Military to send medics to help Ontario hospitals with third wave of COVID-19
Dr. Nathan Stall, Associate Fellow at the NIA and assistant scientific director of the science table’s secretariat, said Peel Region has the highest weekly cases per capita, and is in the bottom third of public-health units in terms of doses given per 100 people. “You don’t need to be a scientist to tell you that something is deeply wrong with the distribution of vaccines in our province,” he said.
Care home checkup: 14 of 15 surveyed by CBC have cut visiting hours due to pandemic
Visits from loved ones are a critical component to the wellbeing of personal care home residents, according to Dr. Samir Sinha, Director of Health Policy Research at the National Institute on Ageing.
"That real limiting of family access has really created a heightened level of social isolation. It's increased issues such as depression, worsening dementia. And we've actually seen as a result an increase in the amount of anti-psychotic and antidepressant prescribing in these environments," Dr. Sinha said.
Emily Victoria Viegas’s death puts spotlight on increasing spread of COVID-19 in younger people in third wave
Dr. Samir Sinha, Director of Health Policy Research at the NIA, said while the death of any young person from COVID-19 is tragic, he notes that there are many more deaths of older Ontarians that don’t get the same attention.
“We tend to look at older people who are dying in this pandemic, including people who are in their 60s, as rather disposable or more easily expendable,” he said. “I think it really reflects that there’s just systemic ageism in our society.”
‘This was preventable’: As Toronto hits 3,000 COVID-19 deaths, some wonder how many more are still to come
“The first wave was, as a Geriatrician, extraordinarily traumatic, watching people you care for being neglected and having this horrific tragedy in long-term-care homes,” said Dr. Nathan Stall, Associate Fellow at the NIA and a member of the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table.
“The second wave was unforgivable, what we did to long-term-care residents, because we knew better.
“This third wave is just so shameful — blowing through every single stop sign and warning sign that were erected by scientists, physicians, citizens, advocacy groups.”
High-profile Manitobans, current and former, urge Pallister to impose more extreme measures in face of third wave
A group of well-known and highly-regarded Manitobans, both current and former, including Dr. Nathan Stall, Associate Fellow at the NIA, are urging Premier Brian Pallister to act hastily to prevent the third wave of COVID-19 from running rampant in the province.
Ontario hospitals transfer patients to long-term care to free up beds for COVID patients
Dr. Nathan Stall, Associate Fellow at the NIA, criticized Premier Doug Ford’s government for asking nursing homes to help hospitals on short notice.
“They are not going to be able to hire staff in two weeks to take on extra residents,” he said. “Doug Ford’s lack of planning should not be the long-term care sector’s emergency.”
Health experts call on Ontario to open pre-registration for COVID-19 vaccines to all residents
Dr. Samir Sinha, Director of Health Policy Research at the NIA, joined Ottawa Morning to explain why he thinks opening up pre-registration to all Ontario residents will remove some of the confusion around the province’s vaccine booking system.
Doug Ford apologizes for some missteps, pledges paid sick leave for Ontario workers affected by COVID-19
Dr. Nathan Stall, Associate Fellow at the NIA, geriatrician and assistant scientific director of the science table’s secretariat, said Mr. Ford’s apology appeared sincere but it was “bizarre” that it seemed to focus on acting too quickly on policing measures.
“It seemed to be more an apology again for the poor communication and decision-making that happened last Friday, as opposed to real accountability for the situation that still is out of hand and will only get worse during the third wave,” Dr. Stall said. “We’re almost a week later, and nothing more has been implemented.”
Ontario lowers age for AstraZeneca, revises some COVID-19 lockdown measures amid public outrage
Dr. Nathan Stall, Associate Fellow at the NIA, a physician and the Assistant Scientific Director of the table’s secretariat, said he was dumbfounded by the government’s rejection of science and common sense.
Dr. Stall said paid sick leave, which has been a top recommendation for months, seems to have become a political hot-button, but it need not be. “This is not about politics anymore,” Dr. Stall said. “If you walk inside a hospital or an intensive-care unit, or you’re a patient or a front-line worker, you know things are definitely not normal right now. It’s not just the number of sick and dying patients in our hospitals, it’s all the collateral damage going on within our health care system.”
Ontario’s paid sick-day program should last beyond COVID-19 pandemic, say health experts
Dr. Nathan Stall, Associate Fellow at the NIA, and member of Ontario’s COVID-19 science advisory table, says “whatever paid sick leave is implemented now is not going to break the chains of transmission that have already occurred and are occurring right now.
“This is something that was needed months ago, but it will absolutely help break the subsequent chains of transmission by allowing workers to stay home when sick.”
Stall said to work, the program must not just pay people without company-provided sick days when they have COVID-19, but also for any time spent getting tested or vaccinated and any resulting impacts.
