The last of Ontario’s COVID-19 mask mandates — which have still been in effect in settings like hospitals and public transit — are scheduled to expire on June 11. While border protocols, such as random testing, have been extended at least until the end of June, long lineups at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport are fuelling calls…
Category: Community News
Bridging Public Health and Health Care to Promote Health Equity
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the fissures in our society, but as history has shown, crises can lead to unprecedented collaboration. In New York City, collaboration among public health and health care organizations resulted in the vaccination of 6.5 million people in less than a year. Building more bridges between public health and health care can help us prepare…
Area-level socioeconomic deprivation, non-national residency, and Covid-19 incidence: A longitudinal spatiotemporal analysis in Germany
Summary Background Socioeconomic conditions affect the dynamics of the Covid-19 pandemic. We analysed the association between area-level socioeconomic deprivation, proportion of non-nationals, and incidence of Covid-19 infections in Germany. Methods Using linked nationally representative data at the level of 401 German districts from three waves of infection (January-2020 to May-2021), we fitted Bayesian spatiotemporal models…
Knowledge deficit and fear of COVID-19 among higher education students during the first wave of the pandemic and implications for public health: a multi-country cross-sectional survey
Abstract Background Public health measures such as physical distancing and distance learning have been implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 related knowledge deficit can increase fear that leads to negative mental health and COVID-19, especially among adolescents. Therefore, our study aimed to assess COVID-19 related knowledge deficit and its association with fear among higher education (HE)…
Watch Post-Pandemic Chinese Canadian Forum Presentations
A special Asian Heritage Month event: Post-Pandemic Chinese Canadians Forum was held on May 31st. It was an interactive forum for us to share our communities’ wise practices and resilient strategies during the pandemic, and to build collective actions to sustain the community activism and resources going forward. We have uploaded the video presentations of our speakers on…
Racial bias in key COVID oxygen device leads to treatment delays for people of colour, study finds
U.S. researchers say faulty readings by a pulse oximeter led to many patients who identified as Black or Hispanic not having timely recognition of how sick they really were. An oxygen monitor considered crucial to determining treatment for COVID-19 patients has failed to work properly for people of colour, causing delays in urgently needed care, a new…
‘We are absolutely destroyed’: Health workers facing burnout, even as COVID levels ease
WATCH: Global medical contributor Dr. Birinder Narang looks at the impact the pandemic has had on the well-being of doctors and nurses and how half of Canadian physicians are looking to reduce their clinical work. – Mar 26, 2022 Dr. Laura Hawryluck was seized with a sense of overwhelming panic so great she couldn’t focus,…
Catcalls, homophobia and racism: we studied why people (and especially men) engage in street harassment
“Hey sexy.”“Smile!”“Hey ladies, can I watch?”“Can I have your number?” A growing body of research shows public harassment is among the most prevalent forms of sexual and gender-based violence. Street harassment can include homophobic, transphobic, racist and ableist actions, as well as overtly hostile and aggressive behaviour. Yet, we know very little about who harasses and why they do…
Social media spreads rumours about COVID vaccine harms … but it doesn’t always start them
For decades, anti-vaccine movements have generated and spread rumours that vaccines cause serious health problems. The rollout of COVID vaccines has provided new opportunities to spread misinformation. At the start of the pandemic, people were already worried about the virus and the impact of other public health measures, such as lockdowns, on their physical and social well-being. As COVID vaccines…
Why mental health is a priority for action on climate change
New WHO policy brief highlights actions for countries Climate change poses serious risks to mental health and well-being, concludes a new WHO policy brief, launched today at the Stockholm+50 conference. The Organization is therefore urging countries to include mental health support in their response to the climate crisis, citing examples where a few pioneering countries have done…