News Bites from CDA Knowledge Networks – 2021/05/05

U of T dentistry prof volunteers in ICU as hospital grapples with COVID-19 third wave. utoronto.ca, May 3: When Humber River Hospital asked for volunteers in the intensive care unit to treat COVID-19 patients, the University of Toronto’s Marco Caminiti jumped at the opportunity. Read more

One year later: Faculty of dentistry dean on change, compassion and lessons learned from COVID-19. dal.ca, May 4: When COVID-19 forced Dalhousie to close its campus in March 2020, it created unprecedented challenges and disruptions to people’s lives, educational experiences and careers. Since then, the Dal community has found new and notable ways to teach, forge connections and be of service. Read more

Brunswick free clinic needs staff to expand dental program. pressherald.com, May 5: Oasis Free Clinics in Maine is trying to get its dental clinic back up to speed, but the pandemic and a lack of volunteers is making that difficult. … The clinic is struggling now just to return to its pre-pandemic scheduling and is playing “catch up” after closing down in March 2020 through September of this year. Read more

Hit by higher prices for protective gear, doctors and dentists want insurers to pay. californiahealthline.org May 4: Treating patients has become more expensive during the pandemic, and doctors and dentists don’t want to be on the hook for all the new costs. Read more

‘Your mouth becomes a minefield’: the Americans who can’t afford the dentist. theguardian.com, May 4: Pandemic job cuts have meant many people have no insurance to pay for dental work – and the poorest are hardest hit. For instance, the box of 100 gloves that cost $2.39 in February 2020 costs $30 now, said Dr. Judee Tippett-Whyte, president of the California Dental Assn. Read more

Now Able To Administer Vaccines In 20 States, Dentists Step Up To Fight Covid-19. forbes.com, Apr 30: With the help of regulatory and statutory changes in state capitals, American dentists are now able to help get more people vaccinated against Covid-19. 20 states now permit dentists to administer vaccines, something that had been authorized in only three states prior to the pandemic. While vaccine authorization for dentists has been legislatively enacted in some states in recent months, in others it’s been done by gubernatorial order. Read more

Taking stock – how COVID-19 changed NHS dentistry. dentistry.co.uk, May 3: Spring is a time of change for all sorts of reasons, not just the turning of the seasons. April marks the start of a new tax year, and a new NHS year. This year also heralds what some of us believe to be the start a major change in NHS dentistry. Even if you are a wholly private dentist, changes in the NHS affect the whole marketplace. Read more

Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Wednesday. cbc.ca, May 5: Health Canada says Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine can be used in children aged 12‑15. Ontario reports 2,941 new cases of COVID-19 and 44 additional deaths. Service to find vaccine locations via texting launches in B.C. and Ontario. Alberta tightens restrictions, increases fines for COVID-19 rule-breakers. When will the Canada-U.S. border reopen? 'Preferred vaccines' messaging from federal panel sparks concern, criticism from health experts. Vaccination rates lagging in poor Montreal areas, but outreach workers see surge in interest at pop-up clinic. India accounted for 46% of global COVID-19 cases last week, WHO says. Read more

Children 12 and older now cleared to receive Pfizer vaccine: Health Canada. ctvnews.ca, May 5: Health Canada says the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is now safe to give to children ages 12 and up. The federal health agency has announced it has approved administering the vaccine to children ages 12 to 15, after initially authorizing it for use in individuals 16 years of age and older. Read more

Trudeau tells Canadians to get vaccinated as soon as possible to end pandemic. nationalpost.com, May 4: Trudeau didn’t directly challenge NACI’s advice, but said Canadians should be considering how quickly they want the pandemic to end when they decide whether to wait. Read more

Mixing COVID-19 vaccines could be making the best 'of a bad situation.' nationalpost.com, May 5: With AstraZeneca delays, and 36 million doses of Pfizer and Moderna scheduled to come, mixing for potentially hundreds of thousands of people may become unavoidable. Read more

Canada ‘very closely’ watching data on mixing and matching COVID-19 vaccines. globalnews.ca, May 4: Health Canada is “very closely” watching emerging data around the safety and efficacy of mixing and matching COVID-19 vaccines, Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s top doctor, said Tuesday. Tam said the hope is “further clarification” will be available well before those Canadians awaiting a second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine are due to roll up their sleeves again. Read more

We probably won't reach herd immunity against COVID-19 any time soon, but it's OK, experts say. cbc.ca, May 5: Threshold a moving target, but closer we get, the more we can return to normal life. … The goal of "herd immunity" is often described as just around the corner, signalling a return to pre-pandemic normality. But will we actually get there? Probably not, say epidemiologists and mathematicians who have been studying the latest numbers closely. At least, not any time soon. Read more

