The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the critical need for robust and equitable public health systems in Canada that address the population’s diverse needs. One of the most glaring issues during the pandemic was the lack of standardized definitions and consistent data collection methods regarding ethnicity and race within the health system. This gap was particularly evident in the discrepancies between federal and provincial systems.
The importance of data collection
During the pandemic, timely and accurate data on COVID-19 infectivity rates among different ethnic and racialized groups were insufficient. This hindered efforts to identify hotspots and effectively prioritize increased opportunities for testing and vaccinations.
