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Showing posts from June, 2022

Fearing another wave of COVID-19, feds urge people to get a booster dose

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Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos and Canada's top doctor said Thursday that it's imperative everyone eligible for a booster dose gets their third shot now before the new, more infectious Omicron variants take hold in the coming weeks.

Parents of young kids feel 'left behind' as they await COVID-19 vaccine

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Parents who spoke to CBC News say they've put their lives on hold, waiting for a chance to vaccinate their children who are under five years old. But there is no certainty on when a vaccine might become available to the youngest Canadians.

Nutrition warnings are coming to the front of some packaged foods in Canada

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Canada will require that companies add nutrition warnings to the front of pre-packaged food with high levels of saturated fat, sugar or sodium in an effort to help shoppers make healthier choices with just a glance.

COVID-19 boosters recommended for the fall, Canada's vaccine advisory body says

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People at high risk of severe disease from COVID-19 infection should be offered a booster shot this fall, regardless of how many boosters they've previously received, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization said on Wednesday.  

B.C.-led lawsuit nets $150M proposed settlement with Purdue Pharma over opioid harms

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A proposed $150-million settlement with Purdue Pharma Canada covering all provinces and territories has been reached for the recovery of health-care costs related to the sale and marketing of opioid-based pain medication.

FDA leaning toward new COVID-19 shots that target original strain, emerging Omicron variants

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's vaccine committee has voted that the next wave of COVID booster shots should include a component that targets the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, in addition to the original strain. If all goes well, vaccine manufacturers could roll out these new versions in the U.S. in October.

WHO warns of monkeypox risk to kids, pregnant people if spread continues

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The World Health Organization says sustained transmission of monkeypox worldwide could see the virus move into high-risk groups, such as children and pregnant people, as it investigates reports of mild cases among kids in the U.K. and Europe.

ArriveCan app could have use beyond pandemic, public safety minister says

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Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said the much-criticized ArriveCan app could help speed up border bottlenecks and may have uses beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some Canadian med schools are running low on a precious resource — cadavers

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Human cadavers are a key teaching tool for future doctors and dentists, but in some medical schools, donations have dropped since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials are now reminding people that body donations are important for research and education.

These easy wins could alleviate wait times at hospital ERs, experts suggest

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Online triage, rapid assessment zones, and more accountability could decrease record-high wait times at emergency rooms.

Deadly rabbit disease found in Ontario for the 1st time

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Two pet rabbits infected with a highly contagious virus that's newly detected in Ontario have died, causing concern among veterinarians and pet owners. The virus has previously been found in Alberta and B.C., according to the CFIA.

Canada's COVID-19 response better than many comparable countries, study finds

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Canada handled the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic and weathered the ensuing upheaval better than several other nations with comparable health-care and economic infrastructure, a new study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal suggests.

Monkeypox not a global health emergency 'at this stage,' says WHO

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The World Health Organization said the escalating monkeypox outbreak in more than 50 countries should be closely monitored, but does not warrant being declared a global health emergency.

U.S. abortion clinic staff recount 'heartbreaking' talks with patients after services cancelled

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How provinces are trying to catch kids up on routine vaccines

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After schools closed in March 2020 as a result of the pandemic, school-based immunization programs — which vaccinate kids against a host of preventable diseases — were suspended. Now, provinces are trying to bring those who fell through the cracks up to speed on their shots.

The U.S. wants to ban Juul. Where is Canada on regulating e-cigarettes?

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Regulators in the United States have ordered Juul to pull its vaping products from the market, a move already being challenged by the company. Here's a closer look at the FDA's decision and what's happening in Canada.

WHO considers declaring monkeypox a global health emergency

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The World Health Organization convened its emergency committee Thursday to consider if the spiralling outbreak of monkeypox warrants being declared a global emergency.

Juul ordered to halt sale of electronic cigarette products in U.S.

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U.S. federal health officials on Thursday ordered Juul to pull its electronic cigarettes from the U.S. market, the latest blow to the embattled company widely blamed for sparking a national surge in teen vaping.

Catching monkeypox can mean extreme pain, hospital trips — and weeks of isolation

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Peter Kelly is among more than 200 Canadians and counting who've caught monkeypox. He spent weeks isolating at home to keep others' safe, putting strain on his finances and mental health. Advocates now say more supports are needed — as this outbreak keeps growing.

Why the timing of your next COVID shot is so important

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The timing of your next COVID-19 vaccine may be more important than ever as highly contagious Omicron subvariants are on the rise in Canada and waning immunity from previous vaccination and infection threatens to fuel another surge.

Why were 2 Montreal women denied toxicology tests after alleged druggings?

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Two Montreal women are calling for systemic change after being denied toxicology screenings to confirm their drinks had been spiked.

Canadians seeking closure are finally holding funerals, memorials delayed by COVID-19

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With pandemic restrictions lifted, Canadians are planning long-awaited memorial services to say goodbye to their loved ones — some, after two years of delays.

CDC votes to recommend COVID-19 vaccines for kids in U.S. as young as 6 months

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A panel of advisers to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Saturday voted to recommend COVID-19 vaccines for children as young as six months, making it likely a nationwide rollout can start next week.

For disabled people, social media can be both a lifeline and a drain

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While social media platforms have become a haven for disabled people looking to connect, they are also brimming with discussions of trauma. Balancing the search for support with cultivating bits of joy has become a key challenge for many disabled people.

The impact of 'social malnutrition' on students' mental health and how to address it

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Across the country, students have dealt with ongoing disruptions due to the pandemic — from cancelled school clubs and events to changing cohorts and online learning. Both health-care professionals and students have noticed the impact a lack of socialization has had on mental health.

