Category: Canada

Which COVID Vaccine Should You Get?

Me getting the first dose of my Covid-19 Vaccine.

Canada now has 4 different vaccines to help us fight COVID-19, BioNtech/Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson and Johnson. While that’s a (very) good thing, this has led to some inevitable questions about which vaccine is “better” and whether people should wait for one or the other. An email from a friend who questioned the AstraZeneca vaccine inspired me to write this.

First, to re-iterate once again, while is true that all of these vaccines were developed at a rapid pace, the reality is that they all have been thoroughly tested. The shortcuts that were made were made in the bureaucracy, not the human trials. You can read my thoughts on that here, or see my colleague Dr. Greg Rose explain it better here.

There will likely never, ever be a vaccine (of any kind) that is 100 per cent safe (ever), but overall these vaccines are extremely safe for the general population.

The difficult part in sorting out information about the COVID vaccines is two fold. First, there is a whole lot of information that comes out, almost on a daily basis. It’s hard for not just physicians to keep track of it all, but also members of the general public. Second, some of the information that is released is extremely premature, without a full analysis being done. First impressions being lasting impressions, this often times creates an incorrect perception of a vaccine, that is hard to refute later on.

For example, the BioNtech/Pfizer vaccine was initially plagued by concerns that it caused Bell’s palsy (based on a report that 4 people got it after taking the vaccine) and that death was a side effect (based on report in Norway of 33 people over the age of 80 dying after taking the vaccine). It wasn’t until later that a through review showed that the Bell’s palsy issue was actually the same or less than the background rate. Essentially, you would expect about 12 people a year in the vaccine group to get Bell’s palsy anyway, regardless of whether they got the vaccine or not, so the fact that 4 got it didn’t mean it was linked to the vaccine, just that they were going to get it anyway. As for the 33 deaths, turns out that was in keeping with Norways normal death rate for their population of over 80 year olds, so again, not related to the vaccine.

Think of it this way. The most common time to get a heart attack is actually three hours after you wake up. Does this mean eating breakfast causes a heart attack? Of course not. Just because those two things happen close together, doesn’t mean that one caused the other. In statistics this is referred to as “correlation does not imply causation.” Sadly, there is rather a lot of correlation that is brought up about all of these vaccines, and the assumption is made that they are causing problems.

It was initially claimed the Moderna vaccine had more side effects than the BioNtech/Pfizer one. But it was only after studying it more that people realized that these aren’t really side effects, but proof that the vaccine is working. Your second shot of the Moderna vaccine made your immune system mount a response to what it viewed as a foreign body. Thus the muscle aches, fever and headaches that went along with it.

Now most recently there is some sub-optimal information circulating around the AstraZeneca vaccine. First, there was concern that they would not work against certain strains of COVID19, particularly the South African strain. Second is concern about blood clots.

The South African strain issue was particularly overblown. “Only 10% effective” screamed out some headlines. South Africa even stopped using this vaccine as a result. The full story is somewhat different.

Turns out the study that suggested AstraZeneca wouldn’t work against the SouthAfrica variant was very small (2,000 people), and not well done. Further more, what really matters, is preventing deaths, hospitalizations and severe disease and AstraZeneca works for this with the South African strain. Perhaps you may get a mild case of COVID19 (cough, fever, mild muscle aches for a couple of days). But the point of the vaccine is prevention of severe cases and deaths.

Similarly, the blood clot issue again appears to be one of correlation, not causation. The background rate of blood clots in the population would explain the ones found in Europe. Health Canada and Thrombosis Canada is not worried, and you shouldn’t worry either.

So back to the question at hand. Which vaccine should you get? My personal feeling is the J&J one would be the best simply because, logistically it’s much easier. Get one shot and it’s done. The problem with that one is that we have an effete Prime Minister who’s totally botched vaccine procurement for Canadians. There’s a reason #trudeauvaccinefailure is on twitter. Last I checked we are 61st in the world for procurement of vaccines (and for a G-7 country, that’s just embarrassing).

While happily announcing the approval of the J&J vaccine, Trudeau and the Liberals neglected to emphasize the fine print. Namely that the vaccine would likely not start to arrive until the end of April or early May, and that would only be in small amounts. The bulk of this vaccine won’t be in Canada until September.

Of course, right on queue, a few days after boasting about J&J, it was announced there would be production delays. Why the media isn’t talking about the outright incompetence of Trudeau and his government in protecting Canadian lives is beyond me.

Therefore, the best thing you can do is get the first vaccine that you are offered. When you get notified to get your shot, don’t ask which one, just get it. For what matters the most (keeping you out of hospital or dying from COVID19), they all work roughly the same.

I urge you all to do your part, protect yourself, protect others, and let’s get ourselves out of this pandemic, and back to a normal life.

A Great Cause.

As an addendum I would like to encourage all of my readers to consider buying some merchandise from Conquer Covid 19. This all volunteer group did yeoman’s work providing PPE to physicians, health care workers and others in need. Last year they raised $2.4 million and donated around 3 million (!) pieces of PPE.

This year they are selling their extremely boring merchandise (check Ryan Reynolds take on it here) and proceeds will go to LTCfrontline foods, providing hot meals to those workers who are struggling in long term care homes and Call Auntie, an organization that helps Indigenous people navigate issues around COVID19.

Please click here and donate what you can.

One nobody trying to be like the two cool kids wearing ConquerCovid19 merchandise. Please consider donating generously.

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HEPA Filters, Focus on Ventilation Can Help Open Economy

This week, much of Ontario moves out of a complete lockdown (I finally get a hair cut!). The move itself has not been without controversy, with some critics saying the government is opening too fast, and others saying they’re opening too slowly.

