COVID-19 VACCINE ROLLOUT: WHERE ARE WE NOW?
OVERVIEW
Mass inoculation efforts are now underway in Canada, but the process may look quite different to individual Canadians depending on where they live. How do the vaccine rollout plans differ by region, and where are we seeing the most progress? What approaches seem to be working best, and what can be improved?
This town hall event, the fourth in a series on COVID-19 co-hosted by The Globe and Mail and the Royal Society of Canada, will feature an esteemed panel of experts discussing the key challenges involved in Canada’s ongoing efforts to reach herd immunity and end the pandemic.
Moderator
Laura Stone, Queen's Park Reporter, The Globe and Mail
Panelists
Dr. Carrie Bourassa, Scientific Director, CIHR Institute of Indigenous Peoples' Health and Professor, Community Health & Epidemiology, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan
Dr. Caroline Colijn, Canada 150 Research Chair in Mathematics for Evolution, Infection and Public Health, Simon Fraser University
Dr. Shelley Deeks, Public Health Surveillance Medical Officer of Health, Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness
Dr. Catherine Hankins, Co-Chair, Canada's COVID-19 Immunity Task Force, Professor of Public and Population Health, McGill Center for Viral Diseases, McGill University
VARIANTS ARE HERE. NOW WHAT?
OVERVIEW
On March 23, the third town hall of the series focused on the emergence of several COVID-19 variants and what this means for Canada’s vaccination process and efforts to end the pandemic. The Globe’s National Health Reporter Kelly Grant was joined in conversation by four leading experts in the fight against COVID-19: Dr. Charu Kaushic, Scientific Director of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and a professor in the department of medicine at McMaster University; Dr. Mel Krajden, Medical Director of the BC Centre for Disease Control’s Public Health Laboratory, and a professor in the department of pathology and laboratory medicine at the University of British Columbia; Professor Bartha Knoppers, who holds the Canada Research Chair in Law and Medicine, and is also the Director of the Centre of Genomics and Policy at McGill University; and Dr. Lisa Richardson, the Strategic Advisor for Indigenous Health within the faculty of medicine at the University of Toronto.
Moderator | Kelly Grant, National Health Reporter, The Globe and Mail
Panelists
Charu Kausic, Scientific Director, CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity, and Professor, Department of Medicine, McMaster University
Mel Krajden, Medical Director, BCCDC Public Health Laboratory, and Professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia
Bartha Knoppers, Canada Research Chair in Law and Medicine, Director of the Centre of Genomics and Policy at McGill University
Lisa Richardson, Strategic Advisor, Indigenous Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
WHAT DO COVID-19 VACCINES MEAN FOR ME?
OVERVIEW
On February 18, the second town hall of the series focused on the question: “What do COVID-19 vaccines mean for me?” As vaccination rollout ramps up across the country, many Canadians have questions about who receives prioritization first and why; estimated timelines for receiving a vaccine; and how the process might look when it’s your turn. Leading this discussion for viewers was The Globe’s award-winning Health Reporter and Columnist André Picard, who was joined by Dr. Christine Chambers, Killam Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience and Pediatrics at Dalhousie University; Dr. Danièle Behn Smith, Deputy Provincial Health Officer overseeing Indigenous health for B.C.’s provincial health officer (Dr. Bonnie Henry); Dr. Kwame McKenzie, CEO of the Wellesley Institute and a professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of Toronto; and Dr. Sharon Straus, Physician-in-Chief at St. Michael’s Hospital and a professor in the department of medicine at the University of Toronto.
Moderator | André Picard
Panelists
Christine Chambers
Kwame McKenzie
Danièle Behn Smith
Sharon Straus
HOW NEW VACCINES PROTECT AGAINST COVID-19
OVERVIEW
The first vaccine town hall, broadcast on January 21, was hosted by Ivan Semeniuk, Science Reporter for The Globe and Mail, and featured Dr. Michael Houghton, Director of the Li Ka Shing Applied Virology Institute and a professor in the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Alberta; Dr. Allison McGeer, a professor at the University of Toronto and an infectious disease physician for Sinai Health System; and Dr. Caroline Quach-Thanh, Chair of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) and a professor in the Department of Microbiology, Infectious Diseases and Immunology at the University of Montreal.
The panel discussed several important issues regarding the COVID-19 vaccines, including the efficacy of mRNA vaccinations (the basis of both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines), the timing and variables involved in multi-dose vaccinations, and why vaccination is an important part of ending the COVID-19 pandemic.
Moderator | Ivan Semeniuk
Panelists
Dr. Michael Houghton
Dr. Allison Mcgeer
Dr. Caroline Quach-Thanh
