Geneology International

Tag: travellers

  • Health News Roundup: Hong Kong eyeing Jan 8 to resume cross-border travel with mainland China; France urges EU peers to test Chinese travellers for COVID and more

    Health News Roundup: Hong Kong eyeing Jan 8 to resume cross-border travel with mainland China; France urges EU peers to test Chinese travellers for COVID and more

    Following is a summary of existing health news briefs.

    &#13

    Hong Kong eyeing Jan 8 to resume cross-border journey with mainland China

    &#13

    Hong Kong is working to resume quarantine-free of charge journey with mainland China by as early as Jan. 8, Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki reported in a Facebook post on Sunday. Chan, the city’s No.2 official, stated quotas will be established in the 1st phase of the prepare to limit the quantity of individuals who can vacation involving the town and the mainland.

    &#13

    France urges EU peers to test Chinese travellers for COVID

    &#13

    France on Sunday urged European Union friends to take a look at Chinese travellers for COVID right after Paris resolved to do so amid an outbreak sweeping the nation. Only Italy and Spain also need assessments in the 27-nation, mostly border-no cost EU and wellbeing officers from across the bloc failed last 7 days to concur on a joint system.

    &#13

    Uk to need COVID negative tests for arrivals from China

    &#13

    The British isles explained on Friday that travellers arriving in Britain from China will call for a detrimental COVID-19 examination following a surge in infections in China. Starting on Jan. 5, Chinese travellers will need to have to display a damaging COVID-19 test taken no extra than two times prior to departure, UK’s Office of Health and fitness and Social Care reported in a statement.

    &#13

    WHO urges China to share specific details regularly on COVID scenario

    &#13

    The Entire world Well being Corporation on Friday as soon as once more urged China’s wellbeing officials to consistently share precise and real-time information and facts on the COVID-19 condition in the country, as it proceeds to evaluate the most up-to-date surge in infections. The agency has requested Chinese officials to share additional genetic sequencing facts, as nicely as info on hospitalizations, fatalities and vaccinations.

    &#13

    Pandemic curbs connected to early start to Europe’s wintertime flu time

    &#13

    Pandemic limits that hampered the circulation of viruses other than COVID-19 could be powering the unseasonably early upsurge in respiratory bacterial infections in Europe this winter that the festive crack could extend, scientists say. Apart from COVID-19, laws to control motion and social interaction restricted the transmission of viruses that normally bring about most infections all through the colder, winter months, which include influenza and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus).

    &#13

    Exclusive-Drugmakers to elevate selling prices on at minimum 350 medication in U.S. in January

    &#13

    Drugmakers like Pfizer Inc, GlaxoSmithKline PLC, Bristol Myers Squibb, AstraZeneca PLC and Sanofi SA prepare to elevate rates in the United States on much more than 350 distinctive prescription drugs in early January, in accordance to data analyzed by healthcare analysis agency 3 Axis Advisors. The increases are expected to arrive as the pharmaceutical marketplace prepares for the Biden Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which permits the government’s Medicare wellness system to negotiate charges instantly for some medicine starting in 2026. The market is also contending with inflation and offer chain constraints that have led to better manufacturing expenditures.

    &#13

    Australia to require negative COVID assessments for travellers from China

    &#13

    Australia stated on Sunday that travellers from China will have to present adverse COVID-19 test success from Jan. 5, joining a growing amount of nations that have executed very similar limitations as cases surge in China. Citing a absence of epidemiological info and genomic sequencing information from China, Australian health minister Mark Butler mentioned the governing administration has made a decision out of an abundance of caution to have to have visitors to existing a destructive check taken in just 48 hrs of their departure.

    &#13

    India checking pharma exports to China amid COVID surge – supply

    &#13

    India’s Ministry of Commerce has been asked to check exports of medicinal items and tools to China to assure domestic availability for any COVID-19 surges, according to a supply common with the make any difference. India’s Wellness Minister, Mansukh Mandaviya, requested pharma corporations and senior authorities officers to evaluate availability of medications, and watch their stocks and selling prices in a conference on Thursday, the resource told Reuters.

    &#13

    Chinese point out media look for to reassure community around COVID-19

    &#13

    Hundreds of Chinese took to the streets to mark the New Yr as authorities and point out media sought to reassure the community that the COVID-19 outbreak sweeping across the place was underneath management and nearing its peak. While numerous men and women in main metropolitan areas have continued to isolate as the virus spreads via the inhabitants, New Calendar year revelries appeared to be typically unaffected as folks celebrated the conclusion of 2022 and the transform into 2023.

    (With inputs from businesses.)

  • COVID-19 live updates: AHS responds to over 3,000 health measure complaints; U.S. will open to travellers immunized with approved vaccines; health-care sector bracing for staff shortages

    COVID-19 live updates: AHS responds to over 3,000 health measure complaints; U.S. will open to travellers immunized with approved vaccines; health-care sector bracing for staff shortages

    Watch this page throughout the day for updates on COVID-19 in Edmonton

    Author of the article:

    Postmedia News

    Publishing date:

    Oct 11, 2021  •  2 days ago  •  9 minute read  •  10 Comments

    A pedestrian, wearing a protective COVID-19 face mask, makes their way along 109 Street near 82 Avenue, in Edmonton Tuesday Aug. 31, 2021. Photo by David Bloom
    A pedestrian, wearing a protective COVID-19 face mask, makes their way along 109 Street near 82 Avenue, in Edmonton Tuesday Aug. 31, 2021. Photo by David Bloom Photo by David Bloom /Postmedia

    COVID-19 news happens rapidly, we have created this file to keep you up-to-date on all the latest stories and information on the outbreak in and around Edmonton.

    What’s happening now

    Share your COVID-19 stories

    As Alberta grapples with a fourth wave of COVID-19 at the start of another school year, we’re looking to hear your stories on this evolving situation.

    • Have you or a loved one had a surgery rescheduled or cancelled in recent weeks?
    • Are you someone who has decided to get vaccinated after previously being skeptical of the vaccines?
    • Have you changed your mind about sending your children back to school in person?
    • Have you enrolled your children in a private school due to COVID-19?
    • Are you a frontline health-care worker seeing new strains on the health system?
      Send us your stories via email at [email protected]

    1:33 p.m.

    Alberta Health Services responds to more than 3,000 COVID-19 health measure complaints

    Anna Junker

    The Alberta Health Services building in Calgary, Feb. 24, 2021.
    The Alberta Health Services building in Calgary, Feb. 24, 2021. Photo by Brendan Miller/Postmedia

    Alberta Health Services has received more than 3,000 COVID-19 related complaints or requests in recent weeks.

    The calls have come in between Sept. 16 and Oct. 5, said spokesman Kerry Williamson. They include requests from the public asking for AHS Environmental Public Health (EPH) to check if businesses, facilities, operators or events are complying with current COVID-19 public health measures, including masking, capacity and gathering limits, and compliance with the Restrictions Exemption Program.

    “If AHS is made aware of a complaint, Public Health Inspectors carry out an education or advisory role as an initial step when responding. AHS does not issue tickets or fines,” Williamson said.

    “The goal of AHS’ Safe Healthy Environments team is to protect the health and safety of the Albertans. AHS Public Health Inspectors always seek to work collaboratively with businesses and organizations to ensure compliance with CMOH orders and current public health measures.”

    Read more

    11:52 a.m.

    U.S will open to travellers immunized with vaccines approved by WHO, FDA and CDC

    The Canadian Press

    A U.S. and a Canadian flag flutter at the Canada-United States border crossing at the Thousand Islands Bridge, in Lansdowne, Ont., Sept. 28, 2020.
    A U.S. and a Canadian flag flutter at the Canada-United States border crossing at the Thousand Islands Bridge, in Lansdowne, Ont., Sept. 28, 2020. Photo by Lars Hagberg /Reuters

    The United States will accept international travellers immunized with COVID-19 vaccines approved by the World Health Organization and the Food and Drug Administration.

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the decision today in an email and said more guidance will be provided as requirements are finalized.

    White House officials said last month the U.S. would begin welcoming fully vaccinated international travellers in November, but they did not say which vaccines would be accepted.

    The news means Canadians immunized with the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine will be able to travel to the U.S. when new travel rules come into play next month.

    The AstraZeneca vaccine is approved by the World Health Organization, but not by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

    The CDC says it began informing airlines of its decision last week.

    Sunday

    Canada’s overworked health-care sector brace for staff shortages as vaccine mandates loom

    National Post

    An ICU team helping to intubate a patient suffering from COVID-19 at Humber River Hospital in Toronto.
    An ICU team helping to intubate a patient suffering from COVID-19 at Humber River Hospital in Toronto. Photo by Cole Burston / AFP

    Canada’s health and long-term care industries are bracing for staff shortages and layoffs, as deadlines for vaccine mandates loom across the country with unions pushing federal and provincial governments to soften hard-line stances.

    For hospitals and nursing homes, a shortage of workers would strain the already overburdened workforce dealing with nearly two years of the pandemic.

