National

Vaccine only way back to normal: Tam

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 01 Sep, 2020 05:26 PM

Canada's top public health officers say widespread vaccination of Canadians is the only way to corral COVID-19 and allow life to return to a semblance of its pre-pandemic state.

Dr. Theresa Tam and her deputy, Dr. Howard Njoo, are offering that assessment one day after the Trudeau government announced the latest instalment in its plan to pre-buy tens of millions of doses of potential vaccines, signing deals with two American firms.

Tam and Njoo say the time has come for Canadians to roll up their sleeves and get immunized.

Njoo says it is not clear how what percentage of Canadians need to get a vaccine to achieve broad immunity but he says it is important for as many as possible to get vaccinated.

Njoo says a vaccine could be available sometime in 2021, perhaps as early as the spring.vacin

"Widespread vaccine uptake is the best shot Canadians have of regaining some of what we've lost," said Tam.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Two more poultry plants in B.C. report workers who have COVID-19

Two more poultry processing plants in British Columbia say they have workers who have tested positive for COVID-19. Sofina Foods Inc. in Port Coquitlam and Fraser Valley Specialty Poultry in Chilliwack say each of their facilities has one worker who has tested positive.

Two more poultry plants in B.C. report workers who have COVID-19

Canadians divided over COVID-19 vaccine

While researchers across the planet race to find a vaccine for COVID-19, a new poll suggests Canadians are divided over whether getting it should be mandatory or voluntary — setting up a potentially prickly public health debate if a vaccine becomes available. The federal government has committed tens of millions of dollars to help find or create a vaccine for the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, the respiratory illness that has infected at least 48,000 Canadians and killed more than 2,700.

Canadians divided over COVID-19 vaccine

RCMP to ramp up online threat monitoring

Canada's national police force wants a digital tool to harvest data from a sweeping variety of online sources, including the darkest reaches of the internet, to provide early information on threats such as disease outbreaks and mass shootings. The software would allow an RCMP officer to quickly mine data about a person's internet activities, from an emoji posting on Facebook to an illicit firearm purchase on the so-called darknet.

RCMP to ramp up online threat monitoring

Canadian MPs meet online in first virtual session of House of Commons

Canada's first-ever virtual House of Commons kicked off this afternoon with almost 90 per cent of MPs dialed in to start. The House of Commons special committee on COVID-19 is meeting via videoconference this afternoon. Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet said in his opening statement that he could see that 297 of the 338 MPs were online at that moment.

Canadian MPs meet online in first virtual session of House of Commons

Justin Trudeau says mom Margaret Trudeau recovering after apartment fire

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his mother was doing fine Tuesday after a fire at her downtown Montreal apartment sent her to hospital. Margaret Trudeau, 71, was transported to hospital after the fire that broke out on the patio of the building just before midnight Monday.

Justin Trudeau says mom Margaret Trudeau recovering after apartment fire

Hundreds more COVID deaths expected but Trudeau says Canada is making progress

Thousands more people are expected to contract COVID-19 and hundreds will likely die in the coming week, according to government projections, despite the progress the country has made in fighting the pandemic. Canada's case rate is now doubling every 16 days rather than three to five days seen about three weeks ago, Dr. Theresa Tam, the country's top public health officer, said on Thursday.