Thursday, August 15, 2024 - The Canadian government has issued a warning to its citizens to prepare for a new hypothetical virus that could lead to food and fuel disruptions.
The Centre for Occupational Health and Safety rolled out a
second edition of their Flu and Infectious Disease Outbreaks Business
Continuity Plan Handbook.
The guide provides information for employers on what to
prepare for in the face of another pandemic.
In the new edition, released in June, they focus on a
'hypothetical virus', that they warn could trigger further disruption that
Covid-19.
It states that 'based on trends from past pandemic flu,
there may be a higher average number of illness and deaths in age groups
different than what we typically see during annual flu seasons.'
The guide also warns employers must be ready for a scenario
like an disease outbreak or a pandemic which forces people to stay home.
It says: 'If there is a pandemic, how many people will be
off work? It is impossible to determine with certainty.
'Estimates vary because no one will know for sure how ill
the new virus will make people, how fast it will spread, or how many people
will not go to work, until it happens.'
A future pandemic 'will come in two or three waves about
three to nine months separating each outbreak', it adds.
The hypothetical virus could also last in these cycles for
as much as two years, the report warns.
It adds that people should brace for disruptions like
reduced labor, supply chain issues and shifts in consumer demand.
Among those disruptions include telecommunications, banking,
water, gasoline, medicine and food.
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