COVID-19 was the fourth leading cause of death, although it caused fewer deaths. More than 14,000 people died in 2021 due to the virus, compared to more than 16,000 deaths the previous year.
However, Statistics Canada notes that COVID-19 has hit younger groups more than in the first year of the pandemic.
Comments closedCW: cancer, surgery, medical negligence, denial of care, disability grief
As part of DoNoHarm BC’s #Postcards4PublicHealth campaign, we’ve invited British Columbians to share their stories about the lack of Covid safety in BC – particularly the loss of mask protections in healthcare. Many wrote directly to policy makers. Some generously gave us permission to share their stories with the public and the press.
Comments closedC.D.C. researchers have estimated that air purifiers may decrease the exposure to aerosols — tiny floating droplets that might contain virus — by up to 65 percent.
Comments closedLast month, the National Institutes of Health updated its considerations for long COVID to say the burden of the condition in children “may be quite large.” Studies estimating its prevalence in pediatric populations are limited and conflicting, estimating up to 25% of children infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus could go on to develop long COVID, though it’s more likely between 2% and 10%. Older children with existing chronic diseases or who had a more severe COVID-19 infection have an increased risk.
Comments closedCambridge Memorial Hospital is declaring a COVID-19 outbreak in its Inpatient Surgery Unit.
Comments closed“You might’ve heard the CDC is about to make things even more dangerous for patients when they vote on new, lower standards for infection control this November. This decision will hurt everyone. It will hurt doctors and nurses. It will hurt seniors. It will hurt children. It will hurt young, healthy adults (who goes to the hospital when they’re feeling great?) There’s only one small group it will help, and that’s healthcare CEOs and their bottom lines.”
Comments closedCovid-19 vaccines that have been tweaked to teach the body how to fend off the current crop of circulating variants are now expected to land in drugstores and clinics in mid-September, CDC and FDA officials said.
Comments closed“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.”
Comments closedIn JAMA Network Open, authors describe how the all-cause mortality rate in China increased after the nation lifted its “zero COVID” policy, resulting in an estimated 1.87 million excess deaths during the first 2 months following the end of the policy.
Comments closedA highly mutated form of the coronavirus that threatens to be the most adept yet at slipping past the body’s immune defenses is capturing the attention of virologists and health officials.
Comments closedComments closedThis isn’t who I am – I don’t recognise myself. I panic if I get on the Tube and there’s no seat. It’s a very strange feeling, like not being in your own body. My fear is I’ll never really get better, and that I’m always going to be at 70% of my former self.
Comments closedWe don’t understand all the implications of long COVID. Basically, this virus gets into your body and it doesn’t leave. […] And it invades the lining of the blood vessels and every organ of your body.
Given that 103 million Americans and 770 million people worldwide have been diagnosed as having contracted COVID-19, a future of misery could await a stunningly large cross-section of humanity.
Comments closedComments closedWe’re seeing new data all the time on the long-term consequences of infection, whether it’s long COVID or the impact on the heart.
“These results suggest that although racial and ethnic disparities exist in measurement of oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry, overestimation may increase the risk of hospital readmission regardless of patient race.”
Comments closed“When looking at the use of face masks and mask mandates, studies consistently reported the measures were an effective approach to reduce infection. The evidence further indicates higher-quality respirator masks – such as N95 masks – were more effective than surgical-type masks.”
Comments closedThe latest snapshot of Canada’s battle against the pandemic captures the toll the Omicron variant has taken on the elderly.
The highly infectious variant drove up hospitalizations across Canada, especially in those age 65 and older, according to data released Wednesday from the Canadian Institute for Health Information.
Comments closedThe COVID-19 wastewater viral signal for Ottawa has increased substantially (+644%) since a low on July 12, 2023. The viral signal is still lower than the extremely high peaks in early January and early April.
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