COVID-19 in Canada: Predictions for the future and control lessons from Asia

Cornelius Christian; Francis Christian

conferences. Smart phone technology adapted to Canadian needs would involve the creation of a national-level app which can be downloaded and used to track COVID-19 cases in real time, provide uniform updates on public policy and announcements; and make simple, consistent messaging available on a national scale. The ubiquitous use of face masks, at least in healthcare settings is a rapid adoption NPI which can have major impacts on COVID-19 related morbidity and mortality in Canada and elsewhere. 11 Policymakers in Canada should also implement a rapid roll out of policies that harness the power of smart phone technology [12] [13] [14] [15] and the wearing of face masks by the public. Unfortunately, the messaging in Canada has been counterproductive and has included various versions of "face masks don't work unless properly used." This is the same as claiming that hand washing does not work, unless properly carried out. Both Taiwan and Hong Kong function as forms of democracies, not unlike Canada and the United States. It should therefore be possible to move with deliberate and urgent speed to implement policies that have been shown to work in these Asian countries. Mandating healthcare workers to wear a mask in work places is a good start. Failure to make bold and rapid moves based on the successful measures that have been implemented in Taiwan and Hong Kong is likely to prove very costly in terms of overloaded ICU resources, public mistrust of health officials and an exponential increase in morbidity and mortality, the latter of which were observed in countries like Italy.