Disinformation / misinformation
The pandemic is not over.
Topic: Newfoundland and LabradorView all posts for the topic: Newfoundland and Labrador
Tag: Newfoundland and Labrador
Topic: Newfoundland and LabradorView all posts for the topic: Newfoundland and Labrador
COVID-19 cases, vaccine campaigns helped prompt mask mandate’s return, doctor says
A temporary mask mandate is coming back to Newfoundland and Labrador’s hospitals and long-term care facilities, and one doctor says the driving force is two-fold — a rise in COVID-19 cases and the availability of vaccines.
On Wednesday, Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services announced it was temporarily bringing back mandatory masking in clinical settings effective Monday. The release cited an increase in infectious diseases circulating.
“The timing of the mask requirement was a little bit deliberate to coincide with the timing of the COVID-19 and influenza vaccine campaigns,” Dr. Natalie Bridger, an infectious disease specialist, told CBC Radio’s The St. John’s Morning Show.
Comments closedTopic: Atlantic CanadaView all posts for the topic: Atlantic Canada
Vaccination rates among children in Maritimes are too low to stop spread of measles
FREDERICTON – At least three out of the four Atlantic provinces have released data revealing their measles vaccination rates in children are below the 95 per cent threshold recommended by scientists to prevent the disease from spreading.
In Nova Scotia, the provincial government told The Canadian Press that about 23 per cent of children were not fully vaccinated for measles in 2024. Brooke Armstrong, Health Department spokeswoman, said 93.4 per cent of two-year-olds had at least one dose of vaccine and 78.6 per cent of two-year-olds had both required shots.
Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick say about 10 per cent of children are not fully vaccinated for the disease. Autumn Tremere from Prince Edward Island’s Health Department said between 91 per cent and 94 per cent of children in Grade 1 had received two doses.
New Brunswick Health Department spokeswoman Tara Chislett said the 2023-24 school immunization report showed 91.2 per cent of students with proof of immunization were up to date for the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.
Comments closedTopic: Newfoundland and LabradorView all posts for the topic: Newfoundland and Labrador
Province Offers COVID-19 Booster Doses to At-Risk Populations
The provincial government has started offering COVID-19 booster doses to specific at-risk populations, as identified by the National Advisory on Immunization.
Eligible are all people age 65 and older, adult residents of long-term care homes and other congregate living settings for seniors, and people who are over six months old and are moderately to severely immunocompromised.
The vaccine will be available until June 1st.
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Mask mandate returning to N.L. health facilities as respiratory illnesses spike
A mask mandate is returning to health-care facilities in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The mandate will take effect on Tuesday, Oct. 29, according to an internal memo obtained by CBC News and later confirmed by Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services.
It will require everyone to wear masks in clinical areas, including waiting rooms and nursing stations. It also applies to visitors of patients in hospitals and long-term care facilities.
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: vaccinesView all posts for the topic: vaccines
Health Canada orders provinces to destroy old COVID-19 vaccines amid wait for new batch
Health Canada has directed provinces to withdraw and destroy remaining supplies of last year’s COVID-19 vaccines while it works to authorize updated shots, which is expected to happen in October, according to Ontario’s health ministry.
“Vaccines will be available once Ontario receives supply from Health Canada following their regulatory authorization of the new, updated vaccine formulation,” read a statement from Ontario spokesperson Hannah Jensen.
A notice posted on the federal government’s immunization guide says vaccines aimed at Omicron variant XBB.1.5 is no longer available in Canada. Updated shots, made to target the now-dominant JN.1 or KP.2 strains are expected to get the green light “in the coming weeks.”
Comments closedTopic: Newfoundland and LabradorView all posts for the topic: Newfoundland and Labrador
Video | Mpox virus found in wastewater, no confirmed cases in N.L.
Public health has found trace amounts of the mpox virus in wastewater, but there are no confirmed cases in this province.
The news comes just two days after the world health organization declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern.
NTV’s Becky Daley reports.
Comments closedTopic: pandemic responseView all posts for the topic: pandemic response
Scientists, clinicians across Canada preparing for future pandemic threats
Nearly $574 million will be doled out to researchers across the country for projects aimed at ramping up Canada’s preparedness for future health emergencies, including the next pandemic, the federal government announced on Monday.
One of the 19 projects is a national network of existing emergency departments and primary-care clinics, called Prepared, that will screen for any new viruses or pathogens that start to appear in patients.
“As a public health specialist and as a practising physician, I would very much anticipate there being another respiratory pandemic in the future. The challenge is we don’t know when it will be or what it will be,” said Dr. Andrew Pinto, Prepared project lead and a family physician at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.
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Mask mandate to be lifted at N.L. hospitals Monday
If you’re headed to the hospital on Monday, you won’t need to wear a mask as Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services has updated its masking guidelines.
Masking had been required for patients and visitors at health-care facilities since February, but will no longer be required as of Monday, according to NL Health Services.
People who are seeking care and showing symptoms of viruses like COVID-19 will still be required to wear a mask. They can wear their own medical mask to the facility — but not a cloth mask — or get one on-site.
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Mask mandates return to N.L. hospitals today. Here’s what you need to know
If you’re heading to a hospital or other health-care facility after 8 a.m. on Monday, you will be required to put on a mask.
The province has returned to masking mandates in health-care centres for the first time since May 2023. The move comes amid concerns about respiratory illnesses such as COVID-19, influenza, strep A and other airborne viruses.
The provincial health department has said it’s a temporary measure, and will be re-evaluated on March 31.
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N.L. health-care facilities reviving mask mandate, says minister
Mandatory masking is returning to all areas where clinical care is provided in health facilities in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Health Minister Tom Osborne told CBC News Thursday the recommendation was made by the Infection Prevention And Control team at N.L. Health Services, aiming to protect people inside the hospital and those entering the facilities.
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Topic: Newfoundland and LabradorView all posts for the topic: Newfoundland and Labrador
COVID-19 mortality rates are up in N.L., and reporting efforts are down, researcher says
An infectious disease researcher says COVID-19 cases in Newfoundland and Labrador are on the rise again — and that it comes at a time when the province isn’t showing the full picture when it comes to reporting statistics.
Tara Moriarty, a researcher and professor at the University of Toronto, told CBC News that COVID-19 cases are up across the country heading into the holiday season. And while Newfoundland and Labrador is in a slightly better situation, she said, her research indicates that about one in every 37 residents are infected by COVID-19.
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Arguing long COVID is being downplayed, an advocate has launched this St. John’s billboard
A new billboard has popped up along a prominent road in St. John’s, warning people of the long-term effects of COVID-19 and to take precautionary measures.
The Topsail Road sign — which says “Long COVID ruins lives. Mask up” — was organized not by health officials, but a group concerned about the impact of the disease.
Comments closedTopic: life expectancyView all posts for the topic: life expectancy
Baisse de l’espérance de vie en Atlantique : la COVID-19, principale responsable
Life expectancy fell in the four Atlantic provinces in 2022. COVID-19 is one of the causes put forward by Statistics Canada to explain the phenomenon.
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N.L. reports 4 new deaths due to COVID-19 in monthly update
364 people in the province have died since the beginning of the pandemic.
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