Scientists are beginning to gauge how the last 18 months have changed us—for better and worse There’s a giant container of hand sanitizer in the front entryway of Sam Maglio’s home. It’s oversized. It’s clunky. It doesn’t fit in. “I want to get rid of that bucket of hand sanitizer as fast as possible,” says…
Category: Community News
Announcement of Dr. Kenneth Fung to be appointed as the Director of Global Mental Health, U of T
We are delighted to announce the appointment of Dr. Kenneth Fung as the Director, Global Mental Health, in the Department of Psychiatry at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. His 3-year term began on October 1, 2021. Dr. Kenneth Fung is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, and a…
New data suggests Canada’s ‘gamble’ on delaying, mixing and matching COVID-19 vaccines paid off
Early data suggests strong protection against delta, no evidence for boosters in the general population yet New Canadian data suggests the bold strategy to delay and mix second doses of COVID-19 vaccines led to strong protection from infection, hospitalization and death — even against the highly contagious delta variant — that could provide lessons for…
Here’s how this eastern Ontario health unit hit a provincial vaccination high of 92 per cent
When COVID-19 vaccination clinics first opened in and around Brockville, volunteers phoned their neighbours to urge them to get a jab with the leftover doses at the end of the day, so none went to waste. At one site, someone out walking a dog nearby was called over to come on in. Nurses at clinics would fill…
Toronto high school to move to remote learning due to COVID-19 outbreak
Toronto Public Health has ordered a west-end high school to move to fully remote learning due to an outbreak of COVID-19. The public health agency says this is its first whole-school dismissal of the academic year. The agency didn’t say how many diagnoses have been confirmed at Silverthorn Collegiate Institute, but said new cases were…
‘Long COVID’ is painful, expensive – and so far, impossible to cure
COVID-19 vaccinations greatly reduce the risk of lasting respiratory and mental-health problems, but for many patients who got sick early in the pandemic, it’s too late. A difficult journey lies ahead for them Laurel Schafer’s bedside nightstand is cluttered with the evidence of illness: an asthma inhaler to help her breathe; a beta blocker to…
World Mental Health Day: Pandemic blues worsen global mental health
Mental health has been one of the casualties both of the pandemic and the resulting lockdowns Sumant (name changed) wakes up late, rushes straight to his laptop and starts preparing for his meeting. He works past midnight and feels tired the whole day. Since the pandemic, he has been working from home but can feel…
How Canada compares to welfare states in COVID-19 cases and deaths
Almost two years into the pandemic, it is clear that the impact of COVID-19 has not been uniform. It is difficult to adopt a one-size-fits-all interpretation as to why certain states experienced a higher number of infections while others kept theirs in check. In July 2020, at the end of the first wave of the…
World Mental Health Day 2021
Mental health care for all: let’s make it a reality The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on people’s mental health. Some groups, including health and other frontline workers, students, people living alone, and those with pre-existing mental health conditions, have been particularly affected. And services for mental, neurological and substance use disorders have…
Parenting during the COVID-19 pandemic has been chaotic
First Person is a daily personal piece submitted by readers. Have a story to tell? See our guidelines at tgam.ca/essayguide. It’s 6 o’clock on a late spring Sunday night, which means one hour until bedtime, two hours until the kids actually fall asleep and three hours until I finish my weekly meal-prep scramble and collapse exhausted…