More than 300,000 British Columbians live with long COVID, and the province's virtual-care clinic serves over 8,500 patients. From Nov. 1, virtual group appointments will be capped at 30 patients, down from groups of up to 50, and the per-patient fee falls from $14.71 to $11.42. The clinic says allied health will no longer be available in virtual group settings and patients should expect longer waits; the changes were signed off by the Medical Services Commission on Sept. 24.
The changes land Nov. 1 on a clinic that is the main virtual-care route for thousands of long COVID patients across B.C.
Saskatchewan hospitals are now using a rapid test that gives a mother with HIV her viral load on site within about two hours, instead of waiting days for a central lab, so treatment decisions for mother and newborn can be made at once. The practice is in use in Regina and Saskatoon and is rolling out to Melfort and more remote communities. Saskatchewan is the first province to use the test this widely; in 2024 its first-time HIV diagnosis rate was three times the national average, second only to Manitoba.
A two-hour result instead of days means treatment for mother and baby can start before they leave the hospital.
The federal heritage committee meets next week to vote on Bill S-211, which would rein in sports betting ads across Canada; the bill has already passed the Senate. A CBC analysis of seven televised 2026 NHL playoff games found viewers faced 3,000 gambling messages, with ads or logos appearing two to three times a minute, and 95 per cent carried no harm-reduction or age-restriction information. Ontario and Alberta oppose the bill.
If the committee approves it, the bill goes to a final House vote, the first federal move to limit sports betting ads.
A new national target aims to limit antipsychotic use in long-term care residents without psychosis to 15%. Current Canadian rates sit at 24%, prompting calls for cross-sectoral collaboration to improve prescribing, monitoring, and deprescribing practices across acute, community, and long-term care settings.
Expect increased focus on reviewing antipsychotic prescriptions and improving care transitions to meet this new national safety benchmark.
Omega Laboratories reports its aminophylline 25 mg/mL intravenous solution (DIN 00582662) remains in a Tier 3 critical shortage after a manufacturing disruption. The shortage began May 4, 2026 and is expected to end Oct 29, 2026; the company notes a Tier 3 substitute product is available.
Aminophylline is used in acute asthma and COPD care — check the substitute product and stock before the shortage ends.
Nearly 130,000 Ontarians now show signs of gambling problems, about triple the roughly 43,000 in 2018, according to new Alberta Gambling Research Institute research, after private online casino games and sports betting expanded in 2022. Gambling-related suicides also tripled after 2022, from an average of five a year in 2016-2021, the Chief Coroner's office says. Ontario says it has spent $421 million on responsible gambling and addiction treatment since 2018.
The numbers tie the 2022 online-casino expansion to a tripling of both problem gambling and gambling-related suicides in Ontario.
A study involving Manitoba researchers found that the time taken to start appropriate antifungal therapy is the most significant factor for survival in Candida septic shock. Patients treated within two hours of persistent hypotension had an 86% survival rate, with outcomes worsening by 5% for every hour of delay thereafter.
For patients with suspected Candida septic shock, prioritizing the rapid administration of appropriate antifungal therapy within the first two hours of hypotension is critical.
Health Canada announced more than $6 million for initiatives to improve culturally responsive mental health and substance use services for Black Canadians, announced by federal Health Minister Marjorie Michel in Toronto. The funding runs through the Substance Use and Addictions Program and the Supporting Community Mental Health Crisis Response Initiative as part of Canada's Black Justice Strategy, covering culturally safe prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery services, expanded supports for Black youth and families, peer mentorship, provider training and community-based crisis res
Winnipeg's HSDE is among the funded organizations, so frontline workers there can point clients to school-based workshops, peer support and drop-in help.
Jubilant DraxImage reports its Draximage Gluceptate kit (calcium glucoheptonate / stannous chloride, 25 mg / 3 mg powder for intravenous solution, DIN 02342006) faces an anticipated Tier 3 critical shortage from a manufacturing disruption. The shortage is anticipated from Aug 15, 2026 and expected to run until Nov 30, 2026.
Gluceptate is used in nuclear medicine kidney imaging — imaging departments should plan around the anticipated gap.
The Public Health Agency of Canada has declared the two-year national measles outbreak over, following two months without new linked cases. The outbreak resulted in 6,417 total cases across 10 provinces and territories, including 1,033 in Manitoba. Officials continue to emphasize the importance of routine vaccinations to prevent future transmission.
