The Dose

Canada's vaccine advisory body has recommended booster shots for certain immunocompromised individuals. But other countries such as Israel and the U.K are offering third doses to broader segments of their populations, despite concerns about ongoing inequities in global vaccine distribution. Infectious disease specialist Dr. Isaac Bogoch takes a close look at the issues.

Canadians aged 12 to 39 now have the lowest vaccination rates in the country. And with the majority of COVID-19 cases appearing in unvaccinated people, experts say it’s as important as ever to increase vaccination rates across Canada. So how can you use science to counter the misinformation behind vaccine refusal?

Delta has become the predominant strain of COVID across the country. Dr. Brian Goldman talks to Nazeem Muhajarine, professor of Community Health and Epidemiology at the University of Saskatchewan, about what we need to do to avoid a lockdown this fall.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave "accelerated approval" this month to the first new drug to treat Alzheimer's disease in nearly two decades. But there is controversy over the efficacy of the drug, as well as its cost and side effects. Saska Sivananthan, chief of research and knowledge translation for the Alzheimer Society of Canada, breaks down what we know so far about the drug.

The pandemic led to a drop in the rates of smoking and vaping tobacco. But while smoking rates continue to fall, vaping rates especially in teens are creeping up again. David Hammond, a professor of public health, outlines the risks and why we can't forget the 'old pandemic' of smoking.

More and more Canadians are getting their second dose of COVID vaccine. So what's safe for you to do if you're heading into a two dose summer? Can you travel? Hug your grandkids? Go to restaurants? Infectious diseases specialist Lynora Saxinger has the answers for what life can look if you're fully vaccinated.

Some Canadians may be looking at the reopening in the U.K. with some envy but not so fast, says U.K. epidemiologist Dr. Deepti Gurdasani. The delta variant, also known as B1617, first identified in India, is driving a new COVID wave in the U.K. — and it's spreading quickly around the world, including in Canada. Gurdasani has stark advice to Canadian officials: act now to contain this variant or a fourth wave is likely coming.

Surgery delays, addiction, a steep drop off in ER visits, all contributed to a spike in excess deaths during the pandemic beyond COVID deaths. Yet for some common conditions, the drop in ER visits had no impact on patient outcomes. What does this tell us? And how can we tackle the surgery backlog? Dr. Peter Juni, the scientific director of The Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table, explains.

Feeling anxious about re-entering society when pandemic restrictions are lifted? Or maybe you're feeling exuberant? Steven Taylor, author "The Psychology of Pandemics", and a professor and clinical psychologist in the department of psychiatry at UBC, walks us through the psychology of post-pandemic life — and why some people will experience lingering mental health side effects, while others will experience something called post-traumatic growth.

What's the difference between seeing a therapist and trusting a therapist? Dr. Hillary McBride and her clients want you to hear for yourself in Other People’s Problems. After working together for years, they want to demystify the long game when it comes to mental health and let us hear what years of therapy really sound like. More episodes are available at hyperurl.co/otherpeoplesproblems