Health Matters: Obesity rates increased during COVID-19 pandemic
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Calgary Herald
7 hours ago
- Calgary Herald
Braid: Alberta hit by measles comparison with U.S., but all Canada is an epidemic in waiting
Alberta's measles outbreak is a big story, especially for people who don't like Alberta. We're painted as the national plague ship adrift on a sea of misery. Article content Alberta does have a very serious measles problem, some of it caused by the UCP government's ambiguity about vaccination. Article content Article content But so does nearly everybody else. Vaccination rates are dangerously low across the country. Escaping a big infection cluster like Alberta's is largely dumb luck. Article content Article content Dr. Isaac Bogoch, infectious disease specialist at the University of Toronto, says 'all across Canada, there are pockets of communities with lower vaccination rates. Article content Article content 'That's what we saw with the big outbreak in southwestern Ontario.' Article content Now, that's a story. Alberta has more measles than a country with 100 times our population. Article content The stated American number is almost certainly far too low. Vaccination rates in many states are below Canada's. Article content President Donald Trump is busily dismantling national standards and agencies. Who's counting as they lose their jobs? Article content Article content What matters is how we're doing here at home. And it's a dismal picture nearly everywhere, especially for children. Article content Here are vaccination rates by province for the crucial category of kids age seven or under: Article content Manitoba: 65.4 per cent Article content Ontario: 70 per cent Article content Alberta: 71.6 per cent Article content B.C.: 72.4 per cent Article content Saskatchewan: 87.4 per cent. Article content Bogoch says, 'Even if you add 10 per cent to most of those, it's still too low.' Article content Only Saskatchewan, the vaccination rock star, would pass the 95 per cent target for creating mass immunity and stopping measles cold. Article content Alberta vaccination rates rise with age until, by late teens, they're often over 90 per cent. But the most vulnerable are woefully under-protected. Article content In most provinces vaccination rates have fallen sharply since the years before the COVID-19 pandemic. Article content In Ontario, vaccination for seven year olds dropped 20 per cent during the pandemic period.
Vancouver Sun
7 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Measles outbreak can be traced to Trudeau politicizing COVID vaccines, Tory MP claims
OTTAWA — An Alberta Conservative MP said she thinks the measles outbreak in her province can be traced back to the COVID pandemic and loss of trust in vaccines due to the federal government's lack of transparency about their risks. ' Years after COVID, broken trust in government health directives has not been addressed for many Canadians,' Michelle Rempel Garner, formerly the party's health critic during the pandemic, said in a lengthy social media post. Rempel Garner said the downplaying of 'rare but serious' side effects of COVID vaccinations by the Liberal government, led by then prime minister Justin Trudeau, spurred broader vaccine hesitancy, leading to a drop in childhood measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccinations. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. '(F)or individuals already harbouring concerns about vaccines such as for MMR, the lack of initial transparency on potential side effects related to the COVID-19 vaccine — or muddled public health messaging — likely reinforced narratives that deterred their vaccine uptake,' she wrote. One recent study found that two-dose MMR coverage fell by more than 10 per cent among seven-year-olds in four provinces, including Alberta, and the Yukon between 2019 and 2023. Coverage fell to 75.6 per cent in 2023, nearly 20 points below the 95 per cent needed to maintain herd immunity. Rempel Garner, currently the party's immigration critic, didn't respond to a National Post request for an interview about her claim. Alberta hit an alarming milestone this week, with the province surpassing the U.S. in confirmed measles cases . The province reported Monday that it has seen 1,314 cases since the start of March, 26 more than the count recorded across 39 states by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Rempel Garner's post said Trudeau deserves much of the blame for making vaccinations a polarizing wedge issue before the 2021 federal election. 'Trudeau dined out on using dehumanizing and politically loaded terms to describe the vaccine hesitant, including 'anti-vaxxer',' writes Rempel Garner. Rempel Garner says Trudeau made even more vaccine-hesitant Canadians 'dig in' when he doubled down on this rhetoric during the early 2022 convoy protests. 'The Liberal government has never issued a public apology for its vehemently hostile rhetoric toward vaccine-hesitant individuals … As a result, it has entrenched a partisan divide in society, where vaccination status is viewed as a political virtue signal rather than a public health objective to be pursued collaboratively,' she writes. Rempel Garner also speculated that the post-COVID surge in immigration has contributed to the measles outbreak, and suggested that health authorities track the citizenship status of infected individuals. Olivier Jacques, a professor of health policy at the University of Montreal, said the 2021 Liberal campaign's rhetoric surrounding vaccinations could have contributed to the drop in MMR uptake. 'It might have knocked down uptake by one or two per cent, but even that one or two per cent is dangerous when it comes to herd immunity,' said Jacques. Jacques notes that vaccination rates have dropped in a number of different countries since the pandemic, including the U.S. 'It's really hard to say how much of a role our politics played. Even before COVID, you had all this misinformation about vaccines that was floating around on social media and elsewhere,' said Jacques. A spokesman for federal Health Minister Marjorie Michel didn't address Rempel Garner's post directly, but reiterated the importance of vaccinations. 'What we are seeing in Alberta is concerning. Vaccines are safe and they save lives. We strongly encourage people to get vaccinated,' Guillaume Bertrand wrote in an email to the National Post. Canada has seen an alarming spike in measles infections this year, with nine in 10 cases occurring in Ontario and Alberta . No deaths have been reported so far in Alberta. A measles-infected Ontario newborn died last month in the outbreak's first, and thus far only, reported fatality. National Post rmohamed@ Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Edmonton Journal
