Vaccines created false sense of security worldwide, WHO chief scientist says
From CNN’s Keri Enriquez
A nurse prepares a dose of the Pfizer-BioNtech Covid-19 vaccine in Quimper, France, on April 30. Fred Tanneau/AFP/Getty Images
The safety and availability of Covid-19 vaccines created a false sense of security worldwide that the pandemic was ending, according to World Health Organization’s Chief Scientist Dr. Soumya Swaminathan.
“I think vaccines did create a false sense of security, to the extent that people around the world, even in countries that were not significantly vaccinating, thought that now the end of the pandemic had come because just because we had developed a number of vaccines and that they were proven to be safe and effective,” Swaminathan said in a panel discussion hosted by Physicians for Human Rights Friday.
When asked if officials would close Canada’s international borders to prevent further spread of variants, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that the “importation” of the virus through Canada’s borders is “extremely low.”
Trudeau noted the strict testing and quarantine measures in place at both air and land borders have been “effective” at controlling the spread, and that the third wave has been mostly spurred by community transmission.
“The borders will never be 100% [at stopping] a virus that has the characteristics of COVID-19,” Tam said. “Even if you slow down things at the border, you still need the next stages.”
COVID-19 vaccine uptake among Canada s oldest residents higher than for flu shot - Canada News castanet.net - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from castanet.net Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Mia Rabson
Dr. Howard Njoo, Deputy Chief Public Health Officer at Public Health Agency of Canada, speaks during a COVID-19 press conference at the Sir John A. Macdonald Building in Ottawa on Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Kawai April 29, 2021 - 3:50 PM
OTTAWA - Seniors are getting vaccinated in higher numbers for COVID-19 than they did for the flu, Health Canada data suggest.
Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Howard Njoo says almost nine in 10 Canadians over the age of 80 have now received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
He also says at least one dose has been given to more than eight in 10 people in their 70s.
COVID-19 vaccine uptake among Canada s oldest residents higher than for flu shot lethbridgeherald.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from lethbridgeherald.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.