The other pandemic
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The other pandemic

From January 2016 to March 2021, 22,828 people died in Canada’s “other” pandemic: drug overdose deaths. This total does not include the numbers since March, which are reportedly high but not yet available. By contrast, the COVID-19 pandemic, which has profoundly affected us all, has caused a similar number of Canadian deaths (27,500 through September)….

Research & Ethics

Research & Ethics

Did you see how quickly the COVID-19 vaccines were developed? Vaccine approval is a complex process, but these vaccines made it through in record time. It shows what can be done when the world comes together around a deadly medical problem; these are among the safest and best reviewed vaccines we have. The research community…

Pandemic gifts
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Pandemic gifts

The gold standard of science information transfer is the peer-reviewed written word. But the slow pace of publication and the impersonal interactions involved have made other forms of scientific communication popular. With anywhere from 300 to 35,000 participants, scientific meetings are one way for scientists to comment on, criticize or improve each other’s findings quickly….

Dutch data on COVID’s learning loss
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Dutch data on COVID’s learning loss

Many people are wondering about the effects of pandemic-induced school closures. Here in Ontario’s third wave of the pandemic, schools are closed again (with some exceptions for special needs students). It’s possible the year will finish online. While the closures are necessary from a medical standpoint, what effect do they have on our children? Recently,…