4. The Politics of Health

COVID-19 vaccine mandates have worked extraordinarily well at getting more Canadians vaccinated, but they are increasingly hard to justify — not because of protests or political pressure but because they’re a victim of their own success.

Vaccination policies have shifted dramatically during COVID-19 with the rapid emergence of population-wide vaccine mandates, domestic vaccine passports and differential restrictions based on vaccination status. While these policies have prompted ...

Turning the question of mandatory vaccination into a wedge issue "may rub people the wrong way," warned one bioethicist in an interview with Global News.

The need to do something to control the pandemic may have blinded well-meaning policymakers to the costs of the policy

A study by the University of Edinburgh suggests Covid-19 did not originate in China’s Wuhan but evolved naturally in the bat population in northern Laos and China’s Yunnan province. The study, now published in the peer-reviewed journal Cell, challenges the ’lab-leak’ theory championed by US President Donald Trump. Here’s what it says

With genetic samples from the infamous Wuhan market, a new study makes the case that raccoon dogs are likely the animal that infected humans. Proponents of the lab leak theory are dubious.

A pair of recently published studies found that the virus was likely transmitted to people from an animal.

It’s the Canadian way to put our heads in the sand, pretend it’s not happening, roll out the toxic positivity of denial, and be shocked when the chickens come home to roost.

The first human case of a flu strain similar to a virus circulating in pigs has been reported in the UK. The individual concerned experienced mild illness and fully recovered.

Antivaxxers are touting a "revelation" that wasn't that the phase 3 clinical trial of the Pfizer COVID vaccine didn't examine its ability to block transmission.

The COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials were designed to study the vaccine’s safety and efficacy in preventing symptomatic disease, not transmission. But online publications now misleadingly present the fact that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was not tested for transmission as a “shocking admission” and proof that the company and the government lied.

Evidence is increasing that, not only do COVID-19 vaccines either stop you getting sick or substantially reduce the severity of your symptoms, they’re also likely to substantially reduce the chance of transmitting the virus to others.

"Vaccination will take us far enough along, not that we're out of the woods, but that we're really out of the fire," University of Toronto epidemiologist Colin Furness said.

Lessons from other viruses show that even if vaccines don’t completely stop disease spread, they can still successfully contain it

Even as highly contagious coronavirus variants are circulating, experts say leading vaccines are not only preventing infections but likely curbing transmission as well. But that doesn't mean the vaccinated can fully protect the unvaccinated, particularly in areas with lower vaccination rates.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, masks were widely promoted and mandated as a key measure to help reduce the transmission of SARS-CoV-2. These policies were primarily informed by laboratory evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of particle ...

Based on the status of the COVID-19 global pandemic, there is an urgent need to systematically evaluate the effectiveness of wearing masks to protect …

Randomized controlled trials are considered the gold standard when assessing the effectiveness of an intervention. However, this type of study can vary greatly in quality, particularly in complex interventions such as face masks, affecting the reliability of the results. In this context, many scientists consider that randomized controlled trials should…

None.

Experts said a Cochrane review study seemed to imply masks don't work against COVID spread, but it was misinterpreted and was actually looking at mask interventions.

People online are touting the results of a Cochrane review to incorrectly claim that it shows masks “don’t work” against the coronavirus. But the primary conclusion of the review is that it’s uncertain from randomized controlled trials whether mask interventions in the community help slow the spread of respiratory illnesses.

A new study indicates that face masks did not significantly lower Covid-19 infection risk after the initial Omicron wave, highlighting the need for adaptable strategies and further research as risk factors evolve. New findings from the University of East Anglia suggest that wearing face masks did n

This rapid systematic review of evidence asks whether (i) wearing a face mask, (ii) one type of mask over another and (iii) mandatory mask policies can reduce the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infection, either in community-based or healthcare ...

Coronavirus skeptics are claiming a large-scale review of public health interventions proves that masks are useless against Covid-19. This is misleading; the Cochrane Library's editor-in-chief said these interpretations of the analysis are "inaccurate," and medical experts say other research shows face coverings offer some individual protection.

A new scientific review of the efficacy of masks is deeply flawed. That hasn’t stopped some from touting it

A review of Canada's current post-mandate status, evidence supporting temporary and targeted mask mandates, and critical success factors.

In 2020, with adult ICUs at risk of being overwhelmed, we wore masks and accepted restrictions. Now pediatric intensive care is at risk. Will leaders follow the evidence and tell us to mask up?

The science around the use of masks by the public to impede COVID-19 transmission is advancing rapidly. In this narrative review, we develop an ana...

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