BREAKING Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
A new study has found that pregnant people were more likely to experience severe outcomes of COVID-19 and more likely to lose their baby if they weren't vaccinated.
Scottish researchers published their findings in the journal Nature on Thursday. They looked at a database involving 145,424 pregnancies in the country between December 2020 and October 2021.
The researchers found that 77.4 per cent of Scots who got COVID-19 while pregnant were unvaccinated. Unvaccinated pregnant people also made up 90.9 per cent of COVID-19-related hospital admissions and 98 per cent of admissions to the intensive care unit.
Getting COVID-19 while pregnant was also associated with an increased risk of stillbirths and newborn deaths. The study counted 11 stillbirths and eight newborn deaths, all of which involved mothers who were unvaccinated at the time of COVID-19 diagnosis.
Researchers examined the perinatal mortality rate, which refers to the rate of stillbirths and infant deaths less than a week after birth. During the study period, the perinatal mortality rate was 5.6 deaths per 1,000 births for the whole population. Among those who had COVID-19 at any point during their pregnancy, the mortality rate was 8.0 per 1,000.
For those who had COVID-19 within 28 days of giving birth, the perinatal mortality rate was a staggering 22.6 per 1,000 births.
"Our data add to the evidence that vaccination in pregnancy does not increase the risk of complications in pregnancy, but COVID-19 does," said first author Dr. Sarah Stock in a news release. "COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy is crucial to protect women and babies from preventable, life-threatening complications of COVID-19."
COVID-19 was also associated with higher rates of preterm births. The preterm birth rate for those without COVID-19 was 7.9 per cent. For those who had COVID-19 at any point during their pregnancy, the rate was 10.2 per cent and for those who had COVID-19 within 28 days of giving birth, the rate was 16.6 per cent.
The researchers say the findings underscore the importance of vaccination for pregnant people, given that they are at a higher risk of serious outcomes from COVID-19.
"As cases of Omicron continue to rise, I strongly encourage all pregnant woman to take up the offer of a vaccination or booster as these will help protect them and their unborn child," study lead Aziz Sheikh said in a news release.
The researchers point out that COVID-19 vaccine uptake among pregnant people in Scotland has been lower than the general population, despite assurance from public health officials that the vaccine is safe. In October 2021, the vaccination rate among Scottish women was 77.4 per cent while only 32.3 per cent of pregnant Scots were vaccinated.
Vaccine uptake among pregnant Canadians also lags behind the general population, but not as much as in Scotland. Ontario in early December reported that 85 per cent of residents 12 and over had been fully vaccinated. But among pregnant Ontarians, the vaccination rate was 71 per cent.
Canada's National Advisory Committee on Immunization as well as the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada have both recommended the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines for pregnant people. Health Canada also says the vaccines are safe to receive while pregnant, citing data from the U.S. involving 35,000 pregnant people that found no safety concerns.
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded west of Vancouver Island early Friday morning.
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
The stakes have been set for a bet between Vancouver and Edmonton's mayors on who will win Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
A grieving mother is hosting a helmet drive in the hopes of protecting children on Manitoba First Nations from a similar tragedy that killed her daughter.
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
A P.E.I. lighthouse and a New Brunswick river are being honoured in a Canada Post series.