Canadian health care providers' and education workers' hesitance to receive original and bivalent COVID-19 vaccines.

Background: The demand for COVID-19 vaccines has diminished as the pandemic lingers. Understanding vaccine hesitancy among essential workers is important in reducing the impact of future pandemics by providing effective immunization programs delivered expeditiously.

Method: Two surveys exploring COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in 2021 and 2022 were conducted in cohorts of health care providers (HCP) and education workers participating in prospective studies of COVID-19 illnesses and vaccine uptake.

Support for health care workers and psychological distress: thinking about now and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction: This study explores the relationship between emotional support, perceived risk and mental health outcomes among health care workers, who face high rates of burnout and mental distress since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: A cross-sectional, multicentred online survey of health care workers in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada, during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic evaluated coping strategies, confidence in infection control, impact of previous work during the 2003 SARS outbreak and emotional support. Mental health outcomes were assessed using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale, the Impact of Event Scale - Revised and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9).

Surviving SARS and living through COVID-19: Healthcare worker mental health outcomes and insights for coping.

Objective: Explore how previous work during the 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak affects the psychological response of clinical and non-clinical healthcare workers (HCWs) to the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: A cross-sectional, multi-centered hospital online survey of HCWs in the Greater Toronto Area, Canada. Mental health outcomes of HCWs who worked during the COVID-19 pandemic and the SARS outbreak were assessed using Impact of Events-Revised scale (IES-R), Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7), and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9).

SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in Ontario health care workers during and after the first wave of the pandemic: a cohort study.

Background: Health care workers have a critical role in the pandemic response to COVID-19 and may be at increased risk of infection. The objective of this study was to assess the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies among health care workers during and after the first wave of the pandemic.

Methods: We conducted a prospective multicentre cohort study involving health care workers in Ontario, Canada, to detect IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2.

Cumulative Antimicrobial Susceptibility Data from Intensive Care Units at One Institution: Should Data Be Combined?

Cumulative susceptibility test data (CSTD) are used to guide empirical antimicrobial therapy and to track trends in antibiotic resistance. The Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute recommends reporting CSTD at least annually and sets the minimum number of isolates per reported organism at 30. To comply, many hospitals combine data from multiple intensive care units (ICUs); however, this may not be appropriate to guide empirical therapy because of variations in patient populations.

Infectious complications of Bio-Alcamid filler used for HIV-related facial lipoatrophy.

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related facial lipoatrophy is a devastating adverse effect of antiretroviral therapy. At this time, the most viable treatment option is cosmetic surgery with synthetic fillers. Bio-Alcamid has many advantages over other fillers, and has become widely used.

Genetic variability of human respiratory syncytial virus A strains circulating in Ontario: a novel genotype with a 72 nucleotide G gene duplication.

Human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) is the main cause of acute lower respiratory infections in children under 2 years of age and causes repeated infections throughout life. We investigated the genetic variability of RSV-A circulating in Ontario during 2010-2011 winter season by sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the G glycoprotein gene.Among the 201 consecutive RSV isolates studied, RSV-A (55.

Identification of different clonal complexes and diverse amino acid substitutions in penicillin-binding protein 2 (PBP2) associated with borderline oxacillin resistance in Canadian Staphylococcus aureus isolates.

Borderline oxacillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (BORSA) exhibit oxacillin MIC values of 1-8 microg ml(-1), but lack mecA, which encodes the low-affinity penicillin-binding protein (PBP)2a. The relationship of the BORSA phenotype with specific genetic backgrounds was assessed, as well as amino acid sequence variation in the normal PBP2. Among 38 BORSA, 26 had a common PFGE profile of genomic DNA, and were multilocus sequence type (ST)25.