'It has taken a toll': Dr. Heather Morrison reflects on 2020

As the tumultuous year of 2020 draws to a close, Dr. Heather Morrison defended the approach she took to dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic here on P.E.I. 

In her last interview with CBC P.E.I. before the holidays and the new year, the chief public health officer, who has become the public face of the pandemic on the Island, looked back on the past 12 months and spoke about what the next year could bring. 

There are some challenges ahead. But certainly by this time next year, I hope we are all celebrating the holidays a little differently.— Dr. Heather Morrison 

"We've really had the approach of trying to prevent COVID-19 from coming into the province, but also if it gets in here, how we can quickly identify it and minimize transmission," Morrison told CBC News: Compass host Louise Martin. 

"So for those who don't see the strained intensive care units, the strain on hospitals, the long-term care outbreaks that are happening in multiple parts of the country and around the world, I think there's good science and evidence of what can happen," she said. 

"The decisions are based on the best evidence we have at the time in order to try to protect everyone." 

Morrison said she and her team started thinking about COVID-19 and how it could affect Islanders in January 2020, long before the first case in P.E.I. was announced on March 14. 

"Announcing the first case was really difficult. It was an acknowledgement to everyone that it was here ... Like everyone, we all had the fear of what it could mean and how many more cases might come," said Morrison. 

Morrison personally calls patients 

Morrison personally called the people who tested positive early on in the pandemic, something she still does for almost all cases on P.E.I. 

"I feel privileged that I am able to do that, and I'm not sure the other health officers are able to make those calls all the time," she said. 

"I always enjoy having that contact with people and patients. So I like those conversations because it gives me a sense of how they're feeling."

Morrison has appeared on Islanders' screens dozens of times over the past nine months, always speaking calmly and often with a smile about the latest COVID-19 news. 

She said of the many briefings she has given, the ones that stand out were the biggest announcements, both good and bad. 

"I remember the ones where I found it really challenging to deliver the news, or I've been maybe more emotional myself. And they tend to go along with the announcements, and they've been either positive or negative," she said. 

For instance, she said, "being part of the discussion about the Atlantic bubble, I think was a really good announcement."  

Vaccine 'light' at the end of tunnel 

Looking ahead to the new year, Morrison said the new vaccine against COVID-19 "is the light at the end of a very long tunnel."  

"I think as we look forward to 2021, you know, trying to make sure our residents and staff at long-term care facilities are vaccinated and then all Islanders get vaccinated in 2021, I think it really is a positive sign," said Morrison. 

She said she hopes Islanders who are more vulnerable will be vaccinated by next summer, with everyone else following by the fall. 

The second vaccine approved for use by Health Canada, made by Moderna, will be coming to P.E.I. in late December, said Morrison. 

"We're very pleased that we'll have another option for vaccine in Prince Edward Island," Morrison said.

"We anticipate rolling that out and starting to do our long term care residents in the first few days of January."

'Tough policy discussions' coming in 2021

There could also be other changes in the new year, Morrison said. 

"I think there's some chance in 2021 to reduce the period of quarantine, and I think that's going to be something interesting. I think we have some tough policy discussions about, how do we lift public health measures in light of the vaccine, and what does that mean for travel?" said Morrison. 

She said it's hard to say if and when life will go back to the way it was pre-pandemic, and that some of it will depend on the effectiveness of the vaccine. 

"In terms of masks, I think there will probably be some places that will require masks and will be important to wear masks for quite a long time," she said. 

It's really only the commitment of Islanders in this pandemic that has made us so successful.— Dr. Heather Morrison 

During COVID-19 briefings over the last months, Morrison spoke often of her own children, and earlier this week, she thanked her family.

"I think [the pandemic] has taken a toll on our ability to do things as a family. I have had great support from family and the children and extended family and friends. And I could not have continued to do this job without that support," she said. 

Kids 'happy to know that I was helping'

Morrison mentioned she was asked recently if her four children, who are all school-age, would have preferred she be home instead of doing the job of chief public health officer, and she realized she didn't know the answer.. 

"So I went home and asked them, and they all said, in slightly different ways, they all wished I had been home more in the last nine months, and I wish I'd been around more. But they all felt that they wanted me, and would have wanted me to be, doing this job because they thought I was doing something to help people stay safe," she said. 

"And so I thought that was interesting, that despite everything, they were happy to know that I was helping in a big effort across the province to contribute to the health of the population."

Morrison repeated her message of thanks to everyone on P.E.I. for all of their efforts during the pandemic. 

"It's really only the commitment of Islanders in this pandemic that has made us so successful to this point in time in terms of reducing illness and death in this community," she said. 

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