#COVIDzero

Canada's emergency physicians are observing, in real time, the collective failure of our Provincial governments to meaningfully address the second wave of the Covid pandemic.

A national emergency is not the time to allow for the continued Balkanization of health care.

W need a consistent pan-national strategy with clear and consistent direction.

A number of months ago @CAEP_Docs released a document expressing our concerns for the second wave and our fears of what a "Twindemic" might mean for Canadians and our health care system.

Here, in part, is what we said.

https://caep.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/CovidInfluenza-F-ACClean-Sept-27-943ET-2.pdf

Lastly, the command and control of the pandemic, a national health emergency of unprecedented proportions, laid bare some of the inherent jurisdictional difficulties of our federation.

As front-line health care providers, we noted with concern the apparent lack of national coordination of public health measures, leaving a very confusing and differing set of measures on business closures and public gathering restrictions

These varied from city to city and province to province.

There must be clarity and federally coordinated messaging with respect to strict and uniform preventive public health measures, including public masking, gathering sizes and travel restrictions.

The importance of consistent messaging for effective communication should outweigh potential jurisdictional concerns.

Until now, the federal government has only been one voice among many, which has led to conflicting and confusing direction to the Canadian public and to health care providers.

CAEP believes that it could have a partnership role in a more effective federal communications strategy, in that emergency physicians are on the front lines of the battle and generally perceived by the public as knowledgeable and credible

It is way past time to get real.

A national strategy for a national emergency.

#COVIDzero

@PattyHajdu @GovCanHealth @CAEP_Docs