At this moment, researchers all over the world are trying to find a way to treat the virus which has made the whole world change in only a few months. Many different theories and approaches are being tested to see if they have any impact on the consequences and longevity of COVID-19 and using cannabis is one of them. Research on this topic is still in its earliest stages, but the correlation has been found.
What Does COVID-19 Do to the Body?
First of all, we should look at the impact of COVID-19. When the virus enters its host, it causes an alarm to be raised within the body and the immune system gets ready to go into a fight. A protein called cytokine gets released and goes on to cause inflammation in affected areas to fight off the virus. COVID-19 causes the immune system to overreact, thus causing a phenomenon called a cytokine storm. This means that the body is starting to kill itself and shut down major organs. It has been the cause of death of many COVID-19 victims. It practically means that your body starts overreacting when met with it.
Cytokine protein causes major inflammations on the lungs, in this case on both of them, which is quite specific to this virus. Because of that and the fact that COVID-19 has the ability to go deeper within your respiratory system, it is way more dangerous than basic colds or influenza.
Where Could Cannabis Come into Play?
During the search for a treatment that would prevent the infection, lighten the symptoms, remove side effects, or even cure it completely, the talks about cannabis use as the potential approach have been raised. Cannabinoids like THC and CBD, if properly used, have the potential to cure the symptoms of COVID-19, that is cytokine storms. Due to its causing respiratory problems, simply smoking cannabis can cause more harm than good. Instead, the usage of THC vape pens like this and cannabis oils has been proven to have an effect of calming down the overreaction of the immune system. Cannabis oils have also been recommended as a means of prevention, as cleaning the mouth and the nose with it could stop the proteins of the virus from catching on to the nerve cells. Most of the benefits are still unknown, as it has been only a few months worth of research.
Suppression of Immune Response
As previously mentioned, when met with the virus your body goes into the overactive mode, so the body temperature raises at abnormal levels. This kills the healthy cells in all the major organs, and they start to fail. CBD, in particular, has been found to lower inflammation and calm down the immune system hyperactivity. Some studies have even shown that CBD has the potential to even reverse some of the damage done to the lungs. The cannabinoids regulate the exact proteins that cause inflammation. Some of them have been tested and shown on animals that they can lower blood coagulation levels, which is one more issue that COVID-19 patients could be dealing with during and after the illness. Because of that, they are usually at high risk of strokes and heart attacks.
Panic and Anxiety
The factor that is usually being overlooked when talking about the consequences and side effects of COVID-19 is the mental stress that a person goes through when tested positive. That stress is what usually worsens the illness and hurries its progression. For example, if there is blood clotting, and the stress causes the heart to pump faster, the consequences could very easily be fatal. The use of medical cannabis will reduce anxiousness and panic, which will make the whole experience a bit easier. COVID-19 is a very unpredictable virus and the complications which it causes are extremely dangerous and could progress fast. Putting the body through additional stress will weaken it and the chances of getting infected and having worse symptoms are bigger and bigger.
Like previously mentioned, it is still too early to have the full picture, but the interest in this topic is extensive. Scientists all over the world are looking into the correlation between medical cannabis and its potential benefits in the pandemic. In particular, the USA, Canada, and Iran have developed programs that deal directly with this subject. Until now, two public testings have proven that benefits like reduced inflammation are valid. There are four more confirmed testings, and these will deal with the effects on humans instead of animal subjects. The testing is done so that the large medical bodies, like the World Health Organization, would add it to the regular treatments and will give more funding to further the research. One of the issues is the prejudice that comes with the use of cannabis, and that is what has somewhat slowed down the approval process.
Potential Dangers
Even though this is a somewhat undeveloped field, there are no side effects and dangers that were proven to happen in relation to COVID-19 progression. There was one study published in recent months that claimed that consuming cannabis could cause the same harm as smoking cigarettes, and it was shot down because of the lack of evidence. However, it is better to find another way to consume it besides smoking, as this virus causes respiratory issues, so exposing your lungs to smoke of any kind is probably a bad idea. Using it in the oil or vape form is more cost-effective and has no foreseeable dangers. The worst thing that could happen is that nothing happens, so there is no harm in trying.