There is no doubt in my mind that if we can re-open the economy safely, we should. COVID19 has done terrible damage over the past year. Lives lost. Families unable to say goodbye to their loved ones. On going health issues in those who survived COVID19 infections and much, much more. But there is also an increase in the number of people suffering from mental illness, a rise in domestic abuse, and very real economic hardships faced by millions of Canadians.

It has been noted that there were were more deaths than expected in Canada last year, and not all of these “excess deaths” were directly caused by COVID19. We are starting to realize that some of deaths are “indirect”. That’s to say, the social isolation, the lack of emotional, financial and other support, the delayed medical procedures and more, have caused these deaths.

This situation is particularly bad in British Columbia and Alberta, where there were 270 and 360 more deaths than expected between March 15 and April 25 alone, and these were not directly attributed to COVID19.

To be clear, the lockdowns were necessary. And if we open the economy in an un-safe manner, COVID cases will rise again, there will be more death and perhaps even a dreaded third wave. We’ve seen from Sweden what happens when a country doesn’t shut down in the face of COVID. Even their king has admitted Sweden’s approach was a total failure.

It’s just that we cannot ignore the pain and suffering that occurs by a lockdown as well.

That’s why to my mind the focus needs to be on how to re-open safely. We have one of the worst pandemic responses in the world, so we must do better. Is there something we can do, that hasn’t been done in Canada yet?

Turns out, there just might be.

For far too long, Health Canada did not focus on airborne spread of COVID19. They stressed the “droplet” method of transmission, where fluid particles are expelled from your mouth, land on a surface and are then when you touch them, wind up on your fingers, and then into your body when you touch your eyes, nose or mouth. Full disclosure, if you search hard enough, you can find a video of me somewhere on the net saying exactly that, and telling people not to wear masks. It is clearly outdated now, and should be ignored.

Japan, by contrast, focused on airborne spread as far back as February of 2020. Their whole focus was to ensure proper ventilation and using air purifiers with HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filters in rooms. Everybody was asked to wear a mask early last year. Granted it is culturally more accepted to wear masks in Japan. But the focus was on airborne spread right from the start.

A diagram showing Japan’s process for dealing with COVID19, part of their submission to “Environment International” – September 2020 edition

How well did Japan do? Japan has a population of 125 million people in a country about 3/4 the size of Baffin Island. As I write this, data from their COVID tracking system shows that 417,116 people have been infected (0.33% of the population) and 7,038 have died (.0056% of the population).

These numbers are all the more remarkable considering that Japan did just about everything else wrong. They did not test enough (at least at the beginning), the lockdown measures were half hearted and voluntary, many pachinko parlours (a mix of gambling and alcohol) stayed open, and traffic on their notoriously crowded commuter trains to work was only down 18%.

Health Canada did not even acknowledge airborne spread of COVID19 until November 2020 (9 months after Japan and 4 months after the World Health Organization). Our Covid19 tracker shows terrible results. We have a population of 38 million. Yet as I write this, we have had 826,528 cases (2.17 % of the population or 6.6 x as many as Japan on a pro-rated basis) and 21,309 deaths (.056% of the population or almost exactly 10 x as many deaths as Japan on a pro-rated basis).

It does make one wonder, if we had approached COVID19 as having airborne spread right from the start, could we have saved a number of lives, and limited the lockdowns we endured? And now that the evidence is strong that COVID19 is airborne, should we not have businesses focus on safe ventilation as a condition for opening?

What’s required for optimal ventilation? Well ideally, you should have an HVAC system that exchanges the air in a given room 6 times an hour with an HEPA filter. HEPA filters can remove the vast majority of droplets that the COVID19 virus (and other viruses!) live in. But the reality is that this would be ultra costly and take far too long to replace every HVAC in most commercial buildings. (Should definitely be a requirement for new commercial properties and especially the new nursing homes Ontario is building).


What can other businesses do instead? One of my patients is a manager at a Tim Hortons. They have 14 tables at the Tim’s. What if the restaurant put a portable air purifier with a HEPA filter on each table? There are many brands that cost $80-$100 each for a small size one. But with one on each table (where people would be talking and eating without masks, thus expelling the virus), you could reduce viral spread.

Granted at that price, the air purifiers would only last about six months, but by that time hopefully we will all be vaccinated anyway.

Similarly, we could mandate appropriate air purifiers in other businesses as requirement for opening. To be clear, people should still wear masks, wash hands regularly and physically distance as much as possible. Those are important and necessary precautions for re-opening. But the HEPA filter purifiers would simply provide that extra level of protection. It’s why I asked my nursing home to install them in their facility (and thank you to the owners of Bay Haven for doing that).

Canadians have suffered terribly over the past year. For the sake of our physical and mental health we need to re-open the economy, but do it in away that will not increase COVID19 infections, and not have us yo-yo between lockdowns and re-opening. Focusing on ventilation and HEPA filters can help us do this safely.

COVID19 Has Exposed Flaws In Our Public Health System

“Be hard on the problem, not on the people.” – unnamed OMA Executive

When I was President of the Ontario Medical Association (OMA), I had the privilege of touring the province. The tour was during flu shot season, so I took the opportunity to meet many Public Health physicians and staff. They are all good, hard working people who are dedicated to their communities and doing their best to advocate for the health care needs of the population.

Unfortunately, the Public Health system in Ontario (and Canada) is fragmented and disjointed. This really impeded the ability of Public Health to act in a unified manor prior to the pandemic. But because Public Health wasn’t as “visible” at the time, the flaws in the system remained hidden.

To understand just how this fragmentation affected our health, one only looks at the situation around trans fats. I wrote about this previously, but in short:

– We’ve known since 1993 that trans fats are linked to increased heart disease

– We’ve known since 1995 that Canadians are one of the highest consumers of trans fats in the world

– Denmark, led by their strong public health system, essentially banned trans fats in 2004 and within 2 years had 4% less deaths from heart disease. There was also a reduction in childhood and adolescent obesity.

