Opinion
In face of scientific uncertainty, public health officials should adhere to the precautionary principle
By Linda Silas November 18, 2020
The precautionary principle holds that in the absence of scientific certainty about how an illness is spread, we must err on the side of caution and adopt preventive measures to protect health care workers and their patients.
Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam occupies a public-facing role in the government's messaging around the pandemic. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
On Nov. 3, the Public Health Agency of Canada updated its guidance on the routes of transmission of COVID-19 to recognize potential aerosol spread of the virus. While it elicited little fanfare, this critical move came in response to months of pressure from labour unions and health care advocates, who had urged PHAC to recognize recent scientific evidence that pointed to airborne transmission as one of the possible ways COVID-19 is spread.
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