One doctor in the United States took matters into her own hands, by signing up to be a part of a COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial and sharing her story online.
Dr. Valerie Fitzhugh is an Associate Professor of Pathology at Rutgers University Medical School. In a thread shared on Twitter, Fitzhugh detailed why she decided to join the trial and what it was like participating in one.
Fitzhugh tells CityNews she initially decided to research participating in a clinical trial because historically, it’s very difficult to get communities of colour to trust in medical establishments and to trust in some of these scientific developments, citing Henrietta Lacks’ story as just one example of this.
In the 1950s, researchers took a sample of cancer cells from Lacks without her permission while she was under anesthesia and found the cells could be grown indefinitely.
The so-called “HeLa” cells became crucial for understanding viruses, cancer treatments, in-vitro fertilization and development of vaccines, including the polio vaccine.
“There is a lot of mistrust, particularly in the Black community in the United States, around experimentation on black and brown bodies which happened, unfortunately, quite a lot in the earlier parts of the 19th century,” Fitzhugh said.
She had also heard that participation by people of colour in COVID-19 vaccine trials was low.
“Everything I had heard and everything I read had noted that the participation by people of colour was a lot lower than what they wanted at that time,” Fitzhugh said.
“The biggest driving force for me was representation by the Black community. I felt like doing my part and adding to that trial. Giving a little bit something of myself for the greater good made it so worth it.”
A study on race and health conducted by Kaiser Family Foundation in the U.S. found that Black adults were less likely than any other groups to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Just 17 per cent of Black adults said they would definitely get the vaccine and 27 per cent said they would definitely not get it.
Fitzhugh said by sharing her story, she hoped to open up an important discussion within the Black community about getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
Since tweeting on Dec. 12, her story has been retweeted almost 10,000 times.
“I want people to be educated. You have to trust the process and trust the science. If I at least tell my story and tell what I went though, it may give people an idea what to expect, should they get vaccinated,” Fitzhugh said.
Dr. Fitzhugh could not disclose the trial she is participating in, but said she received her first dose in October and second in November. She doesn’t know if she received a placebo or the actual vaccine at this point.
Dr. Fitzhugh says she could be “unblinded” soon and find out whether she has been vaccinated. She’s currently eligible to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine through her work as a physician, but doesn’t want to take the vaccine away from another doctor or hospital worker if it is not necessary.
“I’m tired of seeing people who look like me die of this disease.”
“What I find to be so important now is that we have these discussions, we openly discuss why the hesitancy is there, why the mistrust is there so that we can have educated conversations going forward about people at least considering being vaccinated,” Dr. Fitzhugh said. “I don’t think trying to convincing people to be vaccinate is the appropriate approach. We need to have the conversations, acknowledge the hesitancy and why it’s there.”
Fitzhugh says hearing so many stories and seeing the pain of those who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic made it all the more important to become apart of the trial.
“I’m tired of seeing people who look like me die of this disease.”
“I hope people at least consider being vaccinated. I do want people to get the information that’s available. I want people to talk to their physicians…and ask the difficult questions,” she said.
Gerald Evans, the Chair for Infection Diseases at Queen’s University, says there is a clear difference between those who are hesitant to receive a vaccine and so-called “anti-vaxxers.”
“It isn’t anti-vaxxer at all. There is an intrinsic hesitancy when you think to yourself ‘Were there enough people who are like me enrolled in these studies so I can be confident about the data?’ Over history, there has been a significant disadvantage amongst people who were not white in scientific studies,” Evans said.
With most of the data around vaccine hesitancy and mistrust coming from the U.S., Evans said they are making a push to collect similar data in Canada as vaccine rollout plans continue to be formulated.
“I know that there is a big move to make sure we do the same move here in Canada, getting away from just general polling information and really understanding within these communities what is the feeling about taking the vaccine,” Evans said.
TORONTO – Canada Goose Holdings Inc. says it has signed a deal that will result in the creation of its first eyewear collection.
The deal announced on Thursday by the Toronto-based luxury apparel company comes in the form of an exclusive, long-term global licensing agreement with Marchon Eyewear Inc.
The terms and value of the agreement were not disclosed, but Marchon produces eyewear for brands including Lacoste, Nike, Calvin Klein, Ferragamo, Longchamp and Zeiss.
