Condoms and COVID tests paired for weekend crowds in downtown Halifax - CBC.ca

Call it an example of hitting two birds with one stone.

While COVID-19 has been the focus of Dr. Lisa Barrett's work since the pandemic began in Nova Scotia, it isn't the only infectious disease she keeps an eye on. 

Barrett has previously worked on the study and prevention of HIV, hepatitis C and other sexually transmitted infections, which is why her latest public health initiative pairs a COVID-19 test with a condom.

Since the end of September, volunteers have been roaming the streets of downtown Halifax on weekends between the hours of 10 p.m. and 1 a.m., handing out what Barrett has dubbed "protection packs." Each sealed package contains one take-home rapid antigen test and one condom.

"Play safe!" reads the label, which also includes stylized graphics of the test and condom to be found inside, and the cheeky captions, "Going Out" and "Going In."

Each protection pack is labelled with a stylized graphic encouraging people to 'Play Safe' whether 'Going Out' or 'Going In.' (Submitted by Barb Goodall)

"As we get more social in certain situations, people are going to be out there getting back together," Barrett said in an interview. 

"If we're going to give a COVID test, wouldn't it be a great opportunity to add some extra protection layers to our community and make sure that people have access to condoms?"

Barrett said she thinks the condoms help reduce the stigma of picking up a COVID-19 testing kit.

"There's a heck of a lot more endorsement of getting a protection pack than there is to getting a COVID test when you're out having fun," she said.

Volunteers hand out 'protection packs' containing a COVID-19 rapid antigen test and a condom on Argyle Street in downtown Halifax. (Submitted by Barb Goodall)

Barrett has become well known in Nova Scotia over the past year for organizing and promoting rapid COVID-19 testing through volunteer-run pop-ups. The testing took off last fall along with the province's second wave, which was spreading primarily among young, socially active people going to downtown bars and restaurants.

A similar trend has emerged in the ongoing fourth wave, with community spread happening in the 20- to 40-year-old subset of Halifax, hence Barrett's chosen location for distributing the protection packs.

She said she hopes to continue with the packs for as long as the current trend in COVID-19 spread persists, supplies last and volunteers are available to hand them out.

Dr. Lisa Barrett at a pop-up rapid testing site on the Dalhousie University campus in 2020. (CBC)

 

Jessica Wood, a researcher with the Sex Information and Education Council of Canada, said she hasn't seen a COVID-19 and sexual health mashup quite like this one before, but she's hoping to see more like it. 

"During the pandemic and as we come out of the pandemic, safer sex should include COVID-19 risk reduction strategies," Wood said in an interview.

"This was an initiative that did a good job of pairing COVID risk reduction strategies with safer sex strategies, and I think that's a really good step for normalizing both." 

Wood said it could go even further by including additional sexual health information — something she said has been limited by the pandemic, especially for young people who have experienced school disruptions because of lockdowns.

Fewer options for sexual health care

The pandemic has also limited access to sexual health care.  

In Nova Scotia, STI testing has been suspended several times over the past 19 months as resources have been redeployed to COVID-19 efforts. 

Wood said that's true of many jurisdictions, in addition to reductions in access to some sexual health treatments, reproductive health services and HPV vaccination.

Barrett said that while those suspensions were necessary, they likely mean rates of STIs in Nova Scotia are slightly higher than health officials know — all the more reason to ensure people have access to protection, she said.

In the first weekend of distributing the protection packs, Barrett said more than 600 were handed out.

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Canadians may need COVID-19 boosters by Christmas, Moderna president says - Global News

Moderna’s president is warning that Canada could see a rise in so-called “breakthrough” infections of COVID-19 among fully vaccinated people by Christmas time, prompting the need for a booster shot for the broader public.

“In December and January, when flu season comes back and when respiratory viruses really take off around the holidays, it could become a very bad moment because you’ll see high forces of infection and breakthroughs,” president Stephen Hoge said in an exclusive interview with Global News’ current affairs show The New Reality.

Moderna has been studying the immune response to its vaccine since the summer of 2020, when 30,000 participants received two doses, 28 days apart. Moderna says data from that trial shows antibodies start to wane about six months after the second shot.

WATCH: Antibodies only half the story of immune protection: experts

2:01 Antibodies only half the story of vaccine protection: experts

Antibodies only half the story of vaccine protection: experts

While antibodies are expected to decrease over time, Hoge said alarm bells started going off over the summer as outbreaks fuelled by the Delta variant surged worldwide. Moderna researchers began to see a spike in breakthrough cases of symptomatic COVID-19, among those fully vaccinated clinical trial participants.