In these hectic times, any form of potential cure or relief is worth looking into, and the researchers seem to think so too. There have been major donations made to the continuation of the study on this subject. This research could also be a big plus in removing the stigma around the use of cannabis, especially for medical purposes. One of the most important things that it has done is that it has given new hope to the people who suffer from COVID-19. It is still early to talk about the cure, but finding relief for symptoms and side effects of it is a big deal in itself.
The Canadian government says it will donate up to 200,000 vaccine doses to fight the mpox outbreak in Congo and other African countries.
It says the donated doses of Imvamune will come from Canada’s existing supply and will not affect the country’s preparedness for mpox cases in this country.
Minister of Health Mark Holland says the donation “will help to protect those in the most affected regions of Africa and will help prevent further spread of the virus.”
Dr. Madhukar Pai, Canada research chair in epidemiology and global health, says although the donation is welcome, it is a very small portion of the estimated 10 million vaccine doses needed to control the outbreak.
Vaccine donations from wealthier countries have only recently started arriving in Africa, almost a month after the World Health Organization declared the mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
A few days after the declaration in August, Global Affairs Canada announced a contribution of $1 million for mpox surveillance, diagnostic tools, research and community awareness in Africa.
On Thursday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said mpox is still on the rise and that testing rates are “insufficient” across the continent.
Jason Kindrachuk, Canada research chair in emerging viruses at the University of Manitoba, said donating vaccines, in addition to supporting surveillance and diagnostic tests, is “massively important.”
But Kindrachuk, who has worked on the ground in Congo during the epidemic, also said that the international response to the mpox outbreak is “better late than never (but) better never late.”
“It would have been fantastic for us globally to not be in this position by having provided doses a much, much longer time prior than when we are,” he said, noting that the outbreak of clade I mpox in Congo started in early 2023.
Clade II mpox, endemic in regions of West Africa, came to the world’s attention even earlier — in 2022 — as that strain of virus spread to other countries, including Canada.
Two doses are recommended for mpox vaccination, so the donation may only benefit 100,000 people, Pai said.
Pai questioned whether Canada is contributing enough, as the federal government hasn’t said what percentage of its mpox vaccine stockpile it is donating.
“Small donations are simply not going to help end this crisis. We need to show greater solidarity and support,” he said in an email.
“That is the biggest lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic — our collective safety is tied with that of other nations.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.
The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.
Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.
“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”
The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.
A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.
Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.
“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.
Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.
The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.
“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundland and Labrador‘s chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says that so far this year, the province has recorded 230 confirmed cases of the vaccine-preventable respiratory tract infection, also known as pertussis.
Late last month, Quebec reported more than 11,000 cases during the same time period, while Ontario counted 470 cases, well above the five-year average of 98. In Quebec, the majority of patients are between the ages of 10 and 14.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick has declared a whooping cough outbreak across the province. A total of 141 cases were reported by last month, exceeding the five-year average of 34.
The disease can lead to severe complications among vulnerable populations including infants, who are at the highest risk of suffering from complications like pneumonia and seizures. Symptoms may start with a runny nose, mild fever and cough, then progress to severe coughing accompanied by a distinctive “whooping” sound during inhalation.
“The public, especially pregnant people and those in close contact with infants, are encouraged to be aware of symptoms related to pertussis and to ensure vaccinations are up to date,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Department said in a statement.
Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics, but vaccination is the most effective way to control the spread of the disease. As a result, the province has expanded immunization efforts this school year. While booster doses are already offered in Grade 9, the vaccine is now being offered to Grade 8 students as well.
Public health officials say whooping cough is a cyclical disease that increases every two to five or six years.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick’s acting chief medical officer of health expects the current case count to get worse before tapering off.
A rise in whooping cough cases has also been reported in the United States and elsewhere. The Pan American Health Organization issued an alert in July encouraging countries to ramp up their surveillance and vaccination coverage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.
