Alberta Health Services (AHS) offered a COVID-19 Community Conversation for Alberta’s Chinese Community on March 1.
Resident Doctor Samantha Cheuk began by stating that Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses, that can cause respiratory illness ranging from common colds to severe pneumonia.
“COVID-19 is a novel Coronaviruses, which is a new strain of the virus that has not been previously identified in humans,” Cheuk said.
The incubation period of COVID-19 is the period from the entry of the virus to the person until the appearance of symptoms, at this time, they are asymptotic. This time can range from two to 14 days.
The time from when an infected person can transmit the virus to a susceptible individual is two days prior to the onset of symptoms, and 10 days after, or until the symptoms resolve, whichever is longer.
“In some ways, COVID-19 and influenza are quite similar, both can also infect vulnerable populations and groups, which are the groups that tend to have poor outcomes. Both can cause respiratory disease, both are spread by small droplets from the nose and the mouth, neither are spread through the air in long distances or time,” Cheuk said.
Adding, “There are some key differences between COVID-19 and influenza. COVID-19 causes quite a severe disease in a higher per centage of cases than seasonal influenza. Between COVID-19 and influenza, COVID-19 is more dangerous and has more dangerous outcomes.”
Variants of COVID-19 have now been identified.
“We’re seeing an emergence of the variant cases. There are concerns that variants are more contagious and can spread more easily than other COVID-19 strains,” Cheuk said.
“It’s not yet clear if these variants can cause more severe illness, there is concern about the impacts if they become more common in our communities, which means more illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths,” she added. “It’s critical to act action in protecting yourself from all different strains of COVID-19.”
Although COVID-19 numbers have been decreasing, the Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Michael Zakhary wanted to ensure Albertans continue to remain vigilant.
“The message that we need to emphasize is we need to remain vigilant, despite the encouraging results, because COVID-19 is still out there,” Zakhary said.
Health Canada has now approved three COVID-19 vaccines, including Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca.
“The mechanism for each of these vaccines differ, however, I’d like to ensure the safety and effectiveness for the vaccines,” Zakhary said.
“I’d like to highlight that vaccines are not a cure. COVID-19 is still out there, however, we’re taking good steps in taking control of this pandemic, and we’re taking the steps that would ensure safety down the road,” he said.
Adding, “Vaccines are not a cure, but it’s an essential component of tackling this pandemic, we still need to follow the precautions until we reach a level of herd immunity that would be sufficient in limiting transmission.”
The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines trigger an immune response similar to the ones with infection, but without the infection, this would help to create an immune response and tackle the virus when exposed.
“While the AstraZeneca vaccine uses a harmless virus as a delivery system that can cause a common cold. The virus in the vaccine produces a COVID-19 spike protein, that’s found on the surface of COVID-19, the protein doesn’t make you sick, but it does its job and goes away. Through this process there is a strong immune response, without exposing you to the virus,” Zakhary said.
“Vaccination is really good news, we’re so glad to have three vaccines approved, we’re taking the steps together and hopefully one day we’re going to celebrate the ending of the pandemic,” he said.
The vaccine rollout currently doesn’t include the general public.
Zakhary encourages any Albertan to stay at home if they are feeling unwell, stay safe, and ensure they are protecting themselves and others around them by frequently washing hands, wearing a mask, following all the mandatory health measures, and scheduling a vaccine appointment when eligible.
“Please be kind to one another, it’s a challenging time for all of us so we need to support each other,” Zakhary said.
