An Inconsistent Canadian Provincial and Territorial Response During the Early COVID-19 Pandemic (original) (raw)
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Health Economics, Policy and Law, Vol. 17, no. 1, 2022
Canada's experience with the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been characterized by considerable regional variation, as would be expected in a highly decentralized federation. Yet, the country has been beset by challenges, similar to many of those documented in the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak of 2003. Despite a high degree of pandemic preparedness, the relative success with flattening the curve during the first wave of the pandemic was not matched in much of Canada during the second wave. This paper critically reviews Canada's response to the COVID-19 pandemic with a focus on the role of the federal government in this public health emergency, considering areas within its jurisdiction (international borders), areas where an increased federal role may be warranted (long-term care), as well as its technical role in terms of generating evidence and supporting public health surveillance, and its convening role to support collaboration across the country. This accounting of the first 12 months of the pandemic highlights opportunities for a strengthened federal role in the short term, and some important lessons to be applied in preparing for future pandemics.
Frontiers in Public Health
The magnitude of the COVID-19 pandemic challenged societies around our globalized world. To contain the spread of the virus, unprecedented and drastic measures and policies were put in place by governments to manage an exceptional health care situation while maintaining other essential services. The responses of many governments showed a lack of preparedness to face this systemic and global health crisis. Drawing on field observations and available data on the first wave of the pandemic (mid-March to mid-May 2020) in Quebec (Canada), this article reviewed and discussed the successes and failures that characterized the management of COVID-19 in this province. Using the framework of Palagyi et al. on system preparedness toward emerging infectious diseases, we described and analyzed in a chronologically and narratively way: (1) how surveillance was structured; (2) how workforce issues were managed; (3) what infrastructures and medical supplies were made available; (4) what communicatio...
The main strategies adopted by the Toronto government in the COVID-19 pandemic: epidemiology study
Revista de Salud Pública
Objetive To analyze the epidemiological data and the main government measures adopted against the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Epidemiologic study built with data from the integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS) and the official Government of Canada website in a time frame from January to July 2020. Results Toronto presents the first case of COVID 19 on January 23rd and until July 1st, 2020, it records a number of 14 468 cases, 12.574 recovered cases, 1.100 deaths and 171 institutional outbreaks. About 53,04% of the cases were female, aged 40-59 years (29,81%), followed by 20-39 years (28,37%). Contagion forms were analyzed: 56,40% had close contact with a case, 24,23% in the community, 10,30% in health services, 5,58% while traveling and 3,49% in institutions. Economic and financial actions, travel measures, support for Canadians abroad, public education, research and technology were developed. Conclusion The COVID-19 is a serious threat to public health around the world....
Health promotion and chronic disease prevention in Canada : research, policy and practice, 2021
Since December 2019, there has been a global explosion of research on COVID-19. In Canada, the six National Collaborating Centres (NCCs) for Public Health form one of the central pillars supporting evidence-informed decision making by gathering, synthesizing and translating emerging findings. Funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada and located across Canada, the six NCCs promote and support the use of scientific research and other knowledges to strengthen public health practice, programs and policies. This paper offers an overview of the NCCs as an example of public health knowledge mobilization in Canada and showcases the NCCs' contribution to the COVID-19 response while reflecting on the numerous challenges encountered.
Assessing the burden of COVID-19 in Canada
ABSTRACTBackgroundThe burden of COVID-19 in Canada is unequally distributed geographically, with the largest number of cases and fatalities recorded in Québec and Ontario while other provinces experienced limited outbreaks. To date, however, no study has assessed how provincial epidemics have unfolded in a comparative perspective. This is essential to calibrate projections of the future course of the epidemic and plan health care resources for the second wave of infections.MethodsUsing newly released individual-level data collected by the Public Health Agency of Canada, we assess COVID-19-related morbidity and mortality across age and gender groups at the provincial level through a combination of demographic and survival analyses.ResultsQuébec has the highest absolute and per capita number of COVID-19 confirmed positive cases, hospitalizations and fatalities in all age groups. In each province, a higher number of women than men test positive for the disease, especially above age 80....