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Tag: respiratory syncytial virus

Topic: OntarioView all posts for the topic: Ontario

Cutting wastewater surveillance is short-sighted

Published June 8, 2024

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Published by: Toronto Star
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Ontario to halt COVID wastewater surveillance program, June 4

The Ontario government’s plan to axe funding for wastewater surveillance is irresponsible. Wastewater monitoring is an essential public health tool that provides insights into the spread of SARS-CoV-2, influenza and other viruses. Without funding, we will lose important information about the prevalence of these significant health concerns.

The timing of the announcement is astonishing. We are faced with an ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and new hyper-infectious subvariants are spreading rapidly. We will be hindered in providing an early warning system to inform everyone about new subvariants and emerging pandemic threats such as avian flu.

Continue readingCutting wastewater surveillance is short-sighted
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Video | Questions about plans to axe Ontario’s wastewater monitoring networkScreenshot of the broadcast of Question Period, on June 6, 2024. Jeff Burch, Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Niagara Centre, is speaking. He has white and grey hair, glasses, a tie, and a navy blue suit. In the background, there are wood panels on the walls with intricate carvings.
Topic: OntarioView all posts for the topic: Ontario

Video | Questions about plans to axe Ontario’s wastewater monitoring network

Published June 6, 2024

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Published by: Still COVIDing Canada
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During Question Period on June 6, 2024, Jeff Burch, MPP for Niagara Centre, asked some questions about the Ford government’s plans to eliminate Ontario’s wastewater monitoring program: “[…] with a serious gap in the federal government’s current ability to test wastewater in Ontario, why would this government abruptly cut this extremely low cost but highly valuable program?”

The government’s response was misleading. “The program is continuing through an expanded option with the federal government,” said Andrea Khanjin, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.

That’s not actually true. The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is not taking over the program. The Ontario government is planning to shut the existing extensive program that has been developed over years, with 58+ monitoring stations and expert researchers at 13 Ontario universities. In its place, there will be a much more limited network operated by PHAC, covering just five cities in Ontario.

Continue readingVideo | Questions about plans to axe Ontario’s wastewater monitoring network
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Topic: OntarioView all posts for the topic: Ontario

Ontario’s wastewater testing program to be replaced by a federal program that is significantly smaller

Published June 6, 2024

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Published by: Ottawa Citizen
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By Elizabeth Payne

When Ontario’s wastewater surveillance program is shut down next month it will be replaced by a significantly smaller federal program. That potential information gap worries some researchers and public health experts, especially at a time when COVID-19 cases are starting to tick up and avian influenza is spreading rapidly.

Ontario’s wastewater testing initiative, considered a world leader, currently tests wastewater for signs of infectious diseases including COVID, influenza, RSV and more at 58 locations across the province. The provincial government plans to pull the plug on the program at the end of July, saying it wants to avoid duplication with an expanding pan-Canadian wastewater surveillance program.

That new federal program includes plans to conduct wastewater surveillance in five Ontario cities. Four of the five cities have not yet been selected.

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Topic: OntarioView all posts for the topic: Ontario

Ontario is a ‘world leader’ in wastewater surveillance for COVID. The province’s decision to close testing sites will end that, experts say

Published June 5, 2024

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Published by: Toronto Star
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By Megan Ogilvie

Researchers are warning that Ontario’s decision to shut down its wastewater surveillance program that proved crucial in tracking COVID-19 will limit the province’s ability to rapidly respond to infectious disease threats, including new COVID variants, respiratory viruses and bird flu.

A key member of the waterwater surveillance program says Ontario has been a “world leader and now we’ll probably be one of the passengers” by the scale-back that will also stifle research.

Cancelling the provincial surveillance system — the largest in Canada — will drastically reduce the number of testing sites in the province, experts say. They also caution that shuttering the program will mean that monitoring may no longer take place in smaller communities and in rural and northern areas, potentially missing vulnerable populations.

Continue readingOntario is a ‘world leader’ in wastewater surveillance for COVID. The province’s decision to close testing sites will end that, experts say
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Ontario: Call Members of Provincial Parliament on #WastewaterWednesday!Photo of the Ontario Legislative Building, and the surrounding green lawn and trees. It is a sunny day, and the sky is blue with some clouds. Text reads: Save Ontario’s wastewater monitoring! Call Premier Ford Phone: 416-325-1941 TTY/Teletypewriter: 1-800-387-5559 StillCOVIDing.ca #WastewaterWednesday
Topic: take actionView all posts for the topic: take action

Ontario: Call Members of Provincial Parliament on #WastewaterWednesday!

