Canada approves Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for immediate use
Dr. Samir Sinha, Director of Health Policy Research at the NIA, says the AstraZeneca vaccine approval is great news, but there is still doubt about whether it is effective in older people.
Doctors, caregivers push for in-home COVID-19 vaccinations for housebound seniors
Dr. Samir Sinha, Director of Health Policy Research at the NIA and Dr. Nathan Stall, Associate Fellow at the NIA, spoke about the need to vaccinate homebound older adults. Some geriatricians are also dismissing the suggestion that unique storage and handling requirements prevent home-based deployment of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, both often described as delicate and tricky to transport.
Vaccinating Ontarians over 80
Ontarians over 80 years of age can now expect to start getting vaccinated by the third week of March. But, older adults are still pretty much left in the dark about how the rollout will happen. So, where do we go from here? Libby Znaimer is joined by Dr. Samir Sinha, Director of Health Policy Research at the NIA.
The government's priorities are wrong: Dr. Nathan Stall on who should get the vaccine first
The slow vaccine rollout is at the cost of senior's lives says NIA Associate Fellow, Dr. Nathan Stall.
Geriatrician disappointed with ON’s ‘ageist’ vaccine rollout
Dr. Samir Sinha, Director of Health Policy Research at the NIA joined The Morning Show to discuss Ontario's COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
Ontario won’t launch COVID-19 vaccination booking system until March 15
By: Laura Stone
Samir Sinha, director of geriatrics at Mount Sinai and the University Health Network hospitals in Toronto, called on the province to move much faster to vaccinate people over 60, who represent 96 per cent of deaths from COVID-19, ahead of other groups such as essential workers.
“With variants of concern that are circulating around and becoming the dominant strain, we’re really worried that we’re going to lose a lot more older people along the way,” Dr. Sinha said.
For-profit LTC ownership a significant factor in second-wave deaths: Government analysis
The next step the government and the for-profit long-term care sector should take is acknowledging that the research signifies a problem, said Dr. Nathan Stall, Associate Fellow at the NIA and the lead author of the wave one study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
"Let's look at the sector with a deep dive, let's strive to improve quality within our homes so that we can actually save lives and improve the care that we're providing residents," said Stall.
Frustrating timelines for COVID-19 vaccine roll out
Many of Ontario's oldest residents are at least a month away from their first #COVID19 vaccination. Dr. Samir Sinha, Director of Health Policy Research at the NIA discusses with CTV News.
Tale of two vaccine roll-outs: COVID-19 numbers plummet in Toronto’s long-term-care homes, while Ontario’s remain ‘stubbornly high’
By: Jennifer Pagliaro
While the situation in Toronto is a good news story, said Dr. Samir Sinha, the director of health policy research at the NIA in Toronto, there have been delays in getting the rest of the province’s vulnerable seniors vaccinated.
Seniors living at home anxiously await COVID-19 vaccines
Seniors who live independently, as well as their families and doctors, say they've been overlooked in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout as they anxiously wait to find out when it will be their turn to get a shot. Dr. Samir Sinha, Director of Health Policy Research at the NIA joins CBC The National.
Frustration grows among seniors and caregivers over Ontario's COVID-19 vaccine rollout
By: Perlita Stroh
Dr. Samir Sinha, director of health policy research at the NIA has been advocating for the Ontario government to change course and he's grateful it has, but he adds that seniors living in their homes should have been closer to the front of the line for inoculations from the beginning.
"This is absolutely the right thing to do, and it's frankly long overdue," Dr. Sinha said. "Age is the greatest risk factor for getting sick and dying from COVID-19, so that needs to be considered when administering vaccines."
Should all seniors get the COVID-19 vaccine before essential workers?
By: Jacquline LeBei
Dr. Samir Sinha, Director of Health Policy Research at the NIA says that regardless of if the goal is to prevent deaths, lessen the strain on the health-care system or reopen the economy, the approach should be the same: vaccinate seniors first.
Why didn't we learn from our mistakes: Dr. Samir Sinha has questions for Ontario's Long Term Care Commission
Dr. Samir Sinha, Director of Health Policy Research at the NIA joins CBC's Metro Morning. He was the first person to speak at Ontario Long Term Care Commission looking in to the deadly outbreaks.
What Will Canada Do to Fix Its Senior Care Fail?
By: Christopher Guly
Dr. Samir Sinha, director of health policy research at the NIA said that the amount Canada spends on publicly funded long-term care is one-third less than the average by the 37 member countries of the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development.
He said more money, too, should go to supporting frail people at home. “We also spend a disproportionate amount of our dollars — 87 cents of every dollar — to warehouse people in care homes as opposed to supporting them in their homes. In the average OECD country, a third of their spending goes toward the provision of home and community care — or about three times more than what we spend,” he explained.
Why proper home care should be a cornerstone of how our health system looks after seniors
By: Elizabeth Niedra
Home care also matters for the happiness and well-being of patients. According to a recent report from the National Institute on Aging, nearly all older people surveyed in Ontario would prefer to age in their own home rather than in a care facility.
Science Table doctor answers COVID19 vaccine questions
Dr. Alykhan Abdulla, Chair of Family Practice with the MA, and Dr. Nathan Stall, Associate Fellow at the NIA and Assistant Scientific Director of Ontario's COVID-19 Science Advisory Table, answer concerns about everything from the vaccine altering DNA to whether it contains mercury.
Talkin’ ‘bout Generation Risk Profiles
Jodi Butts is joined by Dr. Samir Sinha, geriatrician and Health Policy Research Director for the National Institute on Ageing, and Vass Bednar, Executive Director of McMaster University’s Master of Public Policy Program, to discuss the policy opportunities for improving the risk profiles of older Canadians and Millennials.
Geriatrician ‘Pretty Unsatisfied’ With Long-Term Care Commission Testimony On Vaccine Rollout To Seniors’ Homes
By: Sneh Duggal
Dr. Nathan Stall, Associate Fellow at the NIA said it seemed as though the decision to bring the vaccines into hospitals first was done almost from a "convenience standpoint."
Vaccine priority for elderly ‘massively important’
Dr. Samir Sinha, Director of Health Policy Research at the NIA, joined CP24 to explain why it's so important to prioritize the elderly in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
Geriatrician on urgency to get seniors vaccinated
The CBC's Chris Glover speaks to Dr. Samir Sinha, Director of Health Policy Research at the NIA who argues that it's of the utmost urgency to get all Ontario's seniors vaccinated, irrespective of where they live, not just because it's a moral responsibility — but also because it will hugely benefit wider society.
