5 years after B.C. declared COVID-19 a public health emergency, BCCDC says it's ready for future pandemics

A little over five years ago, a sense of panic was spreading within British Columbia's public health system as it tracked the spread of a new virus: what would become known as COVID-19. 

"I think we have to admit there would have been somewhat of a scramble," said B.C. Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) epidemiologist Dr. Jat Sandhu — a scramble to make sure there was enough personal protective equipment for medical professionals and to get information and understand the gravity of the situation. 

"As an epidemiologist, it was the time to step up."

That uneasiness was quickly felt by the general public as details were shared by scientists and government officials. 

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic as COVID-19 cases and deaths soared. Less than a week later, B.C. declared a public health emergency. 

Shops and workplaces began to close, people started working and learning from home, and travel was restricted — among other massive changes to life as we knew it. 

Glenn Mikkelsen, the manager of CN Centre in Prince George, B.C., was forced to cancel the 2020 World Women's Curling Championship, in what was just the beginning of months of event cancellations across the province. 

"It was a shock, really," he said. "It seemed unfathomable."

But work carried on at the BCCDC; testing and contact tracing for the virus ramped up. Regular public health updates were shared with British Columbians. Researchers dove into trying to stop the spread of COVID-19, including vaccines, and looked at ways to treat it. 

Sandhu was seconded from his position with Vancouver Coastal Health at the onset of the public health emergency to work with the BCCDC, the provincial agency in charge of disease surveillance. A year later, the transition was made permanent, and he's now the agency's chief strategy officer, overseeing data analytics, research and communications — all critical components to the COVID-19 response. 

Now, after a few years of learning and adjustments, Sandhu said the BCCDC would be more prepared for a future health event. 

Lessons

As the pandemic persisted, Sandhu said he and his team realized the need for clear, consistent communication with the public. 

"Building and maintaining public trust was an important, a huge part of this," he said.

Although public trust and support wasn't always 100 per cent, he said the BCCDC took what it heard from the public and tried to learn from it and improve as time went on.

"I would say that we still are held in high regard as a source of truth for public health matters."

Another issue, he noticed, was that the pandemic exposed gaps in the health-care system's information infrastructure. In particular, co-ordinating with different agencies wasn't as seamless as Sandhu would have liked. 

"We were learning on the fly how to bring this together," he said, adding that now, the BCCDC is investing in systems that help integrate that data. 

But most importantly, Sandhu saw just how inequitable the health-care system can be. 

Traditionally marginalized or underserved communities were at higher risk of contracting the virus and suffering from the pandemic's direct and indirect impacts, Sandhu said. B.C.'s public health system is particularly focused on ensuring that Indigenous communities, which often suffer the most during health-related crises, are supported and protected. he added. 

"I think, you know, any future responses, we need to consider these disparities early and see what we can do to make sure that no one is disproportionately impacted." 

'A disease anywhere is potentially a disease everywhere'

Should another global pandemic arise in the near future, or even a virus outbreak on a small scale, Sandhu said the BCCDC is ready.

"Preparedness is something that happens through the data, the co-ordination and the constant state of readiness," he said, adding that the province has recently invested in improving technologies of all kinds — research, information sharing and more — within the BCCDC. 

The BCCDC is running surveillance and analytics on a number of issues all the time — including viruses like measles, which saw a recent uptick, and in avian influenza H5N1, which landed a 13-year-old in hospital late last year, but also in terms of viruses spreading in other parts of the world. 

"In this globally connected world, a disease anywhere is potentially a disease everywhere," Sandhu said. 

As for whether British Columbians would be able to pivot as they did in 2020, Sandhu is less certain. 

"The pandemic is still fresh," he said. "I think the populations that are disproportionately impacted continue to be on a path to recovery.

"We would be in as good a position as we can be."