Vaccines

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.

‘For the virus, one person is the entire environment’: The emergence of Omicron

Some virologists hypothesize that Omicron and other variants of concern emerged after mutating within an immunosuppressed person. The solution, they say, is to get vaccines to under-vaccinated countries.

We’re not safe until we’re all safe: Canada must live up to global vaccine commitments

Global vaccine inequity is not just wrong, but also dangerous. As Omicron is showing us, we aren’t safe until we’re all safe. Here's how Canada can contribute to global vaccine equity now.

Is the COVID vaccine for children safe and effective? Addressing parents’ concerns

Editor-in-chief Seema Marwaha answers common questions and debunks prominent misconceptions about the COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5-11.

‘We’re deviating from what makes us Canadian’: An interview with Stefan Baral

Physician-epidemiologist Stefan Baral opposes vaccine certificates on the grounds that they further sideline marginalized groups and strain the relationship between public health and the public it serves.

Building trust key to overcoming vaccine hesitancy among parents

Healthy Debate Editor-in-Chief Seema Marwaha speaks about how to navigate the hesitancy that some parents might feel about vaccinating children aged 5-11 against COVID-19.

Vaccine Hunters looks forward to the day it isn’t needed anymore

During the pandemic, Vaccine Hunters Canada became a household name because the group worked around the clock to help Canadians get vaccinated. We're profiling the group as a Pillars of the Pandemic honouree.

Musician, aspiring writer – and one of Ontario’s toughest medical officers of health

Lawrence Loh, Peel Region’s medical officer of health, worked tirelessly to promote public health in one of Ontario's worst-hit COVID-19 hotspots. We're profiling him as a Pillars of the Pandemic honouree.

Team Vaccine: Listen, Care and Act

Shiran Isaacksz played a key role in organizing a massive effort to vaccinate as much of Toronto as possible. We're profiling him as a Pillars of the Pandemic honouree.

Vaccines aren’t even the half of it

Family and emergency physician Erin Bearss led the vaccine rollout in six Toronto long-term care homes. We're profiling her as a Pillars of the Pandemic honouree.

How good is natural immunity?

Is the immunity that comes from having caught COVID-19 as good as the immunity from vaccination? It may well be, at least for some – but there are caveats.

Do we need booster shots?

Healthy Debate Editor-in-Chief Seema Marwaha talks about how booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccines could help protect the immunocompromised – especially during the fourth wave – and, perhaps later on, the general public.

Weigh the risks and benefits of activities to keep your unvaccinated children safe

As the Delta variant pushes Canada into a fourth wave, Healthy Debate Editor-in-Chief Seema Marwaha discusses how to keep our children safe for the rest of the summer.

Five reasons why COVID-19 cases are increasing when vaccination rates are going up

Despite high vaccination coverage, COVID-19 cases are increasing in parts of Canada and experts are predicting a fourth wave this fall (or sooner). Here's why.

Vaccine passports: Moral baggage or all-inclusive destination?

When it comes to vaccine passports, perhaps the ends justify the means – they will increase vaccinations and benefit everyone. But perhaps we must also admit that they are, at best, only a small part of the solution to increasing vaccination.

Vaccine passports explained

A vaccine passport or identification system is a way to provide official proof of immunization when taking part in higher-risk activities. We break down what it looks like, who is doing it and what the ethical considerations might be.