COVID vaccines

Most provinces off to a painfully slow start giving third doses of the vaccine, and one expert warns that new variant will make things ‘pretty ugly’

Andrew MacDougall: If Erin O’Toole can’t get his caucus to the right place on vaccines he doesn’t deserve to lead the country

Vaxx Populi: In 2020-21, Canada saw just 69 confirmed cases of influenza. Some experts worry we may have lower immunity to the flu, after nearly two years of social distancing.

The announcement is expected to detail how and where citizens of Ontario will be required to display proof of vaccination against COVID-19

Vaxx Populi: Data shows good immunity nine months after receiving two doses, PHAC says, though need for boosters is being ‘closely monitored’ in light of emergence of variants of concern

Whether it’s Pfizer, Moderna or Astra Zeneca, the vaccines used in Canada ‘are doing exactly what they should be doing,’ including against the Delta variant

Vaxx Populi: Myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, has been reported in young people who received an mRNA vaccine. No causal link has been established.

Vaxx Populi: Outbreaks at a Toronto hospital and in Yukon have been linked to more infectious variants; data shows vaccines are very effective at preventing hospitalization among those who contract Delta

Experts say the two mRNA vaccines are interchangeable as millions of doses of both Pfizer and Moderna arrive in Canada

Adnan R. Khan lives in Cambridge, Mass. where more than half of adults are fully vaccinated. He describes the city’s reopening, which was not exactly the celebratory fanfare some might have expected.

Vaxx Populi: Researchers are getting faster at recognizing, diagnosing and treating VITT, and there is hope that they’re zeroing in on what causes it

Vaxx Populi: If you got a first dose of AstraZeneca, you can choose to get an mRNA vaccine for your second dose. Pfizer and Moderna will also be interchangeable as second doses.