This is prompting Moderna to call for a booster for fully vaccinated adults.

“None of us want to be in a situation where we’re showing up six months or three months late … where we’re seeing breakthrough infections, severe disease, hospitalization, and even death.”

Canadian data shows vaccine effectiveness is still remarkably robust at preventing severe outcomes, like hospitalization, from COVID-19.  Hoge said that could be, in part, because some Canadian provinces delayed the interval between the first and second doses by up to four months, prolonging immunity.

Read more: An exclusive look inside Moderna

The decision to stretch the interval between doses was a controversial move as health officials weighed the benefits of getting people fully vaccinated versus giving more people partial immunity with one dose.

“In retrospect, we will probably say that time between the doses extended the durability,” Hoge said.

“The more recently you were boosted with your second dose, the less likely you’re going to need a third dose booster. And that’s good news,” he said. “The challenge for all of us is you also don’t want to wait too long.”

WATCH: Boosters could be needed annually says Moderna’s president

1:49 TNR Extra: Boosters could be needed annually says Moderna’s president

TNR Extra: Boosters could be needed annually says Moderna’s president

But fast-forward six months from summer – after many Canadians received their second doses – and the number of breakthrough infections could change, Moderna’s internal trial data suggests.

“Do we expect there to be waning immunity in populations like Canada that had separated booster doses? I think the answer is yes,” Hoge said.

“That’s the concern, that by Christmas things could look very different.”

The concerning forecast comes as health officials in the U.S. are launching campaigns to provide booster shots for millions of vulnerable people who received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The Centres for Disease Control (CDC) formally approved plans for additional shots for people who work in high-risk jobs like teachers and health care workers, as well as anyone over 65.

Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI), meanwhile, has only recommended additional shots for people with compromised immune systems and those living in congregate care settings, like long-term care homes.

Read more: COVID-19 booster shots could rake in billions for some vaccine makers

The booster debate has divided the international scientific community, with some saying there is no current need for additional doses for healthy adults, while others say there is mounting evidence showing immunity is declining.

Studies from Pfizer and the CDC have also suggested evidence of waning vaccine effectiveness.

One CDC study evaluated data from New York State from May 3 to July 25, when the Delta variant represented more than 80 per cent of new cases. The effectiveness of vaccines in preventing infection in adults declined from 91.7 percent to 79.8 percent during that time, the study found.

2:04 Pfizer vaccine efficacy drops

Pfizer vaccine efficacy drops – Aug 1, 2021

During those weeks, New York recorded 9,675 breakthrough infections and 1,271 hospitalizations in vaccinated people, roughly 15 per cent of all COVID-19 hospitalizations.

However, a series of contrasting studies released by the CDC have shown the vaccines are working well at preventing severe disease.

A pair of analyses released last month showed that vaccines are still holding up in the fight against COVID-19. One study indicated unvaccinated people were about 4.5 times more likely to become infected, and were more than 10 times more likely to need hospitalization or die from COVID-19 than people who are fully vaccinated.

Read more: Unvaccinated 60 times more likely to end up in ICU with COVID-19, Ontario data shows

Canadian public health officials, meanwhile, say they are evaluating data from other countries before making any further recommendations on booster doses.

“(NACI) continues to review evidence on the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in key populations and the general population, including the duration of protection that will inform decisions regarding booster doses,” a spokesperson with the Public Health Agency of Canada said in an email.

Moderna has asked regulators in the U.S. to greenlight a half-dose (50mcg) of its original vaccine for use six months after the second shot. Hoge says its data shows the booster brings antibody levels even higher than after the initial shots across all age groups.

They have yet to make a formal submission to Health Canada for approval but are planning to do so imminently, Hoge said.

“Our clinical trials – which are the longest exposures to the vaccine and the virus that we have – are starting to suggest to us that it’s time to get concerned and get ready,” he said.

“We’ll present that data to Health Canada and to recommending bodies globally, but they then need to decide ‘OK, does that cause them to take action for their people?’”

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Heart inflammation rates higher after Moderna COVID-19 vaccine - Canada data - Reuters

A health worker prepares a dose of the Moderna vaccine against the coronavirus amid a rise in the rate of inoculations among Palestinians, in Gaza City, August 31, 2021. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem

Oct 1 (Reuters) - Canadian health officials said on Friday data suggests reported cases of rare heart inflammation were relatively higher after Moderna's (MRNA.O) COVID-19 vaccine compared with the Pfizer/BioNTech shots (PFE.N), .

The data also indicated heart inflammation occurs more often in adolescents and adults under 30 years of age, and more often in males.

