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It’s the calm before the storm, the phony war or maybe just a patch of good luck.

The long-feared surge of COVID-19 cases has yet to wash over Canada’s health-care system the way it has in Italy or New York. But the system is treating that fact as only a respite, and working feverishly to try to marshall the protective equipment, hospital beds, breathing machines and other resources needed if and when the tempest arrives.

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As doctors, nurses and other medical staff brace for the potential onslaught, opinions are mixed on whether Canadian hospitals will, in fact, be ready.

“We’re all working very, very hard,” said Dr. Alison Fox-Robichaud of the Canadian Critical Care Society, just off a call with ventilator manufacturers. “What I hope is that we’ve flattened the curve enough that we’re going to be well-prepared if we get a surge.”

But at the same time, said the McMaster University professor, “I would say we’re planning for when we don’t have enough.”