Family of Halifax area teen who died of meningitis deserves answers: minister
Nova Scotia's health minister says the Halifax-area family of a 19-year-old who recently died of meningitis has a right to answers about the treatment their son received from the health system.
Zach Churchill says the case of Kai Matthews, who died in hospital of the bacterial infection on June 1, is "every family's worst nightmare."
Churchill told reporters after a cabinet meeting today that Nova Scotia's health authority and the province's ambulance service will be conducting reviews into clinical decisions involved in the case.
Local media outlets have reported that Matthews, who had just finished his first year at Acadia University, developed a high fever and chills on May 30.
His family has said that they took him to a Halifax hospital's emergency room where he was given a COVID-19 test, had blood work done and was discharged to await test results the next morning.
He was taken to hospital in great pain the next day but was being discharged again when his parents noticed a purple rash that was later found to be meningitis, CBC reported.
Before Matthews was taken to hospital for the second time, his family has said that paramedics called to their home didn't find anything that needed immediate attention and said the teen couldn't be taken to hospital until he had a negative COVID-19 test.
Churchill said both reviews will deal directly with the family.
The minister wouldn't speculate on whether the death was directly linked to current COVID-19 protocols in the medical system.
"We have to allow the reviews to take place to give us scope on that," Churchill said. "I'm not aware of any other situations like this one."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 17, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
A newspaper says video of Prince William and Kate should halt royal rumour mill. That's a tall order
Prince William and his wife Catherine have been filmed at a farm shop near their Windsor home, The Sun newspaper reported -- the first footage of Kate since she had abdominal surgery for an unspecified condition two months ago.
'You ask for your money, they disappear': Ontario man loses $17K to AI crypto scam
A Toronto man is spreading the word of a cryptocurrency scam that lures victims using AI-generated news sites after he lost $17,000 in investments.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Trump says Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and their religion
Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Monday charged that Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and hate 'their religion,' igniting a firestorm of criticism from the White House and Jewish leaders.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Freddie Mercury's home is on the market for first time since 1980 minus his 'exquisite clutter'
Freddie Mercury's sanctuary in London, where he lived the last decade of his life, is on sale for the first time in nearly half a century -- minus his "exquisite clutter."
'The lost season': Winter comes to a close as Canada's warmest on record
The warmest winter on record could have far-reaching effects on everything from wildfire season to erosion, climatologists say, while offering a preview of what the season could resemble in the not-so-distant future unless steps are taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions.