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Showing posts from October, 2021

Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Sunday

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Canada will donate 10 million doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine to the COVAX vaccine-sharing alliance and another $15 million to help make mRNA vaccines in Africa.

How the technology used to make COVID-19 vaccines could improve flu shots

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People can safely receive a dose of COVID-19 vaccine in one arm and a flu shot in the other during the same clinic visit, health experts say. Meanwhile, scientists are working on a way to combine them in a single jab.

Canada promises 73 million more COVID-19 vaccine doses for the developing world

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Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said Saturday that Canada will donate millions more COVID-19 vaccine doses to a global vaccine-sharing initiative as rich countries scramble to send more shots to the developing world to help curb stubbornly high case counts.

Why Canada's booster shot guidance is all over the map

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Canada's vaccine advisory committee has given advice that's repeatedly been proven right throughout the pandemic, but experts say its failure to do so quickly and transparently threatens to undermine public confidence and forces provinces and territories to make crucial decisions on their own.

COVID-19 origins may never truly be known, U.S. spy agencies say in declassified report

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U.S. intelligence agencies said on Friday they may never be able to identify the origins of COVID-19, as they released a new, more detailed version of their review into whether the coronavirus was transmitted from animals to humans or was leaked from a lab.

Post-surgery patients monitored virtually do better than those seeing doctors in person, study indicates

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Patients who underwent non-elective surgery and used technology for regular remote monitoring with health-care providers had better outcomes a month after leaving hospital, compared to people who were asked to go see their doctors for followup concerns, according to a new Canadian study in the British Medical Journal.

Seniors 80 years and older should get COVID-19 booster shots, NACI recommends

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Canada's National Advisory Committee on Immunization is recommending COVID-19 booster shots for all adults 80 years of age and older, as well as certain other groups who may be at increased risk of lowered protection over time since their initial vaccinations.  

Booster shots, 3rd doses and who needs them

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Almost 11 months after the first Canadians got their COVID-19 vaccinations, many people have questions about how their immunity defence is holding up. Here's what we know and what we don't.

Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Friday

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Russia on Friday reported another record of daily coronavirus deaths as authorities hoped to stem contagion by keeping most people off work.

Ottawa facing pressure to nix pricey COVID test rule for fully vaccinated travellers

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Despite easing many restrictions for vaccinated travellers, the federal government still requires proof of a negative COVID-19 molecular test before entering Canada. But it's not cheap. Depending on where you are travelling from, you may have to shell out between $150 and $300 for one.

Private proof-of-vaccine app Portpass continues to expose personal data even after relaunch and updates

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Personal information belonging to more than 17,000 users of private proof-of-vaccination app Portpass is still unsecured and visible online — including, in some cases, photos of drivers' licences and passports — despite assurances from the company that its data-security problems have been fixed.

Sask. residents feel sidelined as organ transplants and surgeries get cancelled

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Saskatchewan's organ donation program has been suspended and surgeries are postponed due to hospitals being packed with COVID-19 patients.

WHO, partners seek more than $23B US for new COVID-19 war chest

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The World Health Organization and other aid groups on Thursday appealed to leaders of the world's 20 biggest economies to fund a $23.4 billion US plan to bring COVID-19 vaccines, tests and drugs to poorer countries in the next year.

All adults in N.W.T. now eligible for booster shot, say top docs

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Dr. Kami Kandola and Dr. Anne MariePegg answered listeners' questions on The Trailbreaker Thursday morning. "We will be offering booster doses as of today to anyone in the territory 18 or over as of December 31," Pegg said.

New COVID-19 modelling projects continued downward trend for Alberta

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New modelling projects COVID-19 in Alberta will continue to decline if the province stays the course.

Contracting COVID-19 may provide some immunity. But still get vaccinated, scientists say

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Some new studies that look at natural immunity — a degree of protection against COVID-19 that a person develops after being infected — have triggered discussion within the scientific community about the strength of such immunity. However, scientists tell CBC News it is no substitute for vaccination.

Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Thursday

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The Russian capital brought in its strictest COVID-19-related lockdown measures in more than a year on Thursday as nationwide one-day pandemic deaths and infections hit new highs amid slow vaccination uptake.

