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An emergency room physician in Hamilton has come out with a dire warning for his fellow health-care professionals in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

In an online article at HealthyDebate.ca, Dr. Blair Bigham, says “it’s becoming increasingly clear that what is happening in Italy is going to happen here in Canada,” and predicts that our country is going to be “hit by a tidal wave” of COVID-19 cases.

Bigham says Canada’s efforts to stop the novel coronavirus “have fallen short” and “our system isn’t built to rapidly respond to this virus.”

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Saying the country’s current approach to stemming the outbreak is “plagued by indecision, wavering policies, and poor coordination,” Bigham is asking Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step up.

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The McMaster University graduate is calling on the federal government to implement four measures to combat the spread of the new coronavirus, including the implementation of the Emergencies Act to “force companies with the capacity and ability to mass-produce personal protective equipment and mechanical ventilators.”

The second measure is having soldiers at every hospital in the country because the military has the expertise to rapidly deploy much-needed equipment.

Third, Bigham is calling on governments to use “emergency powers to authorize hospitals to violate collective agreements to put staff where they are needed most.”

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His last recommendation is to clamp down on social distancing by having public health officials direct, not encourage, all Canadians to stay indoors.

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