The statement from the Public Health Agency of Canada said majority of the affected individuals experienced relatively mild illness and recovered quickly.

The risk of cardiac complications, including heart inflammation, has been shown to be substantially increased following COVID-19 infections, with the risks higher after the infection than after vaccination, according to the statement.

The benefits of mRNA shots in preventing COVID-19 continue to outweigh the risks, regulators in the United States, EU and the World Health Organization have said.

Reporting by Manas Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Heart inflammation rates higher after Moderna COVID-19 vaccine - Canada data - Reuters
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Cases of heart inflammation higher after Moderna COVID-19 vaccine: Health Canada - Global News

Canadian health officials said on Friday data suggests reported cases of rare heart inflammation were relatively higher after Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine compared with the Pfizer/BioNTech shots.

The data also indicated heart inflammation occurs more often in adolescents and adults under 30 years of age, and more often in males.

Read more: Ontario recommends Pfizer vaccine over Moderna for ages 18 to 24 due to ‘low incidence of cardio issues’

The statement from the Public Health Agency of Canada said the majority of the affected individuals experienced relatively mild illness and recovered quickly.

The risk of cardiac complications, including heart inflammation, has been shown to be substantially increased following COVID-19 infections, with the risks higher after the infection than after vaccination, according to the statement.

2:06 Inside Moderna and its fight to stay ahead of the virus

Inside Moderna and its fight to stay ahead of the virus

The benefits of mRNA shots in preventing COVID-19 continue to outweigh the risks, regulators in the United States, EU and the World Health Organization have said.

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What is the now-shuttered Ozy Media — and why did its COO pretend to be a YouTube exec? - CBC.ca

Media organization Ozy is shutting down less than a week after a story in the New York Times raised questions about its claims of millions of viewers and readers, while also pointing out a potential case of securities fraud.

The story triggered cancelled shows, an internal investigation, investor concern and high-level departures at the company.

Here's what you need to know about the company, what the New York Times story found and how it involves the company's chief operating officer pretending to be a YouTube executive.

What is Ozy?

Ozy was a media organization founded in 2013 and based in Mountain View, Calif., that published stories on its website, made podcasts, newsletters and shows and hosted the OzyFest festival. Its website remained up on Friday afternoon.

In a tweet, high-profile CEO and founder Carlos Watson — a former cable news anchor — claimed 25 million newsletter subscribers and more than 30 million views on YouTube.

However, its claim of a large audience has long been regarded as something of a mystery. Industry insiders said on Twitter that they'd never read or come across an Ozy story.

U.S. rapper Common performs onstage at OzyFest in New York City in July 2018. (Brad Barket/Getty Images for Ozy Media)

What did the NYT report?

Ozy has seen a snowballing crisis after a New York Times story earlier this week said the company's chief operating officer, Samir Rao, impersonated a YouTube executive on a call with Goldman Sachs while attempting to raise money from the investment bank, a potential case of securities fraud.

It also addressed long-held industry questions of whether Ozy was inflating its audience size.

In the story published Sunday, Marc Lasry — the hedge-fund billionaire and co-owner of the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks who was named Ozy chairman last month — was quoted as saying the board was aware of the February incident. He called it an "unfortunate one-time event," and supported how it had been handled.

Watson told the Times that the incident was the result of Rao having a mental health crisis, but that he had taken time off and then come back to work.

Carlos Watson is seen at OzyFest in New York City in July 2018. Watson, who founded Ozy in 2013, claimed the company had 25 million newsletter subscribers and more than 30 million views on YouTube. (Matthew Eisman/Getty Images for Ozy Media)

What was the aftermath?

But the story's impact has been explosive in the media industry.

A high-profile employee, former BBC anchor Katty Kay, resigned earlier in the week, and an early investor, a venture capital firm, gave up its Ozy shares. The board had reportedly hired a law firm to review Ozy's business activities.

Cable network A&E pulled a special on mental health hosted by Watson that was scheduled for Monday night, and Watson stepped down from hosting a documentary Emmys awards show Wednesday night.

Katty Kay is seen in Washington in April 2012. The former BBC anchor resigned from Ozy earlier this week. (Kris Connor/Getty Images)

The website Crunchbase, which tracks corporate fund-raising, said Ozy had raised more than $70 million US from investors as of late 2019.

On Friday, shortly before the company shut down, Lasry also stepped down.

An emailed statement Friday from Ozy Media's board called it a company with many "world-class journalists and experienced professionals to whom we owe tremendous gratitude."

The statement said it was "with the heaviest of hearts that we must announce today that we are closing Ozy's doors." The board's statement did not give the reason that the company was shutting down.

