Reputable Information Sources for COVID-19

Canada's response to the 2003 SARS outbreak in Toronto exposed many deficiencies in Canada's public health system. After the outbreak was over, the government commissioned a report to determine what went wrong. The committee, chaired by Dr. David Naylor (Dean of Medicine at the University of Toronto), laid the groundwork for the creation of the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) and the role of the Chief Public Health Officer (PHO) of Canada. Currently, the Chief PHO of Canada is Doctor Theresa Tam, and the PHO of BC is Doctor Bonnie Henry. Dr. Henry and Dr. Tam have each authored and co-authored many research papers on the spread of infectious diseases, including SARS, ebola, and influenza.

Reliable Government Websites

BC COVID-19 Dashboard - this has up-to-date, official BC government statistics on COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, tests, and deaths.

VSB - COVID-19 Updates - this has the most up-to-date information about COVID-19 and Vancouver schools. If you want to know something about COVID-19 protocols at school, this is the best place to start.

BC COVID-19 rules for kindergarten to grade 12 (K-12) schools - these are the COVID-19 rules that are being applied to K-12 schools across BC.

BC CDC – COVID-19 - this is the public information that is being released by the BC Centre for Disease Control.

Government of Canada – Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) - the official site for COVID-19 information from the national government.

Learning from SARS – Renewal of Public Health in Canada - a very thorough investigation of the causes of Canada's poor response to SARS, and recommendations for improving Canada's public health system.

Reliable Experts

If you are unsure of the reliability of an expert, try searching for their name using your favourite search engine. In particular, Google Scholar is useful for finding out how many peer-reviewed articles they have published. In general, top academics will have lots of published articles that are "cited by" many other articles.

Dr. Bonnie Henry

Provincial Health Officer of BC – Biography (Doctor Bonnie Henry)

Selected Publications

Doctor Bonnie Henry (co-author) – Infectious disease surveillance and modelling across geographic frontiers and scientific specialties - cited by 74 other articles

Doctor Bonnie Henry (co-author) – Identification of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in Canada - cited by 1689 other articles

Doctor Bonnie Henry (co-author) – Whole-Genome Sequencing of Measles Virus Genotypes H1 and D8 During Outbreaks of Infection Following the 2010 Olympic Winter Games Reveals Viral Transmission Routes


Doctor Theresa Tam

Chief Public Health Officer of Canada – Biography (Doctor Theresa Tam)

Selected Publications

Doctor Theresa Tam (co-author) - Cruise ships: high-risk passengers and the global spread of new influenza viruses - cited by 149 other articles

Doctor Theresa Tam (co-author) - Assessment of the potential for international dissemination of Ebola virus via commercial air travel during the 2014 west African outbreak

Reliable Non-Governmental Websites

Radio-Canada - COVID-19 Numbers - this is the source I use to compare the epidemic in BC with Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec.

Kids Boost Immunity

Wikipedia – 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic in British Columbia

Wikipedia – 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic in Canada

Wikipedia – Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Wikipedia – Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)

91-DIVOC – COVID-19 Cases in Canada, Normalized by Population - this site is very good for viewing and comparing COVID-19 cases in a variety of countries.

Rage Against the Machine

Rage Against The Machine - Killing In The Name (Radio Edit) (4:19)

Rage Against the Machine is a band that is known for their anti-racism and anti-authority music. Their hit song Killing in the Name highlights racism on police forces with the lyrics, "Some of those that work forces / Are the same that burn crosses". They also signal their distrust for authority with lyrics such as "And now you do what they told ya, now you're under control" and "**** you, I won't do what you tell me."

In response to the outbreak of COVID-19, the members of the band evaluated the scientific evidence and released the following tweet:

Last modified: Sunday, 29 November 2020, 12:18 PM