Canada's top public health officer says federal and provincial officials are now taking stock of the medical supplies and equipment they'd need to respond to a coronavirus pandemic — but the responsibility for ensuring those inventories are adequate lies with the provinces. During a briefing call with reporters Thursday, Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam said the Public Health Agency of Canada serves a national coordination role for planning and preparing for health emergencies, and can do bulk purchasing on the provinces' behalf. While there is a federal stockpile of some medical supplies, it's normally reserved for rare, "high-impact" biological or radiological events. Chief Public Health Officer of Canada Dr. Theresa Tam. No pandemic call by WHOWHO has declared the epidemic a global health emergency but has not called it a pandemic.

Source: CBC News February 28, 2020 00:26 UTC