4. The Politics of Health

The pandemic created dangerous cracks in public confidence in science, governments and public health.

Tania Bubela and colleagues examine how fragmented responsibilities and accountability for public health data hindered Canada’s pandemic response Canada’s public health system was reformed after its 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak, which was the worst outside of Asia with 438 cases and 44 deaths.1 Ensuing national and provincial inquiries led to the creation of the national Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) to coordinate Canada’s preparation for and response to public health threats.2 Subnational public health agencies were also created or strengthened to function as regional centres for disease control.1 These actions should have put Canada in a good position to respond to the covid-19 pandemic.34 Despite these reforms, Canada experienced serious failures during the covid-19 pandemic. Memories faded rapidly after SARS, and if history is not to repeat itself, government and health system leaders must strengthen the country’s public health and healthcare systems in preparation for the next threat. Health authorities as well as all Canadians need to reflect on the crises of the past three years—what went well and why; what caused pandemic response failures, and what were their consequences? Here, in the first of a series of articles examining Canada’s response and setting out suggestions for a national inquiry, we examine the limitations of the country’s decentralised structure for public health decision making and missed lessons from the 2003 SARS-CoV-1 outbreak, particularly with regard to data infrastructure.5 Other articles in the series examine how research and data failed to inform public health responses tailored to community and population needs,6 the predictable failures in long term care,7 and Canada’s role in global vaccine inequity.8 Canada’s cumulative confirmed covid-19 death rate, as of June 2023, was 1372 per million population, exceeding the global average of 855 per million …

Now is the time to learn from the COVID-19 response through an action-oriented independent inquiry focused on accountability. Reforms to data generation, access and use are essential.

TORONTO - Canada's gynecologists say COVID-19 vaccination "remains safe and strongly recommended" during pregnancy and while breastfeeding.

Recent research provides evidence to back the safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine for pregnant women.

Pregnant people with COVID-19 are at increased risk of severe illness and death compared with non-pregnant females of reproductive age (aged 15–49 years).1 Additionally, COVID-19 during pregnancy is associated with increased risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as preterm birth and stillbirth.1 When mRNA COVID-19 vaccines first became available in December, 2020, safety data in pregnancy were limited because pregnant people were excluded from pre-authorisation clinical trials.2 Lack of data and safety concerns contributed to initially low uptake among pregnant people, which continues to be lower than uptake among non-pregnant females of reproductive age.

Rare serious complications have been documented after COVID-19 vaccination as clinical research proceeded and new target populations, such as children and ‎pregnant women, were included. In this study, we attempted to review the literature relevant ...

Existing evidence on the safety and efficacy of getting a COVID vaccine in pregnancy all points the same way: the shot is important for maternal and fetal health.

Pregnant people experienced lower rates of side-effects from the COVID-19 vaccine than their counterparts who weren't pregnant, a new Canadian study suggests.

Viruses like HSV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 might trigger Alzheimer’s disease.

As the masks come off at my daughter’s school — and around the country — I’m worried about COVID’s next move.

Safety data from more than 298 million doses of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine administered in the first 6 months of the US vaccination programme show that most reported adverse events were mild and short in duration.

Medical experts on the basis of evidence so far disagree with claims made on social media that myocarditis following the COVID-19 vaccine is irreversible. Social media claims that “over the years,” many children diagnosed with myocarditis will die are unfounded, representatives from the Myocarditis Foundation say.

What is it like to be pulled into a different world, where only you and a select few can see the truth?

‘Herd immunity is an elusive concept and doesn’t apply to coronavirus,’ says Dr. Don Milton at the University of Maryland School of Public Health.

This article from the FDA compares broad U.S. recommendations on Covid vaccination with those from other countries and announces the adoption of an evidence-based approach to such recommendations.

A new South African study finds that the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is 70 percent effective at preventing hospitalizations due to the omicron variant.The research publ…

npj Vaccines - Comparing Moderna’s mRNA-1083 and Pfizer’s dual-target mRNA vaccines for influenza and COVID-19

Infectious disease experts say mRNA vaccines have been studied for decades, they are safe and effective, and were instrumental in saving lives during the COVID pandemic.

A new network medicine study finds that melatonin usage may prevent COVID-19 infection, though large-scale trials are needed. Researcher Feixiong Cheng, PhD, discusses his team’s findings.

The decision, after weeks of foot-dragging and citing numbers that weren’t backed up, was the latest in a string of moves that give comfort to the anti-vaccine community.

The provincial government encourages you to get vaccinated. But are they going to force a choice on that? No, they are not. Are they going to try? Not much.

Learn about the role of double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trials in vaccine research. Explore how they provide reliable evidence on vaccine safety and efficacy.

Steve Kirsch said he offered $100,000 to a fellow passenger if she took off her mask. But he didn't realize he came across as the seatmate from hell.

After boosting unproven covid drugs and campaigning against vaccines, Steve Kirsch was abandoned by his team of scientific advisers—and left out of a job.

Twenty years ago, I had a one-hour conversation with RFK Jr. In his current campaign for president, he has referred to that conversation during public appearances. It’s time to set the record straight

One challenge of parenting is sorting through all available information about children's health. Here are some tips for making sense of all of the messages.

Vaccines for kids are studied closely before the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends them. Safety evidence is gathered when a new vaccine is made and after it is authorized.