Ford to release fall preparedness plan to combat surge in coronavirus cases
Premier Doug Ford said that the fall preparedness plan to combat the surge in coronavirus cases will be released tomorrow.
On Monday, when the premier was asked why the plan has taken a long time to be released, Ford noted that the pandemic is a “fluid situation” that is changing constantly, saying the climate now is very different than when it began in March.
Health Minister Christine Elliot also said that there have been some different considerations for the second wave like incorporating the factors of flu season.
Elliot added that there are also thousands of procedures that “we don’t want to cancel again.”
“We cannot let that happen, so we have to be extra careful in bringing those issues into consideration,” she said.
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And the province is working more with the federal government, which Elliot said, when there’s “hundreds of millions of dollars at stake here we need to do our due diligence.”
The health minister said that they are working with the federal government to expand testing and lab capacity and have already been implementing them by increasing testing from 5,000 to almost 40,000 tests seen today.
During the conference, Ford pressed the federal government “to immediately lay out a plan to fund provincial priorities, including responding to future waves and surges of COVID-19.”
“As we prepare for future surges and waves of COVID-19, we have to be nimble and able to respond immediately to any change in the public health trends,” said Ford.
“That’s why I’m calling on the Prime Minister to meet the urgent needs of the provinces and territories with an additional $28 billion through the Canada Health Transfer. A strong healthcare system is the foundation on which we can build a strong economic recovery for Ontario and for the country.”
They called for an increase to the Canada Health Transfer to cover at least 35% of provincial-territorial health spending starting this year.
The funding will be used to enhance the province’s fall preparedness plan and help end hallway healthcare.
The province is also calling for more support for long-term care homes including investments for staffing, infection prevention and control, and infrastructure funding to help build new beds.