Latest news with #pandemic
Fox News
9 hours ago
- Health
- Fox News
Australian pediatrician spotlights the need to combat vaccine hesitancy
Professor Margie Danchin from the Murdoch Children's Research Institute is committed to helping parents overcome fear of vaccines, which has lingered since the COVID pandemic.
BBC News
10 hours ago
- Health
- BBC News
Covid Inquiry: NI family never saw dad again after lockdown
A County Antrim man whose father died during the Covid-19 pandemic has told the Covid-19 Inquiry that he never saw his dad again after lockdown as the care home his father was in closed without notice to McQuitty, 84, died in May 2020 in hospital from Covid. He also had dementia and was profoundly deaf in both publicly for the first time about his father's death, Gregory McQuitty described his father as the most honest, hardworking and best man whom he models his life five weeks, The Covid-19 Inquiry, sitting in London, has been hearing testimony from the care sector, including residents and families, about how they were supported during the pandemic. Counsel for the NI Covid Bereaved Families Group said the "removal of contact with loved ones is for many a price too great to pay, it was too cruel, painful and must never be repeated".Mr McQuitty said after lockdown the care home didn't contact the family to provide an update on their father and any contact was triggered by Mr McQuitty's McQuitty said his father's death certificate said he died from Covid and secondly by heart failure."There are so many unanswered questions around my father's death... we just don't know what happened," he told the inquiry. Emotional evidence Before his father passed away a ward sister used an iPad to allow the family to communicate with their dad but as he was profoundly deaf, Gregory said it was "too distressing". He told the inquiry his father's funeral was clinical and "nothing about it was near normal" with only 11 people allowed to attend."We were able to carry the coffin about 10 metres, there was no wake no stories for the grandchildren no handshakes. The open book has not been closed."After his father's death, medical records revealed he had attended hospital 19 times due to falls but the family was only notified on four of those McQuitty said he wrote to the health minister at the time, Robin Swann, three times following his father's death but didn't receive a reply. Mr McQuitty, who was emotional throughout his evidence, said while he was extremely nervous it was important that he spoke up for his moved by the evidence, The Chair of the Inquiry Baroness Hallett told Mr mcQuitty: "Think how your father benefited from such a close and loving family." She went on to thank him for travelling to 18 days of evidence, in its closing submissions, counsel for the bereaved families in the UK said while the fragility of the care sector was widely known before the pandemic the inquiry has uncovered that the situation is no added that the lack of parity between health and social care continues to manifest itself in poorer wages among social care staff and the recognition of their work and expertise. Call for care home system reform The NI bereaved families for justice (NIBFFJ) said reform of the system needs to start now and recommendations for the social care sector should be robust and applied as soon as also said care homes were not a government priority during the pandemic with "residents' rights undermined and oversight mechanisms withdrawn at a time of urgent need".According to NICBFG withdrawing regulatory inspection by the RQIA "removed critical oversight from care homes during a time of crisis". Brenda Campbell KC asked why "so many in social care had to endure so much suffering, for so long" and who so many had to die along?She added that the fragility of the social care sector before the pandemic was well-documented, and she said governments and civil servants had been told before and during the pandemic that those reliant on the social care service required special Campbell said too often during the inquiry they heard the refrain accompanied by "a shrug of the shoulders" as though it was the answer and not the problem that the social care sector was "the Cinderella service".She said when it comes to bolstering the care sector for the future there is a need to "collaborate and consult" and a need for "parity" between health and social care so that each receives the necessary respect and investment.
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
It's cute, it's candy-colored, it costs $10. How COVID anxiety helped make hand sanitizer the 'it' accessory for kids.
Touchland's sanitizing spritz is a status symbol. You can thank the pandemic. Hannah Picinich of Leonardtown, Md., estimates her family has 'probably 20' hand sanitizers. 'I have four kids' — ages 10, 8 and 4-year-old twins — so between them, Picinich and her husband, the sanitizers are 'everywhere,' she tells Yahoo. One for each kid. Two for each car. Multiple bottles scattered around the house for guests. 'It's in my purse and my work bag,' Picinich adds. 'Every store we go to, every time we leave,' the kids know to use and bring sanitizer along. And recently, Picinich's children — all girls — have been asking for one brand in particular: Touchland. After an exponential surge in 2020 — sales for Purell, for example, grew by 600% that year — the market for hand sanitizers has grown steadily. Touchland, a personal care company founded in Spain that made its U.S. debut in 2018, has emerged as a trendy frontrunner in the sanitizer wars: 'The Latest Teen Status Symbol Is $10 Hand Sanitizer,' reported the Wall Street Journal in February. 'Touchland is the only hand sanitizer worth using,' NBC Select proclaimed a month later. The brand, which also sells body mists, has more than a million combined followers across TikTok and Instagram. Searches for 'Touchland' on social media turn up tens of thousands of results — many of them product shots highlighting the brand's bright, colorful packaging and fragrances (Frosted Mint, Vanilla Blossom, etc.). In Picinich's experience, the branding is effective: Even her younger children request Touchland as a treat when they are given money to spend on something fun at the store. And it is fun, says Angie Meltsner, founder of the consumer and cultural insights agency Tomato Baby. Brands like Touchland (and Bath & Body Works, which sells its own array of covetable hand sanitizers) deploy alluring colors and fragrances to help consumers build identity. Collectible versions — in Touchland's case, collaborations with kid-friendly brands, including Disney, Hello Kitty and Crocs (which is already sold out) — add to the hype. Meltsner also points to Touchland's 'playful' logo — a hand wearing a smile with the suggestion that the experience of touch is one to be embraced. 'Hand sanitizer is very hygienic and medicinal,' she tells Yahoo — consider the clinical simplicity of Purell's design — but Touchland's use of cheerful aesthetics and smell is an intentional way to engage consumer senses. It allows shoppers to participate in different moods and occasions, and facilitates opportunities 'for collecting and trading and aligning with your friends,' Meltsner says. Of course, children and teens are desperate for alignment. A 2021 study found that kids as young as 3 prioritize opportunities to 'fit in' with their peers over their own preferences. And while Touchland's successful climb to the top as an 'it' accessory was initially fueled by luck and design, it's retained its foothold in the marketplace by continuing to be the cool kid's sanitizer of choice. While Picinich might grumble about the price compared to drugstore brands — a 1 fl. oz. Power Mist starts at $10 — she knows she's paying for more than just sanitizer as far as her daughters are concerned. 'I buy it for them, because I want them to feel included,' the mom of four says. The pandemic simply turned up the volume. Though practicing good hand hygiene has always been part of life for parents — especially those with kids under 7, an age group both notoriously filthy and frequently ill — many clearly identify COVID as a turning point in their habits. A small Canadian survey conducted in 2021, for instance, found that children were applying hand sanitizer up to 25 times per day. It was around that time that Picinich's twins were delivered prematurely at just under 30 weeks. 'When I had my oldest, I always was cleaning things,' she remembers, 'but then when I had Olive and Lucia, and they were born early, I was a freak about making sure everything was clean. Hand sanitizer was how I did that, mostly.' Heather Boneparth, a writer and mom of two from New Jersey, remembers feeling similarly desperate for control. Trapped at home in 2020 with two children — the youngest of whom was growing more mobile by the day — she found herself in 'full-blown, high-touch parenting,' Boneparth tells Yahoo. Using hand sanitizer made her feel like she was doing something — anything — to keep her family healthy and protect those around her. 'It wasn't just the fear of me or my child getting sick … it was the threat of disruption to our daily life,' she says. In the Northeast, states like Boneparth's continued COVID mitigation measures (and a bit of hygiene theater) long after the initial first year of the pandemic, especially with regard to day care centers and schools. Not keeping germs at bay meant risking a sick (even if just a run-of-the-mill cold) child who would have to stay home for days, throwing parents' work schedules into chaos. Boneparth's sanitizing habits have persisted even as COVID has waned. Recently, her oldest daughter, who is now 9, started requesting to specifically carry Touchland's sanitizer. Boneparth is thrilled. 