Variants of SARS-CoV-2 arise through errors in the virus’s replication process. But some mistakes give the virus a deadly advantage. Salim Abdool Karim had never seen his colleague so quiet. Tulio de Oliveira, who normally buzzes with enthusiasm, skipped all his usual banter as he walked into Abdool Karim’s office. The bioinformatician sat down, plugged…
Category: Community News
Screening of ‘What Flowers They Bloom’
Join RCIScience for a timely screening of SUPRE Content’s new documentary What Flowers They Bloom – a short film examining anti-Asian racism, mental health and disinformation during COVID-19. With opening remarks from Canadian Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault and a Q&A with Canadian filmmaker Calvin Hudson Hwang, health equity researcher Dr. Carmen Logie, and psychiatrist Dr….
Ontario will enter the first step of the reopening plan on Friday, allowing patios to open
Ontario will enter the first step of its reopening plan on Friday, allowing non-essential retail stores to reopen for the first time in months and bars and restaurants to begin serving customers on their patios in time for the weekend. The Ford government had previously set a target date of June 14 to formally enter…
The White Elephant in the Room: The History and Present of Anti-Asian Racism
Tuesday, 15 June 2021 | 11:30 to 12:45 EDT with Henry Yu, Department of History and Principal, St. John’s College, University of British Columbia. Moderator: Xiao Alvin Yang, Universität Kassel / York University. What are the past and present of anti-Asian Racism in Canada? What are the forces that are driving anti-Asian racism? What are the fundamental issues at…
Moderna seeks Canada’s approval for COVID-19 vaccine use in kids 12 and up
Moderna is asking Health Canada to approve its COVID-19 vaccine for use in adolescents aged 12 and older, following a study that showed doses were “highly effective” at preventing infection in that age group. The submission was made on Monday morning and is currently awaiting Health Canada’s go-ahead. “We are pleased to announce that we have submitted for authorization…
COVID-19 variant of concern B.1.1.7 has a new name: Alpha. Will it stick?
An expert group has recommended using letters of the Greek alphabet like Alpha, Beta and Gamma as ‘easy-to-pronounce and non-stigmatizing labels’ for COVID variants Last week, Dr. Lynora Saxinger was getting tongue-tied as she talked to Maclean’s about variants of concern (VOCs), B.1.617.2, B.1.1.7, B.1.351 and P.1. “Why don’t we actually give them Greek alphabet names?” she…
Can AstraZeneca be tweaked so that it doesn’t lead to blood clots?
Vaxx Populi: Researchers are getting faster at recognizing, diagnosing and treating VITT, and there is hope that they’re zeroing in on what causes it As Ontario, Nova Scotia and other provinces distribute second doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to residents, there is good news about the troubled COVID-19 vaccine. Not only are doctors and researchers…
Delta variant prompts calls for Ontario to prioritize Peel for second vaccine doses
Peel has highest proportion of cases tied to variant that first emerged in India Politicians and public health experts are urging the Ontario government to prioritize Peel Region for second doses of COVID-19 vaccines due to a contagious variant threatening the area. The public health unit west of Toronto has long been a COVID-19 hot…
AstraZeneca second dose: Should I get the same vaccine or choose Pfizer or Moderna?
People in Canada whose first dose of COVID-19 vaccine was AstraZeneca has a choice to make: They can either choose one of the mRNA vaccines (Pfizer or Moderna) or another dose of AstraZeneca for their second shot. The saga of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine has been complicated. Clinical trials and real-world data from the United Kingdom have demonstrated its superb…
‘We want to get to stage one:’ Ontario premier floats idea of entering reopening plan ahead of schedule
Ontario elementary and secondary students will not be returning to class in-person anywhere in the province before September 2021, Premier Doug Ford confirmed Wednesday. After weeks of encouragement from the outgoing chief medical officer of health, a collaborative of epidemiologists and most local medical officers of health to return some or all schools to in-person learning in June,…