NS automates reporting of negative COVID results
August 12, 2020
HALIFAX – When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the province of Nova Scotia, leaders recognized that contacting patients with their test results would be a challenge. As testing ramped up, more than 60 Nova Scotia Health staff members were responsible for delivering test results to more than 40,000 Nova Scotians by phone. Most results were given within a 48- to 72-hour timeframe – a pace that could potentially overwhelm staff.
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MONTREAL – McGill Engine, the Faculty of Engineering’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centre at McGill University, in partnership with the Montreal General Hospital Foundation, joined forces with HeroX, a leading crowdsourcing platform for global problem-solving, to launch the “Made for All Challenge.”
MONTREAL – Researchers at Concordia University are making good progress on development of a COVID-19 vaccine and they’re not doing it at a medical lab, but rather, from the comfort of home.
The team is using state-of-the-art computer simulations and AI to model potential vaccines that can be tested quickly. Applying reverse vaccinology – a scientific method that uses bioinformatics and genome sequencing to break down the virus’s structural information – they’re able to come up with different options for a cost-effective, universal vaccine.
HAMILTON, Ont. – St. Joseph’s Home Care (SJHC) announced that it has implemented SeamlessMD’s digital care platform to support the homecare organization’s employees with daily digital screening and ongoing education for COVID-19.
MONTREAL – In an effort to protect healthcare workers against the risk of exposure to COVID-19 from infected patients, the Jewish General Hospital (JGH) is one of the first healthcare institutions in North America to experiment in real time with mixed reality headsets to minimize direct contact between staff and patients.
HAMILTON, ON – N95 masks are recognized to provide the best protection against airborne biological particles, but they have been in very short supply. To help alleviate this problem, SteriRight is launching its state-of-the-art mobile technology that will allow organizations to quickly and affordably disinfect N95 face masks for re-use by their employees.
TORONTO – A new Bluetooth-based COVID-19 contact tracing app developed in Canada is set to be rolled out for testing in Ontario in early July, provincial officials said. The app, called COVID Alert, was built using open-source code by the Ontario Digital Service, in conjunction with a volunteer team from Ottawa-based Shopify.
HAMILTON, ON – Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGen), the industry-led organization behind Canada’s Advanced Manufacturing Supercluster, has announced an additional $6 million in funding for projects dedicated to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada.
VANCOUVER – A network of physicians and researchers has been formed to study maternal and infant outcomes among pregnant women who fell ill with COVID-19. Every province and territory has signed on to work with local public health departments and collect data.