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

Courtney Dickson · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 17, 2025 8:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

A small implicit 5 years ago, a consciousness of panic was spreading wrong British Columbia's nationalist wellness strategy arsenic it tracked the dispersed of a caller virus: what would become known arsenic COVID-19. 

"I deliberation we person to admit determination would person been somewhat of a scramble," said B.C. Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) epidemiologist Dr. Jat Sandhu — a scramble to marque definite determination was capable idiosyncratic protective instrumentality for aesculapian professionals and to get accusation and recognize the gravity of the situation. 

"As an epidemiologist, it was the clip to measurement up."

That uneasiness was rapidly felt by the wide nationalist arsenic details were shared by scientists and authorities officials. 

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared a planetary pandemic arsenic COVID-19 cases and deaths soared. Less than a week later, B.C. declared a nationalist wellness emergency. 

Shops and workplaces began to close, radical started moving and learning from home, and question was restricted — among different monolithic changes to beingness arsenic we knew it. 

Glenn Mikkelsen, the manager of CN Centre successful Prince George, B.C., was forced to cancel the 2020 World Women's Curling Championship, successful what was conscionable the opening of months of lawsuit cancellations crossed the province. 

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

But enactment carried connected astatine the BCCDC; investigating and interaction tracing for the microorganism ramped up. Regular nationalist wellness updates were shared with British Columbians. Researchers dove into trying to halt the dispersed of COVID-19, including vaccines, and looked astatine ways to dainty it. 

Sandhu was seconded from his presumption with Vancouver Coastal Health astatine the onset of the nationalist wellness exigency to enactment with the BCCDC, the provincial bureau successful complaint of illness surveillance. A twelvemonth later, the modulation was made permanent, and he's present the agency's main strategy officer, overseeing information analytics, probe and communications — each captious components to the COVID-19 response. 

Now, aft a fewer years of learning and adjustments, Sandhu said the BCCDC would beryllium much prepared for a aboriginal wellness event. 

Lessons

As the pandemic persisted, Sandhu said helium and his squad realized the request for clear, accordant connection with the public. 

"Building and maintaining nationalist spot was an important, a immense portion of this," helium said.

Although nationalist spot and enactment wasn't ever 100 per cent, helium said the BCCDC took what it heard from the nationalist and tried to larn from it and amended arsenic clip went on.

"I would accidental that we inactive are held successful precocious respect arsenic a root of information for nationalist wellness matters."

Another issue, helium noticed, was that the pandemic exposed gaps successful the health-care system's accusation infrastructure. In particular, co-ordinating with antithetic agencies wasn't arsenic seamless arsenic Sandhu would person liked. 

"We were learning connected the alert however to bring this together," helium said, adding that now, the BCCDC is investing successful systems that assistance integrate that data. 

But astir importantly, Sandhu saw conscionable however inequitable the health-care strategy tin be. 

Traditionally marginalized oregon underserved communities were astatine higher hazard of contracting the microorganism and suffering from the pandemic's nonstop and indirect impacts, Sandhu said. B.C.'s nationalist wellness strategy is peculiarly focused connected ensuring that Indigenous communities, which often endure the astir during health-related crises, are supported and protected. helium added. 

"I think, you know, immoderate aboriginal responses, we request to see these disparities aboriginal and spot what we tin bash to marque definite that nary 1 is disproportionately impacted." 

'A illness anyplace is perchance a illness everywhere'

Should different planetary pandemic originate successful the adjacent future, oregon adjacent a microorganism outbreak connected a tiny scale, Sandhu said the BCCDC is ready.

"Preparedness is thing that happens done the data, the co-ordination and the changeless authorities of readiness," helium said, adding that the state has precocious invested successful improving technologies of each kinds — research, accusation sharing and much — wrong the BCCDC. 

The BCCDC is moving surveillance and analytics connected a fig of issues each the clip — including viruses similar measles, which saw a caller uptick, and successful avian influenza H5N1, which landed a 13-year-old successful infirmary precocious past year, but besides successful presumption of viruses spreading successful different parts of the world. 

"In this globally connected world, a illness anyplace is perchance a illness everywhere," Sandhu said. 

As for whether British Columbians would beryllium capable to pivot arsenic they did successful 2020, Sandhu is little certain. 

"The pandemic is inactive fresh," helium said. "I deliberation the populations that are disproportionately impacted proceed to beryllium connected a way to recovery.

"We would beryllium successful arsenic bully a presumption arsenic we tin be."