'It's giving Bath & Body Works,' she gushes, 'and to me, it's a win, because she gets to start exploring this world of beauty and wellness — and there's some health benefit to it.' Dr. Jalan Burton, the lead physician and CEO of Healthy Home Pediatrics in Washington, D.C., loves the shift toward improved hand hygiene overall. She worries, though, about the replacement of handwashing with sanitizing and the reduced efficacy of that practice. If you 'don't have access to a sink,' she says, or 'you've been playing at the park,' the convenience of a travel-size hand sanitizer is great. But this isn't as effective as handwashing in many contexts, and some of the benefit of soap and water is in the act of physically scrubbing and rinsing the particles away. Burton is also concerned about the families most likely to be swayed by persuasive packaging and strategic messaging — namely, those who had traumatic experiences during the height of the COVID pandemic. For her part, Touchland's founder and CEO, Andrea Lisbona, acknowledged to Glossy in 2023 that 'personal care usually sells through fear.' But she added that her company's 'goal is to do the opposite and empower people to live to the fullest and create solutions that people are excited to carry with them.' (Representatives for Touchland declined to comment for this story.) Is Touchland selling something that's cute and brings a sense of comfort but is perhaps overhyped and overpriced too? 'Yeah,' says Boneparth, but she's happy her daughter wants to carry it in her bag. Even if post-COVID anxiety is fueling the craze, 'the benefit outweighs any concern that they're preying on a young demographic,' she adds. 'It feels like a good compromise that checks a lot of boxes.' Solve the daily Crossword
CBC
20 hours ago
- Health
- CBC
How cities in northern Ontario solved their lifeguard shortage
After years of grappling with lifeguard shortages, several cities in northern Ontario say they've finally turned a corner, with fully staffed pools and supervised beaches this summer. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated lifeguard shortages across the country, leading some cities and town to scale back programming or leave certain waterfronts unsupervised. But cities like North Bay, Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury say targeted changes, including free certification courses, boosted wages and changes to training have improved the situation in the last year. Rebuilding after the pandemic "We definitely noticed [the shortage] coming out of COVID. There was such a long period of time where we weren't able to operate," said Kendra MacIsaac, vice-president of health and wellness for the YMCA of northeastern Ontario. She said during the pandemic, many lifeguards found different jobs because they were unable to work and their certifications eventually expired. Due to that shortage, the YMCA's downtown Sudbury location had to reduce their schedule or close the pool on some occasions. In the last few years, MacIsaac said the YMCA of northeastern Ontario has worked tirelessly to run ongoing certification courses in order to recruit enough lifeguards to be able to run aquatic programs and services at pre-pandemic levels. Usually after years of swimming lessons, 13-year-olds can start the lifeguard certification process by taking the bronze medallion and emergency first aid course. After that they can immediately take the bronze cross certification course, standard first aid and CPR ahead of the national lifeguard certification at 15 years old. In 2023, the provincial government lowered the age requirement for lifeguards to address the staffing shortages across Ontario. MacIsaac said that made a "big difference." But she said maintaining interest between swim lessons and lifeguard certifications is still a challenge. "There's often a gap when kids stop lessons and aren't quite old enough for bronze medallion," MacIsaac said. To bridge that, the YMCA is offering junior lifeguard clubs and other leadership programs to keep kids engaged between the ages of 10 and 13. Various strategies For the first time in several years, the City of North Bay's supervised beaches are fully staffed. "In recent years, only two of the three beaches were staffed due to the widespread shortage of lifeguards," said a city spokesperson in a statement to CBC News. "The City of North Bay has had a full complement of lifeguards across all three of its supervised beaches — Shabogesic Beach on Lake Nipissing, as well as The Cove and Olmsted Beach on Trout Lake." To address this shortage, in 2024 North Bay raised the hourly wage for lifeguards from the provincial minimum of $17.20 per hour to $19.50. The city says it has also benefited from the temporary closure of its indoor pool at the North Bay YMCA, allowing more certified guards to work outdoors. Sault Ste. Marie has seen similar success. The city's aquatic supervisor, Benjamin Ayton, said staffing levels have returned to what they were before the pandemic. "We're back to pre-COVID levels and we're doing all right, at least for the municipality," Ayton said. "Some of the summer camps are still having a hard time, but we've been trying to help them out by getting them certified people." To boost interest and lower financial barriers, the Sault began offering all bronze and advanced lifeguard courses for free. Even when only a few people signed up, Ayton said, the city made sure the courses still ran. "Even though not everyone would go on to work for us, we did offer all these courses for free and that really helped our area," he said. Greater Sudbury isn't currently facing a lifeguard shortage affecting their programming, according to Jessica Watts, manager of recreation with the city. She explained that as COVID-19 restrictions eased, the city returned to offering advanced life guarding certification courses. "We can train people more regularly and have them prepared to qualify for those lifeguard positions to build internal capacity and reduce reliance on external instructors," Watts said. "We also started training our own staff to teach those more advanced levels, which allowed us to deliver those advanced courses in house." Both Ayton and MacIsaac said life guarding is a public safety service that plays a critical role in preventing drownings and ensuring access to water-based recreation. "Most of our job is prevention," Ayton said. "It's not a pleasant experience to have to deal with [an emergency] situation like that, but you do the best you can and it is rewarding when you are able to assist."