– The results were so good that many other European countries followed suit.

If we apply the Denmark results to Canada, we could prevent 600 heart attacks a year. Banning trans fats would seem to be a no-brainer, and clearly the type of thing Public Health should effectively advocate for.

But here in Ontario, outside of the City of Toronto trying to ban trans fats in restaurants in 2007 not much has been done about this. Part of this is because Ontario has 35 different Public Health units, who all function independently. They may not even have the same software when collecting data, and some still use paper charts. Because they all function independently, just because Toronto Public Health wants a ban, doesn’t mean all the other units would even know about it, much less share information on it, or advocate for it. And of course, every Province and Territory has their own autonomous Public Health System.

So essentially, the Public Health Units were unable to co-ordinate around this issue, and outside of trying to ban Trans Fats in school cafeterias, and a failed voluntary guideline by Health Canada, not much has happened.

It wasn’t even until 2017 that Health Canada got around to proposing a ban on trans fats, and 4 years later this still hasn’t happened. It’s worthwhile noting that over 10,000 heart attacks could have been prevented if we had acted at the same time as Denmark.

If in “normal”, non-pandemic times, the Public Health system was so fragmented, and disjointed, that something this straightforward couldn’t be accomplished, how would they perform in a once in century pandemic?

The answer, sadly, is not very well.

Just as the various Public Health Units couldn’t co-ordinate on the same message for Trans Fats, it appears the various units can’t co-ordinate on the same messaging around COVID. Case in point, on Nov 4, 2020, Health Canada finally (!) announced that yes, indeed, the coronavirus has airborne spread, and all facilities should take airborne precautions.

Dr. Theresa Tam, Chief Public Health Office of Canada announcing COVID19 was, indeed spread by aerosols

Yet a look at the website for my Public Health unit (Simcoe Muskoka) on Jan 10, 2021 (2.5 months later!) still shows the same guidelines that’s before the announcement. Namely, that the virus is spread through droplets and so cleaning surfaces is more important.

From Simcoe Muskoka Public Health, Jan 10, 2021.

So here we have two different messages coming from public health authorities.

By comparison, take a look at Japan. Japan decided back in February 2020 that the virus was aerosolized. They too have many regional public health offices, however, the regional branches send the information to the national office, and the national office makes decisions. Those decisions are clearly communicated to the public, so the same message goes through the country.

They very quickly focused on things such as air purifiers with HEPA filters in rooms, improving ventilation by leaving windows open (even in the crowded community trains) mask wearing, and improved HVAC systems.

A diagram showing Japan’s process for dealing with COVID19, part of their submission to “Environment International” – September 2020 edition.

As a result, on a per capita basis, Japan has only 1/8th the number of infections, and 1/14th the number of deaths from COVID19 as we’ve had in Canada so far.

But it’s not just messaging that’s the problem. Public Health Units are hampered by their archaic systems from adequately preforming the test/trace/isolate process so important to controlling the spread of COVID19.

My practice is close to the border of the Simcoe Muskoka District Health and the Grey Bruce Health Unit. If one of my patients comes down with a reportable illness, I have to figure out which health unit to report to. But they use separate forms. Additionally because they use separate data systems, they can’t share information between the two.

Supposing one of my patients were test to positive for COVID-19. What if they live in Grey Bruce, but work in Simcoe Muskoka. Who should I report this to? And more importantly who is responsible for the contact tracing considering they work in one area and live in another? Especially since they can’t share data.

The result? Effective test/trace/isolate does not occur in Canada.

Compare this to South Korea. South Korea has multiple regional offices for public health, but they’re integrated by the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare (KMHW). They share software, and so can share data and information.

By having all of Public Health integrated, South Korea was able to have one source for information. So not only did they have a consistent message (the KMHW gave two press conferences a day), but they were able to effectively test/trace/isolate.

On a per capita basis, South Korea has only had 1/13th the number of COVID cases as Canada, and 1/20th the number of deaths.

Canada’s response to the COVID pandemic is among the worst in the world. Only the fact that we are next door to a country that has had arguably the worst response in the world seems to prevent Canadians from recognizing this fact. If there is one learning that me must take forward from this, it is that lack of an integrated, seamless and co-ordinated Public Health system has cost us many lives.

As a country, we need to support the people working in Public Health by improving the systems they have, so they can protect us in the future.

Note: This blog is based on the first part of a presentation I gave to the Public Health Youth Association of Canada (my thanks to them for asking me to speak). If you are suffering from insomnia, or if you are generally good person and want to support young people who are keen to improve the world, feel free to watch the presentation here:

Open Letter to all Residents of the Georgian Bay Region

The following letter was sent to local media outlets by the Medical Staff of the Collingwood General and Marine Hospital. It has been re-produced here with permission.

To All Residents of Georgian Bay:

A day that we had hoped would never come has sadly arrived.  A concerning rate of COVID19 has been demonstrated in our community and has been reflected in recent hospital admissions, as high as almost 10 per cent of all patients in Collingwood Hospital this past weekend.  The surge in patients hits us at a time when all of us would normally be planning Christmas dinners, trips with friends and family, and looking forward to well deserved vacation time.

As your physicians we have volunteered much of our time preparing for a day like this all the while hoping it wouldn’t come.  We have helped to set up our Covid Assessment Centre.  We have ensured that the hospital continues to have physician coverage and that Emergency care remains unchanged.  We have helped set up drive through flu shot clinics.  We have helped set up an Alternate Health Facility to offload the Collingwood Hospital.  We have attended many extra meetings outside of our normal clinical time.  We have kept local Family Physician offices and the After Hours Clinic open for both virtual and in-person visits. Our Hospital remains open for emergencies as well as routine, scheduled care. 

