From COVID to cancer: Why Canada's RNA vaccine leadership matters more than ever
Amid headlines about rising cases of measles, falling vaccination rates and growing vaccine hesitancy, a quieter revolution is underway - one that could fundamentally reshape how we respond to global health threats, including pandemics and cancer.
This revolution is being powered by RNA technology - and Canada is uniquely positioned to lead it.
While the swift development of COVID-19 vaccines appeared to be a sudden scientific triumph, it was built on six decades of foundational work. Much of that work happened in Canada. Messenger RNA (mRNA) are large, negatively charged molecules that are easily degraded and repelled by our cells.
To coax our cells to internalize them, scientists developed a way to encapsulate them in "fat bubbles" or lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), which were invented by Pieter Cullis and collaborators. Cullis, a co-author of this article, is a professor in biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of British Columbia.
Once inside a patients' cells, the mRNA gives the cell instructions to translate a viral protein that triggers an immune response. Both the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines - which relied on these fat bubbles - were found to be highly efficacious (more than 94 per cent) and safe, both in initial trials and continuous monitoring over time. They were estimated to have saved nearly 10 million lives in 2021 alone.
That's just the beginning. Research teams across the country are now building on this homegrown innovation to expand the potential of RNA vaccines beyond infectious diseases.
At the University of British Columbia, the Blakney Lab is focused on developing vaccines and therapies using self-amplifying RNA (saRNA), a technology that offers several advantages over conventional mRNA. Because saRNA replicates itself once inside a patient's cells, much smaller doses are needed to produce a robust immune response.
Now, this replication process may sound like something out of a science fiction film, but similar to mRNA vaccines, this technology has been developed over decades and has been thoroughly clinically validated. The saRNA technology reduces manufacturing costs and makes vaccine production more scalable during global emergencies. Notably, the lower dose can also minimize side effects, potentially reducing the risk of getting a sore arm or having to miss a day of work after vaccination.
Recent pre-clinical studies have shown that saRNA vaccines can offer longer-lasting immunity with smaller doses, and multiple clinical trials are now underway to evaluate their use for influenza, Zika virus and even cancer.
Expanding Canada's domestic RNA vaccine capacity is more than just a scientific priority; it's a public health imperative and economic opportunity. During the COVID-19 pandemic, global supply chain breakdowns exposed the risks of relying on international sources for essential vaccine ingredients and production. Investing in local infrastructure allows for faster and more flexible responses to future outbreaks.
Read more: From PPE shortages to COVID-19 vaccine distribution, the supply chain has emerged as a determinant of health
But it's not just about pandemic readiness. One of the most exciting frontiers for RNA technology is the development of personalized cancer vaccines. These vaccines train the immune system to recognize and attack mutations specific to an individual's tumour.
In early clinical trials, mRNA-based cancer vaccines - such as those developed by Moderna and BioNTech - have shown promising results, dramatically reducing recurrence rates in melanoma and pancreatic cancer patients.
Canada's scientific ecosystem is primed to contribute meaningfully to this next generation of therapies. Strengthening our biotech infrastructure could create high-quality jobs, stimulate economic growth and reinforce Canada's place as a leader in the global bioeconomy.
The COVID-19 pandemic showed us how rapidly science can enable positive public health outcomes - and how easily inequities can widen if infrastructure and access aren't prioritized.
Despite being home to world-class researchers, Canada lacked the manufacturing capacity to produce its own mRNA vaccines. That gap is now being addressed through substantial recent investments from the government of Canada, but sustaining momentum will require long-term commitment from policymakers and funders.
Equity must also remain at the forefront. Communities in rural, remote and Indigenous regions often face barriers to accessing vaccines - not because of hesitancy, but due to logistical challenges and under-resourced health systems. The Public Health Agency of Canada has emphasized the importance of building trust and tailoring solutions in partnership with these communities.
Vaccine confidence remains another challenge. Post-pandemic surveys reveal that misinformation continues to shape public perceptions, even about long-established vaccines like MMR. Addressing this requires proactive science communication, sustained public education and rebuilding trusted relationships between communities and health systems.
World Immunization Week offered a chance to celebrate how far we've come - but also to ask what comes next. With decades of research leadership, a strong innovation ecosystem and new investments in RNA infrastructure, Canada has the tools to lead the next chapter of mRNA technology development.