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Food, booze service to blame for rise in passenger misbehaviour, union says - Business News - Castanet.net

Photo: The Canadian Press

Passengers wear protective face masks and are physically distanced on a flight from Calgary to Vancouver.

After more than a year of bare bones inflight service due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Canadians travelling by air can once again enjoy snacks, hot meals or a glass of wine on the plane.

But this return to a degree of normalcy — while welcomed by many — is also making it harder for airlines to enforce rules around mask-wearing and may be contributing to a recent uptick in unruly passenger behaviour, according to a flight attendants' union.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees — which represents more than 15,000 flight attendants at nine different Canadian airlines, including WestJet, Air Canada and Transat — says passenger disobedience, rudeness and aggressive behaviour is on the rise and jeopardizing the health and well-being of airline employees.

CUPE National senior officer for health and safety Troy Winters said many of the problems stem from passengers who refuse to obey the federal requirement to wear a face mask on board, a problem he said has grown worse since the summer, when airlines began reintroducing food and beverage service.

"Even before they brought back the return to some level of service, we’d have people who would bring on a coffee. And then they’d sit there, and they’d sip that coffee for an hour and a half," Winters said.

"This has kind of been the trick people have been using to not wear their masks on the plane since the mandate was introduced, so restoring food and beverage service has definitely made it worse."

According to Transport Canada, incidences of passenger non-compliance with the mask mandate spiked over the summer. Airlines reported 330 passengers to the regulator for refusing to wear a mask during July and August, more than twice the number of incidents reported in April and May.

"For flight attendants, it's the stress of having to be the mask police, and knowing the only reason you’re going down this aisle is someone is doing something they shouldn’t and you’re going to have some level of conflict,” Winters said.

Winters said Transport Canada needs to do more to address the issue. The regulator's official guidance is still that airlines should limit non-essential tasks, including inflight service. Winters said the regulator should take a stricter stance on enforcing that guidance, at least on short flights, or else set a limit on the amount of time a passenger can have their mask off to eat and drink.

WestJet Airlines Ltd. spokeswoman Morgan Bell said in an emailed statement the airline has issued 118 travel bans against passengers for refusing to wear a mask since the Calgary-based airline introduced its "zero tolerance" policy in September of 2020. But she said WestJet does not believe reintroducing inflight service is a driving factor.

"The reality is a lot of travellers are out of travel practice and haven’t been on an airplane in more than 19 months, which we believe speaks more to the challenges and small percentage of unruly situations we are encountering," Bell said.

Not all flight attendants believe food and beverage service is driving the problems, either. Chris Rauenbusch, an active cabin crew employee with WestJet and president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 4070, said a lack of expected creature comforts can actually cause passengers to lash out.

“Prior to (the restoration of inflight service) there were a lot of tempers flaring because of lack of ability to buy an alcoholic drink, lack of food choices,” Rauenbusch said.

In an emailed statement, Montreal-based Air Canada said food and beverage service is an important aspect of customers' "travel journey." The airline pointed out passengers were already bringing their own food and beverages to consume on board during earlier stages of the pandemic.

"Our flight attendants are professionals who ensure all customers on board can partake of food and beverages while adhering to all required safety protocols," the statement said.

Barry Prentice, an expert in transportation economics at the University of Manitoba, said he is curious what will happen to the mask mandate after Nov. 1, at which point Canadian air travellers will be required by the federal government to be double-vaccinated.

"If everyone you are flying with is double-vaxxed, and if the air filtration in the cabin is as good as they say it is, what's the benefit of being masked?" Prentice said.

In the meantime, Prentice said he thinks denying passengers basic levels of service could backfire.

"For a lot of people this (flying in a pandemic) is a very stressful environment, and to the degree that a cup of coffee or a cookie can help to calm people down, I think there's some merit in it," he said.

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Flight attendants union calls to limit food and booze service to stem tide of unruly passengers - CBC.ca

The union representing flight attendants at Canada's major airlines says reducing on-board food and drink service might help combat a rise in unruly passenger behaviour.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees says flight attendants are being subjected to verbal abuse from some passengers who don't want to comply with the federal requirement to wear a mask on board.

The union says some passengers are taking their masks off to eat or drink and then leaving them off for longer than they should. It says this can lead to confrontations and also potentially exposes flight attendants to the virus.

Many airlines have restored most of their food and beverage service this summer after reducing service during the first stage of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But Transport Canada still recommends that airlines limit non-essential tasks, including in-flight service.

The union says Transport Canada should take a stricter stance. It says the regulator should reduce food and drink service on short-haul flights or set a limit on the amount of time a passenger can have their mask off to eat and drink.

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