Inderveer Mahal: The goal with a pandemic isn’t to remain consistent; it's to respond to new information. We Canadians need to allow our experts to be fluid with their recommendations.
This recent understanding explains why universal masking wasn’t announced at the outset of the pandemic. Large-scale public health measures can’t be implemented from one case report or a presumed hunch. The explanation for why asymptomatic spread occurs wasn’t published untilRight now, we still haven’t proven that cloth masks protect the people wearing them. There are no specific studies on the
utility of cloth masks in the community and there’s only one study on their use in a health care settingWe can hypothesize based on our new understanding of asymptomatic spread that masks may help protect those who unknowingly spread the disease. In early April,“A non-medical mask can reduce the chance of your respiratory droplets coming into contact with others or landing on surfaces,” she said.
As countries re-open, and economies start up again, the core principles that have allowed the pandemic to be contained, like isolation and social distancing, will become less practical. Physical distancing isn’t exactly possible when you’re getting a haircut. So instead, we’ll have to shift our attention to measures like widespread masking. When better preventative options—like distancing and hand hygiene—aren’t available or practical, wearing a face mask becomes the next best option.
When new information comes out, it’s critical that public health authorities also shift their recommendations. In court of popular opinion and public trust, this is a lofty ask. But the goal with a pandemic isn’t to remain consistent; it is to respond to new information and changing dynamics. Those decrying our top public health expert as incompetent, inconsistent and flip-flopping are missing an entire side of understanding this pandemic. We Canadians need to allow our experts to be fluid with their recommendations. A new disease means new information over time. What we should expect from the PHAC however is better communication with the public. One shouldn’t need a medical background to try and dissect the changing recommendations.
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