Evidence of meeting #19 for Health in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was vaccines.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Is anyone on the meeting today who provided advice to the federal government stating that implementing the quarantine hotel requirement would be more efficacious in preventing the spread of variants as opposed to implementing a border testing model, such as what's in effect at the Calgary airport right now? Anyone? Is there any branch of PHAC that provided the advice?
Senior Vice-President, Immunization Program, Public Health Agency of Canada
We will get back with that for sure. None of us on the call today have been directly implicated in that, so I think it best for us to ensure we go back to our quarantine group and ensure that you get that information.
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
You are all the heads of the main departments in PHAC. What data was used to determine that quarantine hotels were a better option for stopping the spread of variants than the Calgary border pilot program, which employs rapid on-arrival testing?
Anyone? Is there any data? Can any of you provide—
Senior Vice-President, Immunization Program, Public Health Agency of Canada
We'll come back to you with those data.
Senior Vice-President, Immunization Program, Public Health Agency of Canada
By next week.
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Okay.
Similarly, why would you, in a meeting this morning, say that continued lockdowns are necessary when we have rapid testing, therapeutics and vaccines available to us to stop the spread of variants? What data was used to make that pronouncement this morning at the press conference with Dr. Tam and Dr. Njoo?
Acting Scientific Director General, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada
I can take that question, Mr. Chair.
It is important to remember that a full suite of measures is required for the control of the pandemic, and the addition of variants further reinforces the need for a broad-based approach—
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Thank you, Dr. Poliquin.
Why is it, if we need a full suite of measures, that therapeutics, rapid testing and vaccines weren't mentioned in the press conference this morning—only lockdowns?
Acting Scientific Director General, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada
If we look to international comparators in terms of the how the outbreak responds in a number of different contexts, we see that vaccines, public health measures and testing are all inherently necessary to the control of the outbreak, and that with the introduction of the uncertainty posed by the variant concern, it is important for us to continue to maintain those.
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
How many people need to be vaccinated in Canada to stop the spread of the U.K. and South African variants per the modelling that was released this morning? Anybody...?
Did anyone come prepared for that question to a meeting about variant spread and vaccine efficacy? Nobody? You'll get back to us?
Chair and Professor, Université de Montréal, National Advisory Committee on Immunization
I can try to take this answer. I'm not part of PHAC, and I'm not part of the modelling exercise. I don't have any insider knowledge of the model. I think that what we're trying to understand at this point in time is the actual efficacy of the vaccines and effectiveness of the vaccines we have against the variants—
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Okay, so we don't know. This morning a bunch of modelling came out and the pronouncement from PHAC was for more lockdowns. What I'm hearing here in this meeting is that you guys don't know. You're asking businesses to close and more lockdowns to be employed, but you don't know how many people need to be vaccinated or what assumptions you've used. Would that be a correct characterization of how you came prepared for this meeting today?
Chair and Professor, Université de Montréal, National Advisory Committee on Immunization
Well, I'm not answering that question. I'm just telling you...you asked me—
Acting Scientific Director General, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada
Mr. Chair, in relation to what has been presented, these models require our forecasting based on a number of different assumptions. As we learn more—
February 19th, 2021 / 3:55 p.m.
Conservative
Liberal
Acting Scientific Director General, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada
In terms of what goes into the models, for example, there would be an assumption of the reproductive number, so 50% increases the reproductive number.
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
The reproductive number could be stopped by things like rapid tests and vaccines. Is that correct?
Acting Scientific Director General, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada
The reproduction number is an inherent aspect of the virus.
Conservative
Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB
Right. I mean, if we had tools to prevent the spread or the reproductive number, like rapid tests and vaccines that, in theory, would change that. Is that correct?
Acting Scientific Director General, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada
That has a significant interplay with, for instance, vaccine efficacy. Vaccine efficacy as we have—
Conservative
