Each week, journalists turn to Unity Health Toronto’s experts and programs to help make sense of our world. In case you missed it, here’s a recap of the headlines for the week of December 11-17.

13 ways to make Canada’s COVID-19 recovery more equitable
Toronto Star on December 13, 2021
Feature of research led by Dr. Nav Persaud

The Toronto Star features a list of measures that would make Canada’s pandemic recovery more equitable, complied by researchers at the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions and led by Dr. Nav Persaud. Among the measures are publicly-funded medications, basic income cash transfers, and universal parental and paid sick leave.

Deaths from the opioid crisis often make headlines. What’s overlooked is the toll on survivors
The Globe and Mail on December 11, 2021
Interviews with Dr. Tara Gomes and Dr. Chi-Ming Chow

While opioid-related deaths dominate headlines, the toll of opioids on users who survive is often overlooked. Dr. Chi-Ming Chow, St. Michael’s Hospital cardiologist, and Dr. Tara Gomes, epidemiologist at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, explain some of the health impacts to The Globe and Mail.

Why in-person learning matters: A dispatch from the front lines
Toronto Star on December 17, 2021
Opinion piece written by Dr. Sloane Freeman and Dr. Ripudaman Minhas

As we confront the next wave of the pandemic, we must focus on strategies to keep schools safely open, write Dr. Sloane Freeman and Dr. Ripudaman Minhas, pediatricians at St. Michael’s Hospital. In this opinion piece published in the Toronto Star, they explain how schools play a central role in supporting children’s developing minds and bodies, and why we must do everything possible to keep them safely open.

Ontario doctors try to predict everyday life in the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic
Sudbury.com on December 15, 2021
Comments from Dr. Ripudaman Minhas

In a media briefing arranged by the Ontario Medical Association, Dr. Ripudaman Minhas, St. Michael’s Hospital developmental pediatrician, weighs in on the pandemic’s impact on kids, and why families should try to ‘make space for their children’s feelings at home’.

Parents booking children’s second dose early over Omicron concerns
CTV News on December 16, 2021
Interview with Dr. Shazeen Suleman

The current recommendation is for children to wait eight weeks between COVID-19 shots, however many parents are exploring a shorter interval amid growing concern of the Omicron variants and its impact on schools. Dr. Shazeen Suleman, a pediatrician at St. Michael’s Hospital, weighs in on the possible risks and benefits to an earlier dose interval for children.

Does morning discharge really improve hospital throughput?
The Hospitalist on December 13, 2021
Feature of research led by Dr. Amol Verma

Does discharging patients before noon impact how many patients hospitals can care for? Dr. Amol Verma, St. Michael’s Hospital clinician-scientist, explains how data from a study he co-authored suggests morning discharges alone don’t improve efficiency.

Canadian experts say it’s still safe to take acetaminophen during pregnancy
Today’s Parent on December 16, 2021
Interview with Dr. Tali Bogler

In reaction to a recent paper suggesting the opposite, the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) has issued a statement saying there’s no clear evidence between acetaminophen (Tylenol) and fetal development. Dr. Tali Bogler, Chair of Family Medicine Obstetrics at St. Michael’s Hospital, explains in Today’s Parent that acetaminophen is still one of the safest medications to take for pain and fever in pregnancy.