Elaine Hyshka one of three U of A researchers to join the ranks of renewed Canada Research Chairs
Hospitals aren’t better equipped to help those struggling with a substance use disorder because of ongoing stigma in health care, according to a University of Alberta public health researcher who suggests the pandemic has underscored the need for change. “Even though we have a wide range of very effective interventions for reducing the risk of…
COVID doesn’t care if you’re a capitalist or a socialist
As I sat recovering from the side effects of my third COVID-19 vaccine, certain things didn’t add up. First of all, I know a number of good, intelligent people who are choosing not to get vaccinated. Of course, there are some very unkind individuals among them who harass our health-care workers and people in the…
Edmonton troupe finds a creative way to keep performing during pandemic
Carlean Fisher has been in love with the stage for as long as she can remember. As a young woman, pulling the curtains from backstage was enough to feel the rush, until years later when she got involved as a player with Edmonton’s Walterdale Theatre. “It’s an important part of who I am, ever since…
The never-ending stream of government flip-flops in policy and strategy must end
The year is only a few days old but some Canadians are ready to kick 2022 to the curb. The reason is a new wave of COVID-19 restrictions imposed due to the spread of the Omicron variant. Quebec was the first province to experience a significant increase in daily cases. Premier Francois Legault announced a…
The rules that have guided our economy no longer apply
Did you notice that 2022 began with far fewer forecasts and outlooks than are usually seen when we put up our new annual calendars? And most of those who bravely made predictions for 2022 have already been proven wrong. The emergence of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, just when everyone was eagerly anticipating the end…
Time to stop focusing on case counts and use more relevant metrics such as hospitalizations and ICU numbers
It was another quiet and relaxing Christmas in our household. We gazed at the tree for hours, admiring the lights and ornaments. We opened our presents, watched movies, read books, ate sumptuous meals, and listened to J.S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. Perfect! Well, almost perfect. My son could occasionally be heard laughing and singing to a…
Forcing students to get a booster without evidence of its efficacy just adds insult to injury
The Canadian Academics for Covid Ethics (CA4CE) is a group of researchers and scholars from fields spanning the natural and social sciences and humanities. It is concerned with the mismanagement of the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic response in Canada and around the world. The following commentary was written by Drs. Kevin Cheung, Claus Rinner, Laurent Leduc,…
Evidence that vaccinated people can and do contract and spread the virus undermines the rationale of vaccine passports
The creation of multiple COVID-19 vaccines in an astonishingly short period was a stunning achievement by the biotech industry. The vaccines were approved for “emergency use” in just a few months, rather than the eight to 10 years normally required of previous vaccines. Most Canadians were more than willing to accept that risk. According to…
The government’s lack of due diligence another blow to Ford's credibility
Taxpayers have good reason to be frustrated with Premier Doug Ford’s handling of Ontario’s finances. The auditor general’s recent report shows just how cavalier the Ontario government has been in writing cheques from the taxpayer chequebook. The government of Ontario’s emergency pandemic response put thousands of businesses on the brink of bankruptcy, and thousands of…
At 85 per cent of total output, social media accounted for the largest amount of COVID-19 misinformation
India is the world’s top hot spot for COVID-19 misinformation, accounting for roughly one in six pieces of global output, according to a University of Alberta master’s student who studies world media. Hard on India’s heels are the U.S., Brazil and Spain, said Sayeed Al-Zaman of the U of A’s Department of Media and Technology…
Real-time infection rates to be tracked on public website
Alberta can now track the prevalence of COVID-19 infections in nearly 75 per cent of the population thanks to the new Pan-Alberta Network for Wastewater-based SARS-CoV-2 Monitoring announced on Wednesday. When someone is infected with COVID-19 – whether they know it or not – traces of the virus are shed through the bowel and end up…
Two infectious disease experts answer your questions
Ever since Canada approved the child-sized Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against COVID-19 and started to distribute nearly three million doses, some parents have jumped at the chance to get their kids vaccinated, while others still have questions. “Even before it was approved, about 50 per cent of parents were already very eager to immunize their children as soon as possible,” said…
In this cat and mouse game, OPEC+ had little option but to veer off the collision course
Despite bearish crude oil market signals over the last 10 days, thanks to the Omicron COVID-19 variant and the associated possibility of demand destruction, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies in the extended OPEC+ opted to veer off a collision course with consumers. They avoided a knee-jerk reaction and decided instead to…
Jurisdictions with the most repressive lockdowns have higher death rates per case
The most mentioned reason for lockdowns has been the protection of health-care systems. The claim is that such protection saves lives. So is it fair to ask how well health systems are performing their lockdown life-saving duty? There are several points from which one can compare health jurisdictions and their fight against COVID-19. One can…
Four Canadian pilots founded Free to Fly at the end of August attracting more than 38,500 members
Should Canadians be free to fly without a COVID-19 vaccination? Four Canadian pilots thought so and founded Free to Fly at the end of August. By now, the organization has attracted more than 38,500 members, including 2,800 airline staff. In an interview, Free to Fly co-founder Derek Grigor said the time was ripe for their…
Hospitals aren’t better equipped to help those struggling with a substance use disorder because of ongoing stigma in health care, according to a University of Alberta public health researcher who suggests the pandemic has underscored the need for change. “Even though we have a wide range of very effective interventions for reducing the risk of…