Merck agrees to let other drugmakers produce its COVID-19 pill

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Pharmaceutical company Merck agreed to allow other drugmakers to produce its COVID-19 pill, in a move aimed at helping millions of people in poorer countries get access to the potentially life-saving drug, a United Nations-backed public health organization said on Wednesday.

Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world Wednesday

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Russia has hit another record for daily COVID-19 deaths as authorities across the country moved to keep most people off work in line with a Kremlin order aimed at stemming the spread.

COVID-19 booster shots to be made available to all British Columbians by May 2022

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Everyone in B.C. will have access to a COVID-19 booster shot in the coming months, the provincial government announced Tuesday. 

Long-term care home in London, Ont., charged for unsafe work conditions after nurse's COVID-19 death

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A London nursing home faces charges under the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act for unsafe working conditions early into the pandemic, after a registered nurse died from COVID-19 and many others were infected.

FDA advisory committee recommends authorizing Pfizer's COVID vaccine for kids

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration isn't bound by the committee's recommendation, but is expected to consider it and make a decision in the coming days on whether to approve the vaccine for kids five to 11 years old.

Hamilton paramedics guilty in death of Yosif Al-Hasnawi, 19, to be sentenced in January

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The two Hamilton paramedics guilty for their part in the death of 19-year-old Yosif Al-Hasnawi, who was shot outside a mosque in 2017, will be sentenced in mid-January.

Sask. medical health officers plead with health minister for increased COVID-19 restrictions: letter

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Medical health officers across Saskatchewan are once again pleading with the provincial government to do more to combat COVID-19, according to a letter obtained by CBC News.

Nunavut returns to 0 active COVID-19 cases

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While there are no active cases territory-wide, outbreaks in a handful of communities are still considered ongoing, including in Coral Harbour since Sept. 29, Kugluktuk since Sept. 21, Iqaluit since Sept. 13 and Kinngait since Sept. 19.

Ontario hiring new LTC inspections staff as 269 new COVID-19 cases reported

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The provincial government announced Tuesday that it is spending $20 million this year to hire 193 new inspections staff and launch a proactive inspections program in Ontario's long-term care homes.

Funeral homes pivot to offer rooms for medically assisted deaths

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Some funeral homes are pivoting to meet increasing demands for a new kind of service: Providing a place where clients can have a medically assisted death surrounded by loved ones but away from their own home.

'I don't hate you, I'm just mad,' Yosif Al-Hasnawi's mom tells paramedics at sentencing

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Yosif Al-Hasnawi's mother says in a statement read at the sentencing of two Hamilton paramedics that the 19-year-old's death "feels like someone has ripped your heart out of your chest." The hearing for the men, found guilty of failing to give proper care to Al-Hasnawi after he was shot in 2017, continues Tuesday.

Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world Tuesday

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New Zealand's government says it will expand a vaccine mandate to include thousands of workers who have close contact with their customers — including those at restaurants, bars, gyms and hair salons.

Sask. continues sending COVID-19 patients to Ont., with transfer total to hit 19 Wednesday

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The latest figures come from an internal memo prepared by the Ontario Critical Care COVID Command Centre and obtained by CBC News.

With COVID-19 deaths climbing and hospitals strained, Russia rolls out restrictions

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As an increasingly deadly fourth wave of COVID-19 threatens to overwhelm Russia's hospitals, officials who had been hesitant to implement restrictions in recent months are doing so now in a desperate attempt to try to reduce the record number of people dying every day. 

Moderna says its low-dose COVID vaccine generates immune response in kids

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Moderna says its clinical trials with children aged six to 11 showed two doses that were half the size of its adult shots produced similar levels of virus-fighting antibodies in children.

Sentencing starts for 2 Hamilton paramedics guilty in death of 19-year-old Yosif Al-Hasnawi

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A two-day sentencing hearing is underway for two paramedics found guilty for failing to provide the necessaries of life to Josif Al-Hasnawi of Hamilton in 2017. The 19-year-old died in hospital after being shot outside a mosque.

