Â鶹´«Ã½

The American-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there aren’t any authorized and recommended vaccines for COVID-19 as of yet, but these are in development across the globe.

There are two types of vaccines in the works to address COVID-19, including viral vector vaccines from genetically modified viruses and RNA vaccines based on virus genetic codes.  

In Britain, the BBC reported on the Oxford Uni-AstraZeneca vaccine. The oldest university in the English-speaking world developed a viral vector vaccine with 62-90 per cent effectiveness. Moderna in the United States created an RNA vaccine with a 95 per cent success grade and a storage rate of six months in -20 C. German- and US-based Pfizer-BioNTech invented an RNA vaccine with 95 per cent efficacy – this vaccine required storage in -70 C. Gamaleya (Sputnik V) in the Russian Federation cultivated a viral vector vaccine with a competence value of 92 per cent, which can be stored in regular fridge temperatures.

Most of these anti-COVID vaccines will be available for the public during the winter or spring of 2021. Yet, Anti-Vaxxers slumming on social media and people who haven’t taken the virus seriously could affect herd immunity.    

The Mayo Clinic said herd immunity happens whenever a majority of a community (the herd) are immune to diseases. Herd immunity makes diseases from person-to-person unlikely, protecting the community against transmission.

There are two ways of acquiring immunity: through vaccines and infections.

For natural immunity to work, a percentage of the population must get the disease to stop transmission – known as the threshold proportion.

After the threshold proportion recovers, they develop antibodies against future infections. Herd immunity as an example continued for the elderly during the 2009-2010 flu season – they had survived the 1918 flu (influenza) pandemic and were immune to the H1N1 subtype of influenza A spreading throughout the world at the time. H1N1 – also known as the swine flu – is a nasty disease generating respiratory infections in humans.

The death rate for COVID-19 compared to the flu is considerably higher, no matter what the conspiracy theorists insist.

The World Health Organization said 290,000 to 650,000 people die from influenza each year.

In contrast, there were 62.6 million cases, 40 million recoveries and 1.46 million COVID-19 deaths reported on Nov. 29. Death rates in North America and other parts of the world have risen from COVID-19 since February 2020. Southwest and South Central Saskatchewan had been relatively safe from the virus since the spring in comparison to Quebec, Ontario and other parts of Canada. However, cases have escalated in every section of this province in November and leading into December.

There were 351 new cases of COVID-19 to report in Saskatchewan on November 29, bringing the provincial total to date to 8,239 cases and a total of 45 (+1) deaths and mounting. The seven-day average of daily new cases in Saskatchewan was 250 (20.6 new cases per 100,000 population), in reference to figures released from the Saskatchewan Health Authority last Sunday.  

Hit the hardest in Canada, Quebec recorded 140,000 cases and 7,021 (+37) deaths by Nov. 29.

The disease is much worse in other parts of the world, such as Europe and the United States. Spain recorded 44,638 deaths, the United Kingdom had 58,245 (+215) deaths and the USA had 266,000 (1,192) deaths in late November.

Canadians from coast-to-coast should be concerned about receiving COVID-19 vaccinations when they become available, because we’ve been living above a transmission hothouse on the other side of the border since the late winter and early spring.

Contagious diseases require higher amounts of the population to be immune – measles need 94 per cent immunity as an example. A review of history showed vaccines to be effective against deadly and contagious diseases such as smallpox, polio, diphtheria, rubella and others.

Vaccines are efficient if the threshold population agrees to receive their shots.

Don’t be fooled by Anti-Vaxxers spreading myths on Facebook. COVID-19 isn’t a political issue – this disease is a health catastrophe – a genuine, deadly threat. Disregard QAnon hearsay and Deep State paranoia. Don’t be a Ken or a Karen about masking, social distancing and vaccinations. COVID-19 is real and must be fought with vaccinations proven to be effective through scientific and medical research. Moreover, the administration of COVID-19 vaccinations will entail sizeable numbers to meet threshold proportions.