Health care delivery

Calgary emergency wards coping with ‘extreme overcapacity’ in flu season: AHS memo

Hospital leaders tighten admission policies as virus surge strains staff. According to a memo sent Friday to Calgary acute care doctors, issues connected to overcapacity in emergency rooms are ‘expected to worsen.’ CBC … READ MORE

Nearly 90% of Manitoba’s reported measles cases involved unvaccinated patients: public health

15 cases have required hospitalization so far this year, including 12 involving patients under 10. Since mid-May, 1,513 infants between six and 12 months have received a measles vaccine, the province says. A two-dose measles vaccine … READ MORE

This year’s flu is packing a punch. How hospitals are trying to deal with surging cases

Some jurisdictions are opening extra beds, others are asking health-care providers to work extra hours. Flu season is hitting children hard, sending a flood of young patients to hospitals. CHEO, eastern Ontario’s … READ MORE

Flu cases soar as Alberta health officials work to relieve pressure on hospitals

Province says hospitalization peak likely to hit in early to mid-January. The South Health Campus adult acute care hospital in Calgary. According to the province, as of Thursday there were 650 Albertans in hospital due to the flu. … READ MORE

How does Alberta’s COVID-19 vaccination rate compare to other provinces? We asked

Seven per cent of Albertans have had a COVID shot this season. CBC News reached out to other provinces to see how Alberta’s COVID vaccination rate compares. Robert Short/CBC Jennifer Lee, CBC News Calgary Dec 19, 2025 … READ MORE

COVID-19 cases, vaccine campaigns helped prompt mask mandate’s return, doctor says

Mask mandate comes into effect on Monday. Dr. Natalie Bridger, an infectious disease specialist with Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services, says the mask mandate is meant to prevent the spread of viruses. Mark Quinn/CBC Elizabeth … READ MORE

Flu blamed in deaths of 3 children in Ottawa area this month

Ottawa Public Health, Eastern Ontario Health Unit renew vaccination plea. CHEO, Ottawa’s children’s hospital, has seen a worrying spike in flu-related visits this season. Gabriel Le Marquand Perreault/Radio-Canada CBC News … READ MORE

Holiday precautions to spread cheer, not germs

Influenza cases rising across Canada. A doctor examines a patient with flu-like symptoms at Elmhurst Hospital in New York City in December 2003. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters Amina Zafar, CBC News Health Dec 10, 2025 Health officials are … READ MORE

Alberta emergency rooms hit with wave of influenza patients

AHS says extra beds added as hospitals face high demand around the province. Alberta Children’s Hospital is dealing with a wave of children sick with influenza. Alberta Health Services says hospitals around the province are … READ MORE

Canada’s Pharmacare Act: Still a Work in Progress

More than a year has passed since Bill C-64, the Pharmacare Act, received Royal Assent. Pharmacists have the most training in terms of dealing with drug interactions, experts say. Jacques Boissinot/Canadian Press Evra Taylor, Medscape … READ MORE

Children’s hospitals in Canada face flood of flu visits as doctors urge families to get vaccinated

High volumes put strain on limited pediatric hospital capacity, with flu season set to peak later this month. At CHEO, eastern Ontario’s children’s hospital in Ottawa, eight times more children tested positive for … READ MORE

Why Red Deer is seeing success in recruiting new doctors

Medical associations are calling for more uniform growth across the province. Dr. Adeola Adeyemo is a Red Deer physician. Nadeer Hashmi/CBC Nadeer Hashmi, CBC News Oct 18, 2025 Alberta’s push to recruit more doctors is beginning to … READ MORE

Doctors urge vaccination as influenza upswing hits Alberta

Flu positivity rates, hospitalizations rise amid concerns about mismatched variant. Alberta’s flu positivity rate more than tripled to 11.5 per cent during the second week of November, from 3.4 per cent two weeks earlier. David … READ MORE

Alberta premier sparks private health care worries with recent mandate letters

Ministers tasked with ushering in ‘new era of health care,’ Danielle Smith says. ‘This new era of care will deliver a modern health-care system Albertans can count on,’ Premier Danielle Smith said in a news … READ MORE

Alberta doctors call for regular access to vaccines in children’s hospitals to combat low immunization rates

Alberta government says it’s a no-go due to pressure on hospitals. Canada recently lost its measles elimination designation. Geoff Robins/The Canadian Press Jennifer Lee, CBC News Calgary Nov 17, 2025 Some Alberta pediatricians … READ MORE

Tuberculosis outbreak declared in inner-city Edmonton: Primary Care Alberta

Decision to declare outbreak made in October after 2 cases of same strain confirmed. Nunavik health board’s infectious disease clinical lead, Yassen Tcholakov, said tuberculosis, while curable, kills most infected patients … READ MORE

How Canada can regain its measles elimination status

A vial of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is pictured at the Taber Community Health Centre in Taber, Alta., Monday, July 28, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh Nicole Ireland and Hannah Alberga, The Canadian Press Nov 11, 2025 … READ MORE

As Canada loses measles-free status, outbreak in northeast B.C. continues

As Canada loses measles-free status, outbreak in northeast B.C. continues. A former chief medical officer of health for Alberta says the province bears a significant amount of responsibility for Canada losing its measles elimination … READ MORE

Canada could face ‘worst kind’ of flu season as experts warn evolving strain may be mismatch for vaccine

Alarm bells abroad, spread of a new form of H3N2 provide warnings as influenza cases start ticking up. A colourized transmission electron microscope image of the influenza A H3N2 virus from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and … READ MORE

Alberta parents still struggling to book COVID shots for kids as doctors raise alarm about access

Alberta Medical Association estimates each COVID hospitalization costs the health system more than $34,000. Parents have to call Health Link to book COVID-19 vaccines for children under 12. But the health information line has been … READ MORE

Canada’s measles outbreak control challenged by disinformation and distrust, doctors say

Doctors share ideas for disinformation and outreach, warn more measles ‘inevitable’. Vaccine hesitancy, especially in specific communities, is one of the hurdles to getting more of the Canadian public protected against … READ MORE

New implant restores blood pressure balance after spinal cord injury

Neuroscientists and neurosurgeons from Canada, Switzerland and the Netherlands collaborate on life changing research and innovation. UCalgary researcher Aaron Phillips monitors Cody Krebs’s blood pressure as it’s stabilized by a … READ MORE

Robust Measles Immunity in British Columbia’s Lower Mainland

Researchers found robust immunity to measles among people living in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, indicating high uptake of the measles vaccine in the general population. Photo by CDC on Unsplash Fran Lowry, Medscape October … READ MORE

‘Outbreak in Alberta was preventable’: AMA president criticizes province’s handling of measles outbreak, premier defends it

Measles is preventable. After a baby died of measles this week, The Alberta Medical Association is encouraging Albertans to get vaccinated in order to prevent more deaths and hospitalizations. Jacqueline Wilson reports. CTV News By … READ MORE