Early studies from countries that are far ahead in vaccine launch are Overwhelmingly positive,Suggest Provides protection even as a single dose Sturdy and More and more weapons It marks a bright future for Canada.

But even though we have not yet reached where we need to be, we still need to be vigilant, but experts say that as we move towards the ultimate hope of this pandemic for a long time, things don’t look so good in the country.

Associate Professor Raywat Deonandan, an expert in global health epidemiology at the University of Ottawa, said: “Since then, the situation has improved every day.” “Vaccinations are effective.”

Even a cursory glance around the globe can give a glimpse of why there is reason to be optimistic at home.

With more than 50% of the fully vaccinated population, Israel has reported more than 200 COVID-19 cases and 5 deaths in the past week. Set a new high In a devastating week in mid-January, there were more than 60,000 cases and 400 deaths.

COVID-19 hospitalization in the UK fell below 1,000 for the first time in months, below Over 4,000 In January, due to the strategy of delaying the second dose (similar to the Canadian practice), the number of deaths per day dropped to single digits. pay off.

Although the U.S. has Half of the population has not yet been partially vaccinated, It records Lowest COVID-19 case rate On Sundays over eight months and Average daily number of deaths in seven days It fell to its lowest level since October.

Vaccination coverage in Canada is not high, but we are catching up.

similar 50% So far, eligible Canadians have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and we have begun to see results.

Since mid-April, fewer than 4,000 people have been hospitalized for the first time, a decrease of 8% from the previous week. The ICU enrollment rate has also dropped by 5% from last week, and is slightly lower than 1,400.

In Canada’s largest province, from Ontario Public Health The results show that the COVID-19 vaccine is very effective against infection and hospitalization.

As of April 17, of the 3.5 million people in Ontario who were partially or fully vaccinated, only 2223 were infected. The breakthrough infection rate was only 0.06%, and about two-thirds of the cases were after the first vaccination.14 Occurs within days, fully established.

“Where I work, people know that they are already being vaccinated, and their staff is full of hope and optimism,” said Dr. Zain Chagla, an infectious disease physician at St. Joseph Health Care Hamilton Hospital and an associate professor at McMaster University.

“There is an end to all of this, and I think that is one thing, and it does inspire great optimism about healthcare.”

The “high level” of COVID-19 may hurt progress

With the rapid emergence of new research on immunogenicity and effectiveness, even if the second dose is delayed, we are learning more about the protection provided by one dose.

A new study in the UK The researchers found that when the second dose was postponed to three months after the first dose, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine produced an antibody response 3.5 times greater in the elderly.

The latest research in The Lancet Researchers conducted a survey of more than 23,000 vaccinated health care workers in the UK from December to February and found that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is effective at preventing COVID-19 at least 70% three weeks after the first vaccination.

Another “Lancet” study During the same period, a survey of 1.3 million people in Scotland was conducted, and it was found that within 4 to 5 weeks after the first medication, Pfizer’s vaccination effectively prevented hospitalization rates exceeding 90% due to the use of COVID-19.

The study also analyzed the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine in the same population and found that after one shot, the vaccine can effectively reduce the COVID-19 hospitalization rate by 88%.

However, although vaccines have played an incredible role in preventing serious illness and death, the number of daily infections across Canada remains high and may jeopardize our progress.

Professor Alyson Kelvin, an assistant professor at Dalhousie University and a virologist at the Canadian Vaccine Research Center, said: “After two or even one dose, your risk of serious illness is greatly reduced.” Saskatoon’s Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization.

“But what we need to remember is that there is still a fairly high level of virus transmission within the community.”

Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Lisa Tan, warned Canadians on May 8 that even two doses of the vaccine cannot completely fight COVID-19.

“It’s not absolute.” Tan said in a virtual city hall in Yukon. “It reduces the risk of transmission, but it does not necessarily eliminate the risk of transmission.”

Deonandan said this is similar to taking a “half-and-half-empty approach” to this situation, because the vaccine has already had a positive impact on our health care system and other countries in the world.

“A dose of summer”

Tan’s outlook on Friday was more optimistic, saying that Canadians who received a dose could Socialize outdoors with close family and friends During the summer months.

Tan said: “Vaccines will be the main help to keep interest rates low and point to the future, including some of the activities we desire, and these activities will not be resurrected.”

“People who take one dose of the drug should be more confident that they are better protected, but you must get a second dose of the drug to get the most protection.”

Watch | Tam discusses the differences between the 2020 and 2021 Canadian pandemic summer:

Tam said a more social summer will depend on most Canadians staying apart for the rest of the spring because the number of cases is still too high and vaccination coverage is too low to immediately eliminate public health measures, even if it is The same is true for some vaccinated people.

In the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that fully vaccinated Americans can Do not wear a mask in most places.

Although the concept of completely relaxing public health restrictions in Canada seems to be far away, it is hoped that this summer will gradually return to normal.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday: “We can have a better summer.” “A dose of summer.”

Trudeau said that once 75% of the adult population has received at least one dose of the vaccine, provinces and territories can begin to lift public health restrictions-but until then, Canadians should remain vigilant to avoid triggering vaccinations. Fourth wave.

Chagla said: “This is not our return to the summer of January 2020, but we are looking forward to the summer when everything is normal.”

“At least do some low-risk outdoor activities together, visit each other, be able to cooperate with each other, be careful, but at least you can do more than we did in the past.”

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