Health problems don’t stop just because there’s a pandemic going on, says Maria Vila, DO, a family medicine specialist in Morristown, New Jersey, and medical advisor for eMediHealth. “Depending on your emergency, you may need in-person care, so you have to decide if you should go to an urgent care or an ER and potentially expose yourself to COVID-19,” she says. So what constitutes the need for care? We asked health experts around the world to weigh in on the most pressing health problems that can’t wait until the pandemic is over. Read on to learn about the new and to ensure your health, remember: Doctors Say “DO NOT” Do This After Your COVID Vaccine. 1 You Have Severe Coronavirus Symptoms The CDC says you should seek emergency medical attention if you have: Trouble breathingPersistent pain or pressure in the chestNew confusionInability to wake or stay awakeBluish lips or faceThey note that: “This list is not all possible symptoms. Please call your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning to you.” 2 Chest Pain Chest pain can be due to various issues, including musculoskeletal problems, persistent cough, pneumonia, anxiety, a panic attack, or a heart attack. “If you are not sure about what is happening, you should call your doctor to go over any associated symptoms and help you decide if in-person care is best for you,” says Vila. If you have a history of heart disease, however, and are experiencing chest pain, with symptoms such as shortness of breath, dizziness, sweating, left arm pain or tingling, or jaw pain, you should call 911 immediately. 3 Rectal Bleeding If you notice any rectal bleeding, don’t put it off until after the COVID-19 pandemic. “Rectal bleeding can be due to benign things, such as hemorrhoids, or more serious issues such as an actual gastrointestinal bleed or a flare-up of inflammatory bowel disease,” says Vila. “How this is handled will depend on your medical history, but if the bleeding is significant and persistent, you will need to be seen in an ER.” If you’ve had one episode of a small amount of bleeding or have a history of inflammatory bowel disease, you should call your doctor. They may be able to suggest treatment and keep you out of an ER or urgent care, where you can be exposed to COVID-19. 4 Seizure If you have a history of seizures, you’ll know how to respond if you have one and will likely have medication at home, says Vila. “In this scenario, you can call your neurologist or your doctor and likely be managed over the phone or via a telemedicine video call,” she says. If you don’t have a history of seizures, however, you will need to be seen in an ER. 5 Leg Swelling In One Leg, With Or Without Calf Pain Vila says it isn’t normal to have calf or leg swelling in just one leg, whether or not it’s associated with calf pain. “This can be a symptom of a DVT (deep vein thrombosis) or blood clot,” she says. “If this happens, you can call your doctor. He or she will question you about risk factors for a DVT. These can include a recent long trip in a car or train, trip on an airplane, history of blood clots, history of coagulation disorder, cancer or recent surgery.” However, to get an official diagnosis, you will need an ultrasound (called a venous doppler) of your leg veins to look for the clot. “Then you can be started on blood thinners if it is positive,” she says. “If the new leg swelling is associated with shortness of breath, this is an emergency, and you may be having a pulmonary embolus. You should call 911, since it can be fatal if untreated.” 6 A Worsening Skin Infection Don’t let a skin infection go from bad to worse. If your skin condition is worsening despite oral antibiotics, you need to be seen by a medical expert. “A skin infection or cellulitis that is not responding to oral antibiotics will require IV antibiotics, which will be done in a hospital setting,” explains Vila. Before going to the hospital, contact your doctor. Depending on your history and the severity of infection, they may try changing your antibiotic first. 7 Loss Of Consciousness Syncope, or loss of consciousness, without an obvious cause is usually a reason to head for the emergency room. “If you have passed out, you will need to be evaluated in an ER to rule out a cardiac cause or a stroke,” says Vila. However, there are instances in which losing consciousness doesn’t need urgent evaluation in an ER. One example: if you’re taking a new blood pressure medication and you stand up quickly and pass out. This may be due to too much medication and resulting low blood pressure. “In this case, your doctor can lower your dose of medication, and you may be able to avoid a trip to the ER.” 8 A Deep Cut Some small lacerations or cuts can be treated with over-the-counter adhesive surgical tape strips. But depending on a cut’s location, length and depth, you may need stitches, which can be done at an urgent care center instead of the ER, says Vila. 9 Broken Bone Obviously, a broken bone cannot wait. “If you have a fracture where the bone is protruding through the skin, or the area of the body with the broken bone is deformed, you will need to go to an ER,” says Dr. Vila. “If you suffered an injury that makes you think you have a broken bone and the pain is tolerable, no bone is protruding through the skin, the area of the broken bone is not deformed, you can try to call your doctor and do a telemedicine consult to decide on treatment.” Some fractured areas like fingers or toes may be treatable with taping or splints you can buy at a pharmacy, and your doctor can advise you on what to do to avoid the urgent care or ER. 10 Stroke Symptoms If you experience any symptoms of a stroke, you need