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Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Topic: cancerView all posts for the topic: cancer

‘Sleeping’ cancer cells in the lungs can be roused by COVID and flu

Published July 30, 2025

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: Nature
Published on:
By Max Kozlov

Hidden in the lungs of some breast cancer survivors are tumour cells that can remain dormant for decades — until they one day trigger a relapse. Now, experiments in mice show that these rogue cells can be roused from their slumber by common respiratory illnesses such as COVID-19 or the flu.

The findings, published in Nature on 30 July1, seem to extend to humans too: data from thousands of people show that infection with the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is linked with a nearly twofold increase in cancer-related death, possibly helping to explain why cancer death rates increased early during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Topic: Trump regimeView all posts for the topic: Trump regime

Controversial FDA official Dr. Vinay Prasad departs agency

Published July 29, 2025

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Published by: CNN
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By Meg Tirrell, Sarah Owermohle, Adam Cancryn

Dr. Vinay Prasad, the controversial critic of the US Food and Drug Administration who took a top role at the regulatory agency in May, has resigned less than three months into the job.

“Dr. Prasad did not want to be a distraction to the great work of the FDA in the Trump administration and has decided to return to California and spend more time with his family,” a spokesperson for the US Department of Health and Human Services told CNN on Tuesday.

Prasad, a hematologist oncologist, was named head of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research in early May, giving him purview over vaccines and biologic medicines. He was subsequently also given the role of FDA chief medical and scientific officer. Like a number of Trump administration health appointees, Prasad had been a harsh critic of the government’s response and vaccine policies during the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Topic: long COVIDView all posts for the topic: long COVID

B.C. plans to cut payments for long-COVID clinics, leaving patients in lurch

Published July 27, 2025

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Published by: Victoria Times Colonist
Published on:
By Alec Lazenby, Vancouver Sun

A virtual clinic that treats patients for long COVID and other chronic conditions is warning that it may have to partially shut down if the province goes ahead with changes on Sept. 1 that would limit the number of patients who can take part in online group appointments.

The B.C. Centre for Long COVID, ME/CFS & Fibromyalgia, run by internal medicine doctors Ric Arseneau and R. Jane McKay, treats 5,000 patients for a variety of chronic diseases, such as myalgic encephalomyelitis, which causes extreme fatigue, and PoTS, a heart rate condition.

After each patient goes through an initial one-on-one consultation, follow-up appointments can take the form of a virtual group medical visit of up to 12 patients, where either Arseneau or McKay take at least one to two questions per patient, or a group medication visit of up to 50 patients, which allows for presentations on different medications and then takes questions from patients.

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Topic: QuebecView all posts for the topic: Quebec

Wildfires: Montreal has the worst air quality in the world

Published July 26, 2025

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Published by: Radio-Canada
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By Patrick MacIntyre

Smoke from forest fires is responsible for poor air quality in southern Quebec, northern Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Montreal is also on Saturday the city where air quality is the worst in the world, according to IQAir’s ranking.

With a score of 191, Montreal ranks first, ahead of cities like Kinshasa in Congo and Manama in Bahrain. Toronto is also part of the top 10, it ranks 8th with a score of 110.

A score between 101 and 150 on the IQAir index indicates that conditions are poor for vulnerable people. If the index is higher than 150, the conditions are bad for everyone’s health.

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Topic: labour rightsView all posts for the topic: labour rights

Human Rights Tribunal Affirms Immunocompromised Worker’s Right to Seek Workplace Accommodations

Published July 22, 2025

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Published by: PressProgress
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By Emma Arkell

A human rights tribunal has found that an employer’s failure to provide accommodation for an immunocompromised worker amounted to discrimination on the basis of disability.

The April decision by the BC Human Rights Tribunal affirmed that immunodeficiency is a physical disability, and that in raising concerns about his immunodeficiency multiple times, the worker who brought the case forward had given his employer enough information to trigger the employer’s responsibility to look into ways to accommodate that disability.