Trying to book a COVID-19 vaccine in a hot spot? It helps if you’re a robot
Pre-registration is an idea that was supported last week in a letter from Coun. Josh Matlow, Dr. David Fisman, Dr. Samir K. Sinha, Dr. Nathan Stall and Tai Huynh with the University Health Network. Pre-registration, they wrote, “will not only provide the province with helpful data on how many Ontarians are interested in receiving the vaccine, and assist with management of vaccine supply, but also provide an overview of which postal codes are vaccine hesitant. Moreover, and importantly, this will help many Ontarians feel one step closer to overcoming the pandemic.”
Ford government extends maximum funding for long-term care homes — ensuring they won’t take a financial hit, despite deaths
“Long-term care is one of those rare kinds of industries where I always say that losses are socialized and profits are privatized,” said Dr. Samir Sinha, Director of Health Policy Research at the NIA. “The notion of for-profits sharing a level of risk, it doesn’t really exist” in the industry.
Read MoreOntario’s seniors were ravaged by COVID-19. A year later, many families say their sacrifice was all in vain
“We had enough incomprehensible tragedy that we should have learned our lesson not only once but twice and to allow the third wave to get so out of control is shameful and unforgivable,” said Dr. Nathan Stall, Associate Fellow at the NIA.
“How could we allow all these people to die and how could Ontarians be asked to make all these extraordinary sacrifices, including weeks of school and business closures, and 14 months later, we’re facing a health care system that’s in the worst shape that it’s ever been?”
Confusion is turning to anger over Ontario’s vaccine rollout. Doctors say it’s time for transparency on supply
Confusion around Ontario’s available vaccine supply is leading to a lack of public trust in the process and fuelling anger toward it, two Toronto-based physicians say.
There is no publicly available or transparent data which shows what exists in the province’s supply, said Dr. Nathan Stall, Associate Fellow at the NIA. “You can look at the number of doses, but we have no idea how many of them are AstraZeneca reserves, how many of them are Pfizer or Moderna,” Dr. Stall said, adding there is lack of transparency over how many doses are allocated to COVID-19 hot spots and which might be designated for per-capita distribution across the province.
Older Canadians still face barriers to getting vaccinated against COVID-19
“Eliminating the barriers older Canadians face in accessing COVID-19 vaccines is critical,” said Dr. Samir Sinha, Director of Health Policy Research at the NIA and lead author of the newly released report, If Older Canadians Want a COVID-19 Vaccine, Why Is Canada Struggling to Get Them Vaccinated?, in a statement Thursday.
“Providing older adults with vaccination is a highly efficient and effective strategy for protecting Canada’s most vulnerable population while also slowing the virus’ spread.”
New report suggests older Canadians are facing barriers to getting vaccinated
An important discussion on how elderly Canadians are facing barriers to getting their COVID vaccine with guest - Dr. Samir Sinha - Director of Health Policy Research at the NIA.
Doctors concerned about having to triage patients
Dr. Samir Sinha, Director of Health Policy Research at the NIA joined CP24 to discuss the third wave of COVID-19 in Ontario.
Homebound seniors are not getting COVID-19 vaccines on time, 97-year-old Toronto man says
Dr. Samir Sinha, Director of Health Policy Research at the NIA, who helped developed the rollout for homebound seniors in Toronto, says health officials have identified about 6,000 individuals who will be immunized at home.
“The good news is in the last few weeks we’ve actually vaccinated close to 2,000 homebound individuals,” Sinha said. He adds there are number of logistical challenges and it will take months to vaccinate every homebound senior.
Narrative that younger Ontarians hit hardest than seniors during third wave not true
Dr. Samir Sinha, Director of Health Policy Research at the NIA, joins Mike Stafford to discuss how seniors are still most at risk for death and hospitalization due to covid infection during the third wave of pandemic.
Pre-registering all Ontarians right away for COVID-19 vaccine could help with supply problems, hesitancy, councillor and health experts say
In a letter published Wednesday, Coun. Josh Matlow (Ward 12 Toronto-St. Paul’s) along with a group of doctors, epidemiologists and researchers, urged Premier Doug Ford, Health Minister Christine Elliott and members of the province’s science advisory table to open up the province’s online and call-in booking systems to allow residents to add their information — even if they aren’t yet eligible for the vaccine.
Pre-registration could ask residents for date of birth, postal code and contact information to register and the resident would receive an acknowledgement they’re on the list, as well as, eventually being notified when it’s their turn to book the jab.
“Once eligible, Ontarians could receive an email and/or text message outlining the next steps on how to officially book their vaccine appointment and applicable location(s),” says the letter co-signed by Dr. Samir Sinha, Director of Health Policy Research at the NIA and Dr. Nathan Stall, Associate Fellow at the NIA, University of Toronto epidemiologist Dr. David Fisman and Tai Huynh, creative director of University Health Networks OpenLab.
