Cold weather has sparked fears a new Covid variant could result in the UK’s largest-ever wave of infections. Experts raised concerns after one in 16 people were infected in London in mid-December, which was the hardest hit area of the UK. UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) data revealed that Covid rates doubled in less than … Read more
A new COVID-19 subvariant, known as JN.1, has emerged and is now the prevailing strain across Canada, prompting health experts to caution that it may be more infectious and could even have extra symptoms. Currently, the subvariant makes up the highest proportion of all COVID-19 variants, accounting for more than half (51. 9 per cent) … Read more
Loneliness in Canada, particularly among older people, has been steadily escalating, a trend exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, a Toronto hospital is proactively addressing this growing concern through a clinical trial called ‘How R U’. The program, put on by Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, aims to reduce loneliness in older hospital patients … Read more
As Canada enters its fifth year navigating COVID-19, some experts and advocates are worried treatment options for the virus remain disappointingly inadequate. Despite significant strides in understanding the virus, Jennifer Hulme, a 42-year-old emergency physician at the University Health Network in Toronto, says many Canadians suffering from long-term COVID-19 are left without many options. She … Read more
As cold and flu season unfolds in Canada, a rise in COVID-19 cases is also happening across many provinces, most notably in Ontario and Quebec. Despite the spike in COVID-19 cases alongside other respiratory illnesses such as influenza, a discernible seasonal pattern has yet to be established, warned Dr. Theresa Tam, chief public health officer … Read more
With holiday gatherings around the corner and a growing controversy over the importer of millions of COVID-19 rapid tests, Canadians may have questions about how to properly test for the virus at home. A Global News investigation found the Toronto-area rapid test importer BTNX landed an estimated $2 billion in federal contracts in 2021 and … Read more
Global News’ investigation into federal pandemic contracts began with a call in summer 2022 to a reporter from an executive working in the rapid test sector. Officials’ choices of suppliers seemed inexplicable, he said. Why didn’t they hire more Canadian manufacturers? Few people outside the industry knew that almost all of the $5 billion the … Read more
Canada needs to learn from the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says amid controversy surrounding government rapid test purchases. Trudeau faced questions stemming from a Global News investigation that found a rapid test importer landed an estimated $2 billion in federal contracts in 2021 and 2022, despite giving regulators incomplete data … Read more
A rapid test importer landed an estimated $2 billion in federal contracts in 2021 and 2022, despite giving regulators incomplete data about its product’s accuracy, Global News has found. A year-long investigation into federal procurement revealed that BTNX, a small rapid test supplier based outside Toronto, deleted dozens of specimens, or samples, from a study … Read more
Descrease article font size Increase article font size The World Health Organization has classified the COVID-19 variant JN.1 as a separate variant of interest from the parent lineage BA.2.86 due to its rapidly increasing spread. The WHO made the announcement Tuesday, saying that based on current evidence, the global health risk posed by JN.1 remains … Read more
