The three respiratory viruses that had been causing chaos in the fall in Quebec hospitals — COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus — are all on the decline, the province's public health research institute said on Thursday, December 29, 2022.
A flu season that started early, hospitalized far more children than usual and overwhelmed emergency departments has revealed that Canada's health-care system is chronically underfunded when it comes to the most vulnerable citizens, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist says.
Plans to make room for patients with respiratory illnesses by cancelling surgeries are in place in British Columbia hospitals, says Health Minister Adrian Dix, as parents worry about long emergency room waits with sick children.
Ontario's chief medical officer of health strongly recommended on Monday, November 14, 2022, that residents wear masks in indoor public settings to protect children from a "triple threat" of respiratory viruses, while Alberta's premier said she will not impose a mask mandate and urged people not to panic.
Moderna says construction of its new mRNA vaccine factory in the Montreal area will begin later this year, with production expected to begin by the end of 2024.