Whether it's fighting the next virus or personalizing cancer therapies for individual patients, RNA technologies hold transformative promise. Seizing this opportunity will require sustained support, policy alignment and a focus on equitable access.
By investing in RNA innovation today, Canada can deliver not just vaccines, but a healthier, more resilient future for all.
Immunity and Society is a new series from The Conversation Canada that presents new vaccine discoveries and immune-based innovations that are changing how we understand and protect human health. Through a partnership with the Bridge Research Consortium, these articles - written by academics in Canada at the forefront of immunology and biomanufacturing - explore the latest developments and their social impacts.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Global News
7 hours ago
- Global News
Vaccine injury programs elsewhere also face challenges, criticism
Canada's Vaccine Injury Support Program is not the only one of its kind facing major challenges. Similar efforts in the U.S., U.K. and Australia have come under scrutiny for allegedly failing to support families amid surging applications and desperate pleas for help. The Australian government closed its new injury claim program and stopped accepting new applications on Sept. 30, 2024, after complaints about how applicants were treated. Australia had reportedly paid out about C$28.5 million in injury compensation. Its program has been widely criticized at home and by the global cable news outlet, Sky News. One veteran Australian Liberal MP has begun publicly advocating in Parliament for the injured. 'Some of them are so severely damaged' 'It's very distressing even to have these people face to face and speaking to them when you see some of them are so severely damaged,' MP Russell Broadbent told Sky News. Story continues below advertisement The U.K. program's administration costs were the equivalent of C$46 million as of January 2025. That sum exceeds the reported C$43.5 million spent on payouts to injured residents, The Daily Telegraph reported. Get weekly health news Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday. Sign up for weekly health newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy As of January 2025, more than 17,500 Britons or their families have made injury claims, but several told the BBC they felt like they had been 'airbrushed out of the pandemic.' View image in full screen People lined up for vaccination at St Thomas' Hospital in London on Dec. 15, 2021. Long lines formed for booster shots across England at the time as the U.K. government urged adults to protect themselves against the omicron variant. Frank Augstein / Associated Press Some Britons have also criticized their program as too slow to assess injury cases, with thresholds made too high to qualify and payouts too low for those who get them. The U.S. government also faces a flood of claims, but most are being rejected. Data shows 13,836 people have filed COVID-19 injury claims under the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA) Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program as of May 1, 2025. Story continues below advertisement The countermeasures effort exists as a separate program from its vaccine injury system to compensate people hurt during national emergencies, like COVID-19, when new vaccines or treatments are rolled out. U.S. officials reported that of the 13,836 COVID-19-related countermeasures injury claims it has received so far, the HRSA has issued decisions in 4,413 cases, denying 4,338 claims. To date, U.S. officials have found only 75 claims eligible for compensation. The number of claims compensated totaled just 39, according to data disclosed on June 1. The American program has been harshly criticized, as well. And a U.S. congressional committee has warned that without major reforms, clearing the backlog in the countermeasures program may take almost 10 years. The U.S. program states on its website that officials assessing the majority of COVID-19 countermeasure injury claims are 'still waiting for records and documentation to be submitted.'
Global News
7 hours ago
- Global News
Canada set up a $50M vaccine injury program. Those harmed say it's failing them.
