As protective measures during COVID-19 persist, many students have transitioned to virtual learning. From an increased workload to adapting to new online learning tools, virtual education is adding to the stress caused by isolation, fear, and financial struggles. By: Hadeel Alhadi As protective measures during COVID-19 persist, many students have transitioned to virtual learning. From an increased workload to adapting to new online learning tools, virtual education is adding

“…the cancellation of elective procedures and preservation of essential materials, as a result of the pandemic, will have a lasting impact on Ontario’s healthcare system for several years to come…” Author: Grace Gillis On March 15, 2020, Ontario’s Ministry of Health released a memorandum for hospitals to begin “ramping down elective surgeries and other non-emergent clinical activities” [1]. As COVID-19 cases continued to climb in the province, this approach was intended to pr

“…prior knowledge has greatly helped researchers in determining the functions of the different proteins present on the viral envelope of the virus, as well as mapping out the mechanism of action…” Author: Rushil Dua The coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) is a disease that has defined 2020, turning what we had all imagined this year to be on its head. This disease is caused by a virus known as SARS-CoV-2 [1]. While many simply know it to be a virus that is transmitted thro

Have you ever gone a year without visiting a general practitioner? If so, you’re part of the 7% of Canadians that don’t [1]! However if you’ve gone a year without visiting a dentist, you’re 1 of 9,397,500 million Canadians (i.e 25% of the population) that don’t [2]. Quite alarming, isn’t it? By: Farah Farhat Have you ever gone a year without visiting a general practitioner? If so, you’re part of the 7% of Canadians that don’t [1]! However, if you’ve gone a year without visit

“…clinical researchers have begun using music as a form of therapy, notably named “music therapy”, to improve the health outcomes and well-being of a wide range of individuals…” Author: Juliane Feliciano Music is arguably one of the most significant and powerful uses of sound, shown to stimulate and enhance activity in major areas of the brain, and impact human behaviour [1]. Whether you like country, rock, hip hop, classical, etc, listening to music has been proven to reduce

“Eliminating biases and establishing a new foundation of education based on diversity is integral to achieving health equity and improving the trust between a doctor and their patient.” Author: Varsa Murugesu (a) Images obtained from articles depicting the cutaneous symptoms of COVID-19 (b) Skin colour of the patients corresponding to the images in (a), determined by selecting an area of the skin unaffected by the rash and adjusted for unwanted lighting conditions such as ove

Our Immune System and COVID-19 Antibodies Author: Alison MacPhee With the number of resolved cases in Canada increasing and the number of active cases on a steady decline, a new question arises: are those who have been previously infected by COVID-19 immune to future infections? Many researchers around the world have been trying to answer this very question using antibody tests on people who have recovered from the virus [2]. Additionally, they have been studying comparisons

Author: Mouayad Masalkhi All strata of society have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Impatience, depression, and domestic violence are a few of the various neuropsychiatric manifestations of self-isolation and uncertainty of the future. In May of 2020, the United Nations (UN) outlined how individuals with the most risk were front-line healthcare workers, younger people (15-29 years old) and older people (65 years and older) in a report titled, ‘Policy Brief: COVID-19 a