As Ontario enters the third month of its fourth pandemic wave, case counts continue to be stubbornly high despite growing vaccination levels and widespread restrictions on businesses. Provincial public heath data indicates a key factor could be the lack of widespread vaccination requirements for workers at warehouses, manufacturers and construction sites, the workplaces where the…
Category: Community News
‘We need to do this in a different way’: Why vaccinating kids will be a unique challenge
As Canada prepares to embark on the largest and most urgent childhood mass vaccination campaign since the polio epidemic of the 1950s, health experts say planning is urgently needed to put in place child-friendly COVID-19 outreach strategies that avoid the logistical headaches that plagued the vaccine rollout for adults earlier this year. COVID-19 vaccines are currently approved in…
COVID-19 variants substantially more dangerous than native strain, Canadian study finds
When more transmissible variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 first began arriving in Canada late last year, they accelerated the rate of infection. Now, case data accumulated in Ontario over several months show that the disease has become substantially more dangerous as well. That assessment, published on Tuesday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal,…
Ontario says 19 long-term-care homes now have a COVID outbreak
Ontario is reporting another 511 COVID-19 cases and two more deaths, according to its latest report released Monday morning. Due to a technical issue, the province says that some vaccination-related data is currently not available. This includes the number of COVID-19 vaccine doses that the province administered the previous night as well as data reflecting hospitalizations and cases by…
‘Will we grow old separated like this?’ Tired of pandemic limbo, spouses have found a new way to fight Canada’s immigration backlog
Indervir Kaur Dhaliwah had no interest in a long-distance relationship. So when a friend asked if they could play matchmaker and introduce the Brampton woman to someone living in the U.K., she hesitated. But after a few exchanges of messages and photos, she had her first phone chat with Baljit Singh. It lasted for hours….
Rare heart inflammation prompts Ontario to recommend Pfizer over Moderna for some young adults
Ontario is now recommending the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for adults aged 18 to 24 because of an “observed increase” in rare heart inflammation conditions after doses of Moderna, mainly in men. The change announced Wednesday by the Ministry of Health was made “out of an abundance of caution” over a rise in cases of pericarditis…
6 ways Ontario’s new “Prevention Works” strategy will benefit workplaces
Prevention Works, Ontario’s ambitious new 5-year health and safety strategy, offers help for employers in the form of more targeted and affordable training options, new prevention strategies based on highest risk, more resources for small businesses, and action on such key issues as occupational illness, work-related mental health, and workplace violence and harassment. Developed after…
On Orange Shirt Day, we recognize the ongoing legacy of residential schools
Ryerson university community is called on to honour the victims and survivors of the residential school system Orange Shirt Day is a global day of recognition and awareness-raising about residential schools, an opportunity for all people and communities to come together in the spirit of truth-telling and reconciliation. The day and movement was started in…
Yee Hong’s Caregiver Education & Support Services: October’s Programs
Yee Hong has released their newest webinar calendar for October 2021. Caregiving can be immensely rewarding but can be emotionally and physically demanding too. Yee Hong’s Caregiver Education and Support Services helps caregivers fortify their love and patience, with up-to-date knowledge, essential skills and wellness support, to ensure positive and successful results. Please see the image below…
Unvaccinated 60 times more likely to end up in ICU with COVID-19, Ontario data shows
A new report on COVID-19 in Ontario has found that vaccines are “highly effective” against catching the infection and especially so against being hospitalized due to the disease. Charts released by the Science Table show a rise in cases and hospitalizations among unvaccinated people during Ontario’s fourth wave of COVID-19, while the rate of positive cases and…