According to Reuters and other media reports, a study published by an Israeli research institute on April 10 found that the South African variant of the Chinese Communist Party virus was somehow able to break through the protection of the Pfizer vaccine. This is certainly bad news for Canada, where the variant CCP virus is spreading rapidly.
Canada is currently one of the very few countries in the world where all three viruses are spreading at the same time to a significant degree. It is well known that the variant virus is more contagious and has a higher rate of severe illness, and if vaccine protection is weakened, what will be the consequences… The latest figures just released on Sunday show that 4,456 new cases were confirmed in Ontario in a single day, again setting a new record for more than a year. There were 21 new deaths in a single day, and a record 605 ICU patients, including 364 on ventilators.
Reuters reported that Tel Aviv University and Clalit, Israel’s largest healthcare provider, released their latest study on Saturday, in which the team divided nearly 800 patients into two cohorts, with nearly 400 of them diagnosed after receiving one or two doses of Pfizer vaccine for more than 14 days, and nearly The other 400 patients had not been vaccinated.
Only about 1% of all study participants were found to be infected with the South African variant, but those diagnosed with the Pfizer vaccine were nearly eight times more likely to be infected with the South African variant than those who were not vaccinated, 5.4% versus 0.7%, respectively. The results of the study showed that the Pfizer vaccine was less protective against the South African variant compared to the original CCP virus and the British variant.
Tel Aviv University expert Adi Stern said, “The disproportionately high number of patients who were infected with the South African variant even after receiving the Pfizer vaccine compared to those diagnosed without the vaccine means that the South African variant was able to break through the protective net of the Pfizer vaccine to some extent.” It should be emphasized, however, that the Israeli study has not been peer-reviewed. In addition, almost all of the newly crowned patients in Israel were infected with the British variant of the virus, and very few were infected with the South African variant, making this study a small sample.
The researchers also said that in addition to studying only a small sample size, the study looked only at confirmed patients, not at the overall infection rate, so it was not intended to infer overall vaccine protection against any variant of the virus. On April 1, Pfizer and BioNTech issued a joint statement saying that the Pfizer vaccine was 91 percent effective in preventing the Chinese Communist virus for at least six months, and could also prevent the South African variant. The statement pointed out that, according to the results of a trial conducted in South Africa with up to 12,000 participants, the Pfizer vaccine was 100% effective in preventing the South African variant of the virus.
Against the backdrop of the ongoing and rapidly spreading third wave of the outbreak, the red light is on in almost all provinces across Canada. On Sunday, provinces such as British Columbia and Alberta did not report the latest confirmed numbers, while Ontario’s single day of new confirmations was again the highest since the pandemic, at 4,456 cases. There are three of the most threatening variants of the virus: the British variant, the South African variant and the Brazilian variant. What is alarming is that Canada is now one of the very few countries in the world where there is a significant spread of all three viruses at the same time. Statistics last Thursday showed that more than 15,000 people in Canada have been infected with the variants, the vast majority of which are the British variant. The figure for the Brazilian variant, while not high, doubled in just one week of confirmed cases. Last Tuesday’s tally showed that the total number of confirmed cases of the Brazilian variant in Canada was 1,000, almost three times the 356 confirmed cases in the United States.
British Columbia is the hardest hit by the Brazilian variant of the virus, and fears are growing because Brazilian cases are more contagious and more likely to attack younger, healthier people. Compared to the previous two waves of the outbreak, more middle-aged people and young adults are now among the most seriously ill. In Canada, experts now don’t know what will happen when the three viruses “come together,” according to the CBC report. Another issue is the effectiveness of the vaccine. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, said the vaccine’s effectiveness against variants of the virus, such as Brazil, will have a direct impact on whether Canada can contain a third wave of the outbreak. Theresa Tam noted that scientists believe the three variants share a specific mutation, called E484K, that may allow the virus to evade the immune response and even make it possible for people who have previously been infected with the Chinese communist virus to become infected again. Public health officials are urging Canadians to stay away from travel, follow strict vaccination rules, and get vaccinated as soon as possible.
2.17% of Canadians have received at least one dose of vaccine, second only to the U.K. and U.S.
With more vaccines arriving in Canada as part of the vaccine distribution program, more than 17 per cent of Canadians have received at least one dose of the vaccine, making Canada’s vaccination rate slightly better than some countries.
According to Our World In Data, at least 17 per cent of Canada’s population has received at least one dose of vaccine, the third highest rate among the Group of Seven (G7) countries after the United Kingdom and the United States, but ahead of France, Italy and Germany. The United Kingdom has the highest vaccination rate among G7 members, with nearly 47% of the British population having received at least their first dose of vaccine as of Thursday.
Canada’s vaccine rollout has been slow, but the government says it has made every effort to improve, with the federal government delivering more vaccines over the past few months and more arriving in Canada. To date, the Canadian government has distributed more than 10 million doses of vaccine to the provinces and territories, but as of Thursday, only about 7 million doses had been used.
As the third wave of the outbreak worsens and hospitalizations soar, there is growing public disapproval of the performance of the provincial government’s vaccination program. Major General Dany Fortin, the former NATO commander overseeing the distribution of the new crown vaccine in Canada, said Thursday that provincial and territorial governments are not delaying the delivery and distribution of the vaccine. “The provincial and territorial governments have done their best to provide effective vaccines to Canadians across the country,” Fortin said. Canada expects to add millions of doses of vaccine in the coming weeks, and all approved vaccine manufacturers will provide the country’s 44 million doses, which will arrive by the end of June.
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