The World Health Organization says Europe is once again the epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic. If that epicentre has its own epicentre, it is Eastern Europe. Romania and Bulgaria in particular are going through a fresh pandemic hell, not because of a lack of vaccines – they are in surplus – but because of extreme…
Category: Community News
Health Canada has approved the Pfizer COVID vaccine for kids. Here’s what you need to know
Health Canada is set to authorize the Pfizer COVID vaccine for use in children, meaning one of the biggest pediatric vaccination efforts in the country’s history will soon be underway. With the green-lighting, expected Friday, of a smaller dose of the vaccine already in use around the world, the federal regulator is signalling that it has finished combing through data on…
U.S. to invest billions in COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing
The United States plans to invest billions of dollars in expanding COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing capacity and make available an additional one billion doses per year, White House COVID-19 co-ordinator Jeff Zients said on Wednesday. Activists have pressured President Joe Biden’s administration to increase vaccine supply to poorer countries. Zients said the government was preparing to…
Why are some Ontario university students back in class while others are still stuck online?
Students at Western and Queen’s universities have been attending most of their classes in person this fall. But at McMaster and Wilfrid Laurier universities, learning is mainly online. Depending on which Ontario post-secondary institution students attend, they may find themselves on campus a lot or just a little — and the difference is causing confusion…
Two-thirds of Toronto parents ‘certain or somewhat likely’ to get young kids vaccinated against COVID-19, city survey says
Some 66 per cent of parents and guardians told Toronto Public Health they are “certain or somewhat likely” to get their children aged five to 11 vaccinated against COVID-19. The responses from 43,000 Torontonians were collected through an online survey between Oct. 29 and Nov. 7, and verified by TPH data experts, the city’s public health chief,…
Ottawa dropping costly COVID-19 PCR test for Canadians returning home, sources say
The Canadian government is going to drop the costly polymerase chain reaction COVID-19 test for Canadians returning to Canada from trips lasting less than 72 hours, sources say. Canadians and permanent residents will still have to get an antigen test when coming back from travel to the United States and other countries. A PCR test…
Canada has a three-stage approach to loosening COVID-19 testing rules, Trudeau tells U.S. lawmakers
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised U.S. lawmakers Wednesday that Canada is planning a three-phased approach to loosening COVID-19 testing requirements at the Canadian border and stressed that U.S. prosperity will flow from continental trade and trusted neighbours in an increasingly competitive world. Brian Higgins, a New York Democrat and co-chair of the House northern border…
Why I got the COVID vaccine during my pregnancy
The day I got my first COVID vaccine, I wept with relief. It was the weekend of Mother’s Day, and I couldn’t think of a better gift to give to myself and to my toddler son, who goes to daycare all week. This shot, this absolute miracle of modern science, was for me a light…
Increasing access to living donor kidney transplantation among Chinese Canadians
From Kidney Health Education and Research Group Are you a Chinese Canadian living with kidney disease or kidney failure? Are you a kidney transplant recipient or kidney donor? Are you thinking about donating your kidney? Are you a caregiver of a Chinese Canadian patient living with kidney disease? SHARE YOUR STORY!We want to hear from…
Pregnancy and COVID-19 vaccination
If you are pregnant, planning to get pregnant, or breast or chest feeding, getting a COVID-19 vaccine is the safest choice to protect you from a serious case of COVID-19. Below is the latest resource developed by the BCCDC COVID-19 Indigenous Knowledge Translation Working Group that takes up the conversation of Pregnancy and COVID-19 vaccination. Follow Emma’s vaccination journey to…