A long-awaited report into how Prince Edward Island handled the COVID-19 pandemic in its long-term care homes says that while the province’s response was reasonable, it was too severe in its impact on residents.
P.E.I.’s long-term care homes “were not sufficiently prepared for a pandemic” when the COVID-19 crisis began, leading to the quality of care for residents deteriorating, according to an external panel appointed by the provincial government.
The panel headed by mediator and retired lawyer Michele Dorsey reported on its work Thursday, after interviewing and surveying long-term care residents, operators, staff and unions as well as health administrators and Island families who had loved ones in the system.
Comments closedDoctors and nurses are warning that Alberta’s health system is already under strain as COVID-19 hospitalizations surge and the respiratory virus season has yet to kick into high gear.
Comments closedToronto Public Health is seeking an additional $5 million to help combat respiratory illnesses as the city heads into a potentially challenging season.
Comments closedResearch in the Journal of Internal Medicine indicates that SARS-CoV-2 infections may worsen lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in men, based on 18,000 men treated for LUTS in Hong Kong in 2021 and 2022.
Comments closedCOVID-19 hospitalizations are on the rise across Canada as a wave of autumn infections sweeps the population, according to recent data released by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC).
Comments closedOn September 27, BC provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, and health minister, Adrian Dix, announced mandatory masking would be re-established in healthcare environments as COVID-19 cases are rising at a rapid rate. Starting October 3, masks became mandatory once again in healthcare settings.
Comments closedMasks are mandatory once again in all Nunavut health facilities due to increasing cases of COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses that have been detected, the territory’s Health Department said Tuesday.
Comments closedAs of October 3, masks are mandatory for healthcare workers and visitors in settings that are accessible to patients, including areas where they receive care. This includes spaces like the rooms where doctors and nurses serve patients directly, or areas where patients may stay while waiting, such as lobbies. The policy also extends to contractors or volunteers in the area, but does not include private clinics or patients themselves.
Comments closedNew Brunswick reported two more COVID-19 deaths and a nearly 63 per cent week-over-week jump in hospitalizations Tuesday, while an infectious diseases researcher says about one in 52 of us are currently infected with the virus.
Comments closedAs the updated COVID vaccines roll out around the country, one more competitor has joined the mix. In early October the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized a new booster shot made by the company Novavax. Like the mRNA-based Pfizer and Moderna shots, it targets a SARS-CoV-2 variant, XBB.1.5, which is a descendant of Omicron.
Comments closedAs of today, Monday, Oct. 16, everyone is required to wear a medical grade mask when they enter any Lakeridge Health facility.
This is a change from the masking policy Lakeridge Health had in place in July 2023, when masks were only mandatory in patient-facing areas, and were optional but recommended in all other areas of the hospital.
Comments closedFor some people, going to hospital may now be more dangerous than staying at home untreated. Many clinically vulnerable people fear, sometimes with good reason, that a visit to hospital or the doctors’ surgery could be the end of them.
Comments closedEuropean Union (EU) regulators have delayed a decision to give approval for Novavax’s (NVAX.O) variant-tailored COVID-19 vaccine, the Financial Times said on Sunday.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA), which was due to approve the updated vaccine last Friday has requested more information from the company, the FT report added.
Comments closedHealth-care workers, contractors and patients now have to wear masks in some parts of the Royal Alexandra Hospital, in an effort to slow the spread of COVID‑19.
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