News/Health
Why a 2nd wave of COVID-19 is more dangerous than it looks
This is an excerpt from Second Opinion, a weekly roundup of health and medical science news emailed to subscribers every Saturday morning. If you haven’t subscribed yet,...
A little engineering, a lot of customer service: What it will take to fix COVID-19 test lineups
Kate Gordon’s five-year-old daughter, Rosie, had only been in her Toronto kindergarten class for one day before her little sister sprouted a runny nose....
Black Canadians get sick more from COVID-19. Scientists aim to find out why
Race-based data shows that Black Canadians are far more likely to get sick and be hospitalized for COVID-19 than other ethnic groups. A...
Public health officials call for tighter restrictions, warn COVID-19 could spiral out of control
Infectious disease experts say Canadian health authorities must tighten restrictions again or hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 will increase exponentially in the coming weeks. Echoing comments made...
Why doctors think you should get the flu shot this year — and soon
As COVID-19 cases climb in many provinces, flu season is also on the horizon. Doctors say there’s more interest in the flu shot...
Do religious face coverings count as masks? Your COVID-19 questions answered
With more areas of the country making masks mandatory, we’re hearing from some Canadians who want to know what qualifies as a mask and...
MAID town hall: What the government, experts say about proposed changes to medical assistance in dying law
The National co-host Andrew Chang and members of the public put some of the questions and concerns about medical assistance in dying to...
Human clinical trials begin for Quebec-made coronavirus vaccine candidate, but CEO urges caution
Canadian trials have just begun for a prospective coronavirus vaccine, but its Quebec-based manufacturer is already downplaying its potential impact. Dr. Bruce Clark, president...
Why it may be harder to catch COVID-19 from surfaces than we first thought
This is an excerpt from Second Opinion, a weekly roundup of eclectic and under-the-radar health and medical science news emailed to subscribers every Saturday morning. If you...
Eliminating COVID-19 cases in Canada will exact too heavy a toll on society, health experts say
Some public health and infectious disease experts are pressing for governments in Canada to shift to minimizing, not eradicating, COVID-19 while allowing society to...
Why the WHO won’t say the coronavirus is airborne and driving the pandemic
The World Health Organization has refused to cave to pressure from more than 200 experts calling for it to update its messaging on the...
1st glimpse of Canada’s true COVID-19 infection rate expected mid-July from immunity testing
The national immunity task force has started testing thousands of blood samples for COVID-19 antibodies and should be able to produce a more...
What social science says about convincing people to wear masks during the COVID-19 pandemic
Mandating, not just recommending, the use of non-medical masks will help convince more Canadians to wear them as the economy reopens, just as...
Some countries reconsider 2-metre rule for physical distancing, but not here
Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, continues to recommend people stay two metres apart from others to curb COVID-19 as the...
Treating racism: Canadian doctors of colour share their experiences in medicine
Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets across the U.S. and Canada to protest against police brutality after the death...
How one of Toronto’s COVID-19 hot spots is struggling through the pandemic
The community of Thorncliffe Park has the highest rate of COVID-19 infection compared to all the adjacent neighbourhoods, yet it has managed to...