But now we need your help.

If all of us don’t take necessary precautions to protect our community our hospital is in danger of being overwhelmed, and we may not humanly be able to take care of a large influx of patients.

So we ask all of you:

– Please shop locally but wear a mask in stores, and at all public places

-Please maintain physical distancing of two metres (or one moose length)

-Please stay in your own social bubble of 10 people

-Please ask your friends and family not to come visit you this year

-Please stay home and do not travel to other areas

What we ask of you is difficult.  These asks come at a time of year when social events are the norm.  A time of year when many of us attend celebrations and a time of year when we normally enjoy fellowship with others.

But historically, it is also a time of year when our sense of community and our love for our fellow citizens, has always shone through.  This year, there is no better way of showing our commitment to our community by following the asks we have of you.  In this way, you will show that you care enough about our community to keep it safe and healthy.

We promise to continue to do our part to provide the best possible care to you.  We ask that you help us, help you and those you love.

Yours truly,

Gregg Bolton,

President, Collingwood General and Marine Hospital Medical Staff

Does Bill C-7 Make Assisted Death the Path of Least Resistance?

  • Dr. Leonie Herx
  • Dr. Ramona Coelho

The following blog was co-written with me by Dr. Leonie Herx, Division Chair and Associate Professor of Medicine at Queen’s University and Past- President of the Canadian Society of Palliative Care Physicians and Dr. Ramona Coelho, a family physician who provides care to a large number of marginalized patients. A version of this opinion piece initially ran in the London Free Press on Saturday December 5, 2020.

As the COVID-19 pandemic dominates the political agenda and strains the country’s health-care systems, the federal Liberals are intent on passing Bill C-7, which proposes to expand medical assistance in dying (MAiD) to those who are not dying. Proponents of the bill state that it allows choice and dignity for those with chronic illness.  However, the bill fails to provide them with the dignity and humanity of requiring them to have good care or access to supports.

As physicians, we witness the struggles that confront our patients and their loved ones every day. Those living on the margins and with disabilities face significant barriers to care though systemic discrimination (ableism) that can make it harder to live a healthy, fulfilling life in community. As doctors we should be instilling hope, supporting resilience and using our expertise to find creative solutions to address health and wellbeing. Instead, we now will be required to suggest assisted suicide as an option.

Spring Hawes, a lady who has a spinal cord injury for 15 years publicly stated, 

“As disabled people, we are conditioned to view ourselves as burdensome. We are taught to apologize for our existence, and to be grateful for the tolerance of those around us. We are often shown that our lives are worth less than nondisabled lives. Our lives and our survival depend on our agreeableness.” 

A choice to die isn’t a free choice when life depends on good behaviours and compliance to societal norms. Sadly, the medical community can be complicit in this messaging.

Gabrielle Peters, a brilliant writer, who has struggled with poverty since her disability, has shared that a healthcare professional sat at her bedside and urged her to consider death. This was just after Gabrielle’s partner announced he was leaving her because she was too much of a burden and she no longer fit into the life he wanted. 

Doctors can pressure someone to die as in Gabrielle’s situation but also more subtly can confirm a patient’s fears that her life is not worth living and MAiD would indeed be a good medical choice.

Day after day, we participate in a healthcare system and a social support system that does not come close to meeting the basic needs of our most vulnerable patients. However, our role as physicians should always be to first advocate that our patients access all reasonable supports for a meaningful life with no suffering.  But alas, Canada does not seem to prioritize health care and supports for all, and soon, that lack of support will be pitted against an option to access death in 90 days.

Patients entrust doctors to make ethical decisions every day regarding their care and to make recommendations that are always aimed at promoting health and healing. The core role of medicine is to be restorative, not destructive. Advocating for our patient’s health and wellbeing, is a solemn oath we took.

As physicians we help our patients do many things in the context of a trusting, shared, decision making process. Doctors encourage healthy habits.  We refuse to prescribe antibiotics when patients have a viral infection, or opioids on demand. We pull a driver’s license when we have concerns for patient safety and the public good. We refuse to write mask exemptions without good reason. We serve both patient and the common good.

All of this requires courage to not betray the trust society and the patient has bestowed on our profession. Society’s belief in the inherent virtue and ethics of the profession has been the necessary basis of the physician-patient trust.  Would you trust your doctor if you thought they didn’t care about your safety and well-being?

While we recognize patients have the right to ask for MAiD, physicians must not be forced to suggest or forced to facilitate this, when reasonable options for living with dignity exist. We must continue to offer our patients what is good and practice medicine with integrity.

As Dr. Thomas Fung, Physician Lead for Siksika Nation stated, 

“Assisted death should be an option of last resort, and not the path of least resistance for the vulnerable and disadvantaged. Conscience protection is needed in this bill, as no one should be forced to participate in the intentional death of another person against their good will.”

One of the most important foundations of our Canadian identity is that we are a caring, compassionate country. We are proud of our universal healthcare mandate, and we place a high premium on being inclusive and tolerant while working hard toward the accommodation and integration of marginalized and vulnerable members of our community. And yet, if Bill C7 is allowed to stand without amendments, we will be in serious danger of losing this fundamental element of our Canadian identity.

Get Your Flu Shot…..in NOVEMBER

Every year in my office, usually just after Labour Day, the influx of phone calls begins. It’s always the same question -“When are you giving the flu shots?” While it’s easy to grumble about the increase in calls, the reality is that patients who are calling are being pro-active about their health. This is to be lauded as pro-active patients often have the best health outcomes.

Above image from St. Patricks Home of Ottawa.

This year the phone calls came earlier than ever. There’s a general sense in my practice that more people want the flu shot (a good thing) as patients are concerned about winding up in hospital, and contracting COVID19 while there. The fear of a “double threat” in hospitals is high, and I suspect that more people will get a flu shot this year because of this same fear.

