At the height of the pandemic in February of 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he had found a partner to make millions of doses…
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Topic: OntarioView all posts for the topic: Ontario
Updated COVID, flu vaccines arrive in London region, and health officials suggest you get both
Shipments of updated COVID-19 and flu vaccines have arrived in the London region, according to the Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU), with more rolling in as respiratory virus season inches closer.
A spokesperson for the MLHU said high risk populations are eligible for the shots for now, and the general population will have to wait until the end of the month to update their immunization.
Comments closedTopic: long COVIDView all posts for the topic: long COVID
Call for the creation of a national registry for long COVID
The second Canadian Symposium on Long COVID came to a close in Edmonton on Friday, with an urgent call for the establishment of a national registry for the condition.
The event, organized by Long Covid Web, a network dedicated to research and support for people suffering from post COVID-19 condition, in collaboration with the University of Alberta, University of Calgary, and Alberta Health Services, brought together researchers, clinicians and patients to discuss the challenges associated with the condition.
The speakers’ testimonies highlighted the devastating impact of long COVID on patients’ daily lives.
Comments closedTopic: Ottawa-GatineauView all posts for the topic: Ottawa-Gatineau
Ottawa’s wastewater surveillance program extended for another year
Two months after the Ontario government pulled the plug on wastewater surveillance, Ottawa health and research institutions have teamed up to extend the program in the city for a least another year.
Calling it an innovative solution that allowed for better monitoring of COVID-19 in the community, CHEO, the CHEO Research Institute, the University of Ottawa and Ottawa Public Health announced an extension of wastewater surveillance on Friday.
In addition to monitoring COVID-19 levels in wastewater, the program monitors levels of influenza, RSV and mpox in Ottawa. The program has been extended until September 2025.
Comments closedTopic: Ottawa-GatineauView all posts for the topic: Ottawa-Gatineau
uOttawa, CHEO and OPH extend monitoring of viruses in wastewater to 2025
Comments closedOur research group is truly grateful for the overwhelming support we’ve received from the community over the past few months through emails, letters, and phone calls advocating for the continuation of our wastewater monitoring system.
We’ve gained invaluable insights into how this information is essential for community members facing health challenges, and we are thrilled to continue providing this vital service. A heartfelt thank you to OPH, CHEO, and CHEO-RI for their unwavering support.
Topic: AlbertaView all posts for the topic: Alberta
No flu or COVID-19 vaccines for medical clinics as Alberta’s fall immunization launch nears
Family doctors and nurse practitioners have been told they will not be receiving deliveries of flu or COVID-19 vaccines in time for the fall immunization program launch later this month. And it is unclear if they will get any at all.
In addition to AHS public health clinics and pharmacies, community medical clinics can administer publicly funded vaccines, including those that protect against COVID and influenza.
But shipments of vaccines — to these clinics — have stopped, jeopardizing their participation in the fall immunization campaign.
Comments closedTopic: vaccinesView all posts for the topic: vaccines
COVID-19 boosters start rolling out to some Canadians. Who can get them?
Updated COVID-19 vaccines are starting to roll out to some high-risk Canadians, but others will have to wait a little while longer before these new shots are offered to them.
Last month, Health Canada approved Pfizer and Moderna’s latest COVID-19 vaccines targeting the most recent variants of the virus.
Both shots are approved for everyone aged six months and older.
The new mRNA vaccines from both pharmaceutical companies target the KP.2 subvariant of Omicron that was dominating COVID-19 spread earlier this year.
Comments closedTopic: British ColumbiaView all posts for the topic: British Columbia
COVID-19 prevalence high and rising across most of province as BCCDC revamps reporting dashboards
The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that causes COVID-19 – in B.C. wastewater is high and rising across most regions, according to the latest data from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.
The BCCDC released its first weekly data update of the 2024-25 respiratory illness season Thursday, and took the opportunity to dramatically revise the information it presents and the way it is presented.
Gone is the previous year’s “COVID-19 Situation Report” dashboard, replaced with a new dashboard titled “Viral Respiratory Outcomes.”
While the situation report included specific numbers for newly confirmed infections, hospital admissions, critical care admissions and deaths within 30 days of a positive COVID test, the new dashboard reports the latter three numbers as a rate per million residents.
Comments closedTopic: vaccinesView all posts for the topic: vaccines
For Canadians seeking a non-mRNA COVID vaccine, lack of Novavax shot is ‘unfair,’ advocates say
The federal government’s decision to not provide Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine this respiratory virus season raises health equity concerns, experts and advocates say, as some Canadians look to the U.S. to get the shot.
