Sustainability of Atlantic bubble in residents' hands, president of CMA says

The head of the Canadian Medical Association says the sustainability of the Atlantic bubble will be determined by the behaviour of the people who live in it.

Dr. Ann Collins said the Atlantic bubble has largely avoided the major outbreaks that parts of Canada have seen, but this progress can be lost if people start to become complacent.

"We need to stay vigilant in our protocols and self-isolate when necessary," said Collins, a doctor from Fredericton. "This is really an example that's being looked to from across the country."

Because of climbing case numbers in several provinces, including Ontario and Alberta, the federal government is considering taking a larger role in pandemic decisions that would normally be provincial territory.

While New Brunswick has done fairly well during the pandemic, there have still been several outbreaks, including one last month in the Campbellton region that had community spread.

More cases have also been announced in recent days, including eight yesterday.

Collins said the new cases don't surprise her, but the increases in other parts of the country are alarming, especially in areas where hospitals are reaching their capacity to deal with new patients.

She said the provincial government has a strong message about the need for New Brunswickers to wear masks and keep the number of people they interact with small, but the province could benefit from diversifying the delivery of that information.

"If anything, governments, public health should be looking maybe at other ways to reach out to particularly young people," said Collins.

"You know, what are their platforms? What are they listening to? Where do they get their information?"

Collins said the association is calling for a collaborative approach between all levels of government to deal with the pandemic, and no option fits all, changes are needed.

"There are areas in this country right now that, because their system is struggling to keep up with managing COVID patients … need a different approach," said Collins.

"There need to be different measures put in place for those particular jurisdictions to get ahead of this virus."