When approving the advertising campaign, the government’s revisions “included the removal of details about vaccine eligibility, immunization locations by age group and the types of vaccines being offered and their efficacy against different strains of COVID-19 and influenza. Two lines that encouraged Albertans to book vaccination appointments were also deleted.”
Comments closedCategory: News
Topic: MassachusettsView all posts for the topic: Massachusetts
Masking returns at many Massachusetts hospitals — and not just because of COVID
With both COVID-19 and other respiratory virus rates up, nearly all the major hospital groups in Massachusetts are bringing back mask requirements for doctors and staff, and in some cases for patients and visitors as well.
Beth Israel Lahey, Boston Medical Center and Dana Farber have already reimposed requirements. Mass General Brigham and UMass Memorial plan to require masking starting Jan. 2, followed by Tufts Medicine on Jan. 3.
Comments closedTopic: respiratory syncytial virusView all posts for the topic: respiratory syncytial virus
New antibody treatment for RSV in infants highly effective in reducing hospitalisations
A new antibody treatment could reduce by 80 per cent the numbers of babies and young children admitted to hospital with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a “groundbreaking” study has found.
Published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Thursday, the study involved 8,058 healthy babies aged up to 12 months from the UK, France and Germany, who were approaching their first RSV season. Half were randomly assigned to receive the antibody nirsevimab by injection, while 4,021 babies received standard care.
Of the babies who received the treatment, only 11 (0.3 per cent) were hospitalised, in comparison with the 60 babies (1.5 per cent) who were hospitalised after receiving just the standard care.
Comments closedCommunity COVID-19 vaccine clinics operated by the Brant County Health Unit are winding down at the end of this month due to cessation of provincial funding.
Starting January 2, the BCHU will only offer COVID-19 vaccine appointments for children ages six months to 12 years of age. Bookings for that age group can be made online at bchu.org/covid-19-vaccines/.
Comments closedTopic: CaliforniaView all posts for the topic: California
Everyone in California seems to be sick with respiratory illness. Here’s why
Does it seem like a lot of people you know are sick?
You’re not alone. Respiratory illness season is in full swing in California and across much of the nation.
In Los Angeles County, about 23% of people participating in a weekly text-message-based survey reported having a cough or shortness of breath for the week that ended Dec. 10, higher than the total reported during a late summer peak in respiratory illnesses, when 21% said they had those symptoms. Early summer brought a lull, with only 10% of survey respondents saying they had a cough or shortness of breath.
Comments closedTopic: brain damageView all posts for the topic: brain damage
Brain damage caused by COVID-19 may not show up on routine tests, study finds
Comments closedOur study shows that markers of brain injury are present in the blood months after COVID-19, and particularly in those who have had a COVID-19-induced brain complication (e.g. inflammation, or stroke), despite resolution of the inflammatory response in the blood. This suggests the possibility of ongoing inflammation and injury inside the brain itself which may not be detected by blood tests for inflammation.
Topic: QuebecView all posts for the topic: Quebec
Débordements dans des salles d’urgence d’une majorité de régions du Québec
The fall in occupancy rates in Quebec’s emergency rooms that began on 19 December ended on Tuesday.
The Index Santé website noted that this average rate had risen to 95% on 26 December, before jumping to 112% on Wednesday morning, shortly before 6 a.m., which was considered very high.
Comments closedTopic: Alzheimer’s diseaseView all posts for the topic: Alzheimer’s disease
COVID-19 linked to a greater risk of Alzheimer’s, other disorders
Another long-term effect of the novel coronavirus appears to be a higher chance of patients contracting Alzheimer’s disease in the years to follow, according to the latest research.
Numerous large research projects overseas have shown a link between COVID-19 and cognitive disorders, along with Alzheimer’s.
“The novel coronavirus is a new risk factor for dementia,” said Takayoshi Shimohata, a neurology professor at Gifu University, who also serves on the health ministry’s editorial committee that compiles a manual for treating COVID-19’s aftereffects. “There needs to be greater understanding that the illness also affects the brain.”
Comments closedTopic: Waterloo RegionView all posts for the topic: Waterloo Region
Waterloo region’s COVID booster rate lags behind national average
The number of people in Waterloo region who have received their most recent COVID-19 booster shot is just under 11 per cent, which is below the national average.
The region’s vaccination dashboard shows 10.9 per cent of people in the community are up-to-date on their vaccinations as of Dec. 7. The region notes “up to date” means a person has completed their primary series and received a booster dose within the previous six months.
The number of people who have received the updated XBB.1.5 COVID-19 vaccine sits at 10.8 per cent, the region told CBC News in an email.
Comments closedTopic: heart failureView all posts for the topic: heart failure
Post-COVID ‘heart failure pandemic’ possible: Japan researchers
After contracting COVID-19, patients may have higher risk of heart failure from persistent viral infection in their hearts, even without developing notable heart disease, according to study results announced by Japanese researchers on Dec. 23.
The team including researchers from Riken, Japan’s largest scientific institute, pointed out the possibility of a “heart failure pandemic” in the near future, and is stressing the need for countermeasures.
Comments closedTopic: rapid testsView all posts for the topic: rapid tests
Rapid test supplier BTNX says Canadians can rely on its device’s accuracy
BTNX, the Canadian rapid test supplier that won an estimated $2 billion in federal contracts, denied that Health Canada used BTNX’s edited study to evaluate the rapid test kit that the federal government later purchased.
A year-long investigation into federal procurement published by Global News on Thursday revealed that Toronto area-based BTNX deleted dozens of specimens, or samples, from a study it submitted to Health Canada. That evaluation showed how well the company’s test detected COVID-19.
Comments closedTopic: British ColumbiaView all posts for the topic: British Columbia
153 in hospital with COVID-19 in BCCDC’s final data release of 2023
The B.C. Centre for Disease Control published its final respiratory illness data of the year this week, reporting continued increases in transmission of influenza and RSV, while COVID-19 levels remain stable.
There were 153 people hospitalized with COVID as of Thursday, a decrease from the last time that number was reported two weeks ago.
The number of new, lab-confirmed COVID-19 infections also declined in the latest update, though test positivity remained unchanged, indicating the decline was due to fewer government-funded tests being performed.
Comments closedTopic: OntarioView all posts for the topic: Ontario
Almonte General Hospital temporarily closing ER Saturday afternoon into Sunday morning
The emergency department at the Almonte General Hospital in Almonte, Ont. will be temporarily closed Saturday.
The Mississippi River Health Alliance (MRHA) said in a news release Saturday that the closure would be in effect from 3 p.m. Saturday until 7 a.m. Sunday. The rest of the hospital will remain open and care for patients continues.
The emergency department will be closed because of a staffing shortage, the hospital says.
Comments closedTopic: United StatesView all posts for the topic: United States
CDC says JN.1 variant accounts for 39%-50% of COVID cases in US
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Friday that COVID subvariant JN.1 accounts for 39% to 50% of cases in the United States as of Dec. 23, according to the agency’s projections.
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