Health

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese officials are trying to quell an outcry over the death of a 3-year-old boy from a quarantined residential compound that added to public anger at anti-virus controls that have confined millions of people to their homes.

Pfizer’s updated COVID-19 booster significantly revved up adults’ virus-fighting antibodies, the company said Friday, releasing early findings from a rigorous study of the new shots.

NEW YORK (AP) — The rate of deaths that can be directly attributed to alcohol rose nearly 30% in the U.S. during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new government data.

DENVER (AP) — A Colorado woman convicted of plotting to kidnap her son from foster care after associating with supporters of the Qanon conspiracy theory was sentenced Thursday to 60 days in jail and two years of supervised probation, after being repr

EDMONTON — An Indigenous woman has filed a lawsuit against the operator of an Edmonton hospital alleging she faced discrimination and neglect by staff when she delivered her daughter, who died soon after birth.

TORONTO — A surge in hospitalizations for children that's expected to last months has prompted the agency overseeing Ontario's health system to direct general hospitals to accept patients 14 and older who need intensive care.

MONTREAL — A Montreal children’s hospital can permanently remove a breathing tube from a child who has been in a coma since June, despite his parents' objections, a Quebec Superior Court judge has ruled.

VICTORIA — The B.C. government says it's giving long-term care residents and their families a more direct line of communication with decision-makers on issues that affect them, after many expressed frustration during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Quebec is dropping the mandatory five-day isolation period for those who test postive for COVID-19, even as the province's public health director urges people to take precautions to avoid seasonal viruses. Dr.

OTTAWA — Health Canada has authorized an updated version of Moderna's COVID-19 booster vaccine. The new bivalent shot targets the Omicron BA.4/BA.5 subvariants and is meant to be used as a booster dose for those aged 18 years and older.