This is also compounded by some erroneous information out there about what the flu is. A lot of people who have a cough, or the sniffles or a low grade fever think they have “a touch of the flu.” That’s not really the case. If you have a cold, you will have a fever, cough, and runny nose, but you will not feel like you’re on death’s doorstep.

If you have the flu, in addition to those three symptoms, you will feel like you got run over by a truck twice. The second time because the flu virus will have wanted to to ensure you really really felt it’s presence. Muscles you never knew existed will hurt for days, and it will be an experience you won’t soon forget.

So a lot of people who are getting a cold are concerned that the flu season is already starting. It’s not.

According to Canada Flu Watch, as of October 4, there is an exceptionally low level of flu activity across Canada. The percentage of positive flu tests is a mere .05%, which is well below normal. The flu is not in Canada (yet). I think most physicians would agree that an emphasis on social distancing, hand washing and mask wearing has had a large roll to play in this. Those three things don’t just reduce the spread of COVID19, they also reduce the spread of other viruses, including the flu.

Usually flu season begins around the first week of November with a few cases, peaks in January, is of concern until the end of March, and occasionally drags on into May (see below).

Graph is from the excellent Ottawa Public Health website

However, since the flu numbers are so low this year, it is likely that our flu season will be delayed somewhat. It appears that we can wait just a little bit longer to get it this year (but you should get it)!

The trick with getting the flu shot is timing. It takes your body about two weeks to build up full immunity after getting the flu shot. But, after about 28 days, the immunity starts to wane, slowly perhaps, but it does wane. (Medical nerds out there may want to read this study). Getting the flu shot too soon, means it may wear off before the season ends.

This year, what would be the best thing to do?

First, just about everybody over the age of six months should get a flu shot to protect themselves and their loved ones. The number of people who truly, truly have adverse reactions to the flu shot is very low. Talk to your doctor if you have concerns.

Second, for people who are in nursing homes and retirement homes, it probably is worthwhile getting the shot the last week of October. These patients are truly truly high risk, and it may take them longer to develop immunity.

Third, for most other people in the community, the first couple or three weeks of November are likely the ideal time to get the flu shot this year. My own office won’t even be having our flu shot clinics until November (my patients will get emailed once we firm up the logistics). This is being done to ensure that we all have a reasonable amount of immunity until the end of the flu season.

So let’s all do our part. Continue to social distance, wear a mask, wash your hands frequently (for 20 seconds) and get a flu shot in November. Together, we can ensure that the the double threat remains a threat, and not a reality.

Disclaimer: The opinion above is not individualized medical advice. It’s meant for the population as a whole. If you have specific questions or concerns, speak to your doctor.

Integrated Health Care: If Not Now, When?

As always, opinions in the following blog are mine, and not necessarily those of the Ontario Medical Association.

Recently, Canada Health Infoway, a non-profit organization funded by the federal government to develop digital health solutions, announced that their electronic prescription solution, PrescribeIT, was adopted by the Shoppers Drug Mart and Loblaw chain of pharmacies. This followed on the heels of PrescibeIT being accepted by the Rexall chain. PrescribeIT allows physicians to essentially send electronic prescriptions from their Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) to pharmacies directly, eliminating the need for paper prescriptions.

Reaction from many physician leaders was generally positive:

Other reports indicate how solutions like this have helped during the current COVID19 pandemic. In England for example, 85% of prescriptions are now electronic, thus helping with social distancing.

While I’m glad progress is (finally) being made, I’m forced to ask one question. Why did it take so bloody long?

As I’ve mentioned repeatedly to various health care bureaucrats over the years, my region (Georgian Bay) has had electronic prescriptions for ELEVEN YEARS now. We’ve regularly been emailing pharmacies and had them message us with either requests, or further information.

Our project additionally allows for pharmacists to become part of the health care team by allowing them limited access to a few important pieces of health information they need to do their job properly. For example, they are allowed access to the patients kidney function tests (knowing that many drugs are excreted by the kidney). In that way, I have gotten much advice about changing the dosage of medicine based on how someone’s kidneys are working.

Building on this project, our local area has also ensured that the our After Hours Clinic uses the local EMR, so if patients have to go there, the physician on call can easily access their charts. The local hospital allows us to house our server in their IT room (increases security because of all the firewalls). The advantage of this is that hospital physicians can access all the outpatient records if needed, and provide better care for patients. Even our local hospice has access to this so that patients can get the care they deserve during their last days.

We were even able, for a three years to have the nursing homes access and securely message our EMRs. The result was an over 50% reduction in admissions to hospital from the nursing homes. The cost of the project was $35,000 per year, but the government couldn’t find the right pocket of money to fund it (sigh – see here for how the bureaucracy works) and so the project died. If you need a cure for insomnia, my talk with more details of how the project worked is here (skip to 7:28):

This then is the real frustration that I, and many other physicians have with EMRs and other Health IT systems. Can you just imagine how much further we would be if all areas of the Province had what a few isolated regions (like mine) have?

For COVID19 for example, our Covid Assessment Centre is on our EMR which means that I get an automatic notification if someone goes for a test. And if that test is positive, it allows for quick notification of the family physician so we can begin the process of contact tracing. It also allows for easy transmission of information of people with febrile respiratory illnesses so that we can track important information like when the symptoms started and ended.

Dr. Irfan Dhalla wrote an exceptional piece in the Globe and Mail on preparing for the winter in times of COVID19. Unsurprisingly, he called for reducing “untraced spread” of COVID19 (50% of all cases have no known contact) and a large part of that solution is a technological one, namely the Canada COVID alert app (available at both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store).

