Canadian Medical Association

As Canada heads into the first long weekend of the summer, the CMA is encouraging everyone to remain focused on protecting each other, to continue rolling up their sleeves when it’s their turn for vaccination and to express gratitude.

As hope builds for a better summer ahead, we must not lose sight of the risks that COVID-19 continues to pose. Safety has been redefined since the start of the pandemic: keeping each other safe involves following public health measures. 

Gratitude remains so appropriate and needed as health care workers, who have been laboring around the clock under unimaginably difficult conditions, remain hard at work caring for patients and communities. And, to our health workers who are delivering hope with every vaccine that is given, we acknowledge with sincere appreciation that your work this long weekend will be another example of your determination to beat this pandemic.

We also express our appreciation to the millions of Canadians who have voluntarily rolled up their sleeves to protect themselves and others. As of this week, a little over half of our population has received at least one dose of a vaccine and, thanks to our success in vaccination and the strengthening of public health measures, daily case counts have begun to stabilize or decrease in some parts of the country.

Despite these encouraging developments, we cannot risk undermining the progress we have made in recent weeks. While we all would like to celebrate the unofficial arrival of summer with loved ones this weekend, we cannot let our guard down prematurely. We need to continue following the guidance provided by our public health officials and stay focused on protecting one another.

 

Dr. Ann Collins

President, Canadian Medical Association

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