By Dr. Bonnie Henry and Adrian Dix
VICTORIA - The effects of COVID-19 have been far reaching. Everybody in our province has been impacted, as well as everybody across Canada and around the globe. We have learned a lot about the virus, how it spreads and how nations around the world are managing outbreaks.
However, there are still many questions that we need to answer and understand, including the impacts of the measures that we have taken to control COVID-19 in B.C. and flatten the curve. This is why we recently launched a province-wide survey, Your story, our future, to gather feedback from British Columbians on your experiences and actions you have taken so far in the COVID-19 pandemic in B.C.
This is a collaboration of B.C. public health experts, our health authority medical health officers, the BC Centre for Disease Control and Provincial Health Services Authority, as well as the provincial health officer. The information you share with us will help inform the public health decisions that we make in the weeks and months ahead.
As part of the survey, there is also an opportunity for you to express your interest in participating in further studies, including a serology blood test study to determine immunity within our province.
So far, more than 275,000 British Columbians have completed the survey, which is an outstanding response, and we would like to hear from even more: younger, older, in the north, south, east and west. It is only a few minutes of your time, but it will make a huge difference.
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And, if you have already completed the survey, help someone else to do the same. If you know of a senior who may have difficulty completing the survey, reach out and provide some assistance. If English is not your first language, you can complete the survey by phone in 150 languages.
Your feedback and your story will help us understand how the pandemic has affected you so far and make decisions on our future here in British Columbia.
For the Your story, our future survey, visit: www.bccdc.ca/covid19survey
For those who cannot complete the survey online, or need assistance in another language, call 1 833 707-1900 seven days a week between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. (Pacific time) to take the survey over the phone.
Dr. Bonnie Henry is provincial health officer for B.C. Adrian Dix is minister of health.