Published June 4, 2024

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

📣 Take action! Let MPPs know you want funding for Ontario’s wastewater monitoring program to continue

📱 Call MPPs to voice your support for wastewater monitoring.

✉️ Use our online tool to send letters to MPPs.

✉️ Use our online tool to send emails to municipal councillors in Ottawa or Waterloo Region.

📸 Post photos on social media.

Why take action? Wastewater monitoring is an essential public health tool that provides insights into the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses in Ontario’s communities.

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Topic: pro-virus policiesView all posts for the topic: pro-virus policies

Masks no longer mandatory at N.S. Health facilities

Published May 23, 2024

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Published by: CBC News
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By Cassidy Chisholm

Nova Scotia Health will no longer require people to wear masks when entering its facilities, unless they are symptomatic.

The health authority updated its rules on Tuesday, stating that it will continue to monitor levels of respiratory illness, including COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

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Topic: Ottawa-GatineauView all posts for the topic: Ottawa-Gatineau

Respiratory virus levels mostly steady, but 13 flu hospitalizations in latest update

Published March 21, 2024

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Published by: Ottawa Citizen
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Respiratory disease levels have remained mostly steady in the past week, Ottawa Public Health says in its latest update.

Influenza remains a major concern with 13 more patients hospitalized in the seven days ended March 16. There were 14 new hospitalizations for COVID-19, which OPH described as “low and decreasing since last week.”

There were 45 more confirmed COVID-19 cases, about half of them in patients 65 years of age and older.

Continue readingRespiratory virus levels mostly steady, but 13 flu hospitalizations in latest update
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Topic: Ottawa-GatineauView all posts for the topic: Ottawa-Gatineau

Ottawa Public Health stats mainly stable for COVID-19, flu and RSV

Published February 29, 2024

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Published by: Ottawa Citizen
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Respiratory infections in Ottawa showed little change over the last week.

Ottawa Public Health reported 83 new confirmed cases and three new deaths during the period ending Feb. 27.

Last week, there were 130 new cases and two additional deaths.

This week’s reading brought the total number of Ottawa cases to 98,254 since the pandemic began in 2020, while 1,230 people have died.

The health agency’s weekly respiratory infections dashboard showed 12 new hospitalizations for flu patients in the seven days ending Feb. 24, for a total of 199 this season. The report described flu levels as very high, the same description as last week’s data.

The report showed 21 new hospitalizations for COVID-19, for a total of 1,064, and three more hospitalizations for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The COVID-19 and RSV results were described as “moderate.”

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Topic: British ColumbiaView all posts for the topic: British Columbia

Flu, RSV and COVID-19 cases all increased last week in B.C., data shows

Published February 1, 2024

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Published by: CTV News
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By Ian Holliday

Cases of influenza, RSV and COVID-19 all increased in B.C. this week, according to the latest respiratory illness data from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.

All three diseases remain well below their recent transmission peaks, however.

There were 528 positive tests for influenza in the province during the most recent epidemiological week, which spanned Jan. 21 to 27. That’s an increase from the 442 positive tests recorded the week before.

Continue readingFlu, RSV and COVID-19 cases all increased last week in B.C., data shows
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Topic: TorontoView all posts for the topic: Toronto

Toronto may be past its flu peak, but COVID-19 remains high, public health agency says

Published January 16, 2024

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Published by: CBC News
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By Lane Harrison

Toronto likely reached its influenza season peak in December, but according to Toronto Public Health’s latest respiratory illness update, COVID-19 infections are expected to remain high for now.

The percentage of positive influenza tests dropped to 6.6 per cent the week of Dec. 31 to Jan. 6, down from 15.6 per cent the week prior, Toronto Public Health (TPH) told the city’s Board of Health Monday. When it comes to COVID-19, positivity dropped only slightly to 17.6 per cent for the week of Dec. 31 to Jan. 6 from 18.6 per cent the week before.

But getting over the influenza peak doesn’t mean there aren’t still high levels of the illness in the city.