Canadian researchers developing 20-minute saliva test for COVID-19. ctvnews.ca, May 5: Researchers at the University of Waterloo in Ontario are developing an at-home saliva test for COVID-19 that can be ready in 20 minutes, something they say could be a key to returning to a normal life. University of Waterloo professor Sushanta Mitra is one of the co-lead researchers on this project. He spoke with CTV's Your Morning on Wednesday to talk about the saliva test. Read more

Alberta reports first death linked to AstraZeneca vaccine, second in Canada. edmontonctvnews.ca, May 4: A woman in her 50s has died from rare complications linked to receiving a COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccine. Read more

Ontario appears to avoid worst-case COVID-19 triage scenario in ICU but concerns remain. toronto.ctvnews.ca, May 4: Ontario appears to have avoided a devastating scenario in which doctors in the province’s intensive care units (ICU) could have been forced to pick and choose who gets life-saving care and who doesn’t. … On Tuesday, Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott said arrows are starting to point away from this worst-case scenario, despite the number of ICU patients hovering near that threshold. Read more

Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Tuesday. cbc.ca, May 4:  Nunavut bursts its travel bubble with N.W.T. Ontario pharmacies facing an 'administrative nightmare' when booking 2nd vaccine doses. Read more

NACI accused of contributing to confusion, hesitancy over 'preferred' vaccines guidance. ctvnews.ca, May 4: The National Advisory Committee on Immunization is being accused of creating confusion about COVID-19 vaccines after it restated that mRNA vaccines were “preferred” over the viral vector ones. Read more

Johnson & Johnson vaccine recommended for Canadians 30 and older despite risk of rare blood clots. Cbc.ca, May 3: Canadians should weigh risk of rare condition against risk of serious COVID-19 complications, NACI says. Read more

NACI releases new recommendation for vaccinating pregnant people. ctvnews.ca, May 3: NACI now recommends that health-care providers offer a full series of vaccines to pregnant people, including the COVID-19 vaccine, if they are in the intended age group and the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks for both parent and fetus. Read more

This contentious antibody treatment is getting a clinical trial in a B.C. clinic, and researchers hope it will restore faith. cbc.ca, May 3: The Canadian-made treatment is called bamlanivimab, and it involves infusing patients with monoclonal antibodies within three days of testing positive, all with the aim of preventing their illness from progressing into life-threatening. Read more

How one Ontario region has made COVID-19 rapid testing free and widely available — and others may soon follow. windsorstar.com, May 3: The Waterloo, Kitchener and Cambridge region has launched a rapid screening project called StaySafe that allows anyone to book a free test at three roving mobile units. Read more

Ontario students to receive year-round mental health support during pandemic. toronto.ctvnews.ca, May 4: Education Minister Stephen Lecce is set to announce an $80 million fund for school boards to hire up to 1,000 additional mental health workers for the next two years. Read more

Canada to receive 2M vaccine doses this week as Pfizer-BioNTech ramp up deliveries. thestar.com, May 3: The feds also haven’t said when they will release doses of the single-shot vaccine from Johnson and Johnson, after the first 300,000 jabs arrived in Canada last week. Plans to distribute them are now on hold after Health Canada learned some of them were manufactured at a Maryland facility that botched part of the production process for 15 million doses bound for the U.S. Read more

Why warnings of a deadly 3rd wave in Canada may have gone unheeded. cbc.ca, May 1: 'The writing was on the wall,' said epidemiologist Kirsten Fiest. It was a Friday in February and Canada's COVID-19 situation seemed to be improving. The second wave had crested. Just over 3,000 cases were reported countrywide that day, Feb. 19, down from a peak of 8,766 six weeks earlier. Dr. Theresa Tam, however, came to a virtual news conference with a warning. New variants of the novel coronavirus threatened the country's progress. Read more

All Indigenous people in Manitoba now eligible for vaccine. cbc.ca, May 3: Manitoba health officials will give an update on COVID-19 vaccine eligibility on Monday as the minimum age continues to be lowered. CBC Manitoba will live stream the 10 a.m. news conference here. Read more

Covid-19 Live Update. washingtonpost.com, May 5: Club of rich countries to address unequal global vaccine rollout. Canada became the first country in the world to authorize use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children between 12 and 15 on Wednesday. U.S. new cases dropped below 50,000 a day on average for the first time since early October in a sign that vaccinations — and warmer weather — may be getting the U.S. outbreak under control. Read more

Biden's new goal: 70% of Americans vaccinated for COVID-19 by July 4. cbc.ca, May 4: U.S. President Joe Biden is setting a new COVID-19 vaccination goal to deliver at least one dose to 70 per cent of adult Americans by July 4, the White House said Tuesday, as the administration pushes to make it easier for people to get shots and to bring the country closer to normalcy. Read more

