The road to recovery: Cancer in the COVID-19 era highlights innovative work underway and identifies improvements to boost cancer system capacity and save lives
TORONTO, June 15, 2022 /CNW/ – The Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (the Partnership) today released a new report, The road to recovery: Cancer in the COVID-19 era, that urges policymakers and health system leaders to consider cancer a priority in the wake of the pandemic.
Noting that time is of the essence, the report also shares innovative solutions already underway by partners in parts of Canada – which can be used as models for improvement by other communities across the country.
“Canada must not forget cancer when allocating healthcare resources as we continue to deal with the impacts of the pandemic,” said Dr. Craig Earle, CEO of the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer. “The Partnership’s priority from the start of the pandemic was on meeting the needs of people with cancer whose disease did not stop, even as much of the world did, and our cancer system partners have done incredible work to deliver care during this challenging time. As we shift to pandemic recovery, we’re keeping our focus on cancer and we urge others to do the same.”
Lives are at stake. One study predicts the possibility of more than 20,000 additional cancer-related deaths over the next 10 years.i However, that could be reduced by almost 16,000 if the cancer system’s diagnostic and treatment capacity is increased 10% above pre-pandemic levels.ii
Putting the focus on cancer in key areas
“Strengthening Canada’s cancer system starts with getting a clear picture of what’s happening today, and what kinds of responses and investments will be needed for the future,” said Dr. Earle. “Policy-makers and cancer system leaders should take action now to focus on the key areas identified in The road to recovery, and can draw on the many examples of innovative, practical actions already underway across the country the report highlights.”
The road to recovery: Cancer in the COVID-19 era identifies a number of challenges that arose during the pandemic, such as delays in cancer screening and diagnosis, disruption of cancer prevention services, treatment and care, and pressures on the healthcare workforce. This resulted in real impacts on real people, exacerbating health and social inequities, with a disproportionate effect on First Nations, Inuit and Métis.
The report notes that, as COVID-19 continues to disrupt Canada’s cancer system, attention needs to be given to three key focus areas to boost system capacity and save lives: (1) solving the healthcare human resources crunch, (2) preparing for a surge in cases, and (3) leveraging the potential of new ways of delivering care including those supported by digital technologies.
It also highlights the fact that, to improve care and outcomes for cancer patients, health equity must be at the forefront of Canada’s pandemic response and recovery.
Find out more in The road to recovery: Cancer in the COVID-19 era
The report brings together recent data and research from partners across Canada, and it also shares examples and stories of innovative approaches already underway to improve cancer care.
“Throughout the pandemic, healthcare professionals and cancer system partners across Canada dedicated themselves to supporting patients and their families through a very difficult period,” said the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health. “Our government is committed to improving access to health care and supporting healthcare professionals to ensure Canadians have access to the care they deserve. This timely and insightful report provides examples and ideas to improve cancer care for patients everywhere.”
Share your thoughts, actions and innovations on the road to recovery using #FocusOnCancer.
About the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer
As the steward of the Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control (the Strategy), the Partnership works with Canada’s cancer community to take action to ensure people in Canada have equitable access to quality cancer care, fewer people get cancer, more people survive cancer and those living with the disease have a better quality of life. This work is guided by the Strategy, which was refreshed for 2019 to 2029 and will help drive measurable change for all people in Canada affected by cancer. The Strategy includes eight priorities, which will tackle the most pressing challenges in cancer control as well as distinct First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples-specific priorities and actions reflecting Canada’s commitment to reconciliation. The Partnership oversees the implementation of the priorities in collaboration with organizations and individuals on the front lines of cancer care – the provinces and territories, health-care professionals, people living with cancer and those who care for them, First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities, governments and organizations, and its funder Health Canada.
The road to recovery: Cancer in the COVID-19 era report supports the implementation of the Strategy. Addressing the impact of the pandemic will be a key consideration in the planning and implementation of the Partnership’s work with partners as we shift from pandemic response to pandemic recovery.
The Canadian government says it will donate up to 200,000 vaccine doses to fight the mpox outbreak in Congo and other African countries.
It says the donated doses of Imvamune will come from Canada’s existing supply and will not affect the country’s preparedness for mpox cases in this country.
Minister of Health Mark Holland says the donation “will help to protect those in the most affected regions of Africa and will help prevent further spread of the virus.”
Dr. Madhukar Pai, Canada research chair in epidemiology and global health, says although the donation is welcome, it is a very small portion of the estimated 10 million vaccine doses needed to control the outbreak.
Vaccine donations from wealthier countries have only recently started arriving in Africa, almost a month after the World Health Organization declared the mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
A few days after the declaration in August, Global Affairs Canada announced a contribution of $1 million for mpox surveillance, diagnostic tools, research and community awareness in Africa.
On Thursday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said mpox is still on the rise and that testing rates are “insufficient” across the continent.
Jason Kindrachuk, Canada research chair in emerging viruses at the University of Manitoba, said donating vaccines, in addition to supporting surveillance and diagnostic tests, is “massively important.”
But Kindrachuk, who has worked on the ground in Congo during the epidemic, also said that the international response to the mpox outbreak is “better late than never (but) better never late.”
“It would have been fantastic for us globally to not be in this position by having provided doses a much, much longer time prior than when we are,” he said, noting that the outbreak of clade I mpox in Congo started in early 2023.
Clade II mpox, endemic in regions of West Africa, came to the world’s attention even earlier — in 2022 — as that strain of virus spread to other countries, including Canada.
Two doses are recommended for mpox vaccination, so the donation may only benefit 100,000 people, Pai said.
Pai questioned whether Canada is contributing enough, as the federal government hasn’t said what percentage of its mpox vaccine stockpile it is donating.
“Small donations are simply not going to help end this crisis. We need to show greater solidarity and support,” he said in an email.
“That is the biggest lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic — our collective safety is tied with that of other nations.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.
The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.
Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.
“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”
The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.
A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.
Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.
“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.
Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.
The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.
“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundland and Labrador‘s chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says that so far this year, the province has recorded 230 confirmed cases of the vaccine-preventable respiratory tract infection, also known as pertussis.
Late last month, Quebec reported more than 11,000 cases during the same time period, while Ontario counted 470 cases, well above the five-year average of 98. In Quebec, the majority of patients are between the ages of 10 and 14.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick has declared a whooping cough outbreak across the province. A total of 141 cases were reported by last month, exceeding the five-year average of 34.
The disease can lead to severe complications among vulnerable populations including infants, who are at the highest risk of suffering from complications like pneumonia and seizures. Symptoms may start with a runny nose, mild fever and cough, then progress to severe coughing accompanied by a distinctive “whooping” sound during inhalation.
“The public, especially pregnant people and those in close contact with infants, are encouraged to be aware of symptoms related to pertussis and to ensure vaccinations are up to date,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Department said in a statement.
Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics, but vaccination is the most effective way to control the spread of the disease. As a result, the province has expanded immunization efforts this school year. While booster doses are already offered in Grade 9, the vaccine is now being offered to Grade 8 students as well.
Public health officials say whooping cough is a cyclical disease that increases every two to five or six years.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick’s acting chief medical officer of health expects the current case count to get worse before tapering off.
A rise in whooping cough cases has also been reported in the United States and elsewhere. The Pan American Health Organization issued an alert in July encouraging countries to ramp up their surveillance and vaccination coverage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.
