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Tag: activism

La Société canadienne de la COVID lancée pour contrer les effets à long terme

A national not-for-profit group called the Canadian Covid Society was launched on Wednesday. Its co-founders say the organization is needed because public health agencies have given up on COVID-19 prevention and awareness campaigns.

“I feel that somehow we are filling a void that public health has left,” explained Dr. Joe Vipond, one of the society’s five co-founders, at a press conference.

In his home province of Alberta, “there is virtually no mention of COVID. There is no mention of long COVID. It really fell off the radar for a lot of public health at this point,” said Dr. Vipond, who is an emergency physician in Calgary.

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New Canadian Covid Society aims to address long-term effects

A national non-profit group called the Canadian Covid Society launched on Wednesday, with co-founders saying the organization is needed as public health agencies have pulled back on COVID-19 prevention measures and awareness campaigns.

“I feel in some ways we’re filling a gap where public health has left open,” Dr. Joe Vipond, one of the society’s five co-founders, said at a news conference.

In his home province of Alberta, “there’s basically no mention of COVID. There’s no mention of long COVID. It’s really fallen off the radar for a lot of public health at this point,” said Vipond, who is an emergency physician in Calgary.

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Canadian Covid Society launches to address long-term effects, prevent further illness

A national non-profit group called the Canadian Covid Society launched on Wednesday, with co-founders saying the organization is needed as public health agencies have pulled back on COVID-19 prevention measures and awareness campaigns.

“I feel in some ways we’re filling a gap where public health has left open,” Dr. Joe Vipond, one of the society’s five co-founders, said at a news conference.

In his home province of Alberta, “there’s basically no mention of COVID. There’s no mention of long COVID. It’s really fallen off the radar for a lot of public health at this point,” said Vipond, who is an emergency physician in Calgary.

“While the acute phase of the pandemic has ended, the virus continues to cause significant chronic illness,” the Canadian Covid Society’s website says.

COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death across Canada in 2022, behind heart disease and cancer, it says.

“It still continues to be a stressor on our health system up to this present day. It is contributing to poor health and excess deaths,” said Dr. Kashif Pirzada, another co-founder of the society.

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Protect Our Province masking message on New West billboard takes aim at COVID

The pandemic has highlighted the lasting health impacts viruses can have, long after the acute infection is over and done with.

Many viruses, not just Covid, play a role in causing more serious long-term diseases. Epstein- Barr Virus (EBV), the mononucleosis or kissing disease virus, is associated with Multiple Sclerosis.

Recently, B.C. rolled out an at home self-test for Human Papilloma Virus, that’s because HPV can cause throat and cervical cancer.

After the Great Influenza of 1918, it took us years to learn that children born in and around that time were later at higher risk for Parkinson’s disease (remember Robert De Niro in the movie Awakenings), not to mention cardiac disease and diabetes.

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“They’re Taking Away Your Right To Be Healthy.”

The tide is turning. Thanks to all the people making noise on social media and bugging their families, while continuing to wear masks and build air purifiers no matter what anyone says, there’s a trace of hope.

—Jessica Wildfire
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Long Covid advocates face challenges, potential discrimination with billboard campaigns

Covid-19 is still infecting and reinfecting millions of people around the world — causing more and more people to develop Long Covid. But public health and government agencies worldwide have failed to warn people about Long Covid and support those affected, and still aren’t effectively funding research to find effective treatments.

In response to the lack of support, people with Long Covid in the U.S., Canada, U.K., and Europe are buying billboard ads to raise awareness about the disease and promote the urgent need for clinical trials. These billboards aim to do the job of public health authorities, advocates who spoke to The Sick Times explained.

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Arguing long COVID is being downplayed, an advocate has launched this St. John’s billboard

A new billboard has popped up along a prominent road in St. John’s, warning people of the long-term effects of COVID-19 and to take precautionary measures.

The Topsail Road sign — which says “Long COVID ruins lives. Mask up” — was organized not by health officials, but a group concerned about the impact of the disease.

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Four months after healthcare mask mandate dropped, a protest calls for its return

“It’s now obvious we’ve started a COVID surge with a new variant, right when flu and RSV [respiratory syncytial virus] are about to hit. Our healthcare system is on its knees. We have the tools, and we need to use them. Not restoring mask protections to healthcare would be criminal.”

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COVID-19: B.C. doctors, researchers and teachers warn of another triple epidemic

I do feel like we are in a worse position (than last winter) because of the complacency of people. I think the pandemic has been downplayed this whole past year. And not enough has been explained to people about the long-term harm from previous COVID infections.

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DoNoHarm BC protests the removal of mandatory masks in healthcare settings

All COVID-19 patients (including vaccinated adults and children) are potentially at risk of long-term health damage or death, though some groups are disproportionately affected. These risks multiply with each reinfection.

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DoNoHarm BC to stage a die-in protesting end of hospital mask mandate

Getting rid of masking means I can’t safely get the care I need. I need regular follow-up care, and because I’m immunocompromised, getting Covid in hospital is a massive risk… Right now, one of my greatest health risks is accessing medical care.

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“I don’t feel protected”: How a lack of COVID-19 protections is impacting mental health

People who are COVID-aware or at high risk discuss the mental health burden of staying safe.

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High schoolers walk out to protest lax COVID policies

High school students across Manitoba walked out of class last Monday to demand improved COVID-19 safety measures as in-person learning resumes.

‍Organized by the group MB Students for COVID Safety, the walkout’s demands included the option to return to remote learning if students wish and increased funding for safety measures for those who prefer in-person learning.

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