Vaccines

Episode 40 – RSV Immunization in Pregnancy and Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

The paradox of CO2: Leading cause of climate change essential for food, drink – and COVID vaccines

Carbon dioxide is the leading cause of climate change. But when the U.K. experienced a shortage of CO2 last year, it drove consumer fears of higher prices for food and drink. At the heart of this paradox is that, for all the damage that CO2 does, it also has some essential uses in modern society.

‘We will not hide out of fear’: Open letter speaks out against harassment

Physicians and other health-care workers have been subject to harassment and intimidation for doing their day-to-day work during the pandemic explains Dr. Kaplan-Myrth, who recently penned an open letter asserting why health professionals should not hide out of fear of violence from hate-fueled convoys.

My friend joined the vaccine exodus, but I still can’t wait to welcome her back

I once thought all anti-vaxxers were selfish, putting their “freedom” before the common good. Then a close friend moved to Florida to escape Canada’s vaccine mandates. Now, I hope we can mend fractures in our communities for the good of society.

A recipe for hope: How to vaccinate the world and end the pandemic

Researchers have developed a new COVID-19 vaccine, and they have no intention of filing a patent. Instead, they have concrete plans for large-scale manufacturing in the Global South. This is what global vaccine equity looks like.

Premier Legault comes to his senses

By backing down from the threat of a tax on the unvaccinated, Premier Legault has narrowly avoided yet another policy debacle in the wasteland of COVID public-health policy in Canada.

Cutting through the COVID confusion

Every day, thousands of Canadians are infected with COVID. But this isn’t March 2020. Due to mass vaccination and the particulars of Omicron, the majority of those getting COVID will not need hospital care. What Canadians do need is information, support at home and timely access to primary care.

Let evidence be our guide: Misinformation most insidious when it comes from health-care professionals

Misinformation comes in many forms, but perhaps it is most harmful when it is produced by a health-care professional and published in a respected national newspaper.

Enough with the harassment: How to deal with anti-vax cults

The anti-vaxxers who protested outside of my own home because I'm a medical officer of health demonstrate cultish behaviour. Here's how we counter them.

Alberta government’s failure means we must protect ourselves

The Alberta government has given up on protecting us from COVID-19. But even though our government may no longer care about us, we can still care about each other. Here are ten tips on how to stay safe.

Fear of the unknown: Parents want information and transparency when deciding to vaccinate their children

Through interviews and focus groups held with parents of kids 5 to 11 years old, Health Commons Solutions Lab learned about their motivations, beliefs and questions when it comes to vaccinating their kids – and what resources they need.

Omicron may be less severe but ‘let it rip’ is not the answer

Some argue that since Omicron is less severe than previous variants and all Canadians will likely be infected eventually, why not “let it rip” and be done with it? But there are three fundamental problems with this approach.

Vaccines: A Christmas wish for our children

Many parents are hesitant to vaccinate their children. But choosing not to get a vaccine is not a risk-free choice, but rather a choice to take another, more serious risk. In fact, it could be one of the most important health decisions parents will make.

Fear of losing freedom common thread behind vaccine hesitancy, cross-cultural survey finds

Researchers have found that belief in conspiracies and the psychological phenomenon of reactivity are strong cross-cultural predictors of vaccine hesitancy. But are these characteristics fixed traits?

Inuit communities bracing for return of RSV in babies

Health advocates are raising alarm that infants in Nunavut, and especially Inuit infants, face grave risks as a potent respiratory virus – deadlier than COVID-19 and influenza – re-emerges after a one-year hiatus. Health officials now fear serious outbreaks in Canada’s North.

Kali Barrett

Vaccines must be mandatory in all health-care settings in order to protect patients, protect health-care workers and prevent future health-care worker shortages. Furthermore, hospitals are temples of science, and we need to make decisions based on science – such as mandating vaccination.

Allison McGeer

Vaccine mandates will lead good health-care workers to be fired, thereby exacerbating systemic inequities – and all for a rationale that appeals to patient safety but which does not always stand up to scrutiny. We also can't allow vaccine mandates to send the message that we no longer need to use multiple complementary infection-control measures.

Amit Arya

Vaccinations should be mandatory for all health-care workers because they will keep vulnerable patients safe. We know this from our experience successfully mandating vaccination among staff in long-term care. Furthermore, vaccine mandates should not be blamed for staff shortages in the health-care system.

Stefan Baral

Mandating COVID-19 vaccines amounts to a passive and insensitive infection-control measure that does not address the real drivers of COVID-19 infection. Moreover, it deviates from the core principles of public health, eroding trust between public health and those it serves.

Vaccination among the pregnant lagging despite growing evidence of safety and efficacy

Despite data showing the safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine for pregnant women, uptake is still lagging. Here are some of the reasons why.