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Over 200,000 sign petition urging Canadian government to better protect medical workers

Just Earth News | @justearthnews | 30 Apr 2020, 11:41 pm Print

Over 200,000 sign petition urging Canadian government to better protect medical workers

Toronto/Sputnik/UNI: A petition undersigned by more than 60 Canadian doctors urging the government to procure more personal protective equipment for frontline healthcare workers amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has garnered more than 200,000 signatures.

As of Thursday, 202,306 people have signed the petition urging federal and provincial leaders, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Health Minister Patty Hajdu, to protect frontline workers facing a shortage of N95 respirator masks and surgical masks as well as gloves and face shields.

The Canadian government has acknowledged the shortages in the past and has vowed to do more to protect medical workers.

On Tuesday, a polling data from the Canadian Medical Association revealed that almost 90 percent of the country’s physicians said that a greater access to personal protective equipment would reduce their anxiety levels amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier this month, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam said that medical workers make up between 7 and 11 percent of the total number of COVID-19 cases in the country.