Héma-Québec calls for more blood donations ahead of summer
Héma-Québec is putting out a call for blood donations. File / Global News
(Canadian Press) —Héma-Québec is looking for more blood donations in June in anticipation of the summer season.
The organization, whose mission is to meet Quebec’s needs in blood donations, said that it needs an additional 100 donations each day more than the 1,000 …
ICUs become a ‘delirium factory’ for Covid-19 patients
(Liz Szabo/ CNN) — Doctors are fighting not only to save lives from Covid-19, but also to protect patients’ brains.
Although Covid-19 is best known for damaging the lungs, it also increases the risk of life-threatening brain injuries — from mental confusion to hallucinations, seizures, coma, stroke and paralysis. The …
COVID-19 patients who undergo surgery more likely to die, global study suggests
(CBC News) — A global study conducted by international researchers, including one from Western University in London, Ont., suggests that COVID-19 patients who undergo surgery experience worse postoperative outcomes, including death, compared to similar patients who haven’t been infected with the virus.
The study, published …
COVID-19 a silent passenger on cruise ships
(Molly Walker/ MedPage Today) —Of passengers and crew on a Southern Hemisphere ocean cruise who tested positive for COVID-19, only about 20% ever developed symptoms, researchers found.
The vessel carried 217 passengers and crew, with 128 ultimately testing positive for SARS-CoV-2. Of these, only 24 were recorded as showing symptoms, …
Quebec doctors confirm loss of smell, taste most common symptoms of COVID-19
(Katelyn Thomas/ CTV News) — Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been theories that the virus could manifest itself in the form of a loss of taste or smell among people who have tested positive.
On Wednesday, Quebec researchers proved the theory to be true. In a study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, …
COVID-19 not very infectious 8 days after symptoms occur, Winnipeg study suggests
(Bartley Kives/ CBC News) — COVID-19 appears to be infectious only for the first eight days after patients experience symptoms, Winnipeg researchers conclude in a study that, if confirmed by further work, could have implications for the way the disease is treated, isolated and prevented.
In the largest study of its kind so far, researchers …
WHO temporarily pauses hydroxychloroquine study due to safety concerns
(Amir Vera and Jacqueline Howard/ CNN) — The World Health Organization has temporarily halted studying hydroxychloroquine as a potential Covid-19 treatment due to safety concerns, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a media briefing in Geneva on Monday.
The decision was made after an observational study …
WHO says 80 million babies are missing out on routine childhood vaccines
(Maggie Fox/ CNN) — As many as 80 million babies worldwide are missing out on routine childhood vaccines because of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization said Friday.
The pandemic has disrupted vaccination programs in at least 68 countries, according to a joint news release by WHO, the global vaccine initiative Gavi, …
Intense fitness classes can lead to rapid spread of COVID-19, report shows
(Rachael Rettner/ Live Science) — Fitness dance classes are yet another venue where the new coronavirus appears to easily spread, according to a new report.
The report found that dozens of people in South Korea caught COVID-19 after participating in fitness dance classes at the beginning of the pandemic.
The researchers traced the …