to seek medical attention ASAP. Although stroke symptoms vary widely from case to case, Richard Payden, MD, family medicine physician at UCHealth Primary Care-Estes Park, says to look out for the following: new or sudden onset of confusion, difficulty with speech (slurred speech, loss of meaning of words, not being able to get the word you want out), facial droop, numbness or tingling on one side of the body, weakness on one side of the body, or generalized weakness that is new or of sudden onset. “These are symptoms that shouldn’t be ignored, as getting to the hospital within the first few hours of your symptoms starting is very important to treatment options,” he says. 11 Sudden Shortness Of Breath Sudden shortness of breath may indicate problems with your lungs or heart which have the potential to be serious. “It could be something as simple as you’re out for your daily walk on your normal route when you realize you’re short of breath, even though you’re only five minutes into what would normally be an easy 30-minute walk,” says Payden. “It could be that you can’t speak a full sentence when usually that’s no problem. Or there may be other symptoms that occur along with the shortness of breath, including chest tightness, cough, dizziness or nausea.” Shortness of breath could also be a symptom of COVID-19. Call your doctor ASAP. 12 Severe Pain Anytime you experience severe pain, including a sudden severe headache (which may feel like the worst headache of your life), chest pain (especially with associated shortness of breath, nausea, dizziness, jaw pain, or pain going down one or both arms), severe abdominal pain, or severe extremity pain, call your doctor. “Each of these may indicate a serious illness,” says Payden. 13 A Dental Emergency During the COVID-19 pandemic, most dental offices are only seeing patients who are experiencing dental emergencies. “You can’t really go to a doctor or dentist during the COVID-19 lockdown, short of telemedicine, or risk exposure,” explains Charles Sutera, DMD, FAGD. “To simplify it into a recipe, patients can consider five key, critical situations when it’s essential to call and potentially see their dentist despite social distancing concerns.”These include swelling, uncontrolled bleeding, pain, trauma from an accident, or a dental concern for any person with a severe underlying condition such as active chemotherapy, uncontrolled diabetes, or similar. If you’re experiencing something else, try reaching out to your dentist to see if it warrants a visit. 14 Severe Abdominal Pain COVID-19 hasn’t stopped gallstones or appendicitis from happening, says Jill Grimes, MD, board-certified family physician and author of The Ultimate College Student Health Handbook. “If you’re having steadily increasing or severe abdominal pain, especially along with fever, you need to be examined,” she says. 15 Heart Attack Symptoms If you experience any heart attack symptoms—especially chest pain or a “heavy-pressure sensation, like an elephant sitting on your chest”—call 911, says Grimes. “If you have known high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and/or a family history of heart disease, we don’t want you ignoring symptoms of a heart attack.” 16 Urinary Tract Infections No, your urinary tract infection can’t wait until after the COVID-19 pandemic to be treated. “A UTI can progress from a simple, easily treated bladder infection to a more serious kidney infection that could require hospitalization to treat,” says Grimes. “Call your doctor if you’re having burning, urgency or [increased] frequency when you urinate.” 17 STDs Same with a potential sexually transmitted infection. “Early signs are similar to UTIs, plus discharge,” says Grimes. “If these go untreated in women, they can progress to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which can lead to chronic pelvic pain or infertility.” 18 Shingles (Zoster) “If you develop burning, hypersensitive skin on one side of your body, then a day or two later begin seeing bumps that turn into clusters of blisters, don’t wait to call,” says Grimes. Why? You might have shingles, and the medication to alleviate the condition must be started within the first couple days of symptoms. 19 Allergies Or Hay Fever Although allergies may not be a life-or-death situation, they should be treated, especially because their symptoms can closely mirror COVID-19, says Daniel Atkinson, GP clinical lead at treated.com. “As the weather begins to improve, people with allergies might be quite concerned for their health and well-being at the best of times, but now particularly in the context of COVID-19,” he explains. “We all need to be as vigilant as possible in stopping the spread of the virus, and that means staying home at all times, excluding for reasons outlined by the government. For people with allergies, this might require them to think a little bit further in advance in relation to their treatments.” Furthermore, if you have allergies that cause sneezing, it’s really important to stay indoors and cover your mouth and nose. “Some people can carry the virus asymptomatically and spread it when they sneeze as a consequence of their allergies,” says Atkinson. 20 A Severe Allergic Reaction An allergic reaction to a medication, food, or other substance cannot wait. “Any anaphylactic reaction to an allergen needs emergency treatment,” says Leann Poston, MD, a physician with InvigorMedical.com. 21 Meningitis If you have symptoms of meningitis—including a stiff neck, fever, and headache—seek medical attention immediately, says Poston. And to ensure your health and the health of others, don’t miss these Sure Signs You’ve Already Had Coronavirus.
