Canada not well prepared for second wave of COVID-19, Senate committee says

#Ottawa; #CanadaSenateCommittee; CanadaLiberalParty; #SecondWaveOfCovid19Pandemic

Ottawa, Jul 10 (Canadian-Media): Canada's Senate committee has asked the Liberal Party to deliver a contingency plan to contain the potential second wave  of of COVID-19, for which Canada is ill-prepared, by Labour Day to help people and communities hit hardest by the pandemic, media reports said. 

Senate of Canada. Image credit: Twitter handle

With the focus of Senate's social affairs committee's report mainly on seniors, in particular to those in long-term care homes, and those with low incomes, the report said the potential second wave, which could coincide with the annual flu season that starts in the fall would make matters worse for these seniors unless  concrete and timely government actions are taken.​​

Urgent action is needed, says the report, on seniors of long-term care homes with concentrated outbreaks and deaths due to the pandemic have been concentrated. 

Vulnerabilities also remain for those in “closed and crowded settings,” said Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), including prisons, seniors’ homes, and meat-processing plants.

It was estimated by PHAC that, as of July 7, there have been at least 6,415 reported deaths tied to long-term care centres. Nationally, there have been 8,737 COVID-related deaths reported, as of July 8.
​
Canadian Institute for Health Information's report last month said that, in comparison to other developed nations, the proportion of COVID-19 deaths tied to long-term care homes was twice their average, as of May 25. 

This document, the committee's first set of observations on the government's response to the pandemic, has been made public Thursday morning and a final report expected is later this year. 

It was also reported by the Senate committee that the national emergency stockpile of personal protective gear like masks, gowns and gloves wasn't managed well over the years, nor were they sufficiently stocked when the pandemic struck. 

Committee members added concerns that military members could be deployed without sufficient personal protective equipment because of "inconsistencies from international procurement."