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March 4:Jeff Labine of the Edmonton Journal reports: “Edmontonians are stockpiling essentials like toilet paper — leaving few products on shelves at some stores — in preparation for the possible spread of the novel coronavirus to Alberta.”

Photo by Shaughn Butts / SunMedia

March 4: David Staples, Edmonton Journal columnist on the issue of hoarding good: “Alberta is yet to have a confirmed case of coronavirus. Canada has only had a few dozen. But the dreaded disease is already hitting in the form of anxiety, doubt and endless questions. Essentially we’re all wondering just how bad this is going to be and what steps we can take to keep our own families and communities from harm… One response to coronavirus has been folks buying food and medical necessities so they can care for themselves if their family is infected and isolated for a few weeks. The Germans have a word for this, Hamsterkauf, which is based on hamsters loading up their cheeks with food when they’re under stress.

March 4: Ottawa’s Dan Gardner, a consultant and writer who specializes in forecasting and risk assessment, says when it comes to all any precaution we should engage in a simple cost-benefit analysis, looking at the potential problem and the cost of mitigating it, which is small in the case of buying food and supplies that will be used up over time in any case … Gardner also says he has much faith in Canada’s sound governance and health-care system when it comes to getting through the outbreak. “I do know that being in a high trust, well governed society like Canada is a really big advantage. There’s no country I would rather be in right now than Canada.”

March 4:Trudeau creates a COVID-19 committee to be chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, with Treasury Board President Jean-Yves Duclos as vice-chair: “We need to keep alert, but we need to keep moving forward in a way that keeps Canadians safe and keeps our economy rolling.”

March 5: Canada confirms its first community case of COVID-19, which Hinshaw defines as a case with unknown origins that can’t be traced back to a particular international traveller.

I now do the Coronavirus hand shake — an elbow bump — David Staples (@DavidStaplesYEG) March 5, 2020

March 6: CNN reports that North American mask importers and manufacturers are having trouble getting mask shipments out of China: “Industry experts say China is the world’s largest global supplier of medical face masks. While the Chinese Commerce Ministry says it’s not restricting exports of medical face masks, (U.S. company) Dealmed isn’t the only company facing a supply crunch. Medicom, a Canadian manufacturer, has three factories in China, but the Chinese government has requisitioned all production and nothing is being exported, according to the company’s COO, Guillaume Laverdure. Factories in France and Taiwan are subject to official export bans.

‘We estimate that around 80 percent of the face masks worldwide are manufactured in China,’ Laverdure said. ‘Overnight it was 80 percent of the world supply which was cut so that creates a huge demand on the existing production capacities outside of China.'”

March 7: Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says his province is ready: “The government and AHS (Alberta Health Services) and the Alberta emergency management agency have all been preparing for this since COVID-19 first appeared in China back in January.”

March 7: Coronavirus cases surge in Italy, Iran, South Korea, the U.S. and elsewhere. Many scientists say it’s plain that the world is in the grip of a pandemic, but the World Health Organization has so far resisted describing the crisis as such, reports The Associated Press: “Unless we’re convinced it’s uncontrollable, why (would) we call it a pandemic?” Ghebreyesus asks.

March 9: British Columbia announces Canada’s first death related to COVID-19, a man in his 80s with underlying health conditions.

March 9: The WHO again sends out advice on the use of masks: “Remember, a mask should only be used by health workers, care takers, and individuals with respiratory symptoms, such as fever and cough.”

March 9: In the House of Commons, Jeneroux says, “Hospitals across the country have been warning the government that there is a shortage of masks, protective equipment and beds. However, according to the minister’s health officials, the health system is well-prepared to deal with the growing number of COVID-19 cases in Canada. Now, finally, six weeks after the first confirmed case and now just after the first death in British Columbia, the Prime Minister has asked provinces for their state of readiness. Why is the minister saying the government is well prepared, when she is only asking provinces for their state of readiness today?”

Hajdu says: “The Prime Minister’s letter follows the one I sent to my counterparts not long ago, also requesting they put on paper exactly where they thought they were going to have shortages. We have received several responses from provinces and territories in terms of what kinds of needs they might have. We are working very closely with them to make sure we can provide them with the resources, whether it is equipment or whether it is financial resources. We will be there for provinces and territories.”

NDP MP Don Davies says: “The government assured Canadians our health system was well-prepared to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak. However, HealthCareCAN, the advocacy group for Canada’s hospitals, is warning our system is stretched too thin, with dangerous shortages of critical care beds and protective equipment. It is calling for increased federal funding and much more testing. Today, the first death from the virus in B.C. was confirmed and we know things will get worse before they get better. Will the Liberals ensure hospitals have the resources they need to respond to COVID-19?”

Hajdu replies: “The simple answer is yes. This is the work we are conducting right now with provinces and territories to make sure they have the capacity should they see a surge of illness in their communities that require increased hospitalization.”

March 9: In an exclusive story, Reuters reports: “Millions of face masks stockpiled by Ontario in the aftermath of the SARS outbreak to protect health-care workers during a future epidemic have expired, according to provincial officials and documents, raising questions about the readiness of Canada’s most populous province to deal with the spreading coronavirus. Thirteen years ago, Ontario stockpiled some 55 million N95 masks and other medical equipment after the province bore the brunt of the SARS epidemic in Canada in 2002 and 2003. But provincial officials have confirmed that the masks in the stockpile have passed their expiration date and sidestepped questions about how many masks, including expired ones, remain. Public health officials have said masks may be less effective beyond the expiration date determined by the manufacturer. Ontario, which includes Canada’s largest city Toronto, said in 2007 it would buy 55 million N95 masks and other medical supplies to prepare for future epidemics. A report by the province’s auditor general, completed in December 2017, found that more than 80 percent of that stockpile had expired.”

Part 2 of the timeline: From panic to action

Timeline of Canada’s battle on the home front against COVID-19

Part 1: From Apathy to Panic

Part 2: From Panic to Action