“Communication is one of the most important skills you require for a successful life.” — Catherine Pulsifer, author.
I’m one hundred percent in agreement with Pulsifer, which is why my evaluation of candidates begins with their writing skills. If a candidate’s writing skills and verbal communication skills, which I’ll assess when interviewing, aren’t well above average, I’ll pass on them regardless of their skills and experience.
Why?
Because business is fundamentally about getting other people to do things—getting employees to be productive, getting customers to buy your products or services, and getting vendors to agree to a counteroffer price. In business, as in life in general, you can’t make anything happen without effective communication; this is especially true when job searching when your writing is often an employer’s first impression of you.
Think of all the writing you engage in during a job search (resumes, cover letters, emails, texts) and all your other writing (LinkedIn profile, as well as posts and comments, blogs, articles, tweets, etc.) employers will read when they Google you to determine if you’re interview-worthy.
With so much of our communication today taking place via writing (email, text, collaboration platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Slack, ClickUp, WhatsApp and Rocket.Chat), the importance of proficient writing skills can’t be overstated.
When assessing a candidate’s writing skills, you probably think I’m looking for grammar and spelling errors. Although error-free writing is important—it shows professionalism and attention to detail—it’s not the primary reason I look at a candidate’s writing skills.
The way someone writes reveals how they think.
Clear writing = Clear thinking
Structured paragraphs = Structured mind
Impactful sentences = Impactful ideas
Effective writing isn’t about using sophisticated vocabulary. Hemingway demonstrated that deceptively simple, stripped-down prose can captivate readers. Effective writing takes intricate thoughts and presents them in a way that makes the reader think, “Damn! Why didn’t I see it that way?” A good writer is a dead giveaway for a good thinker. More than ever, the business world needs “good thinkers.”
Therefore, when I come across a candidate who’s a good writer, hence a good thinker, I know they’re likely to be able to write:
Emails that don’t get deleted immediately and are responded to
Simple, concise, and unambiguous instructions
Pitches that are likely to get read
Social media content that stops thumbs
Human-sounding website copy
Persuasively, while attuned to the reader’s possible sensitivities
Now, let’s talk about the elephant in the room: AI, which job seekers are using en masse. Earlier this year, I wrote that AI’s ability to hyper-increase an employee’s productivity—AI is still in its infancy; we’ve seen nothing yet—in certain professions, such as writing, sales and marketing, computer programming, office and admin, and customer service, makes it a “fewer employees needed” tool, which understandably greatly appeals to employers. In my opinion, the recent layoffs aren’t related to the economy; they’re due to employers adopting AI. Additionally, companies are trying to balance investing in AI with cost-cutting measures. CEOs who’ve previously said, “Our people are everything,” have arguably created today’s job market by obsessively focusing on AI to gain competitive advantages and reduce their largest expense, their payroll.
It wouldn’t be a stretch to assume that most AI usage involves generating written content, content that’s obvious to me, and likely to you as well, to have been written by AI. However, here’s the twist: I don’t particularly care.
Why?
Because the fundamental skill I’m looking for is the ability to organize thoughts and communicate effectively. What I care about is whether the candidate can take AI-generated content and transform it into something uniquely valuable. If they can, they’re demonstrating the skills of being a good thinker and communicator. It’s like being a great DJ; anyone can push play, but it takes skill to read a room and mix music that gets people pumped.
Using AI requires prompting effectively, which requires good writing skills to write clear and precise instructions that guide the AI to produce desired outcomes. Prompting AI effectively requires understanding structure, flow and impact. You need to know how to shape raw information, such as milestones throughout your career when you achieved quantitative results, into a compelling narrative.
So, what’s the best way to gain and enhance your writing skills? As with any skill, you’ve got to work at it.
Two rules guide my writing:
Use strong verbs and nouns instead of relying on adverbs, such as “She dashed to the store.” instead of “She ran quickly to the store.” or “He whispered to the child.” instead of “He spoke softly to the child.”
Avoid using long words when a shorter one will do, such as “use” instead of “utilize” or “ask” instead of “inquire.” As attention spans get shorter, I aim for clarity, simplicity and, most importantly, brevity in my writing.
Don’t just string words together; learn to organize your thoughts, think critically, and communicate clearly. Solid writing skills will significantly set you apart from your competition, giving you an advantage in your job search and career.
Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers “unsweetened” job search advice. You can send Nick your questions to artoffindingwork@gmail.com.
MONTREAL – Politics, public opinion and salary hikes south of the border helped push Air Canada toward a deal that secures major pay gains for pilots, experts say.
Hammered out over the weekend, the would-be agreement includes a cumulative wage hike of nearly 42 per cent over four years — an enormous bump by historical standards — according to one source who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. The previous 10-year contract granted increases of just two per cent annually.
