Health Association of African Canadians updates on COVID-19

General: Online communities and networks | Learning and education

Health Association of African Canadians, NS Health Professionals and the Black Cultural Centre will lead a 2nd interactive update on COVID-19 and people of African descent.

Dalhousie research team prepares for clinical trial of COVID-19 vaccine.Phase 1 of human clinical trials could begin in the next 3 weeks

Public health

Dalhousie’s COVID-19 rapid response team is moving forward with testing a vaccine that uses a genome of DNA from SARS CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

Podcast: Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart announced that a safe drug supply is coming to Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside to help with harm reduction during COVID19

Frontline services | Housing and homelessness | Policy leadership | Public health

Host Alex de Boer gets comment from Trey Helton, Manager of Vancouver’s Overdose Prevention Society and Jonathan Orr, Program Manager for Raincity Housing’s Peer Services. Trey and Jonathan comment on changing conditions in the City’s overdose prevention sites and share their questions about Vancouver’s new safe supply. Podcast: UBC’s CiTR 101.9 FM focused on alternative and locally-based programming

COVID-19: Safe-drug supplies part of package as Vancouver addresses Downtown Eastside

Frontline services | Policy leadership | Public health

The City’s Community Action Team to help the roughly 20–30% of drug users not connected to the health care system make sure they can access a safe supply. For everyone else, the City is planning for safe supply to be enabled through existing physician relationships, with more details to be announced by the Province.

Virtual care company Maple will provide online COVID-19 (coronavirus) screenings with a live physician to Ontario residents.

Frontline services | General: Online communities and networks | Policy leadership | Public health

The company’s online COVID-19 screening program will be covered by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP). The screening will allow people in Ontario with a valid OHIP card to talk to a physician through audio or video chat about their symptoms and receive advice on whether they need testing or emergency care. The service is aimed to relieve the pressure on overloaded emergency rooms and allow patients to receive screening safely. Maple is also currently offering its virtual clinic software to all Ontario and British Columbia (BC) physicians free of charge amid the outbreak.

University of Calgary researchers inform City’s COVID-19 pandemic response

Learning and education | Public health

Data scientists are tracking the spread of COVID-19 in Alberta and advising on best interventions to flatten the curve.

Vendors in Portland Oregon launch initiative to share COVID-19 information with people experiencing homelessness.

Housing and homelessness

Vendors in Portland Oregon launch the Coronavirus Action Team, an initiative to get information about COVID-19 to people experiencing homelessness. Vendors are paid a stipend to check on each other, dispel myths about the virus & explain health dept guidance

China creates national cloud learning platform and broadcasts primary school classes on public television

General: Tools for engagement | Learning and education | Policy leadership

China launched a national cloud learning platform during the outbreak to provide learning materials for students in junior and senior high school. The e-learning platform is meant to provide resources for students but not to replace classroom learning. At the same time, classes for primary school students were broadcast on state-broadcaster CCTV’s China Education Television Channel 4.

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