Moving Forward with Virtual Care: Lessons for the Post COVID-19 Era

Abstract

On March 11th 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic [1,2]. We had realized the gravity of the situation before but, until that day, did not comprehend how our reality was about to change for the foreseeable future. Following that declaration, most countries and states implemented strict public health restrictions to contain the spread of the virus and decrease its mortality rate by enforcing physical distancing measures. Albeit effective, such measures did not come without consequences on the quality of life and wellbeing of people worldwide [3]. Social isolation, loneliness, loss of employment and income, and housing instability were some of the adverse events that arose during what we call “the lockdown” [4,5]. A friend of mine who had migrated to Canada from a war-torn zone felt the magnitude of this lockdown. “It’s like moving from one prison to another” he explained, reminiscing about a time he was forced to stay home to avoid the unforgiving jaws of man-made conflict.