TORONTO --With COVID-19 cases mounting across the country, a growing number of Canadian doctors are urging the federal government to adopt more aggressive measures to contain the spread of the virus.“The longer you wait to discourage mass gatherings, the faster this is going to hit us,” wrote Dr. David Juurlink in a Twitter post Thursday.Federal health officials have not called for mass event cancellations, instead offering a more measured response -- , where event organizers are advised to consult with public health authorities.Dr. David Juurlink, a physician at Toronto’s Sunnybrook Health...…TORONTO --With COVID-19 cases mounting across the country, a growing number of Canadian doctors are urging the federal government to adopt more aggressive measures to contain the spread of the virus.“The longer you wait to discourage mass gatherings, the faster this is going to hit us,” wrote Dr. David Juurlink in a Twitter post Thursday.Federal health officials have not called for mass event cancellations, instead offering a more measured response -- , where event organizers are advised to consult with public health authorities.Dr. David Juurlink, a physician at Toronto’s Sunnybrook Health...WW…

TORONTO --A Canadian bioscience firm has received federal approval for production and distribution of a device it claims can produce COVID-19 test results in less than an hour.Ottawa-based Spartan Bioscience, which developed the Spartan Cube, says it is capable of testing for COVID-19 and has received Health Canada approval for distribution."You take a swab and you actually take the tip of the swab into this cartridge and then you put into this portable DNA analyzer," Spartan Bioscience CEO Dr. Paul Lem told CTV News. "In less than an hour, you get your COVID-19 test results."Alberta is...…TORONTO --A Canadian bioscience firm has received federal approval for production and distribution of a device it claims can produce COVID-19 test results in less than an hour.Ottawa-based Spartan Bioscience, which developed the Spartan Cube, says it is capable of testing for COVID-19 and has received Health Canada approval for distribution."You take a swab and you actually take the tip of the swab into this cartridge and then you put into this portable DNA analyzer," Spartan Bioscience CEO Dr. Paul Lem told CTV News. "In less than an hour, you get your COVID-19 test results."Alberta is...WW…

AdvertisementTORONTO --In a lab at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, scientists went on a hunt through the DNA of some 10,000 families -- many whom have children with autism.Through this research, they identified something they call “genetic wrinkles” in DNA itself, a breakthrough they believe could explain why some individuals find themselves on the autistic spectrum.The hope is that this could be an important new clue into how to diagnose autism spectrum disorder (ASD) early, or even treat it.Dr. Stephen Scherer, co-author of the study released Monday and director of the Centre...…AdvertisementTORONTO --In a lab at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, scientists went on a hunt through the DNA of some 10,000 families -- many whom have children with autism.Through this research, they identified something they call “genetic wrinkles” in DNA itself, a breakthrough they believe could explain why some individuals find themselves on the autistic spectrum.The hope is that this could be an important new clue into how to diagnose autism spectrum disorder (ASD) early, or even treat it.Dr. Stephen Scherer, co-author of the study released Monday and director of the Centre...WW…

TORONTO --Doctors have successfully completed the first double lung transplant in Canada for a man whose lungs were devastated by COVID-19.Tim Sauve, 61, became ill with COVID-19 in December when he noticed himself getting dizzy at home in Mississauga, Ont. In a matter of days he ended up in hospital, unable to breathe.“I was put on 100 per cent oxygen at that moment, and after that there was no turning back, they could not lower my oxygen” Sauve told CTV News’ chief medical correspondent Avis Favaro. “At that point it got very, very serious.”Sauve was transferred to the intensive care unit...…TORONTO --Doctors have successfully completed the first double lung transplant in Canada for a man whose lungs were devastated by COVID-19.Tim Sauve, 61, became ill with COVID-19 in December when he noticed himself getting dizzy at home in Mississauga, Ont. In a matter of days he ended up in hospital, unable to breathe.“I was put on 100 per cent oxygen at that moment, and after that there was no turning back, they could not lower my oxygen” Sauve told CTV News’ chief medical correspondent Avis Favaro. “At that point it got very, very serious.”Sauve was transferred to the intensive care unit...WW…

TORONTO --While patients get sicker and ICUs continue to fill up, critical care physicians are transporting patients between hospitals to free up beds in some of Ontario’s hardest hit regions.Naomi Williams is a critical care paramedic and field training officer based in Mississauga, Ont. Williams transports critically ill patients in ambulances between hospitals in the Greater Toronto Area and its outskirts.“I would like everybody to understand that this is such a serious disease. This is nothing that we’ve seen before. This has been affecting people who are younger and younger now with...…TORONTO --While patients get sicker and ICUs continue to fill up, critical care physicians are transporting patients between hospitals to free up beds in some of Ontario’s hardest hit regions.Naomi Williams is a critical care paramedic and field training officer based in Mississauga, Ont. Williams transports critically ill patients in ambulances between hospitals in the Greater Toronto Area and its outskirts.“I would like everybody to understand that this is such a serious disease. This is nothing that we’ve seen before. This has been affecting people who are younger and younger now with...WW…