Continue readingToronto may be past its flu peak, but COVID-19 remains high, public health agency says
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Topic: QuebecView all posts for the topic: Quebec

La COVID-19 et la « tempête des virus respiratoires »

Published January 10, 2024

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Published by: Radio-Canada
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By Mélanie Meloche-Holubowski

SARS-CoV-2 may not be the only virus on the loose, but it is certainly one that continues to hit hard. The new data on COVID-19 and respiratory diseases from the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ), published on Wednesday, tend to confirm this.

Everyone talks about the fact that they are constantly ill, that their family and friends are ill. Yes, it could be a cold or RSV [respiratory syncytial virus], but in many cases it’s probably COVID-19, says Dr Raywat Deonandan, epidemiologist and associate professor at the University of Ottawa.

According to the INSPQ, in the week of December&nbs;24, there were 983,000 cases of respiratory infections, a number that has continued to rise since mid-October.

Continue readingLa COVID-19 et la « tempête des virus respiratoires »
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Topic: New BrunswickView all posts for the topic: New Brunswick

N.B. adds 17 more COVID-19 deaths, child under 4 among first flu deaths, warning about strep

Published January 9, 2024

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Published by: CBC News
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By Bobbi-Jean MacKinnon

COVID-19 has killed 17 more New Brunswickers, including six over the holidays, while influenza has claimed nine lives. These are the first flu deaths of the season and they include a child under four, the latest data from the province shows.

Dr. Yves Léger, the province’s acting chief medical officer of health, held a rare meeting with reporters Tuesday because of the rise in respiratory illnesses.

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Topic: CaliforniaView all posts for the topic: California

COVID-19 intensifies across California, with the worst likely still to come

Published January 6, 2024

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Published by: Los Angeles Times
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By Rong-Gong Lin II

The winter COVID-and-flu season is ramping up in California and nationwide, with doctors and other experts saying the worst of the respiratory illness season is still to come.

New data show pronounced recent jumps in the rate at which coronavirus and flu tests are coming back positive, as well as the number of hospital-admitted patients testing positive for the viruses. Workplaces are also seeing higher numbers of employees call in sick due to infections.

National wastewater data suggest this winter could see the highest number of coronavirus infections occurring during any given week since the first Omicron wave began in fall 2021.

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Topic: respiratory syncytial virusView all posts for the topic: respiratory syncytial virus

Health Canada approves RSV vaccine for maternal immunization

Published January 4, 2024

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Published by: CBC News
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By Jessica Wong

Health Canada has approved a new vaccine geared toward protecting two groups most severely affected by the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV): newborns, who would receive antibodies through maternal immunization, and Canadians over 60.

Pfizer Canada’s bivalent vaccine, called Abrysvo, aims to prevent lower respiratory tract disease caused by the virus.

It is the first RSV vaccine in Canada approved for use in pregnancy to provide protection for infants from birth to six months of age, and the second approved for seniors aged 60 and over.

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Topic: OntarioView all posts for the topic: Ontario

More than 260 Ontario long-term care residents died after getting COVID-19 in last four months

Published January 3, 2024

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Published by: CTV News
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By Katherine DeClerq

Respiratory virus outbreaks in Ontario’s long-term care homes remains dominated by COVID-19, with nearly 16,000 cases of the virus reported in the last four months.

According to a newly released report by Public Health Ontario, there have been 850 confirmed outbreaks in long-term care homes since Aug. 27, 2023.

This is compared to 32 influenza outbreaks and 32 Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) outbreaks.

Continue readingMore than 260 Ontario long-term care residents died after getting COVID-19 in last four months
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Topic: United StatesView all posts for the topic: United States

Respiratory virus activity is high and rising across the United States, CDC data shows

Published January 2, 2024

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Published by: CNN
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By Deidre McPhillips, Amanda Musa, Carma Hassan

As seasonal virus activity surges across the United States, experts stress the importance of preventive measures – such as masking and vaccination – and the value of treatment for those who do get sick.

Tens of thousands of people have been admitted to hospitals for respiratory illness each week this season. During the week ending December 23, there were more than 29,000 patients admitted with Covid-19, about 15,000 admitted with the flu and thousands more with respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Continue readingRespiratory virus activity is high and rising across the United States, CDC data shows
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