Corona Virus Symptoms

The Ontario government is restricting eligibility for PCR testing and shortening the required self-isolation period for fully vaccinated people infected with COVID-19.

The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine caused mostly mild side effects in children aged five to 11 years, according to data published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday.

Nova Scotia says it will ramp up its COVID-19 vaccine booster program, while Prince Edward Island is restoring financial supports for workers impacted by the pandemic as the Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus continued to spread in Atlantic Canada.

In much of the country, rapid tests indicating positive COVID-19 results are going uncounted and are not included in official provincial case counts.

Canadians are growing desperate for COVID-19 tests, and experts are warning of inequity and inaccuracy in case counts, as provinces continue to report testing backlogs and soaring infections.

Just days before students are set to return to the classroom in Ontario, the province's back-to-school plan is clouded with uncertainty and critics are calling for more details.

Some health-care workers can come back to work 7 days after testing positive for COVID-19 as long as they have no symptoms, and other essential services can see COVID-positive, asymptomatic workers back on the job after five days in isolation.

Infectious diseases specialists Dr. Zain Chagla and Dr. Sumon Chakrabarti answer questions about COVID-19, including whether the Omicron variant could be a turning point for the pandemic.

Three Manitoba families are grieving the loss of loved ones who entered hospitals COVID-free during the pandemic only to contract the virus there and die.

British Columbia is delaying the full return to classrooms in January to allow public health officials to assess the impact of the Omicron variant and give school staff time to implement enhanced safety measures. The move comes as students, teachers and parents in Ontario wait for word on the return to school.

Canadian Blood Services is calling on all Canadians to make an appointment to donate going into January. In Ontario, there are about 5,600 appointments that need to be filled by Jan. 15, 2022.

Daily COVID-19 infections have hit record highs in the United States, swathes of Europe and Australia as the new Omicron variant of the virus races out of control, keeping workers at home and overwhelming testing centres.

The decision by U.S. health officials to shorten the recommended COVID-19 isolation and quarantine period from 10 days to five is drawing criticism from some medical experts.

U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday pledged the full support of the federal government to states facing surges in COVID-19 cases from the more-transmissible omicron variant and a run on at-home tests.

U.S. health officials on Monday cut recommendations for isolation restrictions for Americans diagnosed with coronavirus from 10 to five days, and similarly shortened the time that close contacts need to quarantine.

Protection provided by COVID-19 vaccines against infection by the novel coronavirus has waned dramatically since the highly-infectious Omicron variant started spreading across Ontario, according to data from the province’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table.

COVID-19 cases continue to mount across Canada as the Omicron variant of the coronavirus becomes further entrenched in the country.

New restrictions on gatherings and restaurants are taking effect in Quebec on Sunday as Canada crossed the threshold of two million cases of COVID-19.

Pope Francis prayed for an end to the coronavirus pandemic, using his Christmas Day address to urge health care for all and vaccines for the poor, and for dialogue to prevail in resolving the world's conflicts.

The recommendation by an Israeli panel to administer a fourth vaccine to those who are over 60 is being met with a tepid response by some of the country's medical experts, who believe more data is needed.

As Alberta braces for the impact of an Omicron-driven wave of infections, the province is offering unvaccinated physicians and health staff frequent COVID-19 testing in a bid to get employees back to work. 

The transmissibility of Omicron means that it can pass very easily — even to people who are vaccinated and have been trying to limit their contacts, say experts as they warn against blaming those who test positive.

Town of Bethlehem prepares for another quiet Christmas Eve as rise of Omicron variant means many foreign visitors staying home.

For the better part of two years, I convinced myself that I could dodge COVID, writes Meaghan Blanchard. I'm not sharing my story to scare you. I'm sharing my story because I honestly thought that if I did everything right, it wouldn't hit my family.

An Ontario emergency room doctor is among those drawing attention to "granny dumping" at hospitals, calling it a cry for help from families struggling to care for elderly relatives. 

Pharmacy workers across Canada are struggling with an unbearable workload, as provinces change COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to fight the Omicron variant.

Two new British studies provide some early hints that the Omicron variant of the coronavirus may be milder than the Delta version.

U.S. health regulators on Wednesday authorized the first pill against COVID-19, a Pfizer drug that Americans will be able to take at home to head off the worst effects of the illness caused by the novel coronavirus.

The wait for a COVID-19 test in Winnipeg is growing as fast as the caseloads, with lineups at drive-up testing centres meandering through parking lots and onto the roads.

With demand for COVID-19 testing surging and capacity reaching its limits, Nova Scotia is imposing new restrictions on who will be tested for the virus, a major shift for a province that has prided itself on a widespread testing regime.

Ontarians who resell rapid antigen COVID-19 test kits may be fined for doing so.

Omicron appears to spread faster and more easily than its predecessors, even among the vaccinated. Here are some answers to what you need to know if you feel like you might have COVID-19 in the age of Omicron.

Manitoba is entering the omicron phase of the pandemic with hospitals already tapped out.

New guidance that will prioritize vulnerable populations and essential workers for COVID-19 testing is imminent, says Ottawa's COVID-19 Testing Taskforce.

Tuesday marks another day of long lines as the public scrambles to get their COVID-19 vaccine boosters in Newfoundland and Labrador. 

After almost a year spent in hospital fighting COVID-19 and its related health complications, a Kamloops, B.C., man returned home last week, just in time for Christmas. 

Dr. Theresa Tam is warning that even if the Omicron variant causes less severe illness, it's still more transmissible, and even a small proportion of people winding up in hospital because of it can overwhelm the health-care system.

Ontario reported 3,453 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, while public health units collectively administered their highest number of vaccines on a single day since mid-July.

Some of the earliest data from around the world has shown signs that many people infected with the Omicron variant ended up with milder symptoms. But Canadian experts agree it is too soon to assume the variant will affect everybody the same way.

Tighter public health restrictions on gatherings and capacity for both vaccinated and unvaccinated Manitobans have come into force.

Over a period of five years, Laureen Rushton estimates her son, Lucas, tried accessing mental health services at least 50 times. Nothing seemed to work, which is why Rushton is now pushing the Nova Scotia government to open walk-in mental health clinics, separate from emergency departments.

The pandemic has left Manitoba's transplant program playing catchup. Now, transplant candidates and their donors face staffing shortages, surgery backlogs and longer waits for diagnostics.

A decision to temporarily close nurse practitioner clinics in Saint John and redeploy staff to COVID testing and vaccination sites has sparked concern for the patients who will be left without primary care for two weeks.

The COVID-19 landscape is changing rapidly, and the things we thought would protect us are suddenly in need of a serious rethink – including, and perhaps especially, masks.

"Pandemic fatigue" is the weariness among some people to abide by more coronavirus-related restrictions. But some experts say it's still unclear just what impact that fatigue might have on whether people follow new restrictions being implemented amid the rapidly spreading Omicron variant.

More people in Ontario can access COVID-19 booster doses on Monday, a move that comes amid concern over the Omicron variant and increasing case numbers.

Ontario is reporting 4,177 new cases on Sunday — its highest daily count since April — as stricter public health measures took effect, with capacity limits back in place in restaurants and a smaller cap on social gatherings.

Along with a therapy dog, colourful balloons and a huge inflatable slide, nervous children at one vaccine clinic in Quebec also have the option of putting on a virtual reality headset to play a game while getting their shot.

As COVID-19 infections soar across the country, restrictions are being reintroduced in a desperate effort to try to slow the rampant spread of the Omicron variant.

The province reported a single COVID-19-related death on Friday, bringing the provincial total to 942.