The Dose

Doctors say walking is one of the most meaningful things you can do to improve your health because it delivers a powerful range of physiological, cognitive and mental health benefits. So much so that Dr. Jane Thornton actually prescribes walking to her patients.

Infectious disease specialist and virologist Dr. Samira Mubareka says the presence of seemingly more infectious coronavirus variants in Canada is a public health emergency and existing public health rules around social distancing, masks, and hygiene may have to be tightened.

As kids' screen time soars during pandemic, experts say there could be serious long term physical, mental and emotional consequences - but treating tech like nutrition can help parents: consume healthy tech, limit junk tech, and eliminate the toxic.

Considering taking some time off from alcohol? Addictions specialist Dr. Peter Selby says booze breaks like "Dry January" are a good idea, especially in light of a new study showing Canadians are binge-drinking during the pandemic.

The largest immunization rollout in Canadian history has begun with the arrival of the first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. This milestone raises many questions, from why different people get the first shots in different provinces to concerns about potential allergic reactions or adverse side effects when our turn finally comes. Plus, there's already a lot of misinformation out there. Dr. Caroline Quach, chair of Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI), answers these questions and gives us the science-based facts.

The longer we live with COVID-19, the more clear its toll on our mental health becomes. Now we're dealing with yet another emotional challenge: a holiday season unlike any other, when most Canadians are being asked to hunker down within our own households to prevent the spread of the virus. Plus, it's winter, when many people feel down even in "normal" times. There's hope for sure -- a COVID-19 vaccine is coming.  Psychology professor Steve Joordens helps guide us through ways to stay emotionally well until we get there.

The stress of COVID-19 has left a lot of people lying awake at night. Before the pandemic, insomnia already affected a significant proportion of Canadians. Now the number of people suffering from lack of sleep has skyrocketed. But Célyne Bastien, a psychology professor specializing in insomnia at Laval University and president of the Canadian Sleep Society, says there are things we can do to help ourselves get the rest we so badly need.

Across Canada there is a patchwork of inconsistent conclusions on whether or not schools are contributing to the exponential spread of COVID-19, leaving many parents and teachers confused. Amy Greer, Canada Research Chair in Population Disease Modelling, joins The Dose host Dr. Brian Goldman to provide some clear, science-based answers.

There are now two COVID-19 vaccine candidates that look very promising. Late-stage clinical trials suggest they may be more than 90 per cent effective. The Canadian government has signed deals with both manufacturers, so if they’re approved by Health Canada, experts say they should be available to us sometime next year. But a new vaccine naturally raises lots of questions, from its safety profile to who will get it first in a country of more than 37 million people. Dr. Jeff Kwong, interim director of the Centre for Vaccine Preventable Diseases at the University of Toronto, gives us some answers.

COVID-19 cases continue to rise across Canada -- and so does the sense of urgency felt by health-care providers and public health officials. It’s become clear to many that at this point, the only way to stop the virus from choking the health-care system is to bring in tough restrictions to reduce contact between people. Physicians in Alberta recommend a short, sharp lockdown -- known as a “circuit breaker” -- to slow the pandemic surge. Infectious diseases specialist Dr. Lynora Saxinger returns to The Dose to explain what that means.