News RSS

Mask mandates have disappeared across much of the country, but you may still want to hang onto your masks you still have around the house - especially the FFP2s - aka N95. It is strongly advised that you use N95s rather than  "loosely woven cloth masks" which provide little protection against COVID-19. If you're using a homemade cloth mask, you may be at higher risk than you think. Surgical masks and KN95s provide more protection than cloth face coverings, and approved well-fitting respirators such as FFP2s or N95s provide the most protection. If you're in higher-risk group for COVID because of your job or health condition...

Read more

Travel Canada, TRAVEL safe -

As summer is in full swing you might be thinking about making travel plans, please consider these:  Avoid travelling for a full 10 days after your last exposure. If you must travel during days 6 through 10 after your last exposure: Get tested at least 5 days after your last close contact. Make sure your test result is negative and you remain without symptoms before traveling. Have you been vaccinated against COVID-19? If you haven't, get vaccinated. If the vaccine requires two doses, wait two weeks after getting your second vaccine dose to travel. If the vaccine requires one dose, wait two weeks...

Read more

If you are moderately or severely immunocompromised (have a weakened immune system), you are at increased risk of severe COVID-19 illness and death. Additionally, your immune response to COVID-19 vaccination may not be as strong as in people who are not immunocompromised.  Who Is Moderately or Severely Immunocompromised? People are considered to be moderately or severely immunocompromised (have a weakened immune system) due to several types of conditions and treatments. Examples include: Been receiving active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood Received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system Received chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T-cell therapy (a treatment...

Read more

  According to public health data COVID-19 related hospitalizations and cases are on the rise once again across Canada which indicates the start of the sixth wave of the pandemic.  As of Monday, the seven-day average of daily lab-confirmed cases sits just above 9,843, a nearly 50 per cent jump from just two weeks prior.  Hospitalizations are up 17 per cent since last week and about 30 per cent above the number two weeks ago. Of those patients, 394 are in intensive care, a slight uptick since late March. Estimates from the viral count in wastewater suggest about 100,000 people are now getting...

Read more

As many of us are fed up with living with pandemic restrictions there are also a significant population whose life depends on the rest of us being cautious around them. The vulnerable among us, people who are immunocompromised or immunosuppressed need these restrictions to be lifted with a lot of consideration so they can continue to enjoy their freedom outside of their homes. They don’t have the luxury of putting our guard down like others as the consequences of getting ill with COVID would be life threatening for them.  They are the cancer patients, the organ transplant recipients, the multiple sclerosis patients or...

Read more