Transport Minister Omar Alghabra is standing by the choice to not lengthen new COVID-19 journey restrictions to the US, saying the federal government has “no vital reporting of transmission of this new (Omicron) variant within the U.S.”
His feedback come as the federal government carried out a number of new journey restrictions after the invention of the Omicron variant. In keeping with the brand new guidelines, anybody coming into Canada from a rustic apart from the US should be examined on arrival, then isolate and await their outcomes.
“These measures are momentary for us to study extra about this variant, to study extra about its severity, and we are going to regularly alter based mostly on the recommendation and the data that we get,” Alghabra mentioned, talking throughout an interview with The West Block host Mercedes Stephenson.
“There are little or no reviews of group transmission (of Omicron) in the US. If that modifications, we are going to change our measures.”
Learn extra:
Journey restrictions and Omicron: What’s altering in Canada, U.S.
As of Friday, Canada had recognized 12 circumstances of the Omicron variant within the nation, whereas the US had reported simply 10 circumstances in whole. Nevertheless, there have been at the very least two recognized U.S. circumstances of group transmission — one in a fully-vaccinated man in Minnesota who had just lately travelled to New York Metropolis, and one other in a person in Hawaii with no latest historical past of journey.
In the meantime, Canada has a fair stricter algorithm in place for travellers from 10 African international locations: South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Nigeria, Malawi and Egypt.
South Africa reported 1000’s of latest circumstances each day this week, and the nation’s Nationwide Institute for Communicable Illnesses mentioned that 74 per cent of the 249 samples sequenced in November have been recognized as Omicron.
Overseas nationals who’ve been in these international locations within the final 14 days will not be allowed into Canada, and any Canadians travelling house from these international locations should be examined on the airport and must quarantine whereas awaiting their take a look at outcomes.
“We’re listening to about group transmission in the US. We’re listening to about … group transmission in Europe,” infectious illness specialist Dr. Zain Chagla advised Stephenson on The West Block.
“And so, slapping sure international locations with journey bans and never banning everybody actually doesn’t make loads of sense.”
Alghabra mentioned there are nonetheless quite a lot of necessities for travellers from the US. They nonetheless have to stick to guidelines about pre-departure PCR testing, they have to be absolutely vaccinated and so they could possibly be subjected to necessary testing, he defined.
“Presently, as we speak, we now have 20,000 assessments a day at our borders, each land borders and airport borders, upon entry,” Alghabra mentioned.
“We’ve capability for testing. We’re ramping it up. There’s little question that it will stretch our our capability that exists as we speak, however we now have been appearing swiftly.”
Learn extra:
Don’t anticipate potential Omicron booster — Delta nonetheless dominant, high docs say
Testing insurance policies are more likely to be simpler than journey bans, in line with Chagla.
“Utilizing a mitigation technique of testing on the airport might be a long-term resolution that makes probably the most sense,” he mentioned.
“You may be in the US or you could possibly be in sub-Saharan Africa and face the same threat, relying on what’s occurring, to deliver the Omicron variant again to Canada.”
The brand new journey guidelines weren’t the one huge COVID-19 announcement the federal government made this week. The Nationwide Advisory Committee on Immunization really helpful on Friday that Canadians over the age of fifty ought to get a COVID-19 booster shot — and that these aged 18 to 49 ought to be provided them six months after their second dose, too.
However in line with Chagla, the advantages of holding vaccines in Canada for booster photographs aren’t as clear-cut as the advantages of sharing them with different nations which can be fighting their rollout.
“There’s some knowledge for boosters. I’m not going to say there isn’t. There’s knowledge that’s popping out of Israel. There’s some randomized medical trials that do present boosters might scale back symptomatic illness in some people,” Chagla mentioned.
“There could also be some advantages on a inhabitants stage to giving boosters in some populations.”
However, Chagla warned, Canada actually have to be “cognizant of the actual fact” that it “can’t stockpile this vaccine.”
“So long as we’re linked to one another by way of journey, we’re going to be linked to one another by way of variants a technique or one other,” he mentioned.
“We’re not secure till everyone seems to be secure.”
In areas the place there are low vaccination charges, the virus is extra more likely to unfold, consultants have repeatedly mentioned. The extra the virus spreads — and the extra it replicates — the extra possible it’s that it’s going to mutate.
Learn extra:
Flying to the US? New COVID-19 testing guidelines begin Monday
These mutations can generally be advantageous for the virus, for instance, by making it extra transmissible, or educating it to evade vaccines.
“In Africa, the vaccination fee is seven per cent — seven per cent in comparison with about 70-plus per cent in Canada,” mentioned WHO adviser Dr. Peter Singer in an interview with International Information on Thursday.
“That’s a breeding floor for variants.”
This ought to be a part of the equation as Canada considers its booster technique, in line with Chagla.
“There are various, many patrons that want this vaccine,” he mentioned, “and a dose that finally ends up on Canadian soil is a dose that’s not ending up elsewhere on the earth.”
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