TORONTO --Some Canadian snowbirds are chartering private planes to head to Florida during the winter where anyone over age 65 is able to get vaccinated for COVID-19 right now.Ontario couple Annie and Ralph say they have travelled south for the winter for "several years," and despite travel advisories from the federal government, decided this year would be no different.Annie explained in a telephone interview with CTV News from Florida that lockdowns in Ontario had left them cooped up in their home during the colder months."There was no activities, and we couldn't even really go for walks...…TORONTO --Some Canadian snowbirds are chartering private planes to head to Florida during the winter where anyone over age 65 is able to get vaccinated for COVID-19 right now.Ontario couple Annie and Ralph say they have travelled south for the winter for "several years," and despite travel advisories from the federal government, decided this year would be no different.Annie explained in a telephone interview with CTV News from Florida that lockdowns in Ontario had left them cooped up in their home during the colder months."There was no activities, and we couldn't even really go for walks...WW…

TORONTO --When 90-year-old Nancy Russell died last month, she was surrounded by friends and family.They clustered around her bed, singing a song she had chosen to send her off, as a doctor helped her through a medically-assisted death.It was the exact opposite of the lonely months of lockdown Russell had suffered through in the retirement home where Russell had lived for several years -- that was the whole point.Across Canada, long-term care homes and retirement homes are seeing rising cases of COVID-19 and deaths yet again, a worrisome trend that is leading to more restrictions for the...…TORONTO --When 90-year-old Nancy Russell died last month, she was surrounded by friends and family.They clustered around her bed, singing a song she had chosen to send her off, as a doctor helped her through a medically-assisted death.It was the exact opposite of the lonely months of lockdown Russell had suffered through in the retirement home where Russell had lived for several years -- that was the whole point.Across Canada, long-term care homes and retirement homes are seeing rising cases of COVID-19 and deaths yet again, a worrisome trend that is leading to more restrictions for the...WW…

AdvertisementTORONTO --For the thousands of Canadians at risk of blindness, eight-year-old Sam is a beacon of hope.He is the first Canadian to be treated with gene replacement therapy for a rare form of blindness which had left Sam unable to see sky on a cloudy day, and unable to make out shapes in the dark.“Sometimes you have to walk in the night and I couldn’t see things and you bump into things,” Sam told CTV News.He had to have lights on always, and had trouble seeing his shoes or objects on the floor. And the condition was progressive, meaning things would get worse as he grew older --...…AdvertisementTORONTO --For the thousands of Canadians at risk of blindness, eight-year-old Sam is a beacon of hope.He is the first Canadian to be treated with gene replacement therapy for a rare form of blindness which had left Sam unable to see sky on a cloudy day, and unable to make out shapes in the dark.“Sometimes you have to walk in the night and I couldn’t see things and you bump into things,” Sam told CTV News.He had to have lights on always, and had trouble seeing his shoes or objects on the floor. And the condition was progressive, meaning things would get worse as he grew older --...WW…

AdvertisementTORONTO --For the thousands of Canadians at risk of blindness, eight-year-old Sam is a beacon of hope.He is the first Canadian to be treated with gene replacement therapy for a rare form of blindness which had left Sam unable to see sky on a cloudy day, and unable to make out shapes in the dark.“Sometimes you have to walk in the night and I couldn’t see things and you bump into things,” Sam told CTV News.He had to have lights on always, and had trouble seeing his shoes or objects on the floor. And the condition was progressive, meaning things would get worse as he grew older --...…AdvertisementTORONTO --For the thousands of Canadians at risk of blindness, eight-year-old Sam is a beacon of hope.He is the first Canadian to be treated with gene replacement therapy for a rare form of blindness which had left Sam unable to see sky on a cloudy day, and unable to make out shapes in the dark.“Sometimes you have to walk in the night and I couldn’t see things and you bump into things,” Sam told CTV News.He had to have lights on always, and had trouble seeing his shoes or objects on the floor. And the condition was progressive, meaning things would get worse as he grew older --...WW…

TORONTO --Nearly 200 COVID-19 vaccines are in development, and more than 60 of those are at various stages of human testing.But for some, a vaccine isn’t coming soon enough, so they have taken to making their own and giving them to others – despite criticism that this could be dangerous for recipients and set back the entire vaccination movement.Known as the “citizen science” vaccine initiative, some independent scientists, technologists and science enthusiasts are designing "do-it-yourself inoculations" against COVID-19. They say it is their only chance to become immune without waiting a...…TORONTO --Nearly 200 COVID-19 vaccines are in development, and more than 60 of those are at various stages of human testing.But for some, a vaccine isn’t coming soon enough, so they have taken to making their own and giving them to others – despite criticism that this could be dangerous for recipients and set back the entire vaccination movement.Known as the “citizen science” vaccine initiative, some independent scientists, technologists and science enthusiasts are designing "do-it-yourself inoculations" against COVID-19. They say it is their only chance to become immune without waiting a...WW…