Health: 1)Barrie-area primary care providers expanding access with $6.6M provincial boost; 2)26 ‘low-risk’ air passengers being contacted about hantavirus: Canada’s top doctor; 3)Ontario travellers with connections to cruise remain asymptomatic, not being tested for hantavirus; 4) Canadians on ship at centre of hantavirus outbreak land in Canada; 5)Health advice is all over social media. Here’s how to vet claims
1)Barrie-area primary care providers expanding access with $6.6M provincial boost
Courtesy Barrie360.com
By Julius Hern, May 8 2026
The Ontario government is committing $6.6 million in funding this year to two Barrie-based primary care groups to expand access for those without a provider.
Announced Friday by Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte MPP Doug Downey, the funding will allow the Barrie Community Health Centre (BCHC) to expand to two additional sites, one in the north end of the city, and one in Angus.
Those sites are expected to attach more than 12,000 residents to care.
Meanwhile, the funding will help the Barrie and Community Family Health Team (BCFHT) to coordinate care with the Barrie and Area Ontario Health Team (BAOHT) and take on more staff to increase patient coverage.
“Hopefully it will continue to do what the family health team does really well, which is optimized team-based care,” Dr. Matt Orava, a physician and executive co-chair of the BAOHT Primary Care Network, told Barrie360. “We have pharmacists, we have nurse practitioners, we have nurses, we have dietitians.”
Overall, it’s expected that 20,000 more people will be connected to a family doctor or nurse practitioner this year in Simcoe County.
Previously, prospective patients in search of a family doctor would sign up for the Health Care Connect waitlist, but could be waiting as long as six years to find an option in their area. The provincial government now says that list has been cleared by 87 per cent.
A news release from Downey’s office says each area’s health team has a plan to attach a high proportion of unattached people in their community, including those from the waitlist.
“It’s partly navigating the system, but it’s also about having resources at the end of that navigation,” Downey told Barrie360, describing residents’ issues with finding primary care. “What this announcement is doing, it’s allowing us to actually expand. It’s not reorganizing.”
Orava says the Barrie organizations are the first to clear the waitlist for their area, but signing up is still welcome.
“Now if they access that, they hopefully will be be to link up with a new team member,” he told Barrie360.
The Barrie Family Health Organization within the BCHC has an average practice size of about 1,500 patients, which Orava admits is hard to manage, but the funding will allow the centre to take on more patients with newly added healthcare professionals.
“We have a teaching unit which is training new doctors and sticking around,” Orava adds. “And, with the Health Centre’s model, it’s a salaried model, so some of these docs are more incentivized to sign up (to work within the network).”
The health network is comprised of 36 nurse practitioners and 178 family physicians, which is up to 96 per cent of all eligible providers in the region. Orava says that’s one of the highest engagement rates across the province.
The funding is through the Primary Care Action Plan, which is providing $3.4 billion to 124 primary care teams across the province from 2025 to 2029. The hope is to connect every resident to a primary care provider by 2029, which Downey called a “fairly ambitious, but achievable goal.”
“We’ve achieved a number of successes that previous governments have not, and our track record shows that we can do ambitious things,” he told Barrie360. “We have a plan, we’ve dedicated money to it, and we have a focus. So, I believe it will happen.”
2)26 ‘low-risk’ air passengers being contacted about hantavirus: Canada’s top doctor
Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press
By Nicole Ireland and Hannah Alberga, May 14, 2026
Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Joss Reimer speaks at a news conference in Ottawa about hantavirus monitoring efforts
Canada’s chief medical officer of health says 26 people across the country are being contacted by public health authorities to monitor for hantavirus symptoms, though they are deemed “low risk.”
Dr. Joss Reimer says all of the passengers shared flights with someone with hantavirus, but it’s believed they didn’t have close contact with anyone who was sick or sit near them.
She says European public health officials had deemed them to be at no risk, but Canada is taking a “precautionary approach and we have deemed them to be minimal or low risk as opposed to no risk.”
The Public Health Agency of Canada is not suggesting the low-risk people isolate, but Reimer says provincial and territorial public health agencies may do so as they do more detailed risk assessments.
Reimer says nine people have been classified as high-risk contacts and are isolating in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia because they were either passengers on the affected cruise ship or had close contact with someone infected with hantavirus on a flight.
She says no one in Canada has shown any symptoms of hantavirus.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
3)Ontario travellers with connections to cruise remain asymptomatic, not being tested for hantavirus
Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press
By Hannah Alberga, May 11, 2026
Ontario’s health minister says three people in the province with connections to a deadly hantavirus outbreak are not currently being tested for the rodent-borne illness.
Sylvia Jones says the three individuals — a couple in Grey Bruce and a person in Peel Region — are still asymptomatic and isolating.
Jones says Ontario’s top doctor suggests testing on asymptomatic people may not produce “appropriate results,” andat this stage it’s best to monitor for symptoms.
More details about quarantine measures in several provinces are emerging after the evacuation Sunday of an Arctic expedition cruise that turned into a nightmare for dozens of passengers on board.
Four Canadians are among those who got off the MV Hondius Sunday on an island in Spain’s Canary Islands, and landed in B.C., where they will continue their quarantine that began on the ship in early May.
Six others are isolating across the country after being potentially exposed to the virus and returning to Canada, some more than two weeks ago, though officials say they are all asymptomatic.
However, the number of positive cases internationally has grown since the evacuation of the ship with American and French officials confirming two more on Monday. That brings the total number of deaths to three and cases to seven, the World Health Organization said Monday.
The passengers isolating in B.C. are expected to quarantine under supervision in lodgings for approximately two more weeks, and then will be reassessed.
Officials said the travellers were asymptomatic before they took off in a plane chartered by the Public Health Agency of Canada and Global Affairs Canada, with support from the Canadian Armed Forces.
A PHAC officer ensured public health measures, including masking and physical distancing, were being followed on the flight.
-With files from Allison Jones
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
4)Canadians on ship at centre of hantavirus outbreak land in Canada
Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press
By Canadian Press Staff, May 10, 2026
Four Canadians who disembarked the cruise ship at the centre of a deadly hantavirus outbreak arrived in Canada on Sunday and will continue their quarantine.
The Canadians, who were set to arrive in British Columbia later Sunday after landing in Quebec, are to isolate in B.C. because they have connections with the province, said B.C’s health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry.
“This has undoubtedly been a stressful and difficult experience for the Canadians and everybody aboard the MV Hondius,” Henry said during a Sunday news conference.
“They are undoubtably looking forward to being back home in Canada, where they can get the care and monitoring they need.”
The Canadians were among 130 passengers on the the MV Hondius, who exited the vessel at a port in Tenerife, an island in Spain’s Canary Islands early Sunday.
They were assessed as asymptomatic before they took off in a plane chartered by the Public Health Agency of Canada and Global Affairs Canada, with support from the Canadian Armed Forces. A PHAC officer ensured public health measures, including masking and physical distancing, were being followed on the flight.
They have been following strict isolation protocols on the MV Hondius since early May, when the World Health Organization declared the outbreak on the ship.
Henry said when they arrive in British Columbia, they will be taken to their lodgings.
The media were unable to gain access to the Canadian Armed Forces airbase during the stopover in Quebec.
PHAC and GAC said in a joint statement Sunday that the passengers are expected to quarantine under supervision for just over two weeks in B.C. That will bring their total quarantine time to 21 days since May 6, the last day a confirmed case of hantavirus was on the ship.
Health officials will assess the Canadians after that, the statement said, to determine whether their quarantine period needs to be extended to a maximum of 42 days in total since the last possible exposure on board the ship.
Henry reassured people there is no risk of hantavirus spread after their arrival.
“They won’t be out in the community. They won’t be having contact with people. Our public health teams will be in contact with them every day,” she said.
“We’ll make sure that they are safely able to … have their mental and physical needs taken care of during that period of time.”
Henry said the Canadians also did not show any symptoms while they were in quarantine on the ship.
“So that’s reassuring.“
Henry said that she understands people in the province may be concerned about more spread after their arrival, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I absolutely get that feeling,” she said.
“When I first heard about this … it made my stomach clench,” she said about the outbreak on the ship.
She said, however, the hantavirus does not spread in the same way as COVID-19 and is not considered a disease with pandemic potential.
Hantavirus usually spreads when people inhale contaminated residue of rodent droppings and isn’t easily transmitted between people.
Three people have died since the outbreak on the ship began, and five passengers tested positive for hantavirus, which can cause life-threatening illness.
Several other Canadians have been told to isolate after coming into contact with infected passengers.
A couple from the Grey Bruce region of Ontario disembarked from the ship in late April before the outbreak was declared and have showed no symptoms.
Four other Canadians — from Quebec, Alberta, and Ontario — were not on the ship but may have come into contact with someone infected with hantavirus while flying, the federal government said.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus sought to reassure the public on Sunday, repeating that the risk for the general public from the outbreak is low.
Even so, those disembarking and personnel working at the port of Granadilla in Tenerife wore protective gear during the evacuation process, including face masks, hazmat suits, and respirators. Video obtained by The Associated Press showed passengers on the tarmac wearing similar suits and being sprayed down with disinfectant.
— With files from The Associated Press
5)Health advice is all over social media. Here’s how to vet claims
Courtesy Barrie360.com and The Associated Press
By Devi Shastri, May 9, 2026
‘Rage bait’ named Oxford University Press word of year as outrage fuels social media traffic in 2025
Health and wellness advice is available in abundance on social media — from trendy to informative to straight-up disinformation — and you’re far from alone in seeing it.
A new survey by the Pew Research Center finds that about 4 in 10 U.S. adults — and around half of those under 50 — get health information from social media or podcasts.
Researchers also looked at the social media profiles of 6,828 health and wellness influencers with at least 100,000 followers. Only about 4 in 10 list a background as a health professional. About one-third called themselves coaches, about 3 in 10 described themselves as entrepreneurs and about 1 in 10 cited their own life experience, like being a parent.
Despite the wide range of expertise, about half of people who get health and wellness information from influencers said the influencers help them better understand their own health, while about one-third said it hasn’t made much difference. About 1 in 10 said it made them more confused.
Experts say a bit of skepticism is key to interacting with posts about fitness, mental health and personal health. Here are their tips on how to be a smarter consumer.
How to vet a health influencer’s credentials
Experts said the biggest green flag is when an influencer’s credentials are easy to find on their profile. Beware the fill-in-the-blank “coach” who can’t prove their training.
Courtney Babilya, a certified medical exercise specialist and personal trainer who has more than 430,000 followers on Instagram, has seen this with maternity content: “Someone has a baby and suddenly they’re a pregnancy coach.”
“We have to be careful with people who have an experience in one thing and suddenly become a ‘coach’ on that,” she said.
Coach is a business model, not a sign of training. Babilya shares her own experience dealing with chronic illness online, but keeps it separate from her professional advice.
“You do have an obligation to make sure that you are not giving someone a false idea or spreading a message that isn’t going to be applicable to everyone,” she said.
Don’t fall for viral shock factor
If it brings up big emotions, pause. For people who can’t access care or feel unheard by their doctors, an offbeat opinion could feel like a long-sought answer. The Pew survey found 53% of uninsured people got health information from social media, compared to 38% of those who were insured.
But people who are trying to share good medical information online are not trying to incite fear or surprise, said Dr. Fatima Daoud Yilmaz, an OB-GYN at Stony Brook Medicine in New York, whose popular “Feminine Aisle” video series rates drug store products.
Even if the person has expertise, ask yourself: Are they speaking outside the scope of their knowledge? Is what they’re saying in line with scientific consensus?
“All opinions are not created equal when it comes to something such as health or medicine or science,” said Daoud.
Look out for exaggerated or definitive claims, especially in the first few seconds of the video when influencers are trying hard to grab your attention, added Babilya.
Ambivalent wording is a good sign, said Nedra Glover Tawwab, a practicing therapist and author. In her videos on boundaries and mental health, she couches with “maybe,” “sometimes,” “perhaps,” rather than diagnosing her 1.8 million followers on Instagram.
If you feel like you’ve found a diagnosis online, that is your sign to seek out a professional, Tawwab said.
Follow the influencer money
People on social media are making money — for some, it is their livelihood.
“It doesn’t mean that all of the information that they put out is biased, but it should tell consumers of that information to take it with a grain of salt because they do have financial incentive to be pushing information like this,” Daoud said.
Babilya’s platform is now a full-time job, and the way she helps support her family. Taking partnerships and brand deals was not an easy decision, but one that makes her work sustainable.
Babilya said she prioritizes being upfront with her audience and making sure her ads are transparently labeled.
Stop being a passive scroller
Experts also recommend pausing to check the video’s sources. Look for gold standard science. Some posts are not well fact-checked, Babilya warned, citing studies that have nothing to do with what the influencer says it does.
Use the same standard as when you’re vetting a purchase online. Look at the larger conversation around the advice as you would reading product reviews, Tawwab said.
Two-thirds of users said they just happen to come across the content rather than seeking it out, according to the Pew survey.
If you want to control your feed, it will take time and ongoing effort, said Ash Milton of the University of Minnesota, who studies how users navigate online mental health information.
“You have to work for it because the algorithm is designed to be passive consumption,” Milton said.
You can use “Hidden Words” on Instagram or “Not Interested” on TikTok to filter out certain content, though Milton notes TikTok might not know exactly what in the video you’re not interested in. Use your own reaction as a barometer to limit content by asking yourself: Is the health information actually applicable and helpful to your life, or just relatable?
Find a doctor you trust
Confirm with a trusted health professional before acting on anything you see online.
Influencers can say anything while medical professionals are ethically and legally liable for your care, and “may face professional and personal consequences for the advice that they give you,” Daoud said.
“Ultimately, talk to the medical provider who knows you,” she said.