An expert panel of doctors and researchers say Canada needs to learn from the COVID-19 pandemic and take action before the next health emergency strikes.
One of the six experts, Dr. Fahad Razak, says most scientists believe it91裸聊视频檚 91裸聊视频渙nly a matter of time91裸聊视频� before another global health crisis hits.
The panel91裸聊视频檚 report, called 91裸聊视频淭he Time to Act is Now,91裸聊视频� says disease surveillance, hospitalization data and research findings need to be communicated much more effectively between the provinces, the territories and the federal government.
Razak, an internal medicine specialist at St. Michael91裸聊视频檚 Hospital in Toronto, says it91裸聊视频檚 critical to share evolving health information much more quickly with the public to build trust and combat the spread of disinformation.
The report says Canada also needs to address inequities among people who are hardest hit during emergencies, including people who are racialized, Indigenous communities, people who are homeless and residents of long-term care homes.
It says more investment in research on how to better prioritize and support these groups, including addressing underlying health needs, is necessary.
Canada also needs to create a single, permanent scientific advisory group 91裸聊视频� something that91裸聊视频檚 been done in the U.K.91裸聊视频� instead of trying to pull together that expertise in the middle of an epidemic, said Razak, who was the scientific director of the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table.
91裸聊视频淭here91裸聊视频檚 only so much that you can do in the middle of a crisis. People are desperate, infrastructure does not work as well when there91裸聊视频檚 a crisis,91裸聊视频� he said in an interview on Tuesday.
91裸聊视频淎 lot of what we saw globally when we compared (pandemic) responses suggests that the preparedness is the critical part.91裸聊视频�
The report said the 91裸聊视频渁bsence of pre-existing emergency protocols for science advice in Canada caused significant delays91裸聊视频� and better co-ordination was needed 91裸聊视频渨ithin and across all levels of government.91裸聊视频�
Having scientific advisory groups federally and provincially communicating separately 91裸聊视频渞esulted in multiple streams of advice,91裸聊视频� said the report, which was released on Friday.
The report by the independent panel of experts was requested by Health Canada.
Razak said there were some aspects of Canada91裸聊视频檚 handling of the COVID-19 pandemic to be proud of, including using wastewater surveillance to detect how much of the virus was present in communities.
91裸聊视频淲e were one of the pioneering countries and we certainly advanced it at scale beyond what many other countries were able to achieve,91裸聊视频� he said.
But some provinces, including Ontario, have now made significant cuts to their wastewater surveillance programs, leaving many communities with 91裸聊视频渁lmost no data,91裸聊视频� Razak said.
