The North IslandB次元官网网址檚 medical health officer made an impassioned plea for unity of purpose in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Charmaine Enns said medical professionals donB次元官网网址檛 need to be distracted by divisive complaints about how health authorities are handling the situation. She made the comments in response to statements made by a Campbell River physician expressing frustration with the provincial Ministry of Health and Island Health.

The anonymous physician said in an article on bclocalnews.com that the amount of information the public is being given is not only seriously lacking, itB次元官网网址檚 also often inaccurate and is going to create serious problems. And itB次元官网网址檚 not just the public who isnB次元官网网址檛 getting the information they need, the doctor said, even those B次元官网网址渙n the forefront of knowledge, theyB次元官网网址檙e not releasing information, and weB次元官网网址檝e been instructed not to release information, even to each other.B次元官网网址�

Dr. Enns said those and other comments in the article were B次元官网网址渄iscouraging.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淰ery happy to call out the inappropriateness of what was printed by that anonymous physician which, to me, is so discouraging,B次元官网网址� Enns said, B次元官网网址渢hat one of my colleagues would think that they need to do something like that which was also so inaccurate and misinformed.B次元官网网址�

The truth is, Dr. Enns said, B次元官网网址渨e are completely overwhelmed and inundated with information. There is no secret that weB次元官网网址檙e in a pandemic. ItB次元官网网址檚 also been no secret within the health care system that this is going to impact our communities and our facilities.B次元官网网址�

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The idea that Island Health would keep important information from the public is B次元官网网址渏ust so false and such an egregious assertionB次元官网网址� and undermines the B次元官网网址渉ard and diligent work thatB次元官网网址檚 being done,B次元官网网址� Dr. Enns said.

B次元官网网址淚t isnB次元官网网址檛 an B次元官网网址榰s and them (situation),B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� Dr. Enns said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 all of us. There is no B次元官网网址榰s and them.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�

There are many different roles to be filled when it comes to dealing with the response to the pandemic and one of those roles in the community is the healthcare provider role. And those in the healthcare provider role have B次元官网网址渁 very high standard of care that we need to provide,B次元官网网址� Enns said, and confidentiality is one of those high standards of care. The healthcare providers in the community have a high level of expertise in managing confidentiality while still ensuring the public is aware of issues that may impact them.

B次元官网网址淲e will not ever compromise and should not B次元官网网址� even though I know it has happened B次元官网网址� patient confidentiality,B次元官网网址� Enns said.

The strategy that has been in place for weeks, involves placing a person identified as having a positive result in isolation. Then all that personB次元官网网址檚 contacts are also put in quarantine and everyone in that group has daily follow-ups until they are declared recovered.

But you donB次元官网网址檛 not need to wait for a positive result to take action. We must assume COVID-19 is in the community and we should act like COVID-19 is in our community, Dr. Enns said.

B次元官网网址淭he responsibility lies on all of us as citizens and community members to appropriately participate in what needs to happen,B次元官网网址� she said.

B次元官网网址淪o basically the population is two groups,B次元官网网址� Dr. Enns said. B次元官网网址淭hose who have symptoms and those who donB次元官网网址檛. Everybody should be at home, or as close to home as possible.B次元官网网址�

We are at a place in the pandemic where we canB次元官网网址檛 be divisive, we must, all of us, do our fair share, Dr. Enns said.

There is a lot of B次元官网网址渦ninformed fear and stigma around COVID-19B次元官网网址� in the community. There are people in isolation that are scared and alone while a whirwind of social media about the need to know circles around. When people think that someone has a diganosis, they get phone calls from people B次元官网网址渁ccusing them, yelling at them tormenting them.B次元官网网址� Then people start to connect dots in our smaller centers and our communities where everybody thinks they have a right to know something.

B次元官网网址淎ssume COVID is in your community,B次元官网网址� Dr. Enns said. B次元官网网址淒o not torment people by having to have a result.B次元官网网址�

The lack of reporting specific numbers in a community is not exclusive to the COVID-19 pandemic. ItB次元官网网址檚 a principle in public health to not report small numbers of reportable conditions. That was the case with the opioid crises, Dr. Enns said. Until there were 10 or more overdose deaths in a community, the numbers were applied to the North Island as region. Only when they got higher in a specific community were they then reported for that community.

The people working on the crisis have enough distractions to deal with and donB次元官网网址檛 need more, especially when it comes from other healthcare professionals, Dr. Enns said.

B次元官网网址淲e all need to be pulling in the same direction and most of the healthcare community is,B次元官网网址� Dr. Enns said.

But some people feel the need to get on their high horse and make uninformed statements.

B次元官网网址淎nd thatB次元官网网址檚 not helping any of us and itB次元官网网址檚 certainly not helping the community thatB次元官网网址檚 looking to us to provide the reassurance that we have their back, weB次元官网网址檙e working on their behalf and that we are all going to go through this together.B次元官网网址�

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