Kimberly MacDougall lay in a hospital bed beside her injured husband, Stephen, as his final moments came. She and their two kids held him as he took his last breath. Stephen, 45, a service manager for a luxury automobile dealership, had been fighting to live for weeks in May 2021, but stopped struggling. She informed friends on social media that the man she loved, incredibly fit and with no prior health issues, wouldn't make it. Outside the window of his intensive care room in Peterborough, Ont., an impromptu group of friends soon gathered to hold a vigil, in love and support. 'I saw things nobody should see and I wasn't equipped to deal with,' MacDougall remembered four years later. 'I watched them use the paddles on him. I watched them bag him.' A rare adverse reaction to a COVID-19 vaccine left Stephen dead in his prime. View image in full screen Kimberly MacDougall. Patrick Capati / Global News Ross Wightman, a former pilot and realtor, social worker Shannon Dupont, and kindergarten assistant Kayla Pollock also suffered life-altering injuries after their vaccinations. These four people, and their families, were among millions of Canadians who rolled up their sleeves to get their shots during the pandemic. For their loved ones, communities and country. The largest public immunization in Canadian history reduced the spread of deadly disease, saving the lives of thousands of Canadians by mitigating the effects of the virus and reducing emergency room admissions. For most, vaccines slowly brought life back to normal. Advertisement But for a small group injured by their shots, life never returned to what it once was. The 0.011 per cent The government reassured the public that serious side effects were possible, but rare. There have been 11,702 reports of serious adverse events following a COVID-19 vaccination, according to Health Canada. That's equal to 0.011 per cent of the 105,015,456 doses administered as of December 2023. As a way to help, then-prime minister Justin Trudeau announced the Vaccine Injury Support Program (VISP) in December 2020. The effort, which began six months later, aimed to support people who have been seriously and permanently injured by any Health Canada-authorized vaccine administered in the country on or after Dec. 8, 2020. Approved claimants could receive lump sum injury or death payouts, ongoing income replacement, and reimbursement of medical expenses. But instead of the government operating VISP, as is done with similar programs in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, Canada elected to outsource the work. In March 2021, the government hired Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton Consulting Inc. — now called Oxaro Inc. — to administer the program. The challenges began soon after it launched. A Global News investigation has uncovered complaints that the program has failed to deliver on its promise of 'fair and timely' access to financial support for the injured. This five-month probe is based on more than 30 interviews with injured and ill people, former VISP workers, and attorneys who allege the effort is being mismanaged, leaving claimants feeling angry, abandoned, uncared for, and even abused. 'They promised to take care of us,' MacDougall added. 'They didn't fulfil their promise.' This Global News investigation also revealed: Oxaro Inc., has received $50.6 million in taxpayer money. $33.7 million has been spent on administrative costs, while injured Canadians received only $16.9 million PHAC and Oxaro underestimated the number of injury claims VISP would get, initially predicting 40 per year and then up to 400 valid claims annually. More than 3,000 applications have been filed — of those, 1,700 people are still waiting for their claim to be decided. Some injured applicants say they face a revolving door of unreachable VISP case managers and fundraise online to survive. Some say their applications were unfairly rejected by doctors they've never spoken to or met. Despite decades of calls for a vaccine injury support program, the federal government cobbled it together during a pandemic. View image in full screen As Global News neared publication, a spokesperson for new Liberal Health Minister Marjorie Michel contacted the news organization and provided this statement: 'These allegations are completely unacceptable. The VISP supports people who are vulnerable and need support. I've asked PHAC to find a solution that ensures a responsible use of funds and that people receive the support they need. All options are on the table.' View image in full screen Minister of Health Marjorie Michel rises during Question Period on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Monday, June 2, 2025. Adrian Wyld / Canadian Press Neither the company nor PHAC were prepared for the surge of claims that arrived, former workers say. Staff were too few and inexperienced to handle them all, other ex-staffers say. Advertisement One said VISP operations were plagued by many 'bottlenecks.' Others described it as 'chaos.' Oxaro and PHAC declined interview requests. In response to a 15-page list of questions, the company said, 'The VISP is a new and demand-based program with an unknown and fluctuating number of applications and appeals submitted by claimants.' Read the full Oxaro statement HERE. 'The program processes, procedures and staffing were adapted to face the challenges linked to receiving substantially more applications than originally planned,' Oxaro added. 