The federal government’s stated unwillingness to step in paved the way for a deal, noted John Gradek, after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made it plain the two sides should hash one out themselves.
“Public opinion basically pressed the federal cabinet, including the prime minister, to keep their hands clear of negotiations and looking at imposing a settlement,” said Gradek, who teaches aviation management at McGill University.
After late-night talks at a hotel near Toronto’s Pearson airport, the country’s biggest airline and the union representing 5,200-plus aviators announced early Sunday morning they had reached a tentative agreement, averting a strike that would have grounded flights and affected some 110,000 passengers daily.
The relative precariousness of the Liberal minority government as well as a push to appear more pro-labour underlay the prime minister’s hands-off approach to the negotiations.
Trudeau said Friday the government would not step in to fix the impasse — unlike during a massive railway work stoppage last month and a strike by WestJet mechanics over the Canada Day long weekend that workers claimed road roughshod over their constitutional right to collective bargaining. Trudeau said the government respects the right to strike and would only intervene if it became apparent no negotiated deal was possible.
“They felt that they really didn’t want to try for a third attempt at intervention and basically said, ‘Let’s let the airline decide how they want to deal with this one,'” said Gradek.
“Air Canada ran out of support as the week wore on, and by the time they got to Friday night, Saturday morning, there was nothing left for them to do but to basically try to get a deal set up and accepted by ALPA (Air Line Pilots Association).”
Trudeau’s government was also unlikely to consider back-to-work legislation after the NDP tore up its agreement to support the Liberal minority in Parliament, Gradek said. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, whose party has traditionally toed a more pro-business line, also said last week that Tories “stand with the pilots” and swore off “pre-empting” the negotiations.
Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau had asked Ottawa on Thursday to impose binding arbitration pre-emptively — “before any travel disruption starts” — if talks failed. Backed by business leaders, he’d hoped for an effective repeat of the Conservatives’ move to head off a strike in 2012 by legislating Air Canada pilots and ground crew to stick to their posts before any work stoppage could start.
The request may have fallen flat, however. Gradek said he believes there was less anxiety over the fallout from an airline strike than from the countrywide railway shutdown.
He also speculated that public frustration over thousands of cancelled flights would have flowed toward Air Canada rather than Ottawa, prompting the carrier to concede to a deal yielding “unheard of” gains for employees.
“It really was a total collapse of the Air Canada bargaining position,” he said.
Pilots are slated to vote in the coming weeks on the four-year contract.
Last year, pilots at Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and American Airlines secured agreements that included four-year pay boosts ranging from 34 per cent to 40 per cent, ramping up pressure on other carriers to raise wages.
After more than a year of bargaining, Air Canada put forward an offer in August centred around a 30 per cent wage hike over four years.
But the final deal, should union members approve it, grants a 26 per cent increase in the first year alone, retroactive to September 2023, according to the source. Three wage bumps of four per cent would follow in 2024 through 2026.
Passengers may wind up shouldering some of that financial load, one expert noted.
“At the end of the day, it’s all us consumers who are paying,” said Barry Prentice, who heads the University of Manitoba’s transport institute.
Higher fares may be mitigated by the persistence of budget carrier Flair Airlines and the rapid expansion of Porter Airlines — a growing Air Canada rival — as well as waning demand for leisure trips. Corporate travel also remains below pre-COVID-19 levels.
Air Canada said Sunday the tentative contract “recognizes the contributions and professionalism of Air Canada’s pilot group, while providing a framework for the future growth of the airline.”
The union issued a statement saying that, if ratified, the agreement will generate about $1.9 billion of additional value for Air Canada pilots over the course of the deal.
Meanwhile, labour tension with cabin crew looms on the horizon. Air Canada is poised to kick off negotiations with the union representing more than 10,000 flight attendants this year before the contract expires on March 31.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.
HALIFAX – Ottawa is negotiating a $500-million bailout for Nova Scotia’s privately owned electric utility, saying the money will be used to prevent a big spike in electricity rates.
Federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson made the announcement today in Halifax, saying Nova Scotia Power Inc. needs the money to cover higher costs resulting from the delayed delivery of electricity from the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric plant in Labrador.
Wilkinson says that without the money, the subsidiary of Emera Inc. would have had to increase rates by 19 per cent over “the short term.”
Nova Scotia Power CEO Peter Gregg says the deal, once approved by the province’s energy regulator, will keep rate increases limited “to be around the rate of inflation,” as costs are spread over a number of years.
The utility helped pay for construction of an underwater transmission link between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, but the Muskrat Falls project has not been consistent in delivering electricity over the past five years.
Those delays forced Nova Scotia Power to spend more on generating its own electricity.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.