Gabrielle Peters, a disabled writer and policy analyst based in Vancouver, praised the decision as broadening the discussion of what it means to create an accessible workplace.

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Topic: ManitobaView all posts for the topic: Manitoba

Wildfire smoke leads to air quality warnings for much of Manitoba this weekend

Published July 19, 2025

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Published by: CBC News
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By Santiago Arias Orozco

Smoke billowing from wildfires is leading to poor air quality and reducing visibility throughout most of Manitoba this weekend.

Environment and Climate Change Canada issued warnings Saturday morning for a large swath of the province, including Winnipeg and Brandon in the south, the Interlake and Thompson in the north.

“We have asthma so we try to just like think about how our chest is feeling … and go from there,” Aleecia Doyle said of she and her son, Liam Doyle. The pair ventured to Old Market Square to catch some of the entertainment for Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival opening weekend.

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Topic: vaccinesView all posts for the topic: vaccines

New COVID-19 vaccine candidate shows strong protection against multiple variants

Published July 18, 2025

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Published by: Centenary Institute
Published on:

A promising new COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by researchers at the Centenary Institute and the University of Sydney has shown strong potential to protect against both current and emerging coronavirus variants. By targeting features shared by a range of coronaviruses, the vaccine is designed to offer broader and longer-lasting protection as the virus continues to evolve.

The development comes as Australia faces continued COVID-19 circulation during winter, with new Omicron subvariants such as XBB.1.5 contributing to infections and hospitalisations. To date, there have been over 115,000 COVID-19 cases reported to the Australian Government’s National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System for 2025.

Published in the scientific journal npj Vaccines, the new study shows that the vaccine candidate, named CoVEXS5, protected mice from multiple coronaviruses, including the highly immune-evasive Omicron XBB.1.5 variant and SARS-CoV-1, a relative of SARS-CoV-2 that was responsible for the 2002–2004 SARS outbreak.

In laboratory tests, CoVEXS5 reduced virus levels in the lungs of infected mice by approximately 99.9% compared to unvaccinated controls, demonstrating a dramatic protective effect.

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Topic: cognitive issuesView all posts for the topic: cognitive issues

COVID hospitalization linked to cognitive impairment 2 years later

Published July 17, 2025

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Published by: CIDRAP
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By Stephanie Soucheray

Almost 20% of people who were hospitalized for COVID-19 infections early in the pandemic still had signs of impairment with brain function 2 years after infection, finds a new study in Scientific Reports.

The study population came from Portugal, in a region hit hard by the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on hospital admission episodes and SARS-CoV-2 infection status from March 2020 to February 2021, the authors identified four groups: group 1 (101) hospitalized for COVID-19 infections, group 2 (87) hospitalized but uninfected with COVID-19, group 3 (252) infected but not requiring hospitalization, and group 4 (258) uninfected and not hospitalized for any reason.

Cognitive assessments were conducted in two parts 2 years after infection, a general screening using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and a subsequent neuropsychological assessment conducted by one of four psychologists if the score of the general screening was low. Overall, verbal memory, visual memory, executive functions, language, and information processing speed and attention were evaluated.

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Topic: British ColumbiaView all posts for the topic: British Columbia

B.C. health minister praises U.S. recruitment, says 780 applications in 2 months

Published July 16, 2025

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Published by: CTV News / The Canadian Press
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VANCOUVER — British Columbia’s health minister says the province has received almost 780 job applications from qualified American health professionals as part of its recruitment campaign.

Josie Osborne says more than 2,250 doctors, nurses and other health professionals have signed up for webinars and expressed interest in working in B.C. since March.

Bylaw changes implemented by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C. this month mean U.S.-trained doctors can become fully licensed in B.C., without further assessment if they hold certifications from various American medical boards.

Osborne says that means Canadian doctors trained in the U.S. can “come home” and the path also becomes easier for American physicians.

