Category Archives: Health

How much protection is offered by one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine?

As COVID-19 vaccines continue to reach more and more Canadians, some are wondering what level of protection they’re getting from their first dose, and what happens while they’re waiting for the top-up jab. The Canadian Press asked Dr. Lynora Saxinger, an infectious disease expert with the University of Alberta, and Kelly Grindrod, an associate professor […]

What can we do after getting a COVID vaccine? Experts say clear guidance is needed

Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout is reaching hundreds of thousands of people per day, inching the country closer to a return to normalcy. But experts say not to expect everyday life to change too soon. While the vaccines have shown exceptional effectiveness after one dose, public health authorities still urge people to stick to safety measures, […]

Experts on the one-and-done advantage offered by Johnson & Johnson’s COVID vaccine

Canada’s first shipment of Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose COVID-19 vaccine is expected to arrive in the coming days, but provinces are still waiting for guidance on how best to use them. Procurement Minister Anita Anand said last week that Canada would receive 300,000 doses by the end of this week, with distribution to provinces and […]

What we know about J&J’s single-dose vaccine set to arrive this week

Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine supply will get a boost this week, with its first shipment of Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose jab expected to arrive in the coming days and be dispersed to provinces by early May. But guidance on how jurisdictions could best deploythe vaccine is yet to come. Dr. Caroline Quach, chair of Canada’s National […]

SickKids surgeons give baby another shot at life after removing nearly 3-pound tumour

Hope dwindled for Julie and Paul Devigne as a treatment-resistant tumour in their baby’s belly swelled so large it restricted his ability to eat, sleep and breathe. Then, in a surgical feat, doctors at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children gave little Félix another shot at life, say the Winnipeg parents. During a roughly eight-hour-long procedure, […]

Canadian scientist Drucker honoured with international award for diabetes research

TORONTO – Dr. Daniel Drucker didn’t expect his decades-worth of groundbreaking research on gut hormones to garner so much attention in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. The endocrinologist and senior scientist at Sinai Health — who was named a winner of the 2021 Canada Gairdner International Award on Wednesday — had been focused […]

Ontario science table recommends limiting use of COVID drug due to supply shortage

TORONTO – An expert group is recommending Ontario clinicians ration doses of a drug used to treat COVID-19 as a supply shortage coincides with a third wave of infections that’s sending more patients into intensive care. The scientists advising the province on the pandemic published revised clinical guidelines this week reflecting the shortage of tocilizumab, […]