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
I Walked 1 Hour a Day for a Month and Lost 5 Lbs -- But That Wasn't the Best Benefit
I have an on-again, off-again relationship with exercise. There was a time in my 20s when I worked out consistently. I took a mix of fitness classes, such as boxing, cardio dance, HIIT and even bootcamps, when I was feeling really ambitious. When the pandemic hit and everything shut down, I kept working out through virtual classes to try to cling to some sense of normalcy. Once the world opened back up, I fell off. My job remained remote, so I had no real reason to leave my apartment. I tried to return to the classes I'd loved, but so many studios had closed down, and the remaining ones were no longer convenient for me without an office nearby. These days, the most exercise I get is walking from my bed to my couch to my 'office' inside my 700-square-foot apartment. My lack of daily movement had started to take its toll. In addition to gaining weight, I had no energy, struggled to fall asleep, and had body aches. I'm only 37. I'm too young to feel this old. I knew I had to do something to get more movement into my daily routine. My social media algorithm must have sensed this, relentlessly serving me video after video of fitness influencers out on their hot girl walks, trying to get their steps in. Could walking an hour every day really do anything substantial for my health? Stephanie Mansour, Start TODAY trainer and TODAY fitness contributor, assured me it could. 'Regular walking can significantly contribute to weight loss by burning calories and boosting your metabolism,' she explained. According to Mansour, walking can also improve cardiovascular health by strengthening your heart, lowering your blood pressure, and reducing the risk of heart disease. My blood pressure was borderline high at my last physical, so this got my attention. I'd also been having chronic back and shoulder pain, which, you guessed it, can see improvement from simply walking more. 'Daily walks create muscle endurance, strengthen bones, and improve joint health, making it a fantastic low-impact exercise option,' Mansour says. Committing to a non-negotiable walk for an hour a day seemed like the lowest-effort way to motivate myself to move more, so I decided to give it a try. Here's what happened: Week 1 On day one, I weighed in at 149 pounds. This is the most weight I've ever carried on my 5'2' frame, and it was shocking to see. I took my measurements, laced up my sneakers and braced myself for an hour of walking. I was surprised at how tired I became almost immediately — the minutes dragged by. I attempted to pass the time by calling my mom to catch up. By the end of the call, I thought I'd knocked out at least half an hour of my walk. I was shocked to see only 13 minutes had gone by. The next day, the backs of my legs were sore, and I wasn't looking forward to this walk at all. I decided to break it up into half-hour increments, which were easier to complete separately, but made me dread that last half hour for the rest of the day. It was so tempting to skip it. Halfway through week one, I decided that breaking my walk in two was dragging things out and went back to a full hour. To keep myself motivated, I found destinations to walk to that I had wanted to visit. Some days, it was making it down to the park, about a half-hour walk from me each way. Most days, it was a cute coffee shop or lunch spot I'd wanted to try. By the end of week one, I had accepted that walking for an hour was now a permanent part of my daily routine, but never looked forward to it. I did notice I was sleeping a bit better than I normally do. Each day, I knocked my walk out first thing, which gave me a more consistent morning routine. Struggling to start your own walking routine? Ease into it with this 7-Day Audio Walking Challenge for a daily motivational podcast to help you get your steps in! Week 2 Walking wasn't quite as painful during week two, and most days I was able to knock it out with a podcast and forego getting myself a little treat (though it was hard to resist). I felt my stamina improve toward the end of this week, and I noticed I got slightly farther on my walks in the same amount of time as I had during the previous week. At first, I struggled to get my walks over the two-mile mark, but by the end of week two, I was hitting 2.5 miles without much trouble. Everything was going well until a heat wave hit my city. Up until this point, I'd been walking outdoors, but several days during week two hit almost 100 degrees, so I had to find an alternative. I dusted off my barely used gym membership to complete my hour-long walks on a treadmill for a few days while I waited for things to cool off. It took the pressure off of figuring out what route I'd take, but by the third day of this, I was pretty bored. For days when the weather doesn't cooperate, try a fun Indoor Walking Routine with Al Roker! Week 3 During week three, I went to visit family in Long Island. Thanks to the change in scenery, this was probably the only time I really enjoyed walking for an hour. 