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Topic: AlbertaView all posts for the topic: Alberta

Alberta wastewater unlocked key information about COVID-19. Could it help with measles too?

Published July 16, 2025

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Published by: CBC News
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By Jennifer Lee

As Alberta’s measles outbreaks grow, researchers are now watching the province’s wastewater for the highly contagious virus and hoping to determine if the technology could eventually serve as an early detection tool.

The magnitude of Alberta’s outbreaks and the speed at which cases are climbing has sparked widespread concern. As of midday Tuesday, 1,323 cases had been confirmed since the outbreaks began in March.

Piggybacking off weekly wastewater samples, collected through the provincial COVID-19 surveillance program, the team has designed a test that can identify both the wild type measles virus (indicating actual infection) and vaccine-related shedding in the wastewater.

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Topic: vaccinesView all posts for the topic: vaccines

Study finds no link between aluminum in vaccines and autism, asthma

Published July 14, 2025

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Published by: NBC News
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By Kaitlin Sullivan

Aluminum in childhood vaccines is a target of vaccine skeptics, who blame the ingredient on myriad health concerns. But a study of more than 1 million people, published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine, found no link between aluminum in vaccines and an increased risk of 50 chronic conditions, including autoimmune diseases, allergies and autism.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has spread vaccine misinformation for years, said on a podcast in 2024 that aluminum in vaccines is “extremely neurotoxic.” (An HHS spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.)

Senior study author Anders Hviid said that, as a parent, he understood the concerns about vaccine safety.

“Our study addresses many of these concerns and provides clear and robust evidence for the safety of childhood vaccines. This is evidence that parents need to make the best choices for the health of their children,” said Hviid, who is a professor and the head of epidemiology research at Statens Serum Institut, a sector of the Danish Ministry of Health focused on combating and preventing infectious diseases.

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Topic: SaskatchewanView all posts for the topic: Saskatchewan

Saskatoon under air quality warning as wildfire smoke blows in from the north

Published July 14, 2025

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Published by: CTV News
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By Rory MacLean

Saskatoon residents are feeling the lingering effects of the province’s northern wildfires on Monday, as a northerly wind has blown heavy smoke into central Saskatchewan.

Environment and Climate Change Canada issued an air quality warning after 4 a.m. Monday, advising anyone likely to be affected by smoke, including infants and young children, seniors, people with chronic conditions and those who work outdoors to limit time outside and seek medical attention if they experience symptoms.

The air quality index for the day is listed as 10-plus — considered a very high risk to health.

“During heavy smoke conditions, everyone’s health is at risk regardless of their age or health status,” Environment Canada said.

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Topic: measlesView all posts for the topic: measles

Alberta’s measles outbreaks surpass case counts reported for entire U.S.

Published July 14, 2025

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Published by: CBC News
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By Jennifer Lee

Alberta has now confirmed more measles cases than the entire United States has reported this year.

The province has been battling outbreaks since March and as of noon Monday, total case counts in the province had ballooned to 1,314.

The latest update from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that country has amassed 1,288 cases this year.

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Topic: air qualityView all posts for the topic: air quality

Toronto has some of the worst air quality in the world right now — and a new study says smog and wildfire smoke can damage your heart

Published July 14, 2025

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Published by: Toronto Star
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By Omar Mosleh

With the city once again blanketed in wildfire smoke, experts are warning that long-term exposure to air pollution can lead to higher risk of heart failure.

Environment Canada issued a special air quality statement on Sunday night due to wildfire smoke from northern Ontario pushing Toronto’s Air Quality Health Index to 10+, classified as “very high risk.” Poor air quality was expected to persist Monday and possibly into Tuesday.

The effects of air pollution on the heart are underscored in a recent study, which found that long-term exposure to air pollution, in particular fine particulate matter, was linked to higher levels of diffuse myocardial fibrosis, a type of heart scarring that can lead to higher risk of heart failure.