    The uncertainty sparked by vaccine mandates underscores the challenges on the road to recovery. Devon Greyson, assistant professor of public health at the University of British Columbia, said officials are steering into uncharted waters with mass vaccine mandates and it’s not clear how workers will respond.

    “A shortage of workers can mean people’s health and well being. It’s scary,” Greyson said.

    However, he added, “we’re in an ethical situation where it’s also scary not to ensure that all health workers are vaccinated. So it’s a bit of a catch-22.”

    To tackle staff scarcity, at least one province is offering signing bonuses to nurses. Provinces including Quebec and British Columbia have made it mandatory for healthcare workers and nursing staff to be vaccinated to continue working in their respective fields.

    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also unveiled one of the strictest vaccine mandates in the world last week, saying unvaccinated federal employees will be sent on unpaid leave and making COVID-19 shots mandatory for air, train, and ship passengers.

    Layoffs have already started to hit, with one hospital in southern Ontario last week dumping 57 employees, representing 2.5 per cent of staff, after its vaccine mandate came into effect. A long-term care home in Toronto put 36 per cent of its staff on unpaid leave after they refused to get vaccinated, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp reported.

    Sign up for our COVID newsletter:

    https://edmontonjournal.com/newsletters/

    Letter of the day

    Covid-19 forces Captain Jason Kenney to walk the plank. (Cartoon by Malcolm Mayes)
    Covid-19 forces Captain Jason Kenney to walk the plank. (Cartoon by Malcolm Mayes) Malcolm Mayes

    It’s not surprising that Premier Kenney wants to take Alberta children back to the 19th century by making rote learning central to the curriculum. He is a rote thinker, apparently capable of only two ideas — low taxes and incentives for business — which are basically just one idea. He constantly parrots his one idea that everything else is secondary to business, and that more business is the solution to every problem. This blinkered thinking partially explains the current mess our province is in.

    With three grandchildren between the ages of four and nine, I am extremely concerned that children between five and nine are now increasingly contracting COVID, due to the government’s shortsighted decision to end contact tracing in schools and elsewhere. I am continually amazed at how my grandchildren have rolled with all the shocks and changes of the past year and a half, although who knows what the long-term effects on the mental and physical health of any of us will be. Children don’t need to memorize facts. They need to learn how to access facts in order to acquire knowledge and ideas, so they can become developed human beings and critical thinkers. I suggest that Premier Kenney take a break from politics, go back to school, and finish off that philosophy degree. He could come up with some new and useful ideas relevant to the 21st century.

    K.D. Grove, Edmonton

    Read more letters to the editor

    Letters Welcome

    We invite you to write letters to the editor. A maximum of 150 words is preferred. Letters must carry a first and last name, or two initials and a last name, and include an address and daytime telephone number. All letters are subject to editing. We don’t publish letters addressed to others or sent to other publications. Email: [email protected]

    Saturday

    Pregnant patients can bring COVID-19-positive person for support while giving birth at Alberta hospitals

    Lauren Boothby

    The Alberta government is urging pregnant women and those who are trying to become pregnant to get the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible.
    The Alberta government is urging pregnant women and those who are trying to become pregnant to get the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible. Postmedia Wire

    Maternity patients giving birth in Alberta hospitals can bring a person infected with COVID-19 with them for support, Alberta Health Services (AHS) said in a series of tweets Saturday afternoon.

    AHS confirmed an exemption to quarantine rules allows a COVID-19 positive person to join a pregnant patient in exceptional circumstances and if the hospital is made aware ahead of time. A chief medical officer of health order in effect since July 29 says this designated support person must stay two metres away from everyone except the patient and infant.

    “These exemptions, which have been in effect since July 2021, are granted under exceptional circumstances and only at the request of the patient giving birth. We know the importance of having support at this time. This is a critical part of our approach to patient centred care,” reads an AHS tweet.

    Despite this, the provincial health authority says there are protocols in place to make sure people are safe.

    “The patient & essential support person will remain under contact & droplet isolation. This includes the facility providing access to bathroom facilities & food,” AHS says.

    Read more

    Saturday

    Alcohol-related illnesses in Alberta surging during COVID-19 pandemic

    Blair McBride

    Alberta is seeing a surge in alcohol-related illnesses that can be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic
    Alberta is seeing a surge in alcohol-related illnesses that can be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic Photo by Nicole Bengiveno /NYT

    Alberta is seeing a surge in alcohol-related illnesses that can be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, experts say.

    Mental and behavioural disorders resulting from alcohol use as well as alcohol-related depression and withdrawal are among the few non-COVID causes of hospital admission that have increased in the province since March 2020, says Calgary physician Dr. Eddy Lang.

