Press "Enter" to skip to content

Month: October 2025

Nova Scotians can now book COVID-19, flu vaccine appointments

Nova Scotia residents can now book appointments for the COVID-19 and influenza vaccines.

The Nova Scotia government says the free vaccines are recommended for everyone aged six months and older.

Nova Scotians can book an appointment with their family doctor, nurse practitioner or family practice nurse, or at their local pharmacy, public health office or mobile unit.

Comments closed

Scientists may have discovered what’s behind long COVID-related brain fog

If you’re among the estimated one-in-five Canadians who developed long COVID symptoms after infection with COVID-19, you might be familiar with the memory problems, focusing difficulties and a whole slew of other cognitive impairments that have become emblematic of the condition — collectively known as “brain fog.”

But despite these cognitive symptoms being present in nearly 90 per cent of long COVID cases, the biological mechanism behind why brain fog happens — and how we can treat it — has remained largely elusive. Until now.

A new paper, published in peer-reviewed journal Brain Communications, found that people living with long COVID had more significantly higher levels of a certain brain receptor than their healthy peers. The more they had, the worse their symptoms tended to get, the study suggested.

Comments closed

Quebec launches fall vaccination campaign: COVID-19 shots no longer free for all

Quebecers can now book their appointments as the province’s fall vaccination campaign is underway but unlike previous years the COVID-19 shot is no longer free for all.

Unless an individual is part of a high-risk group, the Association québécoise des pharmaciens propriétaires (AQPP) had said that the cost for a vaccine dose will range between $150 and $180.

The COVID-19 vaccine remains free of charge to:

  • Immunocompromised individuals or have chronic illnesses
  • People aged 65 and older
  • On dialysis
  • Residents of long-term care facilities (CHSLDs)
  • Private seniors’ residences (RPAs)
  • Adults living in remote and isolated areas
  • Healthcare workers
  • Pregnant individuals
Comments closed

Six surgeons general: It’s our duty to warn the nation about RFK Jr.

The writers are all former U.S. surgeons general.

As former U.S. surgeons general appointed by every Republican and Democratic president since George H.W. Bush, we have collectively spent decades in service as the Nation’s Doctor. We took two sacred oaths in our lifetimes: first, as physicians who swore to care for our patients and, second, as public servants who committed to protecting the health of all Americans.

Today, in keeping with those oaths, we are compelled to speak with one voice to say that the actions of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are endangering the health of the nation. Never before have we issued a joint public warning like this. But the profound, immediate and unprecedented threat that Kennedy’s policies and positions pose to the nation’s health cannot be ignored.

Comments closed

Video | Photo exhibition highlights reality of Canadians with long COVID

The Living with Long COVID exhibition is a collaboration by the Museum of Vancouver and SFU’s Faculty of Health Sciences – offering a glimpse into the daily lives of people who continue to struggle with a variety of symptoms. Global’s Safeeya Pirani hears from those who are a part of the project, and how they are hoping to spread compassion by sharing stories.

Comments closed

Long COVID exhibition co-produced with community opens at the Museum of Vancouver

One in nine Canadians have experienced Long COVID symptoms, ranging from mild to debilitating. A new exhibition at the Museum of Vancouver, co-produced by Simon Fraser University’s Faculty of Health Sciences, invites visitors into the often-invisible world of those living with the life-altering effects of COVID-19.

Long COVID is a chronic condition affecting one or more organ systems that occurs after a SARS-CoV-2 infection and lingers for at least three months as a continuous, relapsing and remitting, or progressive disease state. Despite its prevalence, the condition remains widely misunderstood, under-researched, and stigmatized.

The Living with Long COVID exhibition brings these realities to light and offers a unique opportunity to intimately understand Long COVID through the eyes of those living it.

Comments closed

COVID ages women’s blood vessels, according to a study

COVID-19 causes women’s blood vessels to age prematurely, according to an international study involving two researchers from Université Laval. The disease should therefore be considered an additional risk factor in cardiovascular health analyses. Specifically, in those who have developed severe symptoms, they warn.

The aging of blood vessels results in greater rigidity, which can increase the risk of certain cardiovascular diseases.

“The heart must work a little harder to propel blood through the arterial system, and this causes variations in pressure that can damage sensitive organs, including the brain and kidneys,” explains Catherine Fortier, a kinesiologist and researcher in vascular aging at the CHU de Québec-Université Laval.

Comments closed

Uncovering the Molecular Basis of Long COVID Brain Fog

Researchers use a specialized brain imaging technique to identify a potential biomarker and therapeutic target of Long COVID

Long COVID is a chronic condition that causes cognitive problems known as “brain fog,” but its biological mechanisms remain largely unclear. Now, researchers from Japan used a novel imaging technique to visualize AMPA receptors—key molecules for memory and learning—in the living brain. They discovered that higher AMPA receptor density in patients with Long COVID was closely tied to the severity of their symptoms, highlighting these molecules as potential diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

Comments closed