Dr. Nicholas Pairaudeau
I was aware of a novel virus with respiratory problems and
death that seemed to be centered in a city in China that
I have visited in 2018, on January 8th 2020. I want to
tell you what happened next. On this day in late August
2020 we are not out of the woods and though people
keep talking about a second wave and then normal seasonal
flu numbs and the implication to out health care
systems , we are not even through the first phase.
With my colleagues in China, I was able to see what could
happen if this virus started to travel round the world. The
city of Wuhan was being overwhelmed, and the country
was on alert to prevent the medical system from collapsing.
Staff were sent from all over China to assist their colleagues
in the ER, Medical, and ICU wards. Meanwhile,
We in Toronto became aware that we could be a hotspot.
We were in 2003 with Sars, and my hospital North York
General, in North Toronto became a centre for management
of that deadly virus all those years ago.
There were already warnings from special programs that
were directed at picking up new diseases and the alarm
bells started to ring at the end of December 2019
We were led by WHO, and the messages from the WHO
percolated from that international organization. down to
National organizations. Provincial organizations, cities
and other communities. Canada has a strange sort of division
of health care, with the Provincial Governments
looking after health. Public health seems to be a silo,
and seems to answer to both the Federal and Provincial
Governments. However depending on the Government
of the day, and today we have a minority Liberal government
in Ottawa. Liberal Governments have traditionally
been more involved at such times as it seems fit and transfer
monies to the provincial Governments to pay for some
of the costs. Despite the obvious fact that we were going
from an epidemic to a Pandemic, it was not until March
11, 2020 that the WHO declared a pandemic and shortly
after that the Canadian Federal and Provincial Governments
moved in to our day to day live and committed us
to lock down and quarantines. Each Province had slightly
different approaches, and at the time of this presentation
British Columbia has had a very good record, with relatively
low numbers whereas Quebec seemed to have the
highest numbers.
What I show you with my presentation and discussion
is to bring you some insights of a Physician in Obstetrics
and Gynecology in this difficult time
