As provinces across Canada begin to roll out third doses of COVID-19 vaccines, information about who qualifies for additional or booster doses is coming at us faster than you can say immunocompromised. But are we immunocompromised? Do we need a booster or a third dose? Is there a difference? Where can we find information tailored for people living with HIV?
COVID-19 vaccines are powerful tools in the fight against COVID-19 and have been crucial in combatting the latest wave. Vaccination reduces the likelihood of spread and also reduces the likelihood of serious illness with COVID-19 if a person gets infected.
Nobody can have missed the fact that a new type of vaccine has had tremendous success against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
The overdose crisis in Ontario is often stereotyped as an “opioid injection” crisis. However, data show that significant numbers of overdoses are also being driven by stimulant drug use and inhalation drug use.
“Blood. It’s in you to give.” Or so the old slogan from Canadian Blood Services (CBS)* would have you believe. Of course, they have a long history of filtering who gets to give. Currently, there are many Canadians who want to give but cannot, including all HIV-negative cisgender men who’ve had sex with another man in the past three months. This includes men who are in monogamous relationships, always use pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), always use condoms during sex, and who have oral but not anal sex. This policy has long been viewed as homophobic by many community members and community-based...
Just like across Canada, the number of overdoses continues to climb in Alberta because of a toxic drug supply, worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic that has interrupted the supply of drugs. In Alberta, drug toxicity deaths have been devastating to people with lived or living experience of substance use, as well as their friends and families. In the province alone, we have seen 1,334 fatal overdoses in 2020. We mourn each person lost.
