Tim Bruckner discusses the importance of equity in pandemic response The financial uncertainty, chaotic scheduling demands and fear of illness and death during the COVID-19 pandemic have all caused stressors to multiply. And the weight of the last year and a half has fallen especially hard on women and people of color, who have borne…
Category: Community News
‘Getting to the last 20% is challenging.’ Why a mobile health team is bringing COVID-19 vaccines to the hidden unvaccinated
Evelyn Tang received her first dose of COVID-19 vaccine in May and was scheduled to get her second in September. Although appointments have since been moved up for all age groups with abundant supply of vaccines in the province, the young Torontonian simply couldn’t find the time for it. First, the new graduate from York…
The fourth wave is here – what does this mean for kids heading back to school?
Children and teenagers account for about one in five COVID-19 cases across Canada since the start of the pandemic, and some experts anticipate that figure could rise during the fourth wave as millions of unvaccinated children return to school. Among those ages 12 to 17, about 74 per cent have received at least one dose…
Do university students want more online learning, post-pandemic? Here’s what some chose before COVID-19
Across Canada, universities are working toward reopening for in-person classes. After a year and a half of teaching mostly online due to COVID-19, universities now have to consider how much ongoing student demand there will be for online options and what resources to allocate for it. How will students choose what they want to study in-person or online?…
Race-based data crucial in combatting COVID-19, experts say
For much of the pandemic, Dr. Madhu Jawanda struggled to get a clear picture of how the virus was spreading in racialized communities in B.C.’s Lower Mainland. The province’s health authority was refusing to release race-based data on COVID-19 cases, citing fears that the information would stigmatize neighbourhoods that had high infection rates. So Dr. Jawanda…
Ontario issues COVID-19 vaccination policy for teachers, doctors, nurses and other public employees
Teachers, doctors, nurses and other public employees will face vaccination mandates — but not mandatory vaccinations — as Premier Doug Ford draws a new line in the fight against COVID-19. Other measures include allowing children turning 12 this year to get first doses of the Pfizer vaccine and booster shots for residents of nursing homes and…
Ontario halts reopening as province warns of ‘difficult fall and winter’ ahead
TORONTO — Ontario is putting the brakes on any further reopening ahead of a “difficult fall and winter” as the province reveals new vaccine policies for high-risk settings. Employees, staff, contractors, students, and volunteers at hospitals and home and community care settings will, at a minimum, have to provide proof of full vaccination against COVID-19,…
To protect our kids from COVID-19, we have to be grown-ups
Katharine Smart is the president-elect of the Canadian Medical Association. In a little more than two weeks, children from coast-to-coast-to-coast will start their new school year, loaded down with school supplies and looking to reconnect with friends. As a mother, I know the importance of this milestone for children and families. But as a pediatrician,…
Get immunized, TPH says, as almost 99% of those hospitalized with COVID-19 not fully vaccinated
371 new cases reported in Toronto since Friday Since May 1, 98.7 per cent of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in Toronto had not been fully vaccinated, Toronto Public Health says. As daily case counts in Ontario climb to well over 500 per day, doctors warn the province is likely already in the grips of its fourth wave. On Monday,…
How the COVID-19 infodemic and conspiracy theories may influence the election
EDMONTON — As Canadians prepare to head to the polls for the second time since 2019, experts say there is new onus on voters to be cautious around divisive online campaigns that aim to sway opinion or cast doubt on the electoral process. Canadians are no strangers to these types of disinformation campaigns – the…