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As many jurisdictions in Canada begin to ease COVID-19 restrictions aimed at reducing the number of new cases and deaths, we should be shifting toward a “population health model” that weighs a broader set of health outcomes, says Vivek Goel, the University of Toronto’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives, and a professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. 

The lockdown was “an appropriate initial strategy” to buy time for the health-care system to prepare for a potential surge in COVID-19 cases and avoid crises like those that unfolded in Italy and New York,

“But this approach has come at a tremendous health, social and economic cost,” added Goel, citing postponed medical visits, surgeries and the impact of isolation on mental health as just a few of the potentially negative consequences of the lockdown.

Now that evidence suggests the curve is flattening across Canada, Goel says, it's time for an approach that balances the need to avert future COVID-19 cases with the health and well-being of the entire population.