Go Further Upstream! The Policy Folly of Saskatchewan's 2nd wave of COVID-19.
There was no one way to handle the COVID-19 pandemic. Jurisdictions around the world came up with their own unique approaches to balancing economic crisis amid public safety concerns. In Canada each province developed their own public health guidelines. Some worked well, others not so much. In Saskatchewan, COVID-19 crept in slowly, with only a few dozen cases reported. But in the second wave hundreds of cases were reported each day. What could the government have done better to handle the 2nd wave? Speaking from her experience as a Case Investigator, Helen Tang suggests that more focus on upstream determinants of health could have made a world of difference for Saskatchewan's 2nd wave. Not just mask wearing and good hand washing, but housing and investment in public education matters when handling a pandemic. Ms. Tang provides some excellent insight and policy suggestions based on her work during the pandemic. Helen Tang is a fourth year medical student from the University of Saskatchewan, and COVID-19 case investigator. She hopes to practice rural family medicine when she graduates. When she is not immersed in medicine, she loves to rock climb, ski, paint and do yoga. Follow Dr. Bob on Twitter: @ProfessorHuish