Ruminations: And As The COVID Vaccine Rolls Out ...

"[Such a policy -- on one hand to urge people to be vaccinated, on the other creating a compensation program should anyone be afflicted with vaccine-related harm -- creates] challenging communications issues, even if the policy makes sense because we're asking Canadians to get vaccinated as a public health act, an act for their community and therefore, if there's injury it makes sense to compensate them for it."
"On the other hand, it does create this impression injuries happen and require compensation."
Dr.Tim Caulfield, Canada Research Chair in health law and policy, University of Alberta

In this file photo, a nurse holds a phial of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at Guy's Hospital in London, Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, Pool)

According to Canada's chief public health officer Dr.Theresa Tam, this coming holiday season could see the country marking a few grim milestones. An analysis of the government's new modelling suggests the national caseload is set to ascend by at least 90,000 new infections by Christmas Day, a number that could conceivably reach up to 135,000 cases.

Over the past week an average of 2,900 patients with COVID-19 were admitted to hospitals for treatment on any given day, leading to 454 people being treated in intensive care. Dr.Tam's deputy public health officer, Dr.Howard Njoo, added the outbreak has loaded health-care facilities in some areas of the country to the point of being "completely overloaded", causing some hospitals to postpone critical medical procedures. Both reiterating that the provinces are required to strengthen their COVID-19 responses immediately in view of the virus spread along a "rapid growth trajectory."

Cds to keep wearing masks Photo P.J. Thompson/National Post

"Knowing access to safe and effective vaccines for all Canadians is within sight might lead some to think COVID-19 is no longer a problem. But the reality is very different", Dr.Tam emphasized. And in the spirit of trying to cover all possible contingencies, the federal government announced a compensation program available to anyone who happens to suffer harm by the vaccine for COVID-19; actually any vaccine that is approved by Health Canada.

Around the globe only 19 other countries have enacted some version of a vaccine compensation policy. A cautionary note was issued by University of Alberta professor Dr.Lynora Saxinger whose specialty is infectious disease, that the announcement itself and the forthcoming policy has a risk inherent in its premise that undermines the messaging of a safe vaccine. "And so, it depends, I guess, on whether you think people's main fear is an adverse reaction or their main fear is not getting support in the event of an adverse reaction."

Such reactions are rare; anaphylaxis or a severe allergic reaction can occur in one out of 760,000 vaccine recipients, according to a Canadian Medical Association Journal study. Mild reactions on the other hand, like swelling around the injection site are common, speaking to the body's natural reaction to a foreign substance, including those meant to strengthen immunity. Between 1984 and 2018, Quebec, the only province that has a vaccine compensation program, paid out $5.4 million in 43 cases. Out of 228 claims, 187 were considered candidates for evaluation.

As Canada is preparing to roll out the Pfizer vaccine's initial delivery, American officials are preparing similarly to work toward expediting the most ambitious vaccination campaign in decades with regulators advancing toward approval of the first COVID vaccine to slow the pandemic that has succeeded in killing 3,000 Americans daily.

The rapid rollout of the Pfizer Imc./BioNTech vaccine could start in two to three days' time. "The FDA informed Pfizer that they do intend to proceed towards an authorization for their vaccine. We will work with Pfizer to get that shipped out so we could be seeing people getting vaccinated Monday or Tuesday", advised Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar.