Paul Taylor - The Globe and Mail

Paul Taylor

FreelanceFreelance writer

Paul Taylor is a Patient Navigation Adviser at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. He is a former Health Editor of The Globe and Mail.

Latest articles

November 19, 2025

A needle and syringe used to administer the flu shot in shown in Virgil, Ont., Monday, Oct. 5, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Tara Walton

A needle and syringe used to administer the flu shot in shown in Virgil, Ont., Monday, Oct. 5, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Tara Walton

I’ve heard the flu shot isn’t a good match for the virus this year. Should I still get it?

Paul Taylor

4 min read

January 26, 2025

<p>The Public Health Agency of Canada says federal funding for COVID-19 vaccines will stop this year and the provinces and territories will be responsible for buying them and determining the timing of the vaccinations. A pharmacist holds a COVID-19 vaccine at a pharmacy in New York, on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Mary Conlon</p>

<p>The Public Health Agency of Canada says federal funding for COVID-19 vaccines will stop this year and the provinces and territories will be responsible for buying them and determining the timing of the vaccinations. A pharmacist holds a COVID-19 vaccine at a pharmacy in New York, on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Mary Conlon</p>

COVID-19 vaccines: What to expect in the next few months

4 min read

August 8, 2024

Doctors say it's important to get the updated version of the COVID-19 vaccine, which offers protection against the XBB.1.5 subvariant driving a current rise in cases. A pharmacist prepares to administer a Moderna Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine at a CVS, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023, in Cypress, Texas. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Melissa Phillip-Houston Chronicle via AP

Doctors say it's important to get the updated version of the COVID-19 vaccine, which offers protection against the XBB.1.5 subvariant driving a current rise in cases. A pharmacist prepares to administer a Moderna Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine at a CVS, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023, in Cypress, Texas. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Melissa Phillip-Houston Chronicle via AP

There’s been a summer surge in COVID-19 cases. Should I get a booster shot now or wait until the fall for the new updated COVID vaccine?

4 min read

February 9, 2024

FILE - A sign advertises a COVID-19 vaccination site in New York, Feb. 2, 2021. A Brooklyn woman who pleaded guilty to fraud in connection with various pandemic-era relief schemes was sentenced Thursday, Feb 8, 2024, to three years of probation and $650,000 in penalties. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

FILE - A sign advertises a COVID-19 vaccination site in New York, Feb. 2, 2021. A Brooklyn woman who pleaded guilty to fraud in connection with various pandemic-era relief schemes was sentenced Thursday, Feb 8, 2024, to three years of probation and $650,000 in penalties. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

An alarming number of my friends have COVID-19. Are we in another wave?

4 min read

November 14, 2023

FILE PHOTO: A woman receives a booster dose of Moderna coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at a vaccination centre in Antwerp, Belgium, February 1, 2022. REUTERS/Johanna Geron/File Photo

FILE PHOTO: A woman receives a booster dose of Moderna coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at a vaccination centre in Antwerp, Belgium, February 1, 2022. REUTERS/Johanna Geron/File Photo

Do I really need to get another COVID shot this fall?

4 min read

August 31, 2023

Second-year medical student Nina Hadzimustafic delivers a COVID-19 booster shots at Jabapalooza, a pop up vaccine clinic, in Ottawa, on Monday, Dec. 20, 2021. Mass immunization clinics in which vaccinators and volunteers move around a circular set-up of chairs - with clients staying seated - was by far the most efficient model in an Ontario government study comparing different sites. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Second-year medical student Nina Hadzimustafic delivers a COVID-19 booster shots at Jabapalooza, a pop up vaccine clinic, in Ottawa, on Monday, Dec. 20, 2021. Mass immunization clinics in which vaccinators and volunteers move around a circular set-up of chairs - with clients staying seated - was by far the most efficient model in an Ontario government study comparing different sites. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Will this fall’s COVID vaccine booster shot protect me from the new variant?

4 min read

July 30, 2023

A person draws out Moderna vaccine at a COVID-19 vaccine clinic in Kingston, Ont., Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022. Canada's National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) says people should get another COVID-19 booster in the fall if it's been at least six months since their last dose or COVID-19 infection. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg

A person draws out Moderna vaccine at a COVID-19 vaccine clinic in Kingston, Ont., Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022. Canada's National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) says people should get another COVID-19 booster in the fall if it's been at least six months since their last dose or COVID-19 infection. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg

Why do I need another COVID shot this fall?

4 min read

March 10, 2023

A person draws out Moderna vaccine during a drive through COVID-19 vaccine clinic at St. Lawrence College in Kingston, Ont., on Sunday Jan. 2, 2022. Canadians at risk of severe illness due to COVID-19 are being advised to get an additional booster dose this spring. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg

A person draws out Moderna vaccine during a drive through COVID-19 vaccine clinic at St. Lawrence College in Kingston, Ont., on Sunday Jan. 2, 2022. Canadians at risk of severe illness due to COVID-19 are being advised to get an additional booster dose this spring. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg

Why isn’t everyone being offered a COVID booster this spring?

4 min read

January 20, 2023

The head of Ontario's critical care COVID-19 command centre has asked the province’s hospitals that treat adults to accept children 14 and older in need of intensive care to relieve pressure on pediatric hospitals. A paramedic attends to a patient in the hallway due to an at capacity emergency room at the Humber River Hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto on Tuesday, January 25, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

The head of Ontario's critical care COVID-19 command centre has asked the province’s hospitals that treat adults to accept children 14 and older in need of intensive care to relieve pressure on pediatric hospitals. A paramedic attends to a patient in the hallway due to an at capacity emergency room at the Humber River Hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto on Tuesday, January 25, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Does COVID-19 disrupt the immune system?

4 min read

January 6, 2023

A nurse prepares a vaccine shot as the German embassy begins its roll out of BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines for German expatriates at a Beijing United Family hospital in Beijing, China January 5, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

A nurse prepares a vaccine shot as the German embassy begins its roll out of BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines for German expatriates at a Beijing United Family hospital in Beijing, China January 5, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

What Canadians need to know about the Omicron ‘Kraken’ subvariant XBB.1.5

4 min read

November 27, 2022

I injured my knee and I continue to have pain. Is my only option a total knee replacement?

4 min read

September 27, 2022

A person draws out Moderna vaccine during a drive through COVID-19 vaccine clinic at St. Lawrence College in Kingston, Ont., on Sunday Jan. 2, 2022. The Manitoba government is expanding access for a COVID-19 bivalent booster to people ages 18 and older. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg

A person draws out Moderna vaccine during a drive through COVID-19 vaccine clinic at St. Lawrence College in Kingston, Ont., on Sunday Jan. 2, 2022. The Manitoba government is expanding access for a COVID-19 bivalent booster to people ages 18 and older. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg

Why is the U.S.’s bivalent COVID-19 vaccine different than Canada’s – and is it better?

5 min read

June 14, 2022

Will COVID-19 vaccines become seasonal like the flu shot?

5 min read

April 11, 2022

Closeup shot of a group of unrecognisable doctors walking in a hospital

Closeup shot of a group of unrecognisable doctors walking in a hospital

An MRI will take months — is there a faster way to diagnose my knee problem?

5 min read

February 18, 2022

FILE - Deer forage through a blanket of snow in Lancaster, N.Y., Saturday, Jan. 5, 2013. The highly infectious COVID-19 omicron variant was detected in the white-tailed deer population on New York's Staten Island, according to a study by a Penn State research team. (AP Photo/David Duprey, File)

FILE - Deer forage through a blanket of snow in Lancaster, N.Y., Saturday, Jan. 5, 2013. The highly infectious COVID-19 omicron variant was detected in the white-tailed deer population on New York's Staten Island, according to a study by a Penn State research team. (AP Photo/David Duprey, File)

What does COVID-19 in animals mean for the future of the pandemic?

5 min read

January 12, 2022

Positive, left, and negative COVID-19 antigen rapid tests are pictured in Calgary, Alta., Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022. Officials say Ontarians can leave isolation sooner than the required five days if two rapid antigen tests come back negative. The province says it expects rapid test demand will increase as the Omicron variant spreads. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Positive, left, and negative COVID-19 antigen rapid tests are pictured in Calgary, Alta., Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022. Officials say Ontarians can leave isolation sooner than the required five days if two rapid antigen tests come back negative. The province says it expects rapid test demand will increase as the Omicron variant spreads. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

I caught Omicron. Does this mean I’m immune to a COVID-19 reinfection?

5 min read

December 13, 2021

FILE - A syringe is prepared with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at a clinic in the Norristown Public Health Center in Norristown, Pa., on Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021. Amid concern about vaccines protecting against delta and omicron variants that are spreading, the push to get coronavirus booster shots is not an immediate priority in most of the top sports leagues in North America. AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

FILE - A syringe is prepared with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at a clinic in the Norristown Public Health Center in Norristown, Pa., on Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021. Amid concern about vaccines protecting against delta and omicron variants that are spreading, the push to get coronavirus booster shots is not an immediate priority in most of the top sports leagues in North America. AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Will we need COVID-19 vaccine booster shots forever?

5 min read

November 3, 2021

The Montreal Heart Institute is conducting a randomized controlled trial to look at how treating atrial fibrillation may help prevent cognitive impairment.

The Montreal Heart Institute is conducting a randomized controlled trial to look at how treating atrial fibrillation may help prevent cognitive impairment.

Do I have to give up drinking if I have been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation?

4 min read

September 8, 2021

A COVID-19 rapid testing area is seen on the international arrivals level at Vancouver International Airport, in Richmond, B.C., Friday, July 30, 2021. British Columbia health officials reported 395 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday with infections showing no signs of slowing down. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

A COVID-19 rapid testing area is seen on the international arrivals level at Vancouver International Airport, in Richmond, B.C., Friday, July 30, 2021. British Columbia health officials reported 395 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday with infections showing no signs of slowing down. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

What’s the difference between a rapid COVID-19 test and a PCR test, and which one is best?

5 min read

July 27, 2021

A technician prepares equipment to monitor Martin Braun's brain activity during a sleep study at the New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York on Wednesday June 27, 2018. Braun, 76, stopped using his noisy CPAP machine and awkward mask, but now he‚Äôs trying again after a car crash when he fell asleep at the wheel. ‚ÄúThat's when I realized, OK this is serious stuff already,‚Äù said Braun, who has ordered a quieter CPAP model. (AP Photo/Emiliano Rodriguez Mega)

A technician prepares equipment to monitor Martin Braun's brain activity during a sleep study at the New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York on Wednesday June 27, 2018. Braun, 76, stopped using his noisy CPAP machine and awkward mask, but now he‚Äôs trying again after a car crash when he fell asleep at the wheel. ‚ÄúThat's when I realized, OK this is serious stuff already,‚Äù said Braun, who has ordered a quieter CPAP model. (AP Photo/Emiliano Rodriguez Mega)

Despite recall on CPAP machines, patients should not stop using them without consulting a physician first

4 min read