Newswire

TORONTO -- Some of Canada's top provincial doctors are downplaying new concerns from hundreds of scientists that physical distancing and frequent handwashing are not enough to fully protect against airborne transmission of the novel coronavirus. In an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO), 239 scientists in 32 countries argued that particles smaller than what…

Questions remain for immunocompromised children and teachers as the new school year inches closer.  The provincial government announced Saskatchewan schools would be in-person this fall, with guidelines being developed in school divisions.  However, no guidelines are set yet to protect students and teachers who have an impaired immune system and may be more susceptible to…

A report released by the Saskatoon Inter-Agency Response to COVID-19 identifies ongoing gaps in policy and service delivery that need to be addressed moving forward. Between March and May, Saskatoon saw broad collaboration between over 50 groups, including community based organizations, in supporting the vulnerable populations in the city. The report says the role of the social determinants…

The Regina Police Service responded to a cluster of drug overdoses in the city that have resulted in the deaths of several people, according to officials. Over a 36-hour period starting just after midnight on Canada Day, police say they responded to seven overdoses. Six of the people died. “It’s at epidemic proportions at this time,” said Dean Rae, deputy…

Dr. Volker Gerdts is already thinking about the next pandemic. The director and CEO of the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization — International Vaccine Centre (VIDO-InterVac) and his team have been working on a vaccine for SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, since before it even had a name. On January 21, just as the organization got federal approval to work on…