Tag: Canada

Published by: The Globe and Mail
Published on: August 27, 2025
By Kelly Grant

Beginning this fall, all Ontarians 75 and older will be eligible for a free shot that protects against respiratory syncytial virus.

Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones is scheduled to announce the expansion of public coverage for RSV vaccines on Wednesday, according to a Ministry of Health release that The Globe and Mail obtained in advance.

Until now, the Ontario government only paid for the RSV vaccine for seniors who were 60 and older and considered high risk, such as transplant recipients, dialysis patients and nursing home residents.

Comments closed

vaccines

Moderna’s latest COVID-19 vaccine is both approved and ‘made in Canada’

Published August 25, 2025

Published by: Global News
Published on: August 25, 2025
By Ari Rabinovitch

Health Canada has approved Moderna’s newly updated COVID-19 vaccine — and for the first time, the vaccines will be “made in Canada.”

The company says having the vaccine available from domestic manufacturers and suppliers creates a critical piece of health resilience to “ensure Canada is ready, not just reactive.”

“With this approval, for the first time ever, mRNA COVID-19 vaccine doses for Canadians will be made in Canada. That’s a remarkable milestone,” Stefan Raos, general manager at Moderna, says in an emailed statement sent to Global News.

Comments closed

vaccines

Health Canada approves updated Pfizer, Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for fall

Published August 22, 2025

Published by: The Canadian Press
Published on: August 22, 2025
By Nicole Ireland

TORONTO – Health Canada has authorized updated COVID-19 vaccines by Pfizer and BioNTech and by Moderna for use this respiratory virus season.

Moderna says it will manufacture vaccine doses for the Canadian market in its new facility in Laval, Quebec and syringes will be filled in Cambridge, Ontario.

News releases from both Pfizer and Moderna say the new mRNA shots will target the LP.8.1 variant, a descendant of Omicron that the World Health Organization was monitoring earlier this year.

Comments closed

vaccines

Moderna Receives Health Canada Approval for Updated COVID-19 Vaccine Targeting SARS-CoV-2 Variant LP.8.1

Published August 22, 2025

Published by: Access Newswire
Published on: August 22, 2025
By Moderna

All 2025 pre-filled syringe doses to be made in Canada, marking a domestic production milestone

CAMBRIDGE, MA / ACCESS Newswire / August 22, 2025 / Moderna announced today that Health Canada has authorized its updated COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, Spikevax®, targeting the SARS-CoV-2 LP.8.1 variant, for individuals aged six months and older. Moderna is on track to deliver the updated vaccine in time for the 2025-2026 vaccination season.

All Spikevax pre-filled syringe (PFS) doses for the Canadian market will now be manufactured domestically, marking the first time Canada’s entire PFS format is produced at home. The drug substance will be produced at Moderna’s new facility in Laval, Quebec, with fill-finish operations completed by Novocol Pharma in Cambridge, Ontario. These Canadian-made doses are expected to be available for this fall.

“This approval is a regulatory milestone and a testament to Canada’s growing leadership in biomanufacturing and public health resilience,” said Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna. “Thanks to Health Canada’s timely and thorough review, we are proud to supply Spikevax doses to communities across the country, including, for the first time this year, doses produced in Canada.”

Comments closed

Alberta

Albertans can get COVID-19 vaccinations for free in B.C.

Published August 21, 2025

Published by: CBC News
Published on: August 21, 2025
By Michelle Bellefontaine

Albertans who don’t qualify for free COVID-19 vaccinations in their home province can get one in British Columbia.

B.C.’s Ministry of Health confirmed that detail in response to a query from CBC News. Canadian residents can get vaccinated due to a reciprocal agreement between all provinces and territories.

“Any publicly funded immunization in B.C. can be provided at no cost to any Canadian travelling within the province,” a statement from the ministry said. “This includes providing publicly funded COVID-19 vaccine to people of Alberta.”

Comments closed

Alberta

Alberta expands COVID-19 shots coverage for health workers, but calls grow for wider access

Published August 20, 2025

Published by: CTV News
Published on: August 20, 2025
By Mark Villani

Calls are growing louder in Alberta for the COVID-19 vaccine to be covered free of charge for all residents, following the province’s decision Tuesday to partially reverse its vaccine policy and expand coverage to some health-care workers.

While the move has been welcomed by workers and unions, public health experts and critics say it doesn’t go far enough, leaving many Albertans uncertain about access to the vaccine.

“The government has now taken a step towards admitting that they had the wrong approach,” said Chris Galloway, executive director at Friends of Medicare.

