Infectious Disease

Medical students join urgent calls for paid sick leave

Continued government inaction will only prolong the pandemic, resulting in longer shutdowns, further long-term economic damage and, ultimately, more preventable deaths.

April 12: ‘I’m frightened for the days and weeks to come’

What’s happening in the hospital? Somber meetings discussing the transferring of critically ill patients to other cities and asking when we will need to begin rationing resources …

April 9: The nightmare is coming true

The nightmare scenario from last April is reality today. Elective surgeries are shutting down. Health-care workers are being redeployed. Province-wide stay at home orders are in effect. Now we patiently wait to see if we can bend the curve.

April 8: Still waiting for a plan

Ontario announced that people over 18 in high-risk areas will be eligible to get vaccinated. I worry that because no clear plan has been outlined, that means there isn’t one.

Vaccine hesitancy? Follow Krispy Kreme’s lead and give people a reward

How should we address vaccine hesitancy? One way is to reward people for getting vaccinated; Krispy Kreme, for example, is giving free donuts to those who show proof of vaccination.

April 7: “We are failing to protect our most vulnerable”

Is this Ticketmaster-like system where you have to constantly refresh 15 browsers for a vaccine appointment really the best we can do?

April 6: A growing sense of dread

I can see the numbers increasing in real time. I can see the age dropping and severity of illness increasing. I can’t shake this feeling of dread.

‘Hope is the biggest side effect’: Vaccinations spur emotional reactions from health-care providers

Health-care providers vaccinated against COVID-19 describe not just the physical side effects, mostly mild and short-lived, but also the emotional side effects: relief, excitement, and hope.

High-risk areas urgently need improved access to vaccines

If high-risk people in high-risk areas are eagerly waiting to be vaccinated and there are empty slots at vaccine sites across the province, what are we waiting for?

‘Hammie’ to the rescue: Imaginary friends helping children cope with isolation

There has been a rise in the prevalence of children inventing imaginary friends. Although such relationships may not match the real thing, they may be just what children need right now.

The fog of virtual care

In the switch to home care during the pandemic, my patients have been reduced to their diagnosis. The guy with bladder cancer … instead of James with the porcelain dolls.

Beating the Pandemic Waiting Game

Many economists and psychologists study how to shorten perceived wait time. The end of the pandemic may come quicker if we use mental shortcuts to perceive time as moving faster.

Rare inflammatory syndrome another example of pandemic’s disproportionate effect on racialized children

The pandemic is causing a rare, serious inflammatory syndrome that disproportionately affects racialized children in Toronto—reflecting larger racial and class-based inequities.

The next wave of COVID-19 vaccines: In through the nose

Currently, COVID-19 vaccines are injected into the muscles but many immunologists think a nasal vaccine may also be needed to end the pandemic.

Alexander – Medical Lab Technologist

Kitty – Food Bank Manager

Pooja – Speech Language Pathologist

Mike V – Security

Anika A – Registered Nurse

Bearing witness to the lived experiences of the pandemic’s essential workers