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.
Telus Corp. says it is avoiding offering “unprofitable” discounts as fierce competition in the Canadian telecommunications sector shows no sign of slowing down.
The company said Friday it had fewer net new customers during its third quarter compared with the same time last year, as it copes with increasingly “aggressive marketing and promotional pricing” that is prompting more customers to switch providers.
Telus said it added 347,000 net new customers, down around 14.5 per cent compared with last year. The figure includes 130,000 mobile phone subscribers and 34,000 internet customers, down 30,000 and 3,000, respectively, year-over-year.
The company reported its mobile phone churn rate — a metric measuring subscribers who cancelled their services — was 1.09 per cent in the third quarter, up from 1.03 per cent in the third quarter of 2023. That included a postpaid mobile phone churn rate of 0.90 per cent in its latest quarter.
Telus said its focus is on customer retention through its “industry-leading service and network quality, along with successful promotions and bundled offerings.”
“The customers we have are the most important customers we can get,” said chief financial officer Doug French in an interview.
“We’ve, again, just continued to focus on what matters most to our customers, from a product and customer service perspective, while not loading unprofitable customers.”
Meanwhile, Telus reported its net income attributable to common shares more than doubled during its third quarter.
The telecommunications company said it earned $280 million, up 105.9 per cent from the same three-month period in 2023. Earnings per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 was 19 cents compared with nine cents a year earlier.
It reported adjusted net income was $413 million, up 10.7 per cent year-over-year from $373 million in the same quarter last year. Operating revenue and other income for the quarter was $5.1 billion, up 1.8 per cent from the previous year.
Mobile phone average revenue per user was $58.85 in the third quarter, a decrease of $2.09 or 3.4 per cent from a year ago. Telus said the drop was attributable to customers signing up for base rate plans with lower prices, along with a decline in overage and roaming revenues.
It said customers are increasingly adopting unlimited data and Canada-U.S. plans which provide higher and more stable ARPU on a monthly basis.
“In a tough operating environment and relative to peers, we view Q3 results that were in line to slightly better than forecast as the best of the bunch,” said RBC analyst Drew McReynolds in a note.
Scotiabank analyst Maher Yaghi added that “the telecom industry in Canada remains very challenging for all players, however, Telus has been able to face these pressures” and still deliver growth.
The Big 3 telecom providers — which also include Rogers Communications Inc. and BCE Inc. — have frequently stressed that the market has grown more competitive in recent years, especially after the closing of Quebecor Inc.’s purchase of Freedom Mobile in April 2023.
Hailed as a fourth national carrier, Quebecor has invested in enhancements to Freedom’s network while offering more affordable plans as part of a set of commitments it was mandated by Ottawa to agree to.
The cost of telephone services in September was down eight per cent compared with a year earlier, according to Statistics Canada’s most recent inflation report last month.
“I think competition has been and continues to be, I’d say, quite intense in Canada, and we’ve obviously had to just manage our business the way we see fit,” said French.
Asked how long that environment could last, he said that’s out of Telus’ hands.
“What I can control, though, is how we go to market and how we lead with our products,” he said.
“I think the conditions within the market will have to adjust accordingly over time. We’ve continued to focus on digitization, continued to bring our cost structure down to compete, irrespective of the price and the current market conditions.”
Still, Canada’s telecom regulator continues to warn providers about customers facing more charges on their cellphone and internet bills.
On Tuesday, CRTC vice-president of consumer, analytics and strategy Scott Hutton called on providers to ensure they clearly inform their customers of charges such as early cancellation fees.
That followed statements from the regulator in recent weeks cautioning against rising international roaming fees and “surprise” price increases being found on their bills.
Hutton said the CRTC plans to launch public consultations in the coming weeks that will focus “on ensuring that information is clear and consistent, making it easier to compare offers and switch services or providers.”
“The CRTC is concerned with recent trends, which suggest that Canadians may not be benefiting from the full protections of our codes,” he said.
“We will continue to monitor developments and will take further action if our codes are not being followed.”
French said any initiative to boost transparency is a step in the right direction.
“I can’t say we are perfect across the board, but what I can say is we are absolutely taking it under consideration and trying to be the best at communicating with our customers,” he said.
“I think everyone looking in the mirror would say there’s room for improvement.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
CALGARY – TC Energy Corp. has lowered the estimated cost of its Southeast Gateway pipeline project in Mexico.
It says it now expects the project to cost between US$3.9 billion and US$4.1 billion compared with its original estimate of US$4.5 billion.
The change came as the company reported a third-quarter profit attributable to common shareholders of C$1.46 billion or $1.40 per share compared with a loss of C$197 million or 19 cents per share in the same quarter last year.
Revenue for the quarter ended Sept. 30 totalled C$4.08 billion, up from C$3.94 billion in the third quarter of 2023.
TC Energy says its comparable earnings for its latest quarter amounted to C$1.03 per share compared with C$1.00 per share a year earlier.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 95 cents per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
BCE Inc. reported a loss in its latest quarter as it recorded $2.11 billion in asset impairment charges, mainly related to Bell Media’s TV and radio properties.
The company says its net loss attributable to common shareholders amounted to $1.24 billion or $1.36 per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with a profit of $640 million or 70 cents per share a year earlier.
On an adjusted basis, BCE says it earned 75 cents per share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of 81 cents per share in the same quarter last year.
“Bell’s results for the third quarter demonstrate that we are disciplined in our pursuit of profitable growth in an intensely competitive environment,” BCE chief executive Mirko Bibic said in a statement.
“Our focus this quarter, and throughout 2024, has been to attract higher-margin subscribers and reduce costs to help offset short-term revenue impacts from sustained competitive pricing pressures, slow economic growth and a media advertising market that is in transition.”
Operating revenue for the quarter totalled $5.97 billion, down from $6.08 billion in its third quarter of 2023.
BCE also said it now expects its revenue for 2024 to fall about 1.5 per cent compared with earlier guidance for an increase of zero to four per cent.
The company says the change comes as it faces lower-than-anticipated wireless product revenue and sustained pressure on wireless prices.
BCE added 33,111 net postpaid mobile phone subscribers, down 76.8 per cent from the same period last year, which was the company’s second-best performance on the metric since 2010.
It says the drop was driven by higher customer churn — a measure of subscribers who cancelled their service — amid greater competitive activity and promotional offer intensity. BCE’s monthly churn rate for the category was 1.28 per cent, up from 1.1 per cent during its previous third quarter.
The company also saw 11.6 per cent fewer gross subscriber activations “due to more targeted promotional offers and mobile device discounting compared to last year.”
Bell’s wireless mobile phone average revenue per user was $58.26, down 3.4 per cent from $60.28 in the third quarter of the prior year.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
