Health minister cautions provinces against reopening 'too quickly'
‘What we don't want to see is a resurgence of the virus in a way that can't be controlled’
As parts of the country begin easing their pandemic restrictions, federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu says she hopes the provinces have learned their lessons about the dangers of re-opening too fast.
Canada is a patchwork when it comes to the severity and prevalence of COVID-19. In Manitoba, Hajdu is co-ordinating help for COVID-swamped hospitals. Meanwhile, governments in B.C. and Alberta are talking about lifting most restrictions very soon.
Hajdu spoke to As It Happens host Carol Off on Thursday. Here is part of their conversation.
In British Columbia, we're hearing [provincial health officer] Bonnie Henry talking about "hug day" in July. And in Alberta, [Premier] Jason Kenney wants to see everything back to normal in Alberta by July 1, by the end of June. So what's your date for when Canada should open?
I don't really have a hard-and-fast date, but I would say that it's really important that the premiers and the decision-makers listen to the science tables on a slow and cautious reopening. What we don't want to see is a resurgence of the virus in a way that can't be controlled.
And we're seeing provinces struggle as we speak. I mean, as you know, Manitoba has just received health-care workers to support with their significant surge. Ontario has received support. Alberta has received support. And certainly what we want is to be able to ensure that we have enough people vaccinated that when we do have an outbreak of COVID that we can quickly put those flames out.
We heard from Manitoba doctors on this show who blame the province for not shutting down early, for giving mixed messages. And that's the same we've heard from other provinces that struggled, as you just mentioned. So why do you think Canada's provinces have not been able to learn from one another's mistakes?
There is an immense pressure for … decision-makers to open up. And we see this debate, you know, as soon as case numbers start to decline, of course, various sectors are eager to resume business activity. They're eager to get back to their lives. People are tired of public health measures.
But the challenge is that, of course, when we reopen too quickly, we actually delay the economic restarting of these regions and of Canada.
It sounds like you're suggesting that what these provinces have decided to do is political — not based on science, but based on politics.
I can't actually make that determination because I'm not at their particular science tables. But I will say that [chief public health officer] Dr. [Theresa] Tam has been very clear that really what we should be doing is a slow and cautious reopening.
You are just now calling on the provinces to start sharing the unused doses of AstraZeneca before they expire. … Won't our name be mud around the world if we let that happen?
I've worked with my provincial and territorial colleagues over the last several months to make sure that they have plans to use all doses that we've delivered to them as efficiently as possible. And we've regularly talked about this at the health ministers' table. And yes, I've just sent a letter to remind them that we have significant federal resources to move those doses around to provinces and territories that can use them.
People are reluctant because of all the mixed messaging they've had about the AstraZeneca vaccine.… The prime minister was telling Canadians that you should just take the first [vaccine] you can, and he's willing to have that. He wants the second dose to be AstraZeneca. But at the same time, we heard the chair of the National Advisory Committee on [Immunization] saying that she wouldn't recommend it to her own family. And you were saying that, well, you should just take the advice of your doctors [about] what you should take.
I understand that the communication was confusing, but in fact, what we were talking about and what NACI was talking about was, a) that physicians and immunizers know about your own personal risk factors and, in fact, screen for those significantly and are the best people to advise you about what an appropriate immunization plan is for you and your own family.
And secondly, that AstraZeneca does pose a very rare risk of blood clotting in very specific circumstances, and that as COVID decreases and all of our communities, of course, the [relative] risk of a side effect increases as a result of the fact that there's less COVID in communities.
The people have stepped up to take AstraZeneca — and 2.3 million Canadians did, including me and the prime minister, as you point out — because we wanted to ... first of all, protect ourselves, and we wanted to be part of the work of our community to protect against the spread of COVID. And I want to thank all Canadians who have done that.
Are you saying that we misunderstood this? Because the provinces certainly thought it was a big enough risk to stop giving it to people [for their first doses].
No, what I'm saying is that what we're not seeing is hesitancy at all in Canadians. In fact, recent polling says 88 per cent of Canadians have either received the first shot or plan on getting immunized. And I think it's because they know that Canada and the provinces and territories are taking people's health with the utmost seriousness.
Obviously, we are constantly watching for safety signals for all of the vaccines, and we won't hesitate to be transparent with Canadians when science changes, when approaches change.
So why are the vaccines going to expire and refrigerators in the couple of days then?
The first doses have been paused in many provinces and territories, and provinces and territories are deliberating about what to do about second doses.
We know that the risk of a blood clot for second doses is much, much smaller than with first doses. And so provinces and territories are awaiting further guidance from NACI on the potential of dose mixing, of whether or not to proceed with AstraZeneca for second doses.
Many provinces have begun. Ontario has begun, as you know, to offer second doses of AstraZeneca to some of the first people to accept AstraZeneca in March. And that's good news.
Can you appreciate, though, how confusing that might be? You said that people can get the advice of their doctor. A lot of people don't even have a doctor. How are people to sort through all this if they don't have that kind of advice?
I think that question, you know, is somehow implying that pharmacists and public health authorities that are also helping with immunization are not obviously doing a screening. Of course they are.
Pharmacists, public health officials, all the immunizers are fully equipped to ask the questions, to determine people's health records, to be able to understand if the vaccination that is being offered to that individual is appropriate for that individual's circumstance.
And I have to thank all of those immunizers. I mean, we see general practitioners, as I said, pharmacies — who have, by the way, immunized people [for years] with influenza and other immunizations — the public health officials who are often at the forefront of immunization campaigns.
Written by Sheena Goodyear. Interview produced by Kevin Robertson. Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.