'Oxaro and PHAC have been collaborating closely to evaluate how the program can remain agile to handle the workload on hand while respecting budget constraints.' The complexity of the claims filed can also affect processing timelines, Oxaro said. PHAC, meanwhile, said it is reviewing Oxaro's five-year arrangement to administer VISP, which is up for renewal next year. Read the full PHAC statement HERE. The agency also wrote that it is weighing 'concerns raised by claimants and beneficiaries' and factoring in how other countries managed their respective programs. Its goal: learn 'best practices' elsewhere, and ensure the future Canadian program is delivered 'in a fair, efficient and cost-effective manner.' View image in full screen Fair and efficient? Don't talk to Becky Marie Campbell about fair and efficient. Three weeks after her vaccination in April 2021, Campbell, a B.C. school teacher and mother of four, began to feel numbness in her legs while driving down the highway. Soon, she was unable to walk and was subsequently hospitalized. Like several others who became sick after shots, the perfectly healthy and fit Campbell was sent for a psychiatric evaluation when she raised the possibility of a link between her vaccine and illness. View image in full screen British Columbia resident Becky Marie Campbell became gravely ill after her vaccination, but was denied support by VISP even though her own doctor suggested her illness was 'most likely related' to the shot. Images courtesy Becky Campbell A doctor later determined she was of sound mind. As she prepared to leave the hospital after a month-long stay, Campbell said a staff member offered her a second vaccine shot. She cried. She left in a wheelchair, looking emaciated. Campbell then applied to VISP in October 2021. She racked up $20,000 in debt for treatments, medicines, mobility equipment and physiotherapies during her attempted recovery. Campbell's own physician said her shot and illness were 'most likely related.' View image in full screen A partial view of Becky Marie Campbell's Vaccine Injury Support Program application, which was supported by her own physician. Courtesy: Becky Marie Campbell Unidentified VISP physicians, however, rejected her claim on Sept. 6, 2022. Advertisement They said they found 'no peer-reviewed medical literature' that suggested a 'causal association' between her vaccination and subsequent illness at that time. When she received the news, Campbell burst into tears: 'You didn't call me, you had no appointment with me,' she said, referring to the panel of three unidentified doctors which VISP hired to evaluate her file. 'They weren't part of my case at all, and they decided my fate? That's a little unfair.' 'I believed that living in Canada, I would be taken care of,' Campbell said. 'It wasn't about the money … It was about receiving support from my country. Instead, I felt I was faceless,' Campbell said. She did not appeal. View image in full screen Mike Becker of B.C., experienced severe pain, nausea, dizziness and huge blood clots in his right leg after receiving a vaccine in 2021. His right leg is now larger than the left. He is on blood thinners. Images courtesy Mike Becker Mike Becker understands Campbell's anger and resentment. VISP also rejected his application, even though pain and swelling in his leg began immediately following his vaccine shot and got worse every day until he went to the hospital nine days later. His leg sears with burning pain at night from deep vein thrombosis, commonly known as blood clots. The condition caused his right leg to swell like a balloon, four inches larger than the left. He now suffers from dizziness and can no longer work as a carpet and furniture upholstery technician. Becker has had 30 doctor visits since his hospitalization in 2021, and takes blood thinners to avoid death. Becker said VISP denied him support because his hospital hematologist failed to record his blood platelet levels, which would have confirmed causality between his vaccine and clots. The VISP report, which included no physicians' names, acknowledged Becker's illness came shortly after his vaccination, but concluded the shot was 'unlikely' to have caused it. However, VISP added a caveat: should the medical world's understanding of such events evolve and new evidence come to light, 'this case should be revisited and reconsidered.' Unlike Campbell, Becker appealed. In November 2022, he informed his VISP case manager and sent in the necessary appeal paperwork. Nobody then answered his emails for almost two years, he said. Becker would not let it go. Finally, a VISP case manager responded by email. She informed him that his case had been mistakenly closed, according to a copy of the correspondence obtained by Global News. VISP had incorrectly recorded in its computers that there was no appeal, although his case manager knew Becker had appealed and filed the necessary documents. 'I have spoken with my manager and have asked that we fast-track your case so that we can rectify this timelapse of your case,' the new VISP case manager told him in the email. Eleven months later, he says he's still waiting. Becker calls VISP 'a big scam.' 'It's not working to help people injured like me.' Phyisicians saw trouble coming Some experts say things could have turned out differently. For 40 years, physicians and public health officials in Canada had been calling for a federal, no-fault government vaccine injury support program. All other G7 countries, except Canada, had one. View image in full screen Dr. Kumanan Wilson had tried to persuade the federal government to launch a vaccine injury support program in Canada for years but was unsuccessful until the COVID-19 pandemic slammed the country. Trevor Owens / Global News Among those stressing the need for such a program was Dr. Kumanan Wilson, CEO and Chief Scientific Officer of the Bruyère Health Research Institute. His research focuses on immunization and pandemic preparedness. Advertisement Before COVID-19, Dr. Wilson said he had 'a frustrating set of discussions' with the federal government. Creating a program, he said, 'kept dropping as a priority.' Dr. Wilson said he warned officials about other countries' experiences with the programs. 'You don't want to stand these things up right in the middle of an emergency,' he said, noting it doesn't typically end well. Many of VISP's current woes might have been avoided if only it had begun earlier, Dr. Wilson said. Pain and suffering Kimberly MacDougall of Peterborough, Ont., has never spoken publicly about her husband's death until now. Her pain and suffering are easily seen on her face. View image in full screen Kimberly MacDougall lost her husband after he suffered a severe adverse reaction to his COVID-19 vaccine. Patrick Capati / Global News MacDougall's husband, Stephen, then 45, died from myopericarditis post-COVID vaccine, leaving her a young widow of two children, then 9 and 12. She received the maximum death benefit under PHAC guidelines, an amount equal to about three years of Stephen's salary. Still, she believes the sum that PHAC and Oxaro paid out is unjustly low. Stephen expected to work 15 or more years in the luxury car business. He had planned to fund their children's university educations and was a rising star in his world who was being headhunted. View image in full screen A family photo of Kimberly MacDougall, her late husband Stephen MacDougall and their children during happier times. Courtesy of Kimberly MacDougall As a community leader, Stephen had encouraged many people to get vaccinated, but a series of disastrous events followed his immunization: the myopericarditis was a deadly inflammation of both his heart muscle and the lining outside it that claimed him in weeks. MacDougall plunged into grief and trauma. A family friend hired lawyer Lori Stoltz to file MacDougall's VISP claim. View image in full screen The VISP prepared this brochure to explain the process of applying and getting financial support to people injured by COVID-19 vaccines. Global News While VISP brochures advertise that the program will 'continue to support you for as long as needed,' there was a cut-off time for MacDougall and her kids. In addition to the death benefit, the program said it would only pay for enough grief therapy to cover weekly sessions for MacDougall and their children for a little over three months. What's more, MacDougall said, VISP would only pay $100, roughly half the cost of each visit. That's when Stoltz wrote a blistering letter to VISP, saying she was 'stunned' by the program's 'apparent institutional indifference' to the young family's 'suffering and need for financial support.' VISP then conceded it would refund the full cost of each session. But the program dug in — 15 visits only. 'And then my kids are supposed to be fine?' MacDougall said, voice breaking. 'I'm supposed to be fine?' Advertisement She has been unable to return to work as an elementary school teacher. MacDougall thinks VISP lacks humanity and is 'shameful.' As she mourned her husband's death, she explained, a VISP case manager requested she get copies of his autopsy report and death certificate. 'It got to a point where everything was a battle. I didn't have any fight left in me. And that's kind of where I'm at, that's how I've moved forward,' MacDougall said. 'I don't want to fight anymore.' Lengthy delays Toronto attorney Jasmine Daya called for a Vaccine Injury Support Program in November 2020, a month before the official government announcement. Now, she and other attorneys harshly criticize the program. Daya calls it 'a sham.' View image in full screen Lawyer Jasmine Daya wanted the government to create a vaccine injury support program. Now, she thinks what was later created is a frustrating 'sham.' Trevor Owens / Global News She says her numerous emails to VISP often only receive generic responses. 'Sometimes those auto emails say, 'Due to the high volume, we'll get back to you when we can,'' Daya added. 'I want to be able to do my job, which is to help these individuals, and I can't.' Victoria lawyer Umar Sheikh also said VISP is 'incredibly difficult to deal with,' adding its findings are not necessarily reliable or fair to people, and they take too long. A VISP brochure and its staff have told applicants that the average claim can take 12 to 18 months to process. But some have waited far longer. Sheikh is helping several claimants with VISP battles, including Dan Hartman, an Ontario father who lost his 17-year-old son, Sean, in September 2021. The teenager died alone in his bedroom in the middle of the night. View image in full screen The last photo Dan Hartman took with his son Sean before his sudden, unexplained death after his vaccination. Photo courtesy of Dan Hartman Dan Hartman suffered emotional shock, taking time off work. Three physicians from VISP rejected Hartman's first claim in 2022, denying the father's assertion that the vaccine was linked to his son's death. Initially, a post-mortem examination characterized the cause of death as 'unascertained.' The VISP report noted the post-mortem on Sean's body found 'mild R(ight) and L(eft) ventricular enlargement,' which a pathologist described as 'not uncommon in athletic young men.' Sean was a hockey player. But the heart enlargement led Hartman to believe his son had a rare adverse reaction, so he appealed the VISP decision with new evidence in May 2023 and still waits. Fed up, Hartman and Sheikh pressed VISP to explain its lengthy delays. View image in full screen Victoria attorney Umar Sheik is helping several VISP claimants with their battles with the program. Max Trotta / Global News According to an email Global News reviewed, VISP staff replied that they have had trouble finding a forensic pathologist to examine the late Hartman's tissues. Advertisement Revisiting the case may confirm or disprove any causal link between the teen's vaccination and his death. In the meantime, medical knowledge of adverse reactions has increased. Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration told vaccine makers to expand warning labels on COVID-19 vaccines that would spell out the risks of possible heart injuries that afflict males aged 17-26, like Sean Hartman. Health Canada issued a similar warning for 'younger male adults and adolescents' in June 2021. Still, Hartman waits. Kayla's 'nightmare' Kayla Pollock waits, too. After first applying in 2022, Pollock's VISP application remains stuck in 'intake.' Her injuries have not been assessed, she says. She uses a wheelchair because of her transverse myelitis, a condition that involves swelling of her spinal cord and the loss of lower body functions. Medical research has documented hundreds of cases of transverse myelitis following COVID vaccination. As a result of her illness, Kayla is no longer able to work. View image in full screen Kayla Pollock says she suffered a vaccine injury that damaged her spine. She mailed her VISP application in July 2022 and was told it was lost. She resubmitted her claim and said her case remains in 'intake' three years later. Dealing with VISP has been 'hell,' and a 'nightmare,' she says. Trevor Owens / Global News She used to be a kindergarten assistant. Now, she receives Ontario disability support. She lost her townhome. Her son's father is now his primary caregiver, and she sees their boy only on alternating weekends. Pollock said things are so bleak for her that she requires personal support workers and has been offered Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID). In the absence of VISP support, she has been raising money online. 'Unfortunately, it costs me more to be alive than if I were dead,' Pollock says. After waiting for three years, she no longer believes VISP will ever compensate her. Approved... yet still outraged Former pilot and realtor Ross Wightman understands the frustration, anger and desperation of people dealing with the support program. VISP accepted his injury claims, but Wightman remains enraged. He says he often cannot reach anyone at VISP and has had 10 case managers work on his file. Ross Wightman's VISP application was approved. He says he regularly waits months for VISP medical expense refunds. The program is an unfathomable 'dumpster fire,' he says. Courtesy Nicole Wightman Wightman, who lives near Kelowna, B.C., was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome after his vaccination and applied to VISP in 2021. He received $270,000 in indemnities in 2022, becoming one of the first people to be approved. Guillain-Barré syndrome is a rare neurological disorder that has been linked to COVID-19 vaccinations. The condition causes sudden numbness and muscle weakness when the immune system attacks peripheral nerves. No longer able to work, Wightman awaits a second reassessment of his injuries. Advertisement His wife left her job to care for him and their two young children full-time. After the one-time injury award, he waited 20 additional months to be approved for a VISP income replacement benefit in 2023. That benefit is capped at $90,000 a year — the maximum for all claimants — though he earned far more as a realtor and former pilot. Asked about VISP, he likens it to a 'dumpster fire.' 'I don't know how it could be done worse,' added Wightman. 'There have been times where I have thought about not continuing with some of my therapies just because I'm tired of incurring expenses and eating expenses for such a long time.' Instead, he says the slow pace of financial support forced him, for a time, to turn to the 'bank of family.' Wightman stated at one point that $12,000 in VISP funds were deposited into his bank account, but it took him more than 10 weeks to confirm what that refund was supposed to cover. VISP officials also kept him on tenterhooks for months, waiting for $25,000 in other reimbursements, he added. 'Such poor communication and record-keeping undermine trust in the program and create additional stress for those who depend on it,' added Mounting paperwork, mounting debt As a social worker living in Manitoba, Shannon Dupont thought she knew how to help vulnerable people through a crisis. But she, herself, is now lost and alone, battling VISP. Prior to her vaccine injuries, which occurred after each of her three injections, she had two jobs and made an average of $104,000 a year. View image in full screen Shannon Dupont, of Manitoba, displays all the Vaccine Injury Support Program documents, emails and forms she's gathered. Melissa Ridgen / Global News She says her employer mandated that she be vaccinated. But Dupont suffered a stroke, Bell's palsy, lost half her field of vision in her left eye and dexterity in her hands. She developed an autoimmune disorder that gave her hives. In September 2022, the provincial health authority recommended that Dupont receive no further COVID-19 vaccines. She can no longer work. In her dealings with VISP since 2021, Dupont says she has had nine case managers whose letters, emails and forms cover her entire dining room table. View image in full screen VISP told claimants like Shannon Dupont by email that they would contact them 'quarterly.' Two years after she applied, VISP approved her for a one-time $24,294 injury payout. However, she believes VISP 'missed a significant amount of my injury.' She has since applied for reassessment four times and sought refunds for medical expenses. Many vaccine-injured people have also asked for their cases to be reconsidered. VISP now owes her $180,000, Dupont alleges. As she waited, Dupont says she cashed in her investments and lived on credit cards. In March, she finally started receiving a VISP income replacement benefit of $3,700 monthly, but her battles continue due to confusion between VISP and her health insurer. In December, VISP announced the government program would now be her first payor, reversing its initial position. Advertisement She says that the insurer now wants her to repay $86,000 — money she says VISP has not paid her.
Global News
7 hours ago
- Global News
How an Ontario tech company is looking to track the spread of dangerous diseases
With a worldwide pandemic and now measles outbreaks, a new Ontario company is trying to make it easier for people to understand how diseases are spreading in their community. EpiSense is trying to be the weather app for diseases, founded by three people from Goderich, Ont. The founders say they want to make it as easy as checking the weather to know what diseases are gaining momentum in your area. 'You might look at your phone to see, oh, there's going to be a storm today maybe I won't go for that hike, or I'm going to go to Ottawa or Toronto or Barrie, I want to know what the weather is to plan accordingly,' said Chapin Korosec, co-founder and lead of tech and data science. 'We want to make it easy to look at all the different disease trends are in your community and in any community that you might be travelling to.' Story continues below advertisement Korosec has a PhD in biophysics and during the COVID-19 pandemic switched to mathematical immunology, working to understand bodies' response to vaccines and disease. Along with fellow co-founders Alexandra Kasper and Michael Daley, the three are trying to help Ontarians, and eventually people across Canada, access accurate and easy-to-understand information about the spread of diseases at the touch of their fingers. View image in full screen EpiSense co-founders (left to right) Chapin Korosec, Alexandra Kasper, and Michael Daley in Goderich Ont. Supplied by Chapin Korosec Kasper, the company's operations lead who has a background in theoretical physics, said they built the company with families in mind. Get weekly health news Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday. Sign up for weekly health newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'All three of our founder team are parents, so we really know how much getting sick throws your entire life off. It's anxiety-inducing and it's really exhausting and disruptive, especially when you have really little ones,' she said. Kasper, who is also married to Korosec, said while it has been great to lean on his knowledge when making decisions related to their child, she knows not every parent has access to the same information. Story continues below advertisement 'I was talking to my friend recently who has a baby, and they were planning travel to go to this big family reunion, and they were really uncertain because their baby was too young to get their measles vaccine,' Kasper said. She said Korosec was able to put together some information on the trends and data on the spread of measles for the area they were thinking of travelling to and the risks of getting sick, which helped their friends make an informed decision. 'We said, how do we get this at scale? How do we give that every parent and every Canadian can have access to that ready-to-go information to take something that's really overwhelming and turn it into something that you feel confident making the right choice for you,' Kasper said. 'We don't want to tell people what they need to do, but we want to have them be empowered to make those decisions for themselves in their own comfort levels.' View image in full screen EpiSense dashboard example for Goderich. Supplied by Chapin Korosec EpiSense works by scouring the internet for all publicly-available data, and then the company verifies it and breaks it down into something easier to understand. It also lets users know where the information is coming from, so they can feel confident in the numbers they are seeing. Story continues below advertisement They also plan to offer a self-reporting feature, which gives people the ability to privately provide information if they are not feeling well. 'It allows us to get ahead and get a lead time on what might be coming and being reported to public health and that lead time has value from our public health perspective. Because it allows resources to be allocated, if we can confirm that we are accurately forecasting, then that has value,' Korosec said. To start off, the company plans to track measles, COVID-19, RSV, and rhinovirus, which is also known as the common cold. They started with a web-based subscription platform costing $3.99 a month, with plans to expand to IOS and Android once they can test the platform. 'Diseases don't respect borders…. We're very proud to start in Ontario, we are very proud that this is a Canadian technology, but we envision a future where we are beyond Canadian borders,' Korosec said. 'We want to eliminate the sense of uncertainty where you just don't know, and so if you want to engage with your infant in society and you're uncertain and you are anxious, the idea is you can go to our app and it can inform you on how to more definitively make your decision.' The company is launching their platform on July 2, 2025.
