Swish and gargle saliva sampling is a patient-friendly and comparable alternative to nasopharyngeal swabs to detect SARS-CoV-2 in outpatient settings for adults and children.

Widespread and frequent testing for COVID-19 was an important strategy to identify infected patients to isolate and control the spread of the disease during the pandemic. The nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) global supply chain and access to trained healthcare professionals for standard NPS collection were often compromised. Patient discomfort and limited access challenged health systems to reach large numbers for testing in adult and pediatric populations.

Pediatric School Outreach: Clinical Needs of an Urban Student Population.

Pediatric School Outreach (PSO) is a school-based health center (SBHC) in an urban elementary school in Toronto, Canada. PSO focuses on developmental, behavioral, mental health, and educational concerns. A retrospective chart review aimed to characterize demographics, diagnoses, and referrals of patients attending PSO.

Herpes zoster in older adults in Ontario, 2002-2016: Investigating incidence and exploring equity.

Older adults are at increased risk of herpes zoster (HZ) and post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) and HZ vaccines are available to help prevent infection. The objective of our study was to provide updated data on incidence of HZ and PHN related to clinical and demographic factors in older adults to inform immunization practices. We conducted a population-based, retrospective cohort study and included all cases of HZ seen in outpatient, emergency department, and hospital settings for adults aged 65 years and over between April 1, 2002 to August 31, 2016 in Ontario, Canada.

Incidence of Hospitalizations and Emergency Department Visits for Herpes Zoster in Immunocompromised and Immunocompetent Adults in Ontario, Canada, 2002-2016.

Background: Immunocompromised adults are at .increased risk of herpes zoster (HZ) infection and related complications. We aimed to assess the incidence of hospital-attended HZ (ie, seen in hospital or emergency department) in immunocompromised populations and compare it to immunocompetent populations.

Demonstration of background rates of three conditions of interest for vaccine safety surveillance.

Introduction: Adverse events following immunization (AEFIs) are unwanted or unexpected health outcomes following vaccination, which may or may not be causally-linked to vaccines. AEFI reporting is important to post-marketing vaccine safety surveillance and has the potential to identify new or rare AEFIs, show increases in known AEFIs, and help to maintain public confidence in vaccine programs. Knowledge of the expected incidence (i.

HIV Prophylaxis in High Risk Newborns: An Examination of Sociodemographic Factors in an Inner City Context.

Background. Perinatal HIV transmission is less than 1% with antiretroviral (ARV) prophylaxis. Transmission risk appears higher in "high risk" dyads, yet this is not well defined, possibly exposing more infants to combination ARV compared with standard care.

Twenty Years of Medically-Attended Pediatric Varicella and Herpes Zoster in Ontario, Canada: A Population-Based Study.

Objective: To determine if reductions in medically-attended pediatric varicella and herpes zoster occurred in Ontario, Canada, after publicly-funded varicella immunization was implemented in 2004.

Methods: For fiscal years (FY) 1992-2011, we examined data on varicella and herpes zoster physician office visits, emergency department (ED) visits, hospitalizations (including for varicella-associated skin and soft tissue infections [SSTI]), and intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, among those aged <18 years. The pre-vaccine, privately-available, and vaccine program eras were FY1992-1998, FY1999-2003, and FY2004-2011, respectively.

Parental perceptions of school-based influenza immunisation in Ontario, Canada: a qualitative study.

Objective: To understand the perspectives of Ontario parents regarding the advantages and disadvantages of adding influenza immunisation to the currently existing Ontario school-based immunisation programmes.

Design: Descriptive qualitative study.

Participants: Parents of school-age children in Ontario, Canada, who were recruited using a variety of electronic strategies (social media, emails and media releases), and identified as eligible (Ontario resident, parent of one or more school-age children, able to read/write English) on the basis of a screening questionnaire.

Feasibility study on the Model Schools Paediatric Health Initiative pilot project.

Objectives: To assess the feasibility and efficacy of a school-based health centre (SBHC) established at an inner-city elementary school to help alleviate barriers to accessing health care.

Methods: A retrospective chart review of the first year of the SBHC was conducted. Feasibility metrics included the number of children who enrolled at the SBHC.

The good, bad, and ugly of online recruitment of parents for health-related focus groups: lessons learned.

Background: We describe our experiences with identifying and recruiting Ontario parents through the Internet, primarily, as well as other modes, for participation in focus groups about adding the influenza vaccine to school-based immunization programs.

Objective: Our objectives were to assess participation rates with and without incentives and software restrictions. We also plan to examine study response patterns of unique and multiple submissions and assess efficiency of each online advertising mode.

Have changing pneumococcal vaccination programmes impacted disease in Ontario?

Background: Publicly funded infant 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) was introduced in Ontario, Canada in 2005 and was replaced by 10- and 13-valent vaccines (PCV10, PCV13) in October 2009 and November 2010, respectively. Among adults ≥ 65 years, a 23-valent polysaccharide vaccine (PPV23) has been universally available since 1996. In January 2012, PCV13 was approved for adults ≥ 50 years.