Julia Lukewich

In late January 2020, the first COVID-19 case was reported in Canada. By March 5, 2020, community spread of the virus was identified and by May 26, 2020, close to 86,000 patients had COVID-19 and 6,566 had died. As COVID-19 cases increased, provincial and territorial governments announced states of public health emergency between March 13 and 20, 2020. This paper examines Canada’s public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic during the first four months (January to May 2020) by overviewing the actions undertaken by the federal (national) and regional (provincial/territorial) governments. Canada’s jurisdictional public health structures, public health responses, technological and research endeavours, and public opinion on the pandemic measures are described. As the pandemic unravelled, the federal and provincial/territorial governments unrolled a series of stringent public health interventions and restrictions, including physical distancing and gathering size restrictions; closures of borders, schools, and non-essential businesses and services; cancellations of non-essential medical services; and limitations on visitors in hospital and long-term care facilities. In late May 2020, there was a gradual decrease in the daily numbers of new COVID-19 cases seen across most jurisdictions, which has led the provinces and territories to prepare phased re-opening. Overall, the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada and the substantial amount of formative health and policy-related data being created provide an insight on how to improve responses and better prepare for future health emergencies.

Public health is comprised of services, programs, and policies aimed at promoting health, preventing injury and chronic diseases, and responding to health emergencies. Public health professionals include front line providers, consultants, and specialists from various disciplines and professions, such as medicine, nursing, and epidemiology. Public health in Canada is provided through the collaboration between three levels of government, namely municipal, provincial or territorial, and federal. While public health is a shared responsibility of all levels of government, the volume and direction of allocated resources for related activities varies between the provinces and territories. Canada’s public health history predates its founding in 1867. A turning point in public health in the country occurred following the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003. The following year, the federal Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) was created. Its role is to improve and maintain population health in Canada. The Chief Public Health Officer is the deputy head of the PHAC and is the government’s lead public health professional. The public health landscape in Canada will continue to evolve to meet the growing needs of its population and to address existing health challenges including adverse health events related to chronic diseases and unhealthy lifestyles. Moreover, it will further adapt to respond to new public health threats, such as the emergence of tropical illnesses, the northward spread of infectious agents due to climate change, and disease transmission related to international travel.