    An article co-written by Lang that was published in the medical journal PLOS ONE in June revealed alcohol consumption rose from the fifth-highest cause of hospitalization in the province to the third during the first six months of the pandemic.

    Alcohol-related illnesses accounted for 3.46 per cent of hospital admissions between March and September 2020, up from 2.65 per cent in that timeframe the previous year.

    “Considering the number of hospitalizations we have in Alberta, that’s a significant increase,” Lang said, attributing the rising drinking rates to heightened feelings of pandemic anxiety.

    “There’s been lots of lost employment and family separation. We know that people are managing that with alcohol and cannabis. That’s going to manifest with people going overboard,” he said. “Alcohol is like gasoline on the fire of mental illness. If you’re already depressed you might think alcohol will make you feel better but in long run it makes things worse because it contributes to suicidal thoughts.”

    Increased rates of drinking in Alberta are also showing up in liver health.

    Hospitalizations for alcoholic hepatitis rose by 90.5 per cent in the first wave of the pandemic, according to a study soon to be published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

    Read more

    Saturday

    Albertans leave messages at UCP MLA offices to say no thanks to the government

    Gil McGowan (front, President, Alberta Federation of Labour), Jeffrey Strom, Beth Strom and Karen Kuprys (right, Secretary Treasurer, Alberta Federation of Labour) invited concerned citizens to Alberta UCP MLA Kaycee Madu’s office in Edmonton on Saturday, October 9, 2021, to leave messages voicing their disapproval to the Alberta government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants also shared their messages on social media with the hashtag #NoThanksGivenUCP. (PHOTO BY LARRY WONG/POSTMEDIA)
    Gil McGowan (front, President, Alberta Federation of Labour), Jeffrey Strom, Beth Strom and Karen Kuprys (right, Secretary Treasurer, Alberta Federation of Labour) invited concerned citizens to Alberta UCP MLA Kaycee Madu’s office in Edmonton on Saturday, October 9, 2021, to leave messages voicing their disapproval to the Alberta government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants also shared their messages on social media with the hashtag #NoThanksGivenUCP. (PHOTO BY LARRY WONG/POSTMEDIA) Photo by Larry Wong /Postmedia

    Albertan have been leaving messages at UCP MLA offices to say no thank you to the government that has needlessly endangered peoples lives.

    In a Thursday news release, the Alberta Federation of Labour asked Albertans to leave messages at UCP MLAs offices saying no thank you for the government’s handling of COVID-19 outbreaks on Saturday. They could also leave comments on social media using #NoThanksGivenUCP

    The group says that Albertans are angry that hospitals are over capacity, health-care workers are being pushed to their breaking point, surgeries are being cancelled and many schools are facing outbreaks in the news release.

    “The UCP refuse to take needed actions to keep Albertans safe,” says the release.

    Saturday

    ‘I see you ICU:’ Albertans express gratitude for health-care workers at Thanksgiving

    The Canadian Press

    Teams in a crowded Calgary intensive care unit tend to a COVID-19 patient on a ventilator.
    Teams in a crowded Calgary intensive care unit tend to a COVID-19 patient on a ventilator. Photo by Supplied by Alberta Health Services

    Hundreds of Albertans are sending coffee, gift cards and Thanksgiving meals to those working in intensive care units overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients.

    J’Val Shuster says she and her staff at Devour Catering will be delivering turkey dinners to 200 nurses, doctors and health-care staff at four Calgary hospitals on Sunday and more meals are to be delivered in the days to come. People have been paying $15 a meal through the company’s “I See You ICU” drive.

    “We’ve had over 1,700 people purchase a total of 6,000meals for doctors, nurses and staff,” Shuster said.

    “Nurses (have said) even if they don’t get the meals, they’re very uplifted just by the fact that people are showing their support and wanting to do something.”

    Shuster said she began the idea last month as she struggled to keep her business afloat. Support has been so overwhelming, she said, she has had to temporarily stop taking meal orders.

    “We’re going to co-ordinate with all the departments at what frequency they want the remaining ordered meals. We can’t prepare 6,000 meals at once.”

    Betty Wade of Calgary purchased 50 dinners for health-care staff.

    “I’m absolutely thankful for them, particularly now in this fourth wave,” said the retiree.

    “They’ll have something at the doorstep when they leave their shift that makes them realize that they are appreciated more than they know by so many people. We are very, very thankful for every one of them doing their job saving lives as best they can in this situation.”

    She recalled that at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic many cheered and clapped for workers on the streets.

    “But there’s a difference now … it’s the intensity in the ICU and in the hospitals,” she said.

    Read more

    Comments

    Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. We have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.