This PSW in London, Ont., says company he works for is more interested in profits than care

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A number of Paramed employees in London, Ont., are raising concerns about wages, hours, gas mileage and dispatching staff other than a personal support worker (PSW) to do the job.

Here's why some scientists want to change how we talk about monkeypox

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The World Health Organization supports coming up for a new name for monkeypox, amid a call from a group of scientists to use less discriminatory terminology to describe the infections popping up in more and more places around the globe.

FDA authorizes COVID-19 vaccines for kids under 5 in the U.S.

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On Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized coronavirus vaccines for children under five years of age. Canadian children under five cannot yet be vaccinated against COVID-19, as Health Canada is still reviewing Moderna's vaccine submission.

An Ontario doctor says ERs are more stressed than he's ever seen — the data backs it up

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Patients in emergency rooms around Ontario are waiting record lengths of time to get admitted to hospital, a situation medical professionals say only appears to be getting worse.

Specialized clinics to treat long COVID are in demand and physicians say they can't keep up

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There are an estimated 390,000 people in Canada with post-COVID condition, better known as long COVID. A growing number are looking for a specialized clinic to treat their symptoms, but there are not enough doctors or money to tackle the demand, experts say.

FDA advisers vote to authorize 2 COVID-19 vaccines for kids 5 and under in U.S.

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's outside vaccine advisers have voted unanimously in favour of authorizing both Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines for children between six months and five years of age.

Quebec teens to learn in school how to use naloxone, intervene in case of an overdose

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High school students across Canada will soon be learning how to administer naloxone nasally, in case of an opioid overdose. The new training will be initially deployed in select schools in Quebec, Alberta, Ontario and B.C., before being expanded across the country.

Costs to maintain cochlear implants prohibitive for those who rely on them

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In some provinces, people with cochlear implants are on the hook for thousands of dollars to upgrade their sound processors every few years to continue hearing, leading to calls for governments to cover the cost.

What's the monkeypox vaccine and who should get it?

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Although monkeypox is in the same family of viruses as smallpox, the vaccine approved for use in Canada is different from the jabs used to eradicate smallpox last century.

Students, teachers at school boards across Canada to be offered training on administering naloxone

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An organization that works with schools across Canada to create CPR and defibrillator training programs is now looking to offer naloxone training programs for teachers and high school students. 

Quebec expands monkeypox vaccination efforts as virus continues to spread

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With 132 confirmed cases in Quebec, the province’s public health director says the spread of monkeypox is slowly progressing every day and now vaccination efforts are expanding to men have sex with other men in Montreal.

World Health Organization holding emergency session next week on monkeypox

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The World Health Organization will convene an emergency committee on Thursday next week to assess whether the monkeypox outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern.

Experimental ALS drug OK'd by Health Canada

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Health Canada has approved an experimental drug for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, as uncertainty persists about the drug's clinical benefit.

Government shutting down COVID Alert app, sources say

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The federal government will be shutting down the COVID Alert app and may do so as early as this week, government sources have told CBC News.

Why leaving monkeypox unchecked in Canada could put more people at risk

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Canada needs to act fast to get the monkeypox outbreak under control by scaling up testing, identifying cases quickly and solving key unanswered questions about the origin and ongoing spread of the virus before it takes root here and puts our most vulnerable at risk, public health experts say.

Family wasn't told of long-term care resident's death for almost a month

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Family members of a woman who was in long-term care want to know why it took nearly a month to be told she had died. The care home said it can’t comment on the case because of privacy legislation but that when a resident dies, “it follows all proper procedures for notification of substitute decision makers and powers of attorney as outlined in the resident’s chart.”

Feds temporarily suspend random arrival testing at Canada's airports

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The federal government announced Friday it will end the mandatory randomized arrival testing for incoming travellers at Canada's airports, a move that comes as the U.S. is also signalling it will ease up on some testing requirements.

New Canadian regulations would put a warning on each cigarette, not just packaging

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Canada is poised to become the first country in the world to require that a warning be printed on every cigarette.

Ontario planning COVID-19 boosters for fall, most mask mandates ending Saturday

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Ontario's top doctor says he is planning for a new round of COVID-19 booster doses to be rolled out this fall as the province is set to lift most mask mandates in high-risk settings on Saturday.

Future of 'life-changing' COVID-19 recovery program for long-haulers uncertain

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The COVID-19 recovery program at Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare costs in the range of $450,000 a year to run, and the hospital's CEO says it can't continue long-term without provincial funding.

Vaccine mandates have been blamed for some of Pearson airport's chaos. Is it time to drop them?

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The waning effectiveness of vaccines to stop the spread of the highly infectious Omicron variant of COVID-19 could mean it's time for federal policy makers to consider lifting vaccine mandates, some experts suggest.

Monkeypox can 'masquerade' as other conditions, with wide range of symptom severity

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In this unprecedented monkeypox outbreak — which is offering many global clinicians their first real-world experience with this disease — there's a clear range in symptom severity.

Ontario sisters still waiting for random COVID-19 border test more than a week after returning from trip

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Two Oakville, Ont., sisters are waiting to get a random COVID-19 border test more than a week after returning home from a vacation, amid calls for the federal government to stop random testing at airports.

Data from China needed to investigate origins of COVID-19 pandemic: WHO experts

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Experts drafted by the World Health Organization said their understanding of how the coronavirus emerged was limited by several factors, including that not all research presented by Chinese scientists has been published.

Alberta hit by far more COVID deaths this year than in the same period in previous years

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More than two years into the pandemic, Dr. Neeja Bakshi is still routinely breaking the painful news to families that their loved one is dying of COVID-19. And it's not going anywhere, she warns: Alberta's COVID-related death toll so far in 2022 is higher than the same period in previous years of the pandemic.