COVID-19 response

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• Special Advisory Committee on COVID-19
• Work to date

Special Advisory Committee on COVID-19

Guided by the Federal, Provincial and Territorial (FPT) Public Health Response Plan for Biological Events, the Public Health Network (PHN) mobilizes coordinated action and response efforts in times of an urgent public health event of national concern.

In January 2020, the PHN Council activated the (FPT) Special Advisory Committee (SAC) on COVID-19. Due to the unprecedented nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, the activation of the SAC on COVID-19 has resulted in the pause of regular PHN business while dealing with the COVID-19 response.

The mandate of the SAC on COVID-19 is to advise the Conference of FPT Deputy Ministers of Health on the coordination, public health policy and technical content related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The SAC on COVID-19 is composed of members of both the PHN Council and the Council of Chief Medical Officers of Health.

Within the SAC on COVID-19 governance structure are several groups that undertake public health technical work and collaboration. The SAC brings together senior FPT public health officials, experts and Indigenous organizations to support the COVID-19 response, including the:

• Technical Advisory Committee (TAC)
• Logistics Advisory Committee (LAC)
• Public Health Network Communications Group
• Public Health Working Group on Remote and Isolated Communities

Technical Advisory Committee

The TAC is focused on:

• the characteristics of the COVID-19 pandemic
• what needs to be done from a technical, public health perspective to support the pandemic response objectives

The TAC:

• is an FPT forum for collaboration between technical experts and task groups to address public health response functions, such as:
  • surveillance
  • laboratory activities
  • public health measures
• reviews and contributes to the development of technical products, such as:
  • epidemiological reports
  • guidance on public health measures
  • recommendations on medical countermeasures (e.g., diagnostics)

Logistics Advisory Committee

The LAC is a forum for collaborative FPT discussions and joint decision making on issues such as:

• logistical capability assessments
• procurement and distribution
• managing surge capacity demands
• requests for mutual aid
• recommendations regarding resource acquisitions (e.g., medical countermeasures)

The LAC engages with the public health and health emergency management sectors to coordinate and share information from a wide range of experts from:

• federal, provincial and territorial governments
• industry
• non-governmental organizations

Public Health Network Communications Group

The Public Health Network Communications Group (PHN CG):

• supports consistent and coordinated public communications by providing a mechanism for timely information sharing of cross-jurisdictional interest
• provides a forum for FPT governments to:
  • work together on common messaging
  • share information on communication approaches
  • conduct technical and media briefings
  • direct Canadians to current information and guidance

Communication activities are coordinated through the PHN CG, thus enabling FPT governments to align their communications strategies.

Public Health Working Group on Remote and Isolated Communities

The Public Health Working Group on Remote and Isolated Communities:

• works to address the specific needs and priorities of remote and northern Indigenous communities in response to COVID-19, including:
  • ensuring safe and effective access to emergency preparedness
  • mitigation, and response and recovery services
• serves as a forum to:
  • share information
  • develop guidance documents
  • provide support to territorial and Indigenous governments and organizations in their response to COVID-19

Work to date

The SAC on COVID-19 is guided by the FPT Public Health Response Plan for Biological Events and the Canadian Pandemic Influenza Preparedness: Planning Guidance for the Health Sector.

Given the novel nature of COVID-19 and scope of the FPT coordination of Canada's public health response, the SAC on COVID-19 developed the FPT Public Health Response Plan for the Ongoing Management of COVID-19. This response plan outlines the FPT pandemic:

• response goal
• objectives
• planning assumptions and drivers
• the 9 FPT response components
• planning considerations for Indigenous communities, high-risk settings and populations
  

Since its inception, the SAC has been the engine of the pan-Canadian public health response to COVID-19, with many contributions. This includes national guidance, and communications and technical public health deliverables in the following areas:

• national approach to data collection and surveillance
• coordinated approaches to testing, screening and related guidance
• border and travel health measures and advice
• public health measures guidance
• outbreak management/control
• infection prevention and control
• risk communication products for the Canadian public
• ongoing recovery and forward planning
• overall focus on vulnerable populations and equity
• COVID-19 immunization planning, guidance, monitoring and vaccine rollout
• health system infrastructure and personal protective equipment

Date modified:

2023-07-24