Marchon plans to roll out both sunglasses and optical wear under the Canada Goose name next spring, starting in North America.
Canada Goose says the eyewear will be sold through optical retailers, department stores, Canada Goose shops and its website.
Canada Goose CEO Dani Reiss told The Canadian Press in August that he envisioned his company eventually expanding into eyewear and luggage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Almost seven years since news broke of an alleged conspiracy to fix the price of packaged bread across Canada, the saga isn’t over: the Competition Bureau continues to investigate the companies that may have been involved, and two class-action lawsuits continue to work their way through the courts.
Here’s a timeline of key events in the bread price-fixing case.
Oct. 31, 2017: The Competition Bureau says it’s investigating allegations of bread price-fixing and that it was granted search warrants in the case. Several grocers confirm they are co-operating in the probe.
Dec. 19, 2017: Loblaw and George Weston say they participated in an “industry-wide price-fixing arrangement” to raise the price of packaged bread. The companies say they have been co-operating in the Competition Bureau’s investigation since March 2015, when they self-reported to the bureau upon discovering anti-competitive behaviour, and are receiving immunity from prosecution. They announce they are offering $25 gift cards to customers amid the ongoing investigation into alleged bread price-fixing.
Jan. 31, 2018: In court documents, the Competition Bureau says at least $1.50 was added to the price of a loaf of bread between about 2001 and 2016.
Dec. 20, 2019: A class-action lawsuit in a Quebec court against multiple grocers and food companies is certified against a number of companies allegedly involved in bread price-fixing, including Loblaw, George Weston, Metro, Sobeys, Walmart Canada, Canada Bread and Giant Tiger (which have all denied involvement, except for Loblaw and George Weston, which later settled with the plaintiffs).
Dec. 31, 2021: A class-action lawsuit in an Ontario court covering all Canadian residents except those in Quebec who bought packaged bread from a company named in the suit is certified against roughly the same group of companies.
June 21, 2023: Bakery giant Canada Bread Co. is fined $50 million after pleading guilty to four counts of price-fixing under the Competition Act as part of the Competition Bureau’s ongoing investigation.
Oct. 25 2023: Canada Bread files a statement of defence in the Ontario class action denying participating in the alleged conspiracy and saying any anti-competitive behaviour it participated in was at the direction and to the benefit of its then-majority owner Maple Leaf Foods, which is not a defendant in the case (neither is its current owner Grupo Bimbo). Maple Leaf calls Canada Bread’s accusations “baseless.”
Dec. 20, 2023: Metro files new documents in the Ontario class action accusing Loblaw and its parent company George Weston of conspiring to implicate it in the alleged scheme, denying involvement. Sobeys has made a similar claim. The two companies deny the allegations.
July 25, 2024: Loblaw and George Weston say they agreed to pay a combined $500 million to settle both the Ontario and Quebec class-action lawsuits. Loblaw’s share of the settlement includes a $96-million credit for the gift cards it gave out years earlier.
Sept. 12, 2024: Canada Bread files new documents in Ontario court as part of the class action, claiming Maple Leaf used it as a “shield” to avoid liability in the alleged scheme. Maple Leaf was a majority shareholder of Canada Bread until 2014, and the company claims it’s liable for any price-fixing activity. Maple Leaf refutes the claims.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Companies in this story: (TSX:L, TSX:MFI, TSX:MRU, TSX:EMP.A, TSX:WN)
TORONTO – TD Bank Group, which is mired in a money laundering scandal in the U.S., says chief executive Bharat Masrani will retire next year.
Masrani, who will retire officially on April 10, 2025, says the bank’s, “anti-money laundering challenges,” took place on his watch and he takes full responsibility.
The bank named Raymond Chun, TD’s group head, Canadian personal banking, as his successor.
As part of a transition plan, Chun will become chief operating officer on Nov. 1 before taking over the top job when Masrani steps down at the bank’s annual meeting next year.
TD also announced that Riaz Ahmed, group head, wholesale banking and president and CEO of TD Securities, will retire at the end of January 2025.
TD has taken billions in charges related to ongoing U.S. investigations into the failure of its anti-money laundering program.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
