New Brunswick reported two more deaths from COVID-19, a week-over-week jump in hospitalizations and nursing home outbreaks because of the virus, and an increase in flu cases and hospitalizations Tuesday.
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Topic: QuebecView all posts for the topic: Quebec
Dubé demande l’aide des Québécois et annonce des mesures pour les urgences
To reduce pressure on overflowing emergencies, the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, asks people with non-emergency problems to practice self-care, contact their family doctor, family medicine group (GMF) or the 811 phone line instead of going to the hospital. He noted that 28 winter clinics are open and that agreements have recently been reached with residential settings to accommodate seniors trapped in hospital due to the lack of CHSLD spaces.
Emergency rooms are facing a “perfect storm”, says Christian Dubé: a cocktail of seasonal viruses, staff holidays (“earned”), a labour shortage (bigger than last year) and a lack of hospital beds with the aging population as a backdrop.
Comments closedTopic: QuebecView all posts for the topic: Quebec
One million Quebecers infected with respiratory viruses
Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé and his chief public health officer warned Tuesday that the province is facing a major COVID-19 resurgence, coupled with a spike in influenza cases.
“We have a lot of vulnerable people that (are being hospitalized) because of influenza and because of COVID, and they should have been vaccinated,” Dubé said at a news conference.
“I think that the situation over the next few weeks will deteriorate. Let’s be clear about that.”
Comments closedTopic: long COVIDView all posts for the topic: long COVID
Study shows long COVID worse for patients than ‘long flu’
In the 18 months after a serious COVID-19 or seasonal influenza infection, patients are at a significant increased risk of death, hospital readmission, or health problems affecting a number of organs, though COVID patients are hit harder, according to a study published yesterday in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
The study was led by Ziyad Al-Aly, MD, the chief of research and development at the VA St. Louis Health Care System and a clinical epidemiologist at Washington University. Al-Aly has been studying long COVID for the past 3 years, and has been interested in studying the differences between the acute and chronic phases of the disease.
Comments closedTopic: United StatesView all posts for the topic: United States
COVID and flu surge could strain hospitals as JN.1 variant grows, CDC warns
Hospitals and emergency rooms could be forced to ration care by the end of this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Thursday, saying recent trends in COVID-19 and influenza are now on track to again strain America’s health care system. The new COVID variant JN.1 is making up an increasing share of cases, the CDC’s tracking shows.
“COVID-19 hospitalizations are rising quickly,” the agency said in its weekly update. “Since the summer, public health officials have been tracking a rise in multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), which is caused by COVID-19. Influenza activity is growing in most parts of the country. RSV activity remains high in many areas.”
Comments closedTopic: AlbertaView all posts for the topic: Alberta
Hospital surge beds added as pressure grows in Alberta’s intensive care units
Alberta hospitals are squeezing in extra intensive care unit beds as respiratory virus cases balloon and ICUs fill up.
Alberta Health Services has added 17 adult surge beds since last week — 12 in Edmonton and 5 in Calgary— bringing the total to 240.
Comments closedSince October, only 16% of Quebecers have been vaccinated against COVID-19, and 17.5% against influenza, this year’s flu (H1N1) that Public Health still fears. The main concern of authorities? The fact that just over one in two Quebecers, among those aged 70 and over, was vaccinated.
Comments closedTopic: OntarioView all posts for the topic: Ontario
Kingston General Hospital ‘bursting at the seams’ with COVID-19 and respiratory illness patients
The Kingston General Hospital says a surge of emergency department inpatients, including a day that had a near record 580 admissions, has the hospital struggling to keep up as the respiratory virus season peaks across the province.
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Strained Kingston hospital asks sick people to skip holiday gatherings
With a surge of patients with respiratory illnesses being cared for in its hallways, the Kingston Health Sciences Centre is reminding people to stay home if they’re feeling sick to cut back the spread — even if it means missing that holiday party.
Comments closedTopic: Waterloo RegionView all posts for the topic: Waterloo Region
Wastewater tests showing high levels of COVID and flu circulating in Waterloo region
When the pandemic started, the province was testing the population and updating the number of COVID cases daily.
But four years on, testing has stalled and the main way to get a snapshot of the COVID picture is through wastewater.
Continue readingWastewater tests showing high levels of COVID and flu circulating in Waterloo region
Comments closed Topic: Northwest TerritoriesView all posts for the topic: Northwest Territories
Keep trying, says NWT as residents wait weeks for flu shots
The NWT government says it’s adding flu shot appointments as fast as it can – but some residents are being told the next opening isn’t until January.
Earlier this week, the territory’s chief public health officer said there had been a significant increase in flu across the NWT but particularly in Yellowknife. Wastewater samples also suggest a steady presence of Covid-19 throughout the fall and into winter.
Comments closedTopic: AlbertaView all posts for the topic: Alberta
COVID, flu vaccine uptake low in Alberta heading into holiday season
With vaccination numbers lagging and the holiday season approaching, health experts are calling on Albertans to roll up their sleeves for their flu and COVID-19 shots.
As of Nov. 25, 17 people in Alberta had died of the flu during this respiratory virus season, and close to 500 were hospitalized, according to provincial data. In the same time frame, 245 deaths and almost 2,300 hospitalizations were tied to COVID-19.
Comments closedTopic: air samplersView all posts for the topic: air samplers
Study: School air sampling worked as well as other methods in tracking COVID, flu
Air sampling was as effective in monitoring COVID-19 and influenza A (IAV) activity as three other methods in a Wisconsin school district from September 2022 to January 2023, according to a study published today in JAMA Network Open.
Comments closedTopic: NunavutView all posts for the topic: Nunavut
Winter brings higher risk of flu, COVID-19, Health Department warns
With winter increasing the chance of contracting influenza and COVID-19, the Department of Health says it’s important that people get their shots.
Comments closedTopic: QuebecView all posts for the topic: Quebec
Les virus respiratoires prennent d’assaut les urgences du Québec
A trio of respiratory viruses hover over Quebec and send many patients to the emergency room.
According to Jean Longtin, a microbiologist-infectiologist at the CHU in Québec-Université Laval, it is mainly the respiratory syncytial virus, the RSV, influenza and COVID-19 that are currently circulating.
Comments closedTopic: Nova ScotiaView all posts for the topic: Nova Scotia
24 Nova Scotia long-term care homes currently dealing with COVID-19 outbreaks
There are currently two dozen COVID-19 outbreaks reported at long-term care homes across Nova Scotia, and some health-care officials are concerned about a lack of COVID protocols.
Comments closedTopic: influenzaView all posts for the topic: influenza
Flu season has officially started in Canada, public health agency says
Flu season has officially begun in Canada, the federal public health agency said on Friday.
“At the national level, influenza activity has crossed the seasonal threshold, indicating the start of influenza season,” the Public Health Agency of Canada said in its weekly FluWatch report posted online.
Comments closedTopic: TorontoView all posts for the topic: Toronto
Toronto ER doctor says winter surge of respiratory illnesses has begun
Toronto emergency room doctors say the winter surge of COVID-19, flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections is underway, with hospitals seeing a wave of visits across the GTA.
In the last week, nearly 250 Ontarians have been admitted to hospital, and Public Health Ontario (PHO) reports the COVID-19 wastewater signal is at its highest level in more than a year.
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