2 B.C. doctors linked to website selling bogus mask and vaccine exemption 'certificates'

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A B.C. physician accused of spreading misinformation about COVID-19 is now under investigation for allegedly writing phoney mask and vaccine exemptions offered through a Kelowna-based website. That site, EnableAir.com, appears to be connected to another B.C. doctor.

Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Monday

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Ontario is lifting capacity limits today at restaurants, gyms, casinos and some other locations where proof of vaccination against COVID-19 is required.

Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Sunday

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Melbourne, one of the world's most locked-down cities that emerged from its latest spate of COVID-19 restrictions heading into the weekend, will see more curbs eased later this week when the state of Victoria reaches an 80 per cent full vaccination rate, officials said on Sunday.

With patience and respect, Montreal doctor convinced vaccine-hesitant co-worker to get her shots

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Worried about getting the COVID-19 vaccine, Montreal patient attendant Monique Dupriez turned to her co-worker Dr. Ingrid Marchand for advice, but the process wasn't fast or easy. Even once she'd been persuaded, it took Dupriez a month to take the leap and actually be inoculated.

Canadian Forces personnel to help Saskatchewan with COVID-19 crisis

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Members of the Canadian Armed Forces will be deployed to Saskatchewan to help battle the province's fourth wave of COVID-19, Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair said.

Why 'waning immunity' from COVID-19 vaccines isn't as bad as it sounds

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Canadians concerned over waning immunity from COVID-19 vaccines, breakthrough infections and the need for booster shots in the general public could benefit from a dose of some important context.

FDA says kid-sized Pfizer vaccine doses appear highly effective, safe

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U.S. health regulators say kid-size doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine appear highly effective at preventing symptomatic infections in elementary school children and caused no unexpected safety issues, as the country weighs beginning vaccinations in youngsters.

'It's not your fault': Changing the conversation about obesity

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Millions of Canadian adults are classified as overweight or obese by the Body Mass Index. But according to some experts, the BMI is among many things that should be scrapped as the medical field changes how it looks at obesity.

Aromatherapy spray recalled in U.S. following rare tropical disease deaths

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U.S. health officials may have solved the mystery of how four people in different states came down with a serious tropical disease even though none had travelled internationally: an aromatherapy spray imported from India.

Canadians who had allergic reaction to first vaccine dose can safely get second, advisory committee says

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Those who had an allergic reaction to their first shot of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine can safely receive future doses of the same product or a different mRNA vaccine, says Canada's vaccine advisory committee.

Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Friday

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Newfoundland and Labrador's vaccine passport comes into effect today.​​​​​​​ The passport system must now be used at places like restaurants, bars, bingo halls and performance spaces.

British government rejects calls for restrictions as COVID-19 cases rise

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The British government has rejected calls for renewed COVID-19 restrictions even as case numbers reach the highest number in more than three months.

Alberta put its contact-tracing system on life support. Can it be resuscitated?

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Alberta announced it would move in August toward treating the pandemic as an endemic — ending contact tracing. That didn’t last, but resuming it has been difficult, contact tracers say.

The danger of COVID-19 misinformation is 'mind-boggling,' says Dr. Anthony Fauci

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With the COVID-19 death toll in the United States having surpassed 730,000, Dr. Anthony Fauci tells IDEAS host Nahlah Ayed that he finds it "mind-boggling" that partisanship and skepticism of science continue to fuel the pandemic.

Whole raw onions recalled in Canada over link to U.S. salmonella outbreak

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The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has issued a recall warning for whole red, yellow and white raw onions after U.S. health officials linked the vegetables to a salmonella outbreak that has sickened more than than 650 people in 37 U.S. states.

There's a children's COVID-19 vaccine awaiting approval in Canada. What do we know about it?

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CBC answers how the pediatric vaccine is different, where kids will be able to get it, how long approval might take and other questions around COVID-19 vaccinations for younger children.

Canadian Medical Association calls for stricter COVID-19 measures in Saskatchewan

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The Canadian Medical Association's Dr. Katharine Smart issued a statement on Thursday, one day after the province's chief medical health officer, Dr. Saqib Shahab, broke down while presenting dire new modelling on the COVID-19 situation.