Comments closed

tick-borne diseases

Tick-borne Rocky Mountain spotted fever spreading in Canada

Published August 20, 2025

Published by: CBC News
Published on: August 20, 2025
By Emily Chung

Quebec has reported a case of the potentially deadly tick-borne disease Rocky Mountain spotted fever that was likely acquired in Ontario or Quebec. The disease was also reported in dogs in Ontario earlier this year.

Here’s what you need to know about preventing, identifying and treating the disease.

Comments closed

Alberta

Alberta government to cover COVID-19 shots for health-care workers in policy reversal

Published August 19, 2025

Published by: The Canadian Press
Published on: August 19, 2025
By Lisa Johnson

EDMONTON – In a partial policy reversal, Alberta’s government said Tuesday it will cover the cost of COVID-19 vaccinations for health-care workers.

Maddison McKee, spokesperson to Primary and Preventative Health Services Minister Adriana LaGrange, said in an email that COVID-19 vaccine coverage will be extended to all health-care workers this fall under the first phase of the province’s vaccination rollout.

“Immunization will remain voluntary,” said McKee.

Comments closed

First case of Rocky Mountain spotted fever confirmed in Quebec

Closeup photo of an American dog tick, crawling on the skin of a person. Photo: Jerry Kirkhart. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Quebec

First case of Rocky Mountain spotted fever confirmed in Quebec

Published August 18, 2025

Published by: Le Devoir
Published on: August 18, 2025
By Florence Morin-Martel

For the first time in Quebec, a person has contracted Rocky Mountain spotted fever, a tick-borne disease that is potentially fatal, a doctor stated on Monday. The patient, recently infected in Estrie, has nevertheless responded well to treatment and has now recovered.

As milder temperatures favour the proliferation of ticks, we expect to see more and more cases in the coming years in Quebec, says Dr. Alex Carignan, infectious disease microbiologist and professor in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at the University of Sherbrooke. “It is concerning, because it is an infection with significant severity.”

The disease, which is treated with antibiotics, can lead to death if not properly managed. The first symptoms, which appear a few hours or days after a person is bitten, include a high fever, headache, muscle aches, and skin lesions in the form of small red spots.

Comments closed

vaccines

Pfizer Canada and BioNTech Receive Health Canada Approval of LP.8.1 Variant Adapted COVID-19 Vaccine

Published August 18, 2025

Published by: CNW
Published on: August 18, 2025
By Pfizer Canada Inc.

LP.8.1 variant adapted COVID-19 vaccine COMIRNATY is now authorized in Canada for individuals 6 months of age and older. It is expected to be available in Canada in the coming weeks.

KIRKLAND, QC, Aug. 18, 2025 /CNW/ – Pfizer Canada ULC and BioNTech SE (Nasdaq: BNTX) “BioNTech” announced today that Health Canada has authorized the LP.8.1 variant adapted COMIRNATY^® COVID-19 vaccine for individuals aged 6 months and older. The updated COMIRNATY^® vaccine targets the Omicron LP.8.1 variant, one of the most recently circulating SARS-CoV-2 lineages.

This season’s Pfizer and BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine will be available in pharmacies across the country in the fall. The public program operates according to the eligibility criteria determined by each province. If an individual meets these criteria, they will be eligible to receive the vaccine for free.

Comments closed

long COVID

Long COVID left her son with debilitating stomach pain. Why it’s an ‘uphill battle’ for so many kids to get treated

Published August 17, 2025

Published by: Toronto Star
Published on: August 17, 2025
By Kevin Jiang

When Rebecca Lewkowicz’s 10-year-old son, Ethan, first tested positive for COVID-19, the Toronto-based mom of two thought little of it — the boy had only minor symptoms, which went away in a matter of days.

She had little reason to suspect the mild infection in April 2022 would soon derail Ethan’s life trajectory and her plans for his future. Nor did she anticipate she would spend more than a year fighting for her son’s illness to be taken seriously.

“We were lucky because it only took us 13 months to be believed,” Lewkowicz told the Star. ”People (living with long COVID) go two, three, four years without being believed, and children even longer.”

Comments closed

long COVID

Why Canadians with long COVID feel forgotten by the health-care system: ‘The pandemic still isn’t over’

Published August 16, 2025

Published by: Toronto Star
Published on: August 16, 2025
By Kevin Jiang

Parts of Tracey Thompson’s home are papered with notes.

Post-its and sheets of paper are pinned to her fridge and bookshelves, chronicling everything from doctor’s appointments to errands and upcoming tasks — physical reminders of what the 57-year-old says her brain can no longer keep track.

Five years after the dawn of the COVID-19 pandemic, Thompson has become one of the faces of long COVID, her journey chronicled by numerous news articles.

