6 minute read

ON the Radar

from The Ontarion - 190.1

by The Ontarion

from The Ontarion - 190.1, page 31

Diary of a Vet Student: When f...

@THEONTARION

#ONTHERADAR

CLEAN MEAT TO BE SERVED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN SINGAPORE

For the very first time, lab-grown chicken meat developed by U.S. start-up Eat Just was approved for sale in Singapore on Dec. 1.

Eat Just is an American company founded in 2011, and it typically manufactures and sells plant-based meat alternatives. However, the chicken protein that will be sold in an upcoming Singaporean restaurant is grown entirely from animal muscle cells that will be served as nuggets and priced as “premium chicken.”

Elaine Siu, managing director of the Good Food Institute Asia Pacific, told the New York Times that this is the first time any country has approved a cultivated meat product like this.

According to CBC News, Singapore hopes to increase the amount of food they produce for its city state, which currently sits at ten per cent, through high-tech farming and novel food production methods.

This meat alternative is “still at a nascent stage given high production costs” said CBC News, and no specific dates have been released for when it will be available to patrons.

GUELPH REGION GOES RED

Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph moved into the red-control zone of Ontario’s COVID-19 response framework on 12:01 a.m. on Dec. 14. The announcement was made by provincial minister of health Christine Elliot on Dec. 11.

The “red” zone indicates that indoor gatherings are restricted to five people whereas outdoor gathering are limited to 25.

The City of Guelph has closed arenas, pools, and indoor skating rinks completely. Meanwhile, outdoor rinks, stores, restaurants, bars, trails, parks, libraries, museums, and washrooms may remain open but with restricted gathering limits.

The Guelph Farmers’ Market will remain open, its gathering limit set to 75 people.

This change was advocated for by Nicola Mercer, local medical officer of health, who said in a CBC article that the number of people entering the hospital “jumped dramatically like ten to 12 times the numbers in about a matter of five days.”

As of Dec. 15, the number of new cases in the region amounts to 76 with 21 belonging to Cargill-owned beef processing facility employees. An additional 80 employees were reported as having close contact with these workers and have been sent home to be tested. HEALTH OFFICIALS WARN THE PFIZER VACCINE WILL BE LIMITED AT FIRST, AND DOESN’T SIGNIFY THE END OF COVID-19

On Dec. 15, the Ontario government detailed a three-phase implementation plan to administer the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to over 2,500 healthcare workers.

The vaccine will require two doses per person, given weeks apart to be effective, and the initial shipment will contain up to 249,000 doses, CBC News reported.

Canada’s chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam, public health officer Dr. Howard Njoo, and former NATO commander Maj. Gen. Dany Fortin, who is leading the vaccine distribution process, gave an update on Tuesday, Dec. 8 about the rollout plan for the coronavirus vaccine in Canada.

In the update, they said initial supplies will be limited and distributed to select delivery sites such as hospitals first. In Ontario, this currently only includes the University Health Network in Toronto and The Ottawa Hospital where workers providing care in hospitals and long-term care homes are being vaccinated.

They stressed that control over the pandemic will not come quickly, and that during the rollout it remains crucial that we continue with public health measures. “We need to keep telling ourselves this is not a race to the finish, but a test of our collective effort of resolve, and we will endure,” Njoo said.

As of Dec. 15, there have been over 146,000 coronavirus cases in Ontario, with over 3,900 resulting in death.

Guelph manufacturer, Danby Appliances, has begun taking orders for their new freezer line that can store the vaccine.

The freezers can reach temperatures of minus 80C, which is necessary for mRNA vaccines like the Pfizer vaccine which requires hyper-cold temperatures to be stored safely.

CANADA EXPECTING APPROVAL FOR MODERNA COVID-19 VACCINE BEFORE THE YEAR’S END

According to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine will be available in Canada before 2021 if it gains regulatory approval.

A CBC article states that the Moderna vaccine candidate is “promising,” and that by the end of December 2020 Canada will receive up to 168,000 doses of the two dose vaccine. Founded in 2010, Moderna is based in Massachusetts and has been developing the vaccine since Jan. 2020.

Regulators at Health Canada are “in the final stages of the review process,” and an authorization is expected within the week. "As with the early shipments of the Pfizer vaccine, [the Moderna vaccine] moves us even further forward on getting Canadians protected as quickly as possible," Trudeau said in the CBC article.

Unlike the Pfizer vaccine which must be kept at minus 80C, Moderna’s only needs to be stored at minus 20C, making it more easily accessible to rural and remote communities that don’t have the infrastructure to store Pfizer safely.

Should it gain approval, the Moderna vaccine is set to be delivered to Canada within 48 hours of Health Canada’s authorization.

U OF G AMONG THE BEST RESEARCH SCHOOLS IN THE COUNTRY

U of G has been steadily climbing the ranks of Canada’s top research universities, securing itself on the 15th spot among 49 others.

With a sponsored research income of over $160 million in 2019, the school’s research funding has risen over nine per cent since 2018. Every student in the graduate program at U of G received over $56,000, while faculty members received over $198,000 for academic research, according to Research Infosource.

However, U of G ranks first in research income growth from the private sector as a percentage of total research income.

According to a U of G news release, the funds account for grants, contributions, and contracts, and they support “U of G faculty, technical staff, and graduate students engaged in high-quality research and training opportunities across seven colleges and 15 research stations.”

This makes U of G rank second in overall value of its research income among other comprehensive Ontario universities.

“The University of Guelph consistently ranks among the top research universities in Canada, in keeping with the commitment of our researchers to conduct cutting-edge research that really makes a difference both within disciplines and in the world at large,” said Malcolm Campbell, vice-president (research) in the news release.

“Once again, we lead in research intensity and in research partnership, which together demonstrate the confidence that research sponsors and a wide array of partners have in the excellence of U of G researchers, the quality of the discoveries they make and the way their research prepares a real-world-ready talent pool.”

Campbell also states that discoveries made at the university expand “the frontiers of understanding” while simultaneously fueling innovation, driving economic development, connecting communities, supporting society, and realizing “our aim to improve life.”