Pfizer earned $3.5 billion on COVID-19 vaccine in first quarter. thehill.com, May 4: Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine earned the company $3.5 billion in the first three months of this year, representing nearly a quarter of its total revenue, the company announced ahead of its earnings call Tuesday. The drug giant said it expects the vaccine to earn about $26 billion in total revenue for 2021, based on signed contracts as of mid-April that call for 1.6 billion doses of the shot to be delivered this year. Read more

White House struggle to define its vaccine diplomacy leaves Ukraine hanging. politico.com, May 3: The Biden administration’s recent decision to send coronavirus vaccines to India has created tensions with another key ally: Ukraine, which has ramped up its requests for vaccine aid ahead of a visit this week from Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Read more

Unruly airline passenger reports surge. axios.com, May 3: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said unruly airline passenger incidents have soared this year, with airlines reporting some 1,300 cases since February. Read more

The US is in danger of learning the wrong lessons from Covid-19. vox.com, May 3: America has an opportunity to learn from its mistakes during the Covid-19 pandemic — but it is already in danger of missing its chance. Despite more than 575,000 dead Americans, there is no 9/11 Commission-style governmental inquiry into the mistakes and missteps that doomed the country’s early response to the virus. Congress has moved onto other business. The Biden White House is consumed with the current pandemic. But the next one will come, and sooner than we may think. Read more

Denmark removes one-shot J&J vaccine over blood clot fears. ctvnews.ca, May 3: Denmark has already taken the AstraZeneca shot out of its vaccination program for the same reason. Both the J&J and AstraZeneca shots are made with similar technology. The Danish Health Authority said in a statement that it "has concluded that the benefits of using the COVID-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson do not outweigh the risk of causing the possible adverse effect." Read more

Not reaching herd immunity by the fall could have dire consequences, U.S. medical expert says. ctvnews.ca, May 4: Millions of Americans are receiving COVID-19 vaccine doses every day, but one medical expert thinks the nation may not reach herd immunity this year if more people can't be persuaded to get a shot. Read more

Feds rethink vaccination strategy as slowing demand reveals stark divide. politico.com, May 3: The White House expected vaccination rates to drop off in rural communities and among younger people who are hesitant about the shot. Read more

Moderna to supply 500M vaccine doses to Covax effort. bnnbloomberg.ca, May 3: Moderna Inc. agreed to provide as many as 500 million doses of its COVID-19 shot to the program known as Covax in a boost for the global vaccination effort, but only a small fraction of the shipments are due to arrive this year. Read more

Millions Are Saying No to the Vaccines. What Are They Thinking? theatlantic.com, May 3: Feelings about the vaccine are intertwined with feelings about the pandemic. Read more

India Covid: Delhi hospitals plead for oxygen as more patients die. bbc.com, May 3: At least 12 patients, including a doctor, died when a prominent hospital ran out of oxygen on Saturday. Outside hospitals, families of patients who can't find a bed are struggling to get hold of portable cylinders - sometimes standing in queues for up to 12 hours. Read more

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh discusses party's dental care proposal – May 4, 2021. CPAC youtube.com, May 4: NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh holds a virtual news conference to discuss his party's dental care motion. He is joined by NDP MP and motion sponsor Jack Harris. The motion calls on the federal government to establish a plan as soon as possible for Canadian families earning less than $90,000 per year who are not covered by a dental care plan. This would be an interim measure toward the inclusion of full dental care in Canada’s health-care system. Watch/Listen with questions on dental care at 14:15 and 23:15

Open Wide and Say “Ahhhh!”: Why Our Dental System Still Bites. thewalrus.ca, May 3: I was broke, in agony, and out of options. Why more and more people are crowdfunding their dental bills. Read more

U of A researchers successfully use 3-D ‘bioprinting’ to create nose cartilage. ualberta.ca, May 3: Technological leap offers a simpler, safer way to provide cartilage for surgeries. Read more

Government of Canada continues to take action to support people with chronic pain. canada.ca, May 5: …Today, the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Health, announced the release of the Canadian Pain Task Force’s (CPTF) third and final report—An Action Plan for Pain in Canada. The Minister also announced $2.8 million in funding for the Centre of Effective Practice for a project that will help provide support and access to care for people living with chronic pain. Read more

Grassy Narrows First Nation asserts sovereignty to pass Anishinaabe law on alcohol use. cbc.ca, May 5: A traditional Anishinaabe law on alcohol possession came into effect this week in Grassy Narrows in northwestern Ontario, a clear departure from provisions under the federal Indian Act that prohibit alcohol on First Nations across Canada. The move asserts the inherent jurisdiction and sovereignty of Grassy Narrows and will help the community address the social problems caused by alcohol, according to Chief Randy Fobister. Read more

