had a classmate who had a brother who was in a wheelchair due to this, one arm was just a little stump maybe about 40 centimeters long and the other arm was also deformed and he only had 3 fingers on that hand. Astra refused to accept responsibility and was sued and eventually there was a settlement and they have/had to pay a yearly amount to each surviving child. It was also known as Thalidomide, I am sure Treb knows what it is. Below is an example.

God that is terrible.

 

[Crusher117]

Astra was a Swedish company that got bought up by a British one. I remember them mostly from what was known as the Neurosedyn scandal. Neurosedyn was a medicine recommended to pregnant women for morning sickness. About 40% of about 10,000 children worldwide died, in Sweden there we 186 children born with the defects and 66 died. They were born with deformed limbs, eye and heart problems. I had a classmate who had a brother who was in a wheelchair due to this, one arm was just a little stump maybe about 40 centimeters long and the other arm was also deformed and he only had 3 fingers on that hand. Astra refused to accept responsibility and was sued and eventually there was a settlement and they have/had to pay a yearly amount to each surviving child. It was also known as Thalidomide, I am sure Treb knows what it is. Below is an example.

Note to self. Stay away from the Oxford Astra vaccine. Thanks.

 

[Paddyjack]

Astra was a Swedish company that got bought up by a British one. I remember them mostly from what was known as the Neurosedyn scandal. Neurosedyn was a medicine recommended to pregnant women for morning sickness. About 40% of about 10,000 children worldwide died, in Sweden there we 186 children born with the defects and 66 died. They were born with deformed limbs, eye and heart problems. I had a classmate who had a brother who was in a wheelchair due to this, one arm was just a little stump maybe about 40 centimeters long and the other arm was also deformed and he only had 3 fingers on that hand. Astra refused to accept responsibility and was sued and eventually there was a settlement and they have/had to pay a yearly amount to each surviving child. It was also known as Thalidomide, I am sure Treb knows what it is. Below is an example.

Yes, here it was mostly known as the Thalidomide scandal

 

[OnTheRun]

"our level of readiness to face a global pandemic was poor at best" This is true for all countries though.

Yes it's true for most of the western world.

The places that got humbled by SRAS or MERS early in the 21st century were for the most part much quicker on their feet than the rest of the world when covid happened. In huge part because the flaws in their crisis response plan were exposed and they rolled out fix/improvement on the issues they had the first time around.

 

[peate]

It's not so much political, it simply isnt cost effective for many things. We are just better off trading/importing a lot of things.

Like shipping raw logs of BC Fir to Japan and buying back the cut boards, in metric dimensions; better than converting our sawmills.

 

[Crusher117]

Speaking of Astra Oxford vaccine.

CEO says AstraZeneca likely to run new global trial of COVID-19 vaccine - Bloomberg News

 

[Runner77]

Sounds like Trudeau's explanation of paper water bottles to me

From the rejected movie script, Ad Disastra.

He fumbled but that pageant contestant was so much more embarrassing.

 

[Runner77]

Actually I meant US as in United States, I always feel conflicted using Americans for people in the US only, especially in a place full of Canadians.

We are wary about those US citizens who chose to name themselves after a whole continent for some unknown reason.

 

[peate]

We are wary about those US citizens who chose to name themselves after a whole continent for some unknown reason.

and ironically, call themselves United?

 

[Kriss E]

Like shipping raw logs of BC Fir to Japan and buying back the cut boards, in metric dimensions; better than converting our sawmills.

It's probably not as simple as you think. Sure there are things we could improve on but generally speaking, probably more to it.