Global Canada, 2020. “International best practices for managing COVID.” Global Canada Working Paper: Version 4.1 December 23, 2020

SUMMARY

• Living with COVID in the world is a reality. Living with COVID in our communities is a choice—quite possibly not the right choice.
• Zero COVID community transmission does not mean elimination: it means successfully stopping all local infections and eradicating the occasional new cases—whether from external infection or hidden local reservoirs—until vaccines are widely available.
• The TANZANC (Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, Atlantic & Northern Canada) democracies demonstrate that free societies can achieve zero COVID transmission, with superior economic and societal results and enhanced resilience to future COVID waves.
• TANZANC jurisdictions, with a total population of 58 M, had 38 new COVID cases on December 10. Canada, population 38 M, had 6,739. The previous week, Australia had 0 locally acquired COVID cases. Canada had 45 thousand. COVID-related restrictions are tighter in Canada than in Australia, New Zealand, or Taiwan. All TANZANC national economies project better 2020 economic performance than Canada’s.
• Canada already has a successful zero COVID policy across Atlantic and Northern Canada, comprising 45% of its territory and 7% of its population (2.6 M people). During the 2nd wave, these jurisdictions have kept COVID infection rates 20 times lower than the rest of Canada.
• Canada is relatively well positioned to achieve zero COVID transmission. We are surrounded by ocean on 3 sides with a comparatively small population, engaged citizenry, strong institutions, a federal system of government, mid-sized cities similar to Sydney or Melbourne, and several domestic examples of zero COVID success.
• Canada’s situation is essentially the same as Australia’s—with the addition of one major land border. By vaccinating the 200 thousand truckers that regularly cross the border and fully implementing other proven measures, Canada can seal off the U.S.-Canada border to the COVID virus while allowing essential trade to continue unimpeded.
• Achieving zero transmission is feasible in Canada. Indeed, Canada may have inadvertently thrown away its shot to get to zero once already this summer.
• With rising COVID cases and hospitalizations, difficult decisions have to be made. If the wrong decisions are made, we will face potential shutdowns again in 3 months. The time is right to determine whether going for zero is a superior strategy for Canada. We cannot afford to throw away our shot a second time.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1peTMs_kIgA52s911XBL6qcfAqf32aEhY/view