'Variety can keep things interesting and prevent burnout,' says Mansour, who encouraged me to change my routine to challenge different muscles and avoid boredom. So I committed to trying a new path every day to give my mind something new to focus on. Walking was finally part of my routine. I'd wake up around the same time each morning, get my walk out of the way, have breakfast and log on to start working for the day. During week three, I noticed a shift in my energy levels and overall mood. I felt more focused at work and more invigorated overall. Also, I slept like a baby. 'Beyond the physical changes, walking delivers impressive non-scale victories (NSV),' Mansour explains. 'Many people experience a noticeable boost in energy levels and better sleep quality,' Mansour said. Walking is also a great mood enhancer, releasing endorphins that combat stress and anxiety, making you happier and more balanced. By this point in my experiment, I'd built decent stamina walking. That is, until I tried to walk on the beach. The resistance of the sand and slope of the shore had my calves burning within the first few minutes of walking. At what I thought had to be the halfway point, I looked down at my phone to find that I'd been walking for a whopping seven minutes. I felt defeated, but persevered, breaking that walk into half-hour intervals. Week 4 By week four, I was over this walking experiment. The benefits you read about really are there. But I wanted my lazy mornings back in the worst way. Every morning, I had to convince myself not to quit or skip a day here and there. On the flip side, I was in a great mood every morning when I came back from my walk. I was happy that I'd gone. I was walking much more easily and my speed was noticeably faster. During week 4, I hit three miles for the first time. I reminded my pre-walk self about that post-walk feeling every day during this week. The day after I completed my one-month experiment, I spent the entire day sitting on my couch watching movies with my cat. The Result: 5 Pounds Down and Mood Way Up I waited until the end of the experiment to weigh myself again, out of fear that I hadn't lost any weight. When I weighed in, I was shocked to see the scale read 144.6. I'd also lost an inch off my chest and an inch off my thighs. The weight loss was nice, but it wasn't the best part of this experiment — it was feeling so much better overall. There's unfortunately no magic pill to get better sleep, mood, energy and focus — but walking an hour a day is a pretty low lift way to achieve these things. Something I've been trying to remember post-experiment when I don't feel like going on another walk. How to Start a Walking Routine If you're interested in starting a walking routine of your own, but struggle with committing like I did, Mansour offers the following tips: Walk at the same time each day. Making it a consistent part of your day, like first thing in the morning or after dinner, helps to establish a routine. Find your pace. Go at a pace that feels sustainable for you. You want to maintain a brisk pace that elevates your heart rate, but still allows you to maintain conversation. This helps prevent exhaustion, burns more calories and improves cardiovascular fitness. Start short and build up. Start with as little as five minutes daily and build up to longer periods. Warm up and cool down properly. Stretch dynamically with butt kicks or standing twists to loosen up your body before the walk, and then stretch with static holds (e.g., lunges on each side) after your walk. The Start TODAY app has guided warm up and cool down routines to bookend your walk. Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water before, during and after your walks. And pay attention to the weather and dress appropriately to avoid overheating or getting chilled. Use an app to hold you accountable. Visually seeing a walking streak like you do in the Start TODAY app is a great way to keep you motivated and build momentum with your workout routine. Creating a new habit can be tough, but I can say firsthand that it does get easier. After seeing the benefit that can come with an hour daily walk, I do plan to keep walking regularly — while still leaving room for a few days lounging on the couch with my cat, too. For motivational walking podcasts, indoor walking routines and warmup and cool down stretches, download the Start TODAY app! This article was originally published on
