How to slow the spread
There is no better time to shut the country down than now.
Spring Break is about to begin, meaning schools are already closing for two weeks. This will be the least disruptive time to create a measure of the social distance required to keep order in our ERs.
On Wednesday, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 is officially a pandemic. It’s widely considered unstoppable; all we can collectively do is slow its spread. This is not an overreaction. Some have dismissed the novel coronavirus as no worse than the flu. In light of what we now know, that uninformed position does a disservice to the facts – and it’s a flippant disregard for the wellbeing of the elderly, who are most at mortal risk.
Coronavirus is proving to be deadlier than the flu. So far, the mortality rate for COVID-19 is estimated to be 3% to 4% – although it is likely to be lower because many cases have not yet been reported. The flu’s mortality rate, in contrast, is about 0.1%.
One of the biggest risks we face from this pandemic is utterly overwhelming hospitals, as cases in Canada increase exponentially. The Okanagan is even more at risk than other areas because our demographic tips toward a greyer population.
So far, Health Canada’s calm response to the virus has been on point. We’ve been advised to prepare by gradually stocking up on extra food and household supplies so we can avoid swarming stores. We’ve been told to wash our hands and politely decline handshakes and hugs. And we agree wholeheartedly with this approach, avoiding dangerous panic.
Making bold moves toward restricting the spread of COVID-19 is a reasonable and logical next step.
While there are only about 100 confirmed cases in Canada to date, we should all be expecting protective measures to become more extreme.
Restricting access to hospitals and nursing homes, putting a hiatus on mass gatherings (like church and sporting events), avoiding all non-essential travel, and encouriaging people to work from home wherever possible have been successful elsewhere.
We understand this could mean hardship for those forced to stay home. That’s where government aid must kick in – covering mortgages during the time as Italy has vowed to do.
Proactively creating social distance over Spring Break will not only help slow the immediate spread, but serve as a dress rehearsal in case the number of cases in Canada become overwhelming as the year goes on.