Police say the COVID-19 pandemic remains a “key” contributing factor to a jump in hate crimes that began in 2020. Toronto continues to see a dramatic rise in anti-Asian hate crimes, including hate-fuelled attacks where the victim was punched, spat on or blamed for the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new police data. Last year was…
Category: Community News
Unvaccinated disproportionately risk safety of those vaccinated against COVID-19, study shows
People who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 contribute disproportionately to the risk of infection among those who have been vaccinated, according to a new study being released as Canadians navigate a phase of the pandemic with few public-health measures remaining. Authors of the modelling study, published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, say this increased…
‘Living with COVID-19’ must be more than an empty phrase: Individuals need tools to manage BA.2 and future waves
When Ontario lifted public health protective measures in March, the expectation was that we might see a small but manageable bump in COVID-19 cases. At the same time, Canadians were being told that it was time to learn to “live with COVID.” The decision to lift the public health protective measures happened while many countries in…
Medical workers tend to push through their mental health trauma. COVID-19 is changing that.
When Stony Brook University Hospital became inundated with coronavirus patients in March 2020, Kristen Hansen had only been working there for a couple of months. She soon began treating an overwhelming number of patients who were severely ill with the unfamiliar germ and moved into the basement of the house she shared with her parents…
One-quarter of Canadians have been infected with COVID-19, online poll suggests
OTTAWA — Almost one in four Canadian respondents to a new online survey said they had been infected with COVID-19, while about three in four had not. As the country grapples with its sixth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and less data is shared with the public, the poll by Leger and the Association for…
Why navigating your COVID risk is now harder than ever
BA.2 is evading protections like masks and vaccines, but experts say it’s not time to abandon precautions Figuring out where you’re most at risk of catching COVID-19 is more challenging than ever in Canada’s Omicron-fuelled sixth wave, and tried-and-tested strategies for avoiding infection are proving less effective in everyday life. The rapidly spreading BA.2 subvariant has…
End of mask mandate in Ontario has fueled growing COVID-19 wave, provincial report suggests
Ontario’s opposition parties are calling for the province to reimpose mandatory masking rules in public spaces. As Kayla McLean reports, the calls come as the province grapples with a sixth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ontario’s decision to end mandatory mask-wearing in most public settings in March is at least partly responsible for the province’s…
Is it COVID or a cold? How to know as Omicron cases rise
No specific symptom — or lack of one — can say for sure it’s COVID. You have to test The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) says a resurgence of COVID-19 appears to be underway, fuelled by the highly transmissible Omicron variant. At the same time, most COVID restrictions have been lifted across the country, more adults…
Awareness of COVID-19 Racial Disparities Lessens Pandemic Concerns
“New research revealed that as White adults became more aware of COVID-19 racial disparities, their support for COVID-19 safety precautions and overall concern for the pandemic decreased. Policymakers need to address these public attitudes to limit the impact they have on racial and ethnic minorities, already affected by social determinants of health. Future studies should…
Global groups propose pandemic plan costing $10 billion a year
CHICAGO, April 5 (Reuters) – It will take $15 billion in grants this year and another $10 billion annually after that to establish and maintain an adequate toolkit to respond to COVID-19 and address future pandemic threats, according to four organizations focused on global health and the economy. The estimate is laid out in “A…