OTTAWA, April 16 (Xinhua) -- The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) on Friday urged the Canadian government to take unprecedented measures to stem the COVID-19 spread across the country amid a surge of coronavirus cases.
"As the third wave of the pandemic wreaks havoc on the healthcare and public health systems, healthcare providers, and patients, we are at a critical juncture where a truly national approach to combatting COVID-19 will make the difference between more or fewer lives saved," Ann Collins, president of the CMA, said in a statement. "This country must come together to help support provinces most severely impacted."
In the statement, the CMA called for marshaling national resources, applying restrictive health measures and prioritizing national collaboration.
Province-to-province collaboration and national leadership are needed to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, it said, also recommending sharing healthcare resources across provincial and territorial borders to support areas that most need help.
The CMA called on the Canadian government to alter its vaccine distribution and prioritize areas that have an urgent need for vaccines rather than the government's current per-capita approach. It also said that an enhanced form of paid sick leave is required.
As of Friday afternoon, more than 9,475,653 doses of approved COVID-19 vaccines have been administered across Canada, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.
The CMA noted that further restrictions must be considered for provinces with lower COVID-19 transmission rates than in Ontario and Quebec in order to support other jurisdictions in dire circumstances.
"We are one country, and it's time we started acting as one by deploying resources where they are most needed. If we can't achieve this through voluntary cooperation, then more and stronger measures might be needed," Collins said.
As of Friday afternoon, Canada reported 6,771 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the cumulative count to 1,103,441, including 23,535 related deaths, according to the CMA.
Over the past week, there have been on average more than 8,600 new cases reported daily, the Public Health Agency of Canada said on Friday.
During the same time, the number of people experiencing severe COVID-19 symptoms continues to rise. On average, more than 3,400 COVID-19 patients were being treated in hospitals each day, including almost 1,050 people in intensive care units, representing a 34-percent and 22-percent increase, respectively, compared to the prior week. Enditem