I was shocked to read that ER doctors have not received a second vaccination. All that empty talk about our “front line heroes,” stories of how they have separated themselves from family to avoid spreading the virus, the stress and PTSD from the exceptional conditions they face and they are not given priority for an optimum vaccine protocol?
We are importing health-care workers from Newfoundland because ours are burning out, and the number of COVID patients is increasing. It seems completely counterintuitive that we are not giving maximum protection to the workers who are keeping our system functioning in extreme circumstances. It should be top priority to get these doctors and nurses fully vaccinated now.
OTTAWA Each day Sandy Weltman sits in front of a computer ready to talk to her husband Morris, hoping she can help brighten his day. We don t need to talk, she said. I look at him, he looks at me and we’re happy. He’s been at the Queensway Carleton Hospital for over a year. In February 2020, Weltman, known as the owner of Ottawa vegetable and fruit store Top Banana, had a bad fall and has been at the hospital for over a year. Since Ontario’s stricter health measures were implemented in April, the family hasn’t been able to see him in person.
OTTAWA The head of the Ottawa Hospital says COVID-19 patient transfers from Toronto-area hospitals have stopped, helping to relieve some of the pressure on the hospital during the third wave of the pandemic. Ottawa hospitals have received 50 to 60 patient transfers from the Toronto-area over the past month or so. I think we re definitely headed in the right direction. I was very concerned three weeks ago, said Cameron Love, president and CEO of the Ottawa Hospital. Love noted Ottawa s seven day average was over 300 cases of COVID-19 in mid-April and there were more than 100 patients in Ottawa hospitals with COVID-19.
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Dr. Michael Herman can’t get much closer to the front lines of pandemic health care than he already is. During every recent shift in the emergency department at Queensway Carleton Hospital, he has treated at least three or four COVID-positive patients, sometimes performing procedures with a high potential risk of spread.
And, while the emergency doctor uses full personal protective equipment, he does not have the same level of protection as many of his colleagues, even those who don’t see patients face-to-face: He has not received a second dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
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Illustration by Kumé Pather, Updated 13:58, May. 7, 2021 | Published 15:22, May. 5, 2021
At the start of 2020, Suvash Pokhrel was in danger of becoming a cliché. The thirty-eight-year-old had worked as an internal-medicine specialist in Nepal, but since becoming a Canadian permanent resident, in 2018, he hadn’t been able to practise medicine. Instead, the physician spent his days taking online courses, so he could stay abreast of developments in his field, and caring for his kids.
The difficulty of practising medicine in Canada as a doctor trained outside the country is well known. Pokhrel was luckier than many others in his position: he was eligible for a loan to cover the thousands of dollars needed to take his two recertification exams. But that’s just one step. The relicensing process for international medical graduates (or IMGs) involves verifying one’s medical degree and previous practical experience, passing a language-proficiency test, and completing a Can