Quebecers are smoking more cannabis during lockdown, study finds. globalnews.ca, May 5: Quebecers are consuming more cannabis and smoking more cigarettes during confinement, according to a new study published Tuesday. Nearly one-third, or 32 per cent, of cannabis users questioned by researchers from the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec during April 16 to 28 reported that their consumption had increased “in the last week,” compared with the period before the pandemic. Read more

Opinion: Children's needs are universal and federal daycare plan can help meet them. leaderpost.com, May 5: Needs of children are not determined by political geography, writes Verda Petry. Read more

More needed to address 'emerging crisis' of vision loss in Canada, report finds. ctvnews.ca, May 4: A new report suggests that improved services for those with vision loss are needed to address growing costs that could otherwise put a strain on the health-care system and Canada's economy. Read more

CERB was luxurious compared to provincial social assistance. brighterworld.mcmaster.ca, May 3: The federal government’s economic response to COVID-19 included a new income support called the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB). What was it like to live on CERB when it was available, and how did it compare to the situations of those who were either still working or receiving provincial social assistance? Read more

Why Uber's Flexible Work+ plan could be a game changer for app-based drivers, delivery people. cbc.ca, May 3: ...Under the proposed Flexible Work+ plan, drivers would be able to retain their independence and control, with the added protection of having a benefits fund that offers support for prescriptions, dental care, or things like tuition expenses. Read more

Beyond the pharmacy: Why Shoppers Drug Mart is recruiting doctors. financialpost.com, May 4: From lessons learned in the pandemic, Canada's largest pharmacy chain wants to help take health care into new paradigm. Read more

Mental Health Week brings promise and a reminder of work left to do. Healthcarecan.ca, May 3: Mental Health Week is being recognized from May 3-9 this year and for many Canadians the event holds even more significance than usual given the heavy and ongoing toll exacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more

Homemade 'natural' toothpaste recipes shared online are a health hazard and should be avoided, dentists warn. dailymail.co.uk, May 4: Social media influencers are promoting trendy 'natural' toothpaste recipes. University of Nantes researchers found the toothpaste recipes can be harmful. Some of the recipes include ingredients than can contain toxic heavy metals. Read more

Dr. Florence Edwards: Tobacco industry uses menthol, mint, candy flavors to lure, hook Black, brown, LGBTQ youth. sunjournal.com, May 5: …Today, more than 8 out of 10 Black American adults who smoke use menthol cigarettes. And Black Americans die at higher rates than any other racial or ethnic group in the U.S. from tobacco-related diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and stroke. Read more

Republic of Ireland signs off plans for alcohol minimum pricing. bbc.com, May 5: The Republic of Ireland's cabinet has signed off on a plan for alcohol minimum unit pricing, despite opposition from retailers. Some retailers fear unless similar measures are introduced in Northern Ireland there will be a surge in cross-border shoppers seeking "cheaper booze". The government believes minimum pricing is a vital public health measure. Read more

FDI World Dental Federation Sustainability in Dentistry initiative unites eco-conscious dental industry partners around a common aim. fdiworlddental.org, May 3: FDI World Dental Federation (FDI) launched a new initiative, with commitments from four founding industry partners – Colgate, Dentsply-Sirona, GSK Consumer Healthcare, and TePe – to lead the charge on sustainability in dentistry. Over the next two years FDI will work collaboratively with its partners and other key stakeholders to map out strategies and implement solutions to help reduce the environmental impact of dentistry and the dental industry. Read more

Dental care remains neglected in state, nation. ohiocapitaljournal.com, May 3: One of the leading health care needs in the state of Ohio is one that’s most neglected, especially when it comes to low-income communities. As dental director at the Cincinnati Health Department and as part of the CincySmiles dental clinic program, Dr. Larry Hill’s major task was making sure low-income and high risk populations had access to oral health services, something he says isn’t enough of a priority in the state. Read more

Most dentists think a publicly-funded dentistry system won't work. stuff.co.nz. May 3: Most dentists in New Zealand think cost is a barrier to dental care, but don’t believe moving to a publicly-funded dentistry system will address unmet need, a new survey has found. Most general practice dentists thought “preventative measures” would better address dental issues than a publicly-funded system, according to the study published in the March issue of the NZ Dental Journal. Read more

May 6-8: 2021 Ontario Dental Association Annual Spring Meeting (ASM21). Read more

June 10-11: Atlantic Virtual Dental Convention. Read more

September 25-26: 2021 Virtual Saskatchewan Oral Health Conference. Read more

September 26-29: FDI World Dental Congress | Special Edition | Sydney 2021 Virtual. Read more

September 30 to October 2: CARDP 2021 Annual Scientific Meeting. Read more

October 15-19: Journées dentaires internationales du Québec 2021. Read more

Please let us know about upcoming continuing education meetings that could be of interest to Canadian dentists by emailing us at oasisdiscussions@cda-adc.ca