While he’s correct about that, the reality is that we have more illnesses that we have to deal with than just COVID19. We need to be able to manage cancer, other infectious disease, heart disease, diabetes, the frail elderly with multiple problems and much more. The better we manage those illnesses, the more we can keep those patients out of hospital, which is great anytime, but particularly when there is a risk of hospitals being overwhelmed by a pandemic.

Again, in our neck of the woods the Home Care case co-ordinators are on our system. I often get messages from them about how one of my patients is doing, and requests for information from them (so much easier than faxing). This allows me to remotely address concerns patients are having sooner, and for frail patients, getting treatments sooner can often prevent a rapid deterioration, which will of course, prevent a hospitalization.

So while I really am glad that many more physicians will have access to PrescibeIT, I reluctantly point out that in its current iteration it only does about 65% of what our solution does. I suppose that’s better than 0% which people had before, but it is a testament to the failure of a wide swath of health care bureaucrats over the years that this is the best we have.

Even our system is not perfect. I get miserable situations like some of my COVID19 results come in through OLIS (Ontario Lab Information System) and others through HRM (Hospital Report Manager) and yet others get faxed (!) to me. The auto-categorization in HRM is really a complete joke. I dictated a note on one of my hospital inpatients, and the system classified me as a combined General Surgeon, Anaesthetist and Paediatrician – and while I’m glad the system thought I was that smart, the reality is I now have to go through all this data and spend extra time categorizing it properly.

eHealth Ontario, Ontario MD, Health Quality Ontario, the Ministry of Health and its various digital health teams were all to work co-operatively to build a strong Health Information System. But the reality is that these individual systems do not share information in a way that benefits patients.  The shared vision for health IT in the province (integrated health systems IT) still only exist in pockets around the province. There are lessons to be learned here and steps that should be taken.  All of which would really be beneficial now as we head into a potential second wave of COVID19.

Which leads this old country doctor to wonder: If knowing that a potentially huge crisis is coming our way in health care, will no one step up with a vision to fix Health IT Systems and Integrate Health Care information once and for all? And if not now, WHEN?

Don’t Like Mob Rule? Then Work to Fix Inequality

The past few months have seen a tremendous wave of social unrest in the United States, and some in Canada. This was spurred by the killing of George Floyd, an act so heinous that even noted racist Donald J. Trump called it a terrible thing. A seemingly endless stream of video evidence of discrimination and violence against not just Black people, but BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour), meant these protests have carried on for months, and even threatened to end the seasons of professional sports leagues.

While the protests have largely been peaceful, there has been violence in some American cities. Additionally, many American protestors have taken to tearing down statues of those who they view as oppressive or racist historical figures. Canadians were confronted with this happening on our own soil when the Coalition for BIPOC Liberation tore down a statue of Sir John A. MacDonald in Montreal.

Reaction to this act in Canada was pretty swift and, sadly predictable. Numerous people have decried the action as “mob rule”. Media types who work for outlets with a penchant for Islamaphobia compared the protestors to the Taliban. What better way to both vilify protestors whose philosophy you don’t agree with, than by using dog-whistle type comparisons to get at Muslims you don’t like as well. Kills two birds with one stone, right?

Even our own inept Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, stated that “actions like this have no place” in Canada. Of course we all know what he truly thinks of indigenous people by the way he brazenly attacked his former Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould. Even the pro-Liberal Toronto Star criticized him for it. As for what he thinks of people of colour, well……

The usual argument against these protestors is that they should protest peacefully instead, and of course that allowing this “mob rule” will mean the mob will “come for you and your family” next. Not being satisfied with just going after Muslims, the extreme far right anti-BLM crowd throws in a nice dose of anti-Semitism as well, by suggesting these actions are funded by George Soros.

Generally, there are two types of solutions presented by those who claim they don’t want “mob rule”. The first is to demand a strong response. “Law and Order” is needed they scream. “Keep arresting people until there is no one left to lock up!” Peaceful protests are ok in their eyes (not a peaceful protest like cancelling some basketball games, of course, that’s just wrong), but the tearing down of statues is anarchy and must be met with force.

Many of these indignant types forget that the first tearing down of statues in America happened five days after declaring independence, on July 9, 1776. A “mob” in New York tore down the statue of King George to protest his oppressive rule and unfair treatment of Americans. Sound familiar? Undoubtedly the British viewed such an act as anarchy. Funny how those opposed to the protests don’t mention this.

The second solution offered is one that is promoted by people like Christian Walker (son of former NFL player and Trump supporter Herschel Walker, who is Black) and Sheriff David Clarke (also Black). Their suggestion is that to avoid brutality, one should show follow directions from the police, and learn to respect to the police and institutions. “When a cop gives you a lawful command, OBEY IT.“thunders Clarke.

However, not 30 minutes after reading a Facebook post in which Clarke is quoted as saying “if you want to protect your child, teach them respect”, I came across the following article on TMZ. Have a look at the videos. In the first video, a white man is doing anything but showing respect to the police officer. He is hurling insults, being threatening, using abusive language and doing everything that Clarke and Walker say you should NOT. While the police officer has his gun out (and I would say understandably, given the circumstances), there is no shooting and the individual is talked down.

The second video, is jarring. A black man is doing EXACTLY what Clarke and Walker suggest. He is standing quietly, not resisting, hands on his head so that the police can see that he is making no sudden or threatening movements. In short, he is co-operating, following the rules, and, as Clarke directed, obeying the police. His reward? To be viciously assaulted by a cowardly drop kick to the back.

And that one comparison symbolizes why the protests are happening. Despite doing what you should do in a lawful society, and following the rules, people are still being targeted for being BIPOC. That’s just the physical violence. All sorts of evidence exists that there is economic discrimination against BIPOCs.

Now to be clear, I am not a fan of violent protests or mobs. Mobs do destabilize society and can cause tremendous unrest, economic damage, and physical harm to innocent people. It’s imperative to find a way to stop them.

But stopping them also means acknowledging the reality that mobs and protests like these only happen because the way society is set up leaves a group of people feeling as if they have no hope for a better future. American Revolutionaries tried to legally express their grievances with England about not being treated equally to other British subjects for years prior to taking violent action. BIPOCs have been asking for true equality for decades (if not centuries). The reality is people usually only turn to violence if they have tried all other methods, and, if they feel there is no hope of a better future. It’s the despair that drives this behaviour and it’s the despair that must fundamentally be treated.

We must prevent “mob rule”. Doing so is the only way to preserve a safe, healthy and strong society. But doing so requires all of us to take a good hard look at persistent inequalities in our society, work to fix them, and thus give hope to people who currently feel none.

History teaches what the alternative is, and we don’t want to go there.

How to Feminism

The following is a guest blog written by Dr. Darren Cargill, pictured above Opinions are his. Especially what he wrote about Nik.

Like most of you I enjoyed Sarah Cooper’s savage tweets and parodies of Donald Trump during the lockdown.  From “How to Testing” to “How to Empty Seat,” she has entertained people around the world during difficult times.

But her tweets also got me thinking about feminism and the female role models I have had throughout my life and medical career.

Currently, the most recognizable feminist “role model” (stop laughing) in Canada is best known for firing our first Indigenous Attorney General and forcing out of Cabinet a physician who might been useful going through the COVID global pandemic.  He used his power and privilege to prevent them from speaking the truth about what actually happen.  He also yelled at a racialized MP who had chosen to step down, admonishing her for not appreciating all he, a self-admitted privileged white male, had done for her.  And his socks.

This doesn’t seem right.  Clearly, I am experiencing feminism differently.  If so, it seems like there is still lots of learning WE can do.  I needed to learn more.

So I did.  In the process, I read and heard a lot about something called the “gender pay gap.”  I didn’t know a lot about it, so I asked some colleagues of mine to explain it to me and what could possibly be done to remedy the issue.  

So instead of looking to our political leaders to set the example, I decided to look back at my own life and career instead.

First, I am very proud of the fact the Section of Palliative Medicine currently boasts only the second ever (damn you Genetics) all-female Executive for a clinical section.  As Section Chair for seven years, I have never had more confidence in the future leadership of our group.  This executive was not contrived or selected like some associations or cartels.  All three ran in open elections for our Section leadership.  Although we have had some great leaders for our Section in the past, our future has never been brighter.

One of my absolute favourite memories of the pandemic lockdown was Dr. Wendy Kennette doing an Executive teleconference from the Windsor Mobile Field House at St. Clair College in full PPE.  Nothing more needs to be said about her single-minded determination and commitment to compassionate patient care.  Except, it should be acknowledged that she also led the charge to create Windsor’s first permanent inpatient palliative medicine program at Windsor Regional Hospital. Dr. Pamela Liao has been exceptional in her first year as Section Chair.  She routinely leads from the front and regularly organized and participated in webinars to inform and educate members during the early days of COVID.  Finally, Dr. Patricia Valcke has stepped in as a first-time member of the Executive in the role Secretary/Treasurer after relocation from Saskatchewan to Ontario. She has hit the ground running as the new co-chair of the Schulich School of Medicine Enhanced Skills Program for Palliative Medicine, taking over from Dr. Sheri Bergeron.  I look forward to her bright future in leadership as well.  

Next, like most little boys, my first role model was my mom.  She recently retired at the age of 75.  She broke her leg in May, spent three months in rehab, most of that non-weight bearing, yet walked New York City by Thanksgiving (Canadian, not American for the record).  After all, she’s Dutch.  Wooden shoes, wooden head, wouldn’t listen, as they say.

I had many wonderful female teachers growing up.  But during elementary school, it was Helen, a fellow student, who pushed me.  We were rivals in elementary school, friends and colleagues in high school.

In university, it was Lisa, now a palliative care doctor of all things, who encouraged me to switch from Psychology to Neuroscience as an undergrad, and that maybe I should write the MCAT one summer, just for laughs.

In medical school, it was Bertha who took a chance on a woefully unprepared candidate who showed up to his interview high (as a kite!) on cough syrup.  It was also Danielle who joined UWO MEDS 2003 needing to change the world while the rest of us just hoped to pass.  It was my pragmatic roommate Laurie, who helped me to put life’s setbacks into perspective.

It was Charmaine, my first mentor in palliative care, who showed me that palliative care is not a job, its a calling.  It was Janet who encouraged me to give palliative care a second chance following my first experience with burnout.

It was Carol, as executive director for the Hospice of Windsor, who taught me how to lead from behind.  She never treated a single patient in her entire career, but she put dozens of people in a position to succeed, to the benefits of thousands. It is Colleen who has kept our Hospice organization afloat in turbulent times.

I think of Jane, whom I met ever so briefly at the CMA in Vancouver 2016.  She stepped up to make a difference and stepped away with her grace and dignity still intact. And Jody, who exemplifies integrity in times when it is sorely lacking in Canadian politics.

I think of Catherine who is the smartest woman I know, thus giving her only half the credit she deserves.  Secretly I think she enjoys letting us spin our wheels with a problem she had the answer to an hour ago.

I think of Nikki, who is the sister I never had, if you don’t count the seven I already do.  Nikki is gonna murder me for calling her Nikki. Probably on a Friday. (Hey Nik, it’s Sohail here – just a reminder, that Darren calling you Nikki, I would NEVER EVER do that!)

I look at Jacinda who didn’t just flatten the curve, she levelled it like an All-Black in a foul mood.

I look at Hayley, who seems destined to be an even better doctor than she was a hockey superstar. I think of Menon and Kim who inspired me the same as Felix and Marty.

It is all of the nurses, staff, volunteers and caregivers at the bedside of our palliative patients, night and day, without compliant, without fail.