“I understand why more folks aren’t willing to be interviewed because they can garner a lot of negative attention,” she told the Star. “While telling my story can feel repetitive and is often stressful, there are still folks who don’t know what’s wrong with them or what the risks are, so I feel obligated to keep talking.”

Her profile may be higher than most, but Thompson is far from alone.

Comments closed

long COVID

Do you have long COVID? Here’s how to tell, and what we know about the condition so far

Published August 16, 2025

Published by: Toronto Star
Published on: August 16, 2025
By Kevin Jiang

It has been more than five years since the dawn of the COVID-19 pandemic, yet innumerable Canadians are still living with the consequences months or even years after their initial infection.

Much remains unknown about long COVID, or Post COVID Condition (PCC), despite the ailment affecting millions of Canadians and leaving thousands out of work. But as research continues to develop, scientists have gleaned some pieces of the puzzle.

Here’s what we know so far about what long COVID is, why it happens and how to tell if you have it.

Comments closed

British Columbia

Funding Changes Might Leave BC’s Long-COVID Patients in the Lurch

Published August 12, 2025

Published by: The Tyee
Published on: August 12, 2025
By Michelle Gamage

Upcoming changes to B.C.’s Medical Services Plan could affect how thousands of long-COVID patients access care.

Starting Sept. 1, MSP is capping all online group medical visits to just 20 patients, to “ensure there can still be a one-on-one interaction between each patient and the attending physician,” the Health Ministry told The Tyee.

Most long-COVID care in B.C. is currently delivered through large online group telehealth sessions from the Bowen Island-based BC Centre for Long COVID, ME/CFS, and Fibromyalgia, or BC-CLMF, which currently has over 5,200 patients — with 25 more referred every day, Dr. Ric Arseneau told The Tyee.

Comments closed

measles

Canada likely to lose measles elimination status as outbreak continues: expert

Published August 6, 2025

Published by: CTV News
Published on: August 6, 2025
By Pauline Chan

Canada is at risk of losing its measles elimination status as an outbreak that started in New Brunswick last year continues to grow.

Measles has been considered eliminated in Canada since 1998, and the country saw an average of 91 cases annually before October 2024, when the outbreak began. The designation means that, within a certain geographical region, there has been no sustained measles transmission over 12 consecutive months.

Since then, of the 4,394 measles infections nationwide, Health Canada data shows that most individuals were exposed to the virus domestically (94 per cent) and were not vaccinated (88 per cent).

Comments closed

wildfires

What’s all this wildfire smoke doing to your health? Here’s what experts have to say

Published August 6, 2025

Published by: CBC News
Published on: August 6, 2025
By Heather Kitching

People who breathe air polluted with large amounts of wildfire smoke visit hospital emergency rooms more often for respiratory symptoms, according to a Canadian emergency room physician and chair of the Global Climate and Health Alliance.

Rates of heart attack and cardiac arrest also increase after a couple of days of exposure, Dr. Courtney Howard said.

“So don’t just attribute that feeling of heaviness in your chest to asthma,” said Howard, who works in Yellowknife and is president of the Northwest Territories Medical Association.

“If you have other risk factors for cardiovascular disease especially, go see your friendly local emergency department.”

Comments closed

Alberta

Alberta’s Perverse New Barriers to COVID Vaccines

Published August 5, 2025

Published by: The Tyee
Published on: August 5, 2025
By Andrew Nikiforuk

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s radical new rules for COVID immunization pose a genuine threat to the elderly, the working poor and pregnant moms.

Smith, who revived her ailing political career by peddling conspiratorial COVID theories, has designed a program that is not only punitive but discriminatory, bureaucratic and Soviet in nature.

“This policy is so bad that it’s actually worse than their usual failure to plan properly,” said James Talbot, the province’s former chief medical officer of health. “In fact, it is so bad it looks like they are actually planning to fail.”

Here are the three basic tenets of any successful public health program: make it available, make it accessible and make it affordable. Smith turns all three upside down.

Comments closed

Ottawa-Gatineau

Wildfire smoke blanketing Ottawa could linger into Tuesday

Published August 4, 2025

Published by: CTV News
Published on: August 4, 2025
By Ted Raymond

Environment Canada says a cloud of wildfire smoke that is covering the nation’s capital could hang overhead into Tuesday.

A special air quality statement is in effect for much of the region as smoke continues to affect most of southern and eastern Ontario.

“The wildfire smoke may persist into tonight and possibly Tuesday before finally easing,” Environment Canada says. “Air quality and visibility due to wildfire smoke can fluctuate over short distances and can vary considerably from hour to hour.”

Comments closed

Tag: Canada

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Still COVIDing Canada Posts