8 hours ago
- Edmonton Journal
Measles outbreak can be traced to Trudeau politicizing COVID vaccines, Tory MP claims
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Michelle Rempel Garner said the downplaying of 'rare but serious' side effects spurred broader vaccine hesitancy, including for measles Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner holds a news conference in Ottawa, Friday, Feb.21, 2025. Photo by Adrian Wyld / THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA — An Alberta Conservative MP said she thinks the measles outbreak in her province can be traced back to the COVID pandemic and loss of trust in vaccines due to the federal government's lack of transparency about their risks. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by David Staples, Keith Gerein and others, Oilers news from Cult of Hockey, Ask EJ Anything features, the Noon News Roundup and Under the Dome newsletters. Unlimited online access to Edmonton Journal and 15 news sites with one account. Edmonton Journal ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by David Staples, Keith Gerein and others, Oilers news from Cult of Hockey, Ask EJ Anything features, the Noon News Roundup and Under the Dome newsletters. Unlimited online access to Edmonton Journal and 15 news sites with one account. Edmonton Journal ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors ' Years after COVID, broken trust in government health directives has not been addressed for many Canadians,' Michelle Rempel Garner, formerly the party's health critic during the pandemic, said in a lengthy social media post. Rempel Garner said the downplaying of 'rare but serious' side effects of COVID vaccinations by the Liberal government, led by then prime minister Justin Trudeau, spurred broader vaccine hesitancy, leading to a drop in childhood measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccinations. Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again '(F)or individuals already harbouring concerns about vaccines such as for MMR, the lack of initial transparency on potential side effects related to the COVID-19 vaccine — or muddled public health messaging — likely reinforced narratives that deterred their vaccine uptake,' she wrote. One recent study found that two-dose MMR coverage fell by more than 10 per cent among seven-year-olds in four provinces, including Alberta, and the Yukon between 2019 and 2023. Coverage fell to 75.6 per cent in 2023, nearly 20 points below the 95 per cent needed to maintain herd immunity. Rempel Garner, currently the party's immigration critic, didn't respond to a National Post request for an interview about her claim. Alberta hit an alarming milestone this week, with the province surpassing the U.S. in confirmed measles cases. The province reported Monday that it has seen 1,314 cases since the start of March, 26 more than the count recorded across 39 states by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Rempel Garner's post said Trudeau deserves much of the blame for making vaccinations a polarizing wedge issue before the 2021 federal election. 'Trudeau dined out on using dehumanizing and politically loaded terms to describe the vaccine hesitant, including 'anti-vaxxer',' writes Rempel Garner. Rempel Garner says Trudeau made even more vaccine-hesitant Canadians 'dig in' when he doubled down on this rhetoric during the early 2022 convoy protests. This advertisement has not loaded yet. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'The Liberal government has never issued a public apology for its vehemently hostile rhetoric toward vaccine-hesitant individuals … As a result, it has entrenched a partisan divide in society, where vaccination status is viewed as a political virtue signal rather than a public health objective to be pursued collaboratively,' she writes. Rempel Garner also speculated that the post-COVID surge in immigration has contributed to the measles outbreak, and suggested that health authorities track the citizenship status of infected individuals. Olivier Jacques, a professor of health policy at the University of Montreal, said the 2021 Liberal campaign's rhetoric surrounding vaccinations could have contributed to the drop in MMR uptake. 'It might have knocked down uptake by one or two per cent, but even that one or two per cent is dangerous when it comes to herd immunity,' said Jacques. Jacques notes that vaccination rates have dropped in a number of different countries since the pandemic, including the U.S. 'It's really hard to say how much of a role our politics played. Even before COVID, you had all this misinformation about vaccines that was floating around on social media and elsewhere,' said Jacques. A spokesman for federal Health Minister Marjorie Michel didn't address Rempel Garner's post directly, but reiterated the importance of vaccinations. 'What we are seeing in Alberta is concerning. Vaccines are safe and they save lives. We strongly encourage people to get vaccinated,' Guillaume Bertrand wrote in an email to the National Post. Canada has seen an alarming spike in measles infections this year, with nine in 10 cases occurring in Ontario and Alberta. No deaths have been reported so far in Alberta. A measles-infected Ontario newborn died last month in the outbreak's first, and thus far only, reported fatality. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.
