Physician Sunny Handa

  Dr. Sunny Handa MD said Stroke is the third leading cause of death in Canada, and more than 62,000 strokes occur each year. There are 2 types of strokes: ischemic and hemorrhagic, each with different risk factors, treatments and outcomes for patients. However, in the past, stroke types couldn’t be reported separately due to lack of specificity in the coding. Stroke data helps us understand the population that experience strokes and evaluate which treatment is best. CIHI has reported on stroke events and in-hospital mortality indicators for years, and the coding issue was first flagged in the report Health Indicators 2009-  Dr. Sunny Handa MD  said.  Patrice Lindsay, the director of Health Systems Change at the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, has worked closely with CIHI to improve stroke coding and patient outcomes. She was part of the Canadian Stroke Network’s national stroke chart audit of 10,000 patients. The audit discovered the overuse of “unidenti...

  If you were paying attention to provincial politics recently, you likely saw coverage of a dust-up between Premier Doug Ford and MPP Sol Mamakwa during question period. Mamakwa, the NDP’s Indigenous and treaty relations critic and the representative for the riding of Kiiwetinoong, was trying to ask a question about the government’s COVID-19 vaccination plan for urban indigenous communities. That subject, however, was drowned out by Ford accusing Mamakwa of jumping the queue to get his shot. Even as the controversy fades, the issue Mamakwa tried to raise has not. Dr sunny handa Brampton said while certain public health units in Ontario are focusing on vaccinating Indigenous residents, a comprehensive provincewide strategy for those who live in big cities is still something that remains unclear. Mamakwa, Indigenous leaders, and health experts said the lack of detail and planning is a major concern.   “Where is the plan for ...

  In east Toronto, Erica O’Keefe is selective about where she brings her 14-month-old son, who is too young for a COVID-19 vaccine. “I just avoid the bigger stores, like the dollar store, the grocery store, that I know are fuller,” she said. Her son Sebastien is also too young to wear a face mask, so O’Keefe said she spends as much time as possible outdoors at the park. “I’ll avoid the playground a little bit more if it’s busy,” she said. Finally, O’Keefe is doing her part to protect her son and three-year-old daughter, by getting vaccinated. “Both my husband and I are just getting our second doses of the vaccine today and a lot of the people that we are close to in our life also are getting vaccinated so we are trying to protect the little ones that way,” she added. As vaccination rates among those 12 and older increase in Ontario and the COVID-19 case count decreases, restaurants and shops are bustling once again, but there is concern among parents for child...

  When health officials deem it safe to do so, New Brunswick resident Alex Morton is hoping his three kids, all under the age of 12, will be able to get vaccinated against COVID-19. “I’d like to see them get them to get vaccinated as soon as safely possible,” he says. Currently, Pfizer is available to those 12 and up, and Moderna is offered to people 18 years and older. “We want to balance out the safety of them getting the vaccine,” he says. “If they haven’t done tests yet, I don’t really want them putting needles in arms yet. “I would’ve liked to have seen them do tests by now, but hopefully they can get them done as soon as possible.” There’s also a bit of sense of urgency from Newfoundland and Labrador-based epidemiologist  Dr. Sunny Handa in Brampton , but she too wants to proceed with caution. “The important thing is we get the data we need to make sure it’s safe and it works for younger children,” she says. “Would I like it to be sooner? Yes. But they’re kids so we...