P.E.I. doctor helping keep Royal Canadian Navy safe from COVID-19

Lieutenant Commander Mitchell Drake took on a new job in March of 2020, and since then the Island-born physician's main task has been keeping Royal Canadian Navy members safe from COVID-19 while ensuring they remain mobile.

"It's fascinating to kind of look at the best evidence and tools that we have to advise on mitigating that risk … using things like quarantining and testing protocols to get that risk level down and avoid outbreaks," Drake said in an interview from Victoria, B.C. 

For more than a year now, Drake has been serving as fleet surgeon for Maritime Forces Pacific at Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt.  

Part of his vast duties include being the senior medical authority, the military equivalent of a chief public health officer. Instead of meeting with politicians, though, he advises military commanders on the latest science and steps to deal with COVID-19. 

About a week after taking over the position, the base began putting protocols in place to protect military members from what was still being called the novel coronavirus. However, it was always clear that Canada would not stand down on its military commitments because of the pandemic. 

"If you look at it from a population density standpoint, ships and submarines have higher population densities than the largest cities in the world. So that is the real challenge," said Drake.

The Canadian military has its own scientists, including physicians, who were at work early in the pandemic, using modelling and other data to create a set of guidelines to let the military keep working as it kept COVID-19 at bay.     

It fell to the force's top medical doctors, including Drake, to put the guidelines into action. 

For example, picture conducting drive-through testing for 750 navy members heading into quarantine before naval exercises.  

The rules were strict: Each sailor was to  self-isolate in military accommodations or hotel rooms before reporting to the ship, meals were delivered to the door if rooms couldn't be stocked in advance, and there were up to three COVID-19 tests before each person was allowed to board the ship.   

This past December, at a time when case counts were rising in B.C., Canada's sailors headed out to sea. Drake says if everyone involved is COVID-free, floating in the ocean is one of the safest places in the world.   

Not all countries have been as successful as Canada. At least five navies around the world have had onboard COVID-19 outbreaks to deal with over the past year.

Drake, who has spent time onboard ships as well, says the work in advance of the deployment also meant navy members could get back to their families quicker when they returned to shore.

'A very PEI story'

Another part of Drake's job is to make sure navy members are following the provincial health rules of British Columbia. Those rules are set by Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry — a fellow native of his home province.

"Yes, it's a very P.E.I. story — both from the Island, we went to Dalhousie University for medical school," Drake said with a laugh. "She was out here on the West Coast for a number of years. And shortly before she retired, she was the fleet surgeon out here, which, of course is what I do now." 

Drake said his now-civilian public health colleague is a valuable resource, understanding as she does the need of the military to stay mobile while most of Canada has been told to stay put. The provincial health authority processes COVID-19 tests and does contact tracing for Drake's team when needed. 

On another note, Drake hopes his own military journey may help get more young Islanders to explore the world.

Growing up in Vernon Bridge, he joined HMCS Queen Charlotte while studying as an undergrad at UPEI in Charlottetown. He continued serving through medical school in Halifax and his residency at the University of Calgary before joining the forces full time.

"I'm in a privileged position to be able to have an impact," he added, given what the world is facing during this pandemic. "You know, it's great to be involved in that sense.

"But certainly I'm looking forward to a return of some semblance of normalcy in the near future." 

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