Continue readingToronto has some of the worst air quality in the world right now — and a new study says smog and wildfire smoke can damage your heart
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Topic: TorontoView all posts for the topic: Toronto

Air quality alert issued for Toronto, GTA as forest fire smoke pushes levels to ‘high risk’

Published July 14, 2025

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Published by: Toronto Star
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By Allie Moustakis

Toronto and much of the GTA are under a special air quality statement as smoke from forest fires in northern Ontario pushes into the region, Environment Canada warned Sunday night.

The agency says winds are carrying smoke into the area, reducing visibility and pushing the Air Quality Health Index to 10+, classified as “very high risk,” early Monday morning. Poor air quality is expected to persist into Monday and possibly Tuesday, Environment Canada added.

Torontonians are urged to reduce or reschedule strenuous outdoor activities, particularly if you experience coughing, runny nose, throat or eye irritation or any other symptoms.

People aged 65 and older, pregnant people, infants and young children, people with an existing illness or chronic health condition and people who work outdoors are most at risk, Environment Canada says, adding that more serious symptoms such as chest pain or severe coughing should be treated as medical emergencies.

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Topic: HIVView all posts for the topic: HIV

US aid cuts halt HIV vaccine research in South Africa, with global impact

Published July 13, 2025

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Published by: The Associated Press
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By Mogomotsi Magome

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Just a week had remained before scientists in South Africa were to begin clinical trials of an HIV vaccine, and hopes were high for another step toward limiting one of history’s deadliest pandemics. Then the email arrived.

Stop all work, it said. The United States under the Trump administration was withdrawing all its funding.

The news devastated the researchers, who live and work in a region where more people live with HIV than anywhere else in the world. Their research project, called BRILLIANT, was meant to be the latest to draw on the region’s genetic diversity and deep expertise in the hope of benefiting people everywhere.

But the $46 million from the U.S. for the project was disappearing, part of the dismantling of foreign aid by the world’s biggest donor earlier this year as President Donald Trump announced a focus on priorities at home.

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Topic: vaccinesView all posts for the topic: vaccines

‘Tremendous uncertainty’ for cancer research as US officials target mRNA vaccines

Published July 12, 2025

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Published by: The Guardian
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By Melody Schreiber

As US regulators restrict Covid mRNA vaccines and as independent vaccine advisers re-examine the shots, scientists fear that an unlikely target could be next: cancer research.

Messenger RNA, or mRNA, vaccines have shown promise in treating and preventing cancers that have often been difficult to address, such as pancreatic cancer, brain tumors and others.

But groundbreaking research could stall as federal and state officials target mRNA shots, including ending federal funding for bird flu mRNA vaccines, restricting who may receive existing mRNA vaccines and, in some places, proposing laws against the vaccines.

The Trump administration has also implemented unprecedented cuts to cancer research, among other research cuts and widespread layoffs at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Continue reading‘Tremendous uncertainty’ for cancer research as US officials target mRNA vaccines
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Topic: vaccinesView all posts for the topic: vaccines

FDA approves Moderna COVID vaccine for kids under 12 at higher risk

Published July 10, 2025

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Published by: CIDRAP
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By Jim Wappes

Vaccine maker Moderna announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted full approval of its Spikevax (mRNA-1273) COVID vaccine for children 6 months to 11 years old. But, because federal officials in May restricted its recommendations for COVID-19 vaccines to adults 65 and older and to people of all ages who are at increased risk for severe disease, Spikevax will be available only to kids in that age range who are at higher risk.

“COVID-19 continues to pose a significant potential threat to children, especially those with underlying medical conditions. Vaccination can be an important tool for protecting our youngest against severe disease and hospitalization,” said Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel, MBA, MEng. “We appreciate the FDA’s diligent scientific review and approval of Spikevax for pediatric populations at increased risk for COVID-19 disease.”

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