Health

TORONTO — Families should ensure everyone in their household gets vaccinated against the flu, a pediatrician group urged Friday as a triple-whammy of respiratory viruses continued to slam children's hospitals.

A large supply of foreign-sourced children’s fever and pain medication is expected to start showing up on retail shelves next week, but a pharmacy leader cautions it will likely only put a "small dent" in the nationwide shortage.

TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford downplayed the significance Friday of footage posted online that appeared to show the province's top doctor attending an indoor party maskless, days after he recommended masking in all indoor spaces.

As Americans head into the holiday season, a rapidly intensifying flu season is straining hospitals already overburdened with patients sick from other respiratory infections.

TORONTO — The Toronto Transit Commission will be ending its mandatory COVID-19 vaccination requirement for workers and offering to reinstate employees who were terminated as a result of the policy without back pay.

BERLIN (AP) — The Berlin Zoo shut its doors to visitors Friday after one of its aquatic birds tested positive for avian flu, the facility said.

Pfizer said Friday that its updated COVID-19 booster may offer some protection against newly emerging omicron mutants even though it's not an exact match.

OSTRAVA, Czech Republic (AP) — In this part of northeastern Czech Republic, huge piles of coal are stacked up ready to sell to eager buyers and smoke belches from coal-fired plants that are ramping up instead of winding down.

U.S.

HALIFAX — The head of pediatrics at the largest children’s hospital in Atlantic Canada says Nova Scotia is seeing extremely high numbers of children sick amid a "perfect storm" of respiratory illnesses. Dr.