P.E.I. born doctor working in NYC applauds province's efforts to stop COVID-19 spread

A doctor working in New York City is applauding the efforts of health officials on P.E.I. for the measures taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

"It's been very interesting to see that almost in lock-step as measures were rolling out in New York City, P.E.I. was rolling out very similar measures even with very few cases," says Dr. Kyle MacDonald.

He said that so far all the causes on the Island have been linked to travel and people are self-quarantining.

"Whereas in New York the kind of lockdown or shelter-in-place measures we weren't doing that until we were seeing deaths and there was already well-known community transmission," he said.

MacDonald grew up in Charlottetown and now works for the New York Department of Public Health.

He, like many doctors, has a battle on his hands — but it isn't with coronavirus.

MacDonald is part of a $1 million project for the Centre for Disease Control battling deaths from opioid addiction.

However, as a public health doctor he knows how viruses work and what needs to be done to stop them and he said P.E.I. is doing things right.

Rapid increase in cases

MacDonald said he watched as the number of COVID-19 cases went from one in early March to causing thousands of deaths in New York State.

"We went from having one case to two weeks later entire parts of the city being shut down including offices. Broadway is closed, which never happens," he said.

When MacDonald looks out his window he sees the Empire State Building, the United Nations Building, the Chrysler Building — but it isn't the busy New York City people are accustomed to.

"You see, kind of, one car go by, two cars, maybe one person on the sidewalk," he said. "It's very stark how quiet it is here."

MacDonald said on March 13 it was announced 10 per cent of city staff would start working from home and in three days, on March 16, it was announced all city staff would be working from home.

"I've been working from home two weeks so far," he said.

Not quick enough

MacDonald said New York didn't act as quickly as P.E.I. when the first cases were reported.

"A lot of the measures have come quite late and because of that the disease had already been spreading very rapidly. So even though the city has been on essentially a lockdown for two weeks we are still seeing a tremendous increase in cases and death."

He said that is a reflection of how widespread COVID-19 was before measures were brought in.

What about addicts?

MacDonald works with those struggling through addiction and said that is a particular group he is worried about during the pandemic — especially in the United States.

"The U.S. has some particularities that make it a bit more difficult for folks unfortunately to access treatment than in Canada and there is a lot more restrictions around addiction treatment," MacDonald said, although some of those regulations have been relaxed because of COVID-19.

"Here in the U.S. if someone is on methadone, which is a common treatment for substance abuse disorder, you have to go every day to get your treatment from a methadone clinic."

MacDonald said everyone has to line up and wait to receive their treatment.

"Whenever you have a viral illness you are trying to have people six feet apart it doesn't make sense to have everyone all lined up in the same place every day to get their treatment," he said.

In Canada methadone treatment is done at some pharmacies and some clients can take a supply home to sustain themselves for a short duration — that doesn't happen often in the U.S., MacDonald said.

"Now some of the rules have been relaxed to try and make sure that we're not having our most vulnerable people be repeatedly exposed."

He said things like writing prescriptions over the phone are being considered, so clients don't have to see a doctor in person and use up their limited supply of personal protective equipment to do that.

It's tough to be away from family during the pandemic, MacDonald said, but he has been keeping connected with family through social media and video messaging.

"It's interesting to kind of see how people adapt in different ways."

COVID-19: What you need to know

What are the symptoms of COVID-19?

Common symptoms include:

• Fever.

• Cough.

• Tiredness.

But more serious symptoms can develop, including difficulty breathing and pneumonia, which can lead to death.

Health Canada has built a self-assessment tool.

What should I do if I feel sick?

Isolate yourself and call 811. Do not visit an emergency room or urgent care centre to get tested. A health professional at 811 will give you advice and instructions.

How can I protect myself?

• Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

• Clean regularly touched surfaces regularly.

More detailed information on the outbreak is available on the federal government's website.

More COVID-19 stories from CBC P.E.I.