The Public Health Agency of Canada said it won’t provide the protein-based vaccine called Nuvaxovid because the manufacturer required a minimum order that far exceeds last year’s uptake of the vaccine.
The health agency said 125,000 Nuvaxovid doses were ordered in 2023, but only 5,529 were administered. This fall, it will only supply provinces and territories with the reformulated Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.
But some Canadians who say they are immunocompromised and have had adverse reactions to the mRNA vaccines are calling the decision unfair.
Comments closedTopic: vaccinesView all posts for the topic: vaccines
Canadian government not ordering Novavax’s protein-based COVID-19 vaccine this year
TORONTO – The Public Health Agency of Canada says it is not providing Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine this respiratory virus season, citing low demand.
It says the manufacturer requires a minimum order of its updated protein-based vaccine, called Nuvaxovid, which far exceeds the uptake by Canadians last year.
The agency says a very small portion of the doses ordered in 2023 were used and that its decision reflects efforts to limit vaccine wastage.
It is distributing two mRNA vaccines — made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna — that are approved for adults and children six months and older.
Comments closedTopic: Northwest TerritoriesView all posts for the topic: Northwest Territories
The N.W.T. now has a virus ‘dashboard’ so you can see COVID-19, flu and RSV trends
Data collected by wastewater monitoring in six N.W.T. communities is being put to a new use: an online dashboard that tracks how much COVID-19, flu and RSV are in those communities.
The N.W.T. government announced the new dashboard Wednesday in a news release. It covers Yellowknife, Behchokǫ̀, Fort Smith, Fort Simpson, Hay River and Norman Wells.
The dashboard is updated once a week on Tuesdays. For the most recent reporting period, as of Wednesday, it didn’t have data for Hay River but showed COVID-19 was still being detected to a high or moderate level in all the other communities. No detection was noted for flu or RSV.
Comments closedTopic: vaccinesView all posts for the topic: vaccines
Health Canada approves Pfizer-BioNTech’s updated COVID-19 vaccine
Health Canada approved Pfizer-BioNTech’s updated COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday, marking its third authorization of vaccine formulations that protect against the most recently circulating variants of the virus.
Pfizer-BioNTech’s mRNA vaccine, called Comirnaty, targets the KP.2 subvariant of Omicron, replacing the previous version that targeted the XBB.1.5 Omicron subvariant.
The approval of Comirnaty follows last week’s authorization of Moderna’s updated Spikevax mRNA vaccine and Novavax’s updated protein-based vaccine, Nuvaxovid.
Comments closedTopic: University of OttawaView all posts for the topic: University of Ottawa
Indigenous Garden takes root at uOttawa Faculty of Medicine
The dedicated green space will serve many purposes, including actively fostering engagement and reconciliation with Indigenous community members.
From the hollow of an abalone shell, sweet-smelling smoke curls skyward from smoldering sage, tobacco, cedar, and sweetgrass – four sacred medicines in Indigenous healing ceremonies. An Algonquin Elder gently brushes the braiding smoke with her hands and offers it to the four directions in a spiritually cleansing practice known as smudging.
Comments closedTopic: AlbertaView all posts for the topic: Alberta
Moderna’s updated COVID-19 vaccine is coming to Alberta, but Novavax shots are not
With the approval of Moderna’s updated COVID-19 vaccine, doctors are hoping the shots will be available soon and Albertans will opt to roll up their sleeves to get one.
Last week, Health Canada announced it had authorized Moderna’s new formulation, which targets the recent KP.2 subvariant, and that shipments would arrive within days.
A decision on Pfizer’s new formulation is expected in the next few weeks.
Comments closedTopic: vaccinesView all posts for the topic: vaccines
Health Canada approves updated Novavax COVID-19 vaccine
An updated version of Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine has been approved by Canada’s health agency.
According to a Thursday update on the government’s vaccine portal, Health Canada will replace the older version of the protein-based vaccine, Nuvaxovid XBB.1.5. The new version will include an update to the antigen composition targeting the JN.1 variant.
“After a thorough scientific review Health Canada has approved the company’s JN.1 Variant vaccine,” the agency posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Comments closedTopic: vaccinesView all posts for the topic: vaccines
No good option: These Canadians want to be protected against COVID but are unhappy with the choice of vaccines this fall
The federal government has decided against procuring a protein-based COVID-19 vaccine for the fall immunization campaign — despite it being the only type that some immunocompromised people say they have been able to tolerate.
While the mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna are effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalization and death, some people with autoimmune diseases say the jabs can come with a terrible trade-off.
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