CCBI Resources for COVID-19 Matters – October 9, 2020
Dear Friends of CCBI, We are experiencing another rollercoaster week heading towards Thanksgiving, which most…
CCBI Resources for Covid-19 – November 13, 2020
Dear Friends of CCBI,
Attention!! According to The Globe and Mail, November 12, in Canada 30,439 new cases were announced this week, 29-per-cent more than the previous week. We all know that figures are climbing, and restrictions will not only remain but are likely to become intensified. Today, November 13, the same newspaper reported: “Ontario could hit 6,500 COVID-19 cases a day by mid-December, surpassing the rates of growth in European countries that are now in lockdown, new projections done for the provincial government show.” Adalsteinn Brown, the dean of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, and co-chair of the science advisory group that prepared the Ontario models, said, “… without any further government action, cases will simply continue to climb, with more people in intensive care and more deaths in long-term care.” More restrictions are on the way, perhaps tailored to locale rather than as a national ‘blanket.’
While many of us think our elected politicians are trying as hard as they can, some think much more should be done, advocating a national plan as opposed to varying provincial decisions. Are there lessons to be learned here? An article in the National Post points to countries that have maintained or regained control over the virus through an ‘elimination’ approach, including “…robust case detection and contact tracing, and monitoring borders to extinguish cases as they enter to prevent re-seeding outbreaks.” Canada has been lacking in both testing and in thorough contact tracing, and, of course, as the numbers climb, tracing sources becomes exponentially more difficult. But it needs to be done! Australia has succeeded in containing its second wave by insisting on tighter restrictions, and this may be necessary again in Canada, too. It seems many of us let our guard down over the summer, forgetting or perhaps not even realizing that a virus takes advantage of every opportunity in its path. It needs people to spread, therefore we need to reduce our contacts. Not easy: it seems like a long-term pain to achieve a long-term gain…
Interesting news from the United States, and the resulting change of government (although to date not yet conceded) should see a sharp change in America’s handling of the coronavirus. That a country looked on as a world leader should have demonstrated such lack of leadership in handling the virus is startling, and the price paid in lives and serious illness has been high. Many look forward to a more scientific and focused approach to COVID-19, with the common good of all Americans as a natural basepoint.
Good news and not-so-good: vaccines may be on their way! The good news is that Pfizer has developed a vaccine that is more than 90% effective. The amount of money and effort that has been poured into their and others’ research has been astonishing and is a welcome portent. The bad news? Plans to deliver hundreds of millions of coronavirus vaccines around the world raise questions about logistics and distribution in part because of the need for to store and transport them in special containers that need to be manufactured. There are still some FDA standards to assess, and if the vaccine passes those tests, it could be available widely by fall, 2021 and perhaps before that for emergency use. There are ethical questions about components of vaccines which we will raise at a later date once it becomes clear which specific vaccines are going to market.
A major question is about distribution of vaccines among the population. Who will be first? Who will have to wait? Should front-line workers be first? The vulnerable elderly? Teachers? Indigenous people? Politicians? Catholics will need to pray and be patient over this issue, instead of clamouring to be first – a natural response – but instead thinking of the common good.
Many organizations have developed COVID19 resources, and CCBI tries to review their bioethical questions as well their general information. Medical journals are more specialized in their approach and contain many significant articles of interest to the general public as well as to professionals in health care. Bambi often finds some interesting articles in The Lancet ( website below) which you may find a major source of such information.
God bless our Pope! As well as celebrating Mass for the World Day of the Poor on Sunday, November 15, Pope Francis is offering COVID-19 testing to the homeless at the clinic he established for them near St Peter’s, and the papal almoner will deliver 5000 food parcels in place of the annual lunch he initiated a few years ago. Easy to see why he chose the name ‘Francis!
Our Lady, Health of the Sick, pray for us!
We pray that the progress of robotics and artificial intelligence may always serve humankind! (Pope’s Intention for November)
We pray for all those who have died of COVID-19: requiescant in pace!
Moira and Bambi
The Globe and Mail
How many coronavirus cases are there in Canada, by province, and worldwide? The latest maps and charts
Note: On July 17, Quebec public health authorities changed the method used to calculate recoveries causing a significant drop in the number of Canada’s active cases.
Ontario stands firm on COVID-19 framework despite mounting criticism as daily case count exceeds 1,500 – The Globe and Mail
Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott is standing firm on her government’s new framework for COVID-19 restrictions in the face of growing concerns from medical experts and record-high case
Morning Update: President-elect Joe Biden calls for unity, vows to tackle COVID-19
Kamala Harris, vice-president-elect spoke of her late mother and the “generations of women” who won and defended the right to vote
Trudeau says first COVID-19 vaccines will face distribution hurdles in the new year
National Post
As COVID-19 smoulders in multiple regions, experts question why Canada has no national strategy
CNN
How Biden plans to change the US pandemic response
CNBC
Pfizer, BioNTech say Covid vaccine is more than 90% effective — ‘great day for science and humanity’
The Lancet
CNA