When approving the advertising campaign, the government’s revisions “included the removal of details about vaccine eligibility, immunization locations by age group and the types of vaccines being offered and their efficacy against different strains of COVID-19 and influenza. Two lines that encouraged Albertans to book vaccination appointments were also deleted.”
Comments closedTag: Canada
Community COVID-19 vaccine clinics operated by the Brant County Health Unit are winding down at the end of this month due to cessation of provincial funding.
Starting January 2, the BCHU will only offer COVID-19 vaccine appointments for children ages six months to 12 years of age. Bookings for that age group can be made online at bchu.org/covid-19-vaccines/.
Comments closedTopic: brain damageView all posts for the topic: brain damage
Brain damage caused by COVID-19 may not show up on routine tests, study finds
Comments closedOur study shows that markers of brain injury are present in the blood months after COVID-19, and particularly in those who have had a COVID-19-induced brain complication (e.g. inflammation, or stroke), despite resolution of the inflammatory response in the blood. This suggests the possibility of ongoing inflammation and injury inside the brain itself which may not be detected by blood tests for inflammation.
Topic: QuebecView all posts for the topic: Quebec
Débordements dans des salles d’urgence d’une majorité de régions du Québec
The fall in occupancy rates in Quebec’s emergency rooms that began on 19 December ended on Tuesday.
The Index Santé website noted that this average rate had risen to 95% on 26 December, before jumping to 112% on Wednesday morning, shortly before 6 a.m., which was considered very high.
Comments closedTopic: Waterloo RegionView all posts for the topic: Waterloo Region
Waterloo region’s COVID booster rate lags behind national average
The number of people in Waterloo region who have received their most recent COVID-19 booster shot is just under 11 per cent, which is below the national average.
The region’s vaccination dashboard shows 10.9 per cent of people in the community are up-to-date on their vaccinations as of Dec. 7. The region notes “up to date” means a person has completed their primary series and received a booster dose within the previous six months.
The number of people who have received the updated XBB.1.5 COVID-19 vaccine sits at 10.8 per cent, the region told CBC News in an email.
Comments closedTopic: rapid testsView all posts for the topic: rapid tests
Rapid test supplier BTNX says Canadians can rely on its device’s accuracy
BTNX, the Canadian rapid test supplier that won an estimated $2 billion in federal contracts, denied that Health Canada used BTNX’s edited study to evaluate the rapid test kit that the federal government later purchased.
A year-long investigation into federal procurement published by Global News on Thursday revealed that Toronto area-based BTNX deleted dozens of specimens, or samples, from a study it submitted to Health Canada. That evaluation showed how well the company’s test detected COVID-19.
Comments closedTopic: OntarioView all posts for the topic: Ontario
Almonte General Hospital temporarily closing ER Saturday afternoon into Sunday morning
The emergency department at the Almonte General Hospital in Almonte, Ont. will be temporarily closed Saturday.
The Mississippi River Health Alliance (MRHA) said in a news release Saturday that the closure would be in effect from 3 p.m. Saturday until 7 a.m. Sunday. The rest of the hospital will remain open and care for patients continues.
The emergency department will be closed because of a staffing shortage, the hospital says.
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Topic: Nova ScotiaView all posts for the topic: Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia surpasses 1,000 COVID-19 deaths
Nova Scotia has reached a solemn milestone, surpassing 1,000 COVID-19 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.
“A thousand people in a province of a million people is a lot of humans and families that are missing people,” said Dr. Lisa Barrett, an infectious diseases doctor and researcher at Dalhousie University in Halifax.
Data released in the latest weekly respiratory watch report shows an additional nine deaths for the week of Dec. 10-16, bringing the total to 1,004 in the province.
Comments closedTopic: Nova ScotiaView all posts for the topic: Nova Scotia
‘Extreme shortages’ expected at N.S. emergency departments over the holidays: union
The largest union in Nova Scotia says “extreme shortages” are expected in emergency departments during the holidays as many health-care workers are off work and there aren’t enough staff to cover absences.
Sandra Mullen, president of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union, said the issue is especially pronounced at the Halifax Infirmary, one of the busiest hospitals in the province.
Comments closedTopic: Hamilton RegionView all posts for the topic: Hamilton Region
HHS closes urgent care for two days amid staff shortages, congestion at hospitals
Staffing shortages will close a Hamilton urgent care centre for two days at the same time city emergency departments are becoming increasingly congested with flu, COVID-19 and RSV patients.
With just 13 per cent of Hamiltonians getting a COVID shot in the past six months, local hospitals are bracing for the viral surge to continue climbing over the holidays.
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Topic: rapid testsView all posts for the topic: rapid tests
COVID test supplier received billions in pandemic contracts after submitting edited results
A rapid test importer landed an estimated $2 billion in federal contracts in 2021 and 2022, despite giving regulators incomplete data about its product’s accuracy, Global News has found.
A year-long investigation into federal procurement revealed that BTNX, a small rapid test supplier based outside Toronto, deleted dozens of specimens, or samples, from a study it submitted to Health Canada. That evaluation showed how well the company’s test detected COVID-19.
The deletions made BTNX’s test appear more reliable and sensitive than it really was, according to researchers Global News consulted.
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Topic: Ottawa-GatineauView all posts for the topic: Ottawa-Gatineau
Ottawa-Gatineau community update | 2023‑12‑20
📈 The COVID-19 wastewater viral signal for Ottawa has increased substantially (+1,735%) since a low on July 12, 2023. It is extremely high.
⚠️ The percent positivity is extremely high (16.27% in Ottawa; 27.2% in the Outaouais).
🏥 Confirmed COVID-19 patients in Ottawa hospitals: 158 ( decrease of 6).
In 2023, there have been 131 COVID-19 outbreaks at Ottawa’s hospitals so far, leading to 21 deaths and 1,061 known cases of COVID-19.
Comments closedInfectious diseases expert Dr. Donald Vinh on the high number of viruses circulating in Quebec right now and how people can avoid them.
Comments closedWindsor Regional Hospital has declared a COVID-19 outbreak at its Ouellette Campus.
The outbreak was declared on its 8 West unit on Dec. 20, with a total of three patients affected.
Comments closedTopic: NunavutView all posts for the topic: Nunavut
Be cautious as trio of illnesses circulate in communities, Nunavummiut warned
With winter increasing the spread of three illnesses across the territory, Nunavut’s chief public health officer is urging people to take steps to protect themselves.
There are 75 confirmed cases of flu; 16 cases of RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus; and 12 cases of COVID-19 in Nunavut, Dr. Sean Wachtel said Tuesday.
But the actual number of people sickened is probably higher than that, he said.
Comments closedTopic: vaccinesView all posts for the topic: vaccines
Just 15% of Canadians got updated COVID vaccines this fall, new figures show
Canadians raced to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in the first years of the pandemic, but data suggests there’s far less of a rush to get the latest shots available this fall.
Federal figures show only 15 per cent of the population aged five and up had received an updated vaccine by Dec. 3. And while older age groups had higher uptake rates, more than half of higher-risk older adults still hadn’t gotten a dose by early December, either.
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