It is my wife who was diagnosed with cancer at 29 and kicked its ass by the time she was 30, got married at 31 (to me, just in case you were wondering) and gave birth to a miracle child at 34.  She comes from a family of ass-kickers.

So, when people talk about the gender pay gap, I wonder, why that is.  Because its 2020, after all.  And much like the evidence for the benefits of palliative care, the avalanche of evidence for the gender pay gap is embarrassing.  The benign neglect to this problem is also similar.

Like all things, you need to start by educating yourself.  Here are some good places to start:

What’s driving the gender pay gap? (CMAJ, 2020)

Here is an article in the Globe and Mail (2019)

You can watch Dr. Audrey Karlinsky’s webinar

And Dr. Leslie Barron’s article

Make sure to keep your eyes out for OMA President Dr. Samantha Hill and Dr. Michelle Cohen’s upcoming article in CMAJ, coming soon.  As well, a Report to Council will be making its way to OMA members soon.  I humbly suggest giving it a read when it does.

Finally, for the men reading this:  This is not about taking something away from you.  It is about giving to them what they have deserved all along.

Respectfully,

Darren Cargill MD

ConquerCovid-19 a True Canadian Success Story

“Not all heroes wear capes.” – It’s an expression often found on the internet.  It of course, refers to the fact that you don’t have to be Batwoman or Superman or whoever, to do some good in this world.  

During the Great Pandemic of 2020 of course, this phrase is often used to describe those of us who provide health care on the front lines. Cleary, the physicians, nurses, first responders, PSWs, support staff, environmental services staff and many others who provide front line care during this historically difficult time are heroes.  They inspired me during my term as President of the Ontario Medical Association (OMA), and they continue to inspire me now with their dedication and passion.

While there are many other heroes out there, I want to give a shout to one group that in many ways represents Canadians at their best, ConquerCovid-19.  

The full story of how ConquerCovid-19 came to be can be found here. The short version is that they started out in mid-March as the brainchild of Sulemaan Ahmed and his wife Khadija Cajee.  They heard their physician friends complain about the lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in their clinics, and wanted to help.

Neither one of them is a stranger to advocacy for social causes. They both are already heavily involved in fighting the ridiculous No Fly list in Canada that erroneously lists thousands of children and innocent people.

Sulemaan, Khadija and four of their friends formed ConquerCovid-19 and using their business connections ( Executive Training with ServoAnnex) asked companies who had PPE to donate them to health care providers.  Almost immediately, their friends and their friend’s children volunteered to help out (with apologies there are too many to list).  The organization grew steadily and quickly.

Then a medical student who also was worried about the shortage of PPE heard about their endeavours, and offered to help out.  As brilliant as medical students are, normally one extra student wouldn’t cause a wholesale change.  But said medical student also happens to be the greatest female hockey player of all time, Hayley Wickenheiser.  Next thing you know, she gets her friend Hannibal King….Green Lantern….. Deadpool… Ryan Reynolds involved and the star power catapulted the success of the organization.

A quick look at the their twitter feed shows that they have donated PPEs to organizations that deal with at risk youth, medical schools, support services for frail seniors, nursing homes, multiple child and youth services, shelters for new immigrants and refugees, rural and remote areas of the province and much more.

What’s more, they suddenly found people willing to donate supplies other than PPE. Instead of saying no, ConquerCovid-19 took on Hayley Wickenheiser’s mantra (Get Sh-t Done!) and took non-PPE supplies and found good homes for them. Have some extra computer tablets – send them to nursing homes so residents can communicate with families. Feminine hygiene products – send them to Women’s Shelters, and much more. There has also been a significant amount of cash raised from sales of what Reynolds calls “a boring shirt”. Ok he was more colourful than that, but check out #boringshirtchallenge.

All of this was in addition to the almost 500,000 units of PPE donated to medical clinics across the Province in co-ordination with the OMA. I was honoured to have been invited their April PPE drive where I saw the group in action.

That’s when I realized the best thing about ConquerCovid-19.  They exemplify what Canada is all about.

It’s no secret that we are so living in a time where there is a tremendous, un-precedented call for social justice.  The Black Lives Matter movement has forced us to confront and deal with inherent systemic racism against Black Canadians. In particular, Statistics Canada data shows that we are failing yet another generation of Black youths. Alas there are too many such stories in Canada.

Our record in dealing with our Indigenous population is disgraceful, with even the United Nations calling the housing conditions abhorrent.  We have systemically discriminated against them, and there are too many individual stories to mention. There has also been a rise in Islamophobia and anti-Semitism.

Many will see this and despair for Canada.  Make no mistake, all of us need to continue to be vigilant and work to improve our country.  But when I think of Canada, I will, instead, think of ConquerCovid-19, and how it exemplifies what Canada is all about.

You see, Sulemaan and Khadija are Muslims whose families immigrated to Canada.  The leadership group (whom I was fortunate to meet) includes Jews, Sikhs, Christians and those that are, let’s say, ill defined when it comes to religion.  They have people of all colours in their organization.  

ConquerCovid-19 is not just a snap shot of Canada in 2020, it’s a snapshot of the best of Canada.  While we struggle to deal with our failings as a nation, rather than look with despair on our country, we should look to the hope that organizations like ConquerCovid-19 provide.  To my mind, there is no other country on this planet where such a diverse group of people could come together, find a common cause that is rooted in charity and selflessness, and work co-operatively for the benefit of all.

The strength of Canada lies in it’s unique multi-cultural nature, where our differences are celebrated, not denigrated. Where our basic humanity, tolerance and kindness is the common thread that unites us all. That is what Canada is all about, and that is what ConquerCovid-19 exemplifies every day by their actions.

Thank you ConquerCovid-19, for reminding us of the promise that is Canada.