Keep calm. Wash hands.

Despite cases of COVID19 reaching double digits in British Columbia recently, panic buying is unjustified.

While most believe that the bulk buying of everyday products like toilet paper is due to fears of an incoming lockdown in parts of China, like Wuhan, there are other considerations that people should think about.

The B.C government is providing a strong, almost daily public update and action plan on the virus situation from increasing the number of testing sites, businesses and other health facilities. So, the fear of a total lockdown of borders, lockdown of public transit or a scenario where the virus spreads out of control is definitely unwarranted.

However, many haven’t considered a more likely and realistic fear which is that someone gets the virus and needs to quarantine themselves for two weeks. In such a situation, the lack of proper planning and resources would be a legitimately terrifying situation. Having two weeks-worth of necessities in advance would be a great idea.

But instead of focusing on what might happen, the public should be focusing harder on preventing the potential of being infected in the first place.

From constantly washing your hands or using hand sanitizer to resisting the desire to touch your face, making sure you practise good hygiene to prevent being potentially infected is important.

Through good hygiene practises, the need for panic buying in bulk would become unnecessary. Then, those who are actually in need of resources, like masks, are able to purchase what they need. This also erases the fear of missing out from other buyers who are simply worried about not being able to buy what they need.

At the end of the day, the public will need to work together to ensure our day-to-day lives are still normal. That means helping educate others on COVID-19 while avoiding false information from various social media like Wechat.

Most importantly, people need to avoid the desire to panic buy in bulk and to simply practise better hygiene.

Universal, free contraceptives needed in Canada

All provinces should provide free contraceptives to youth.

all be affected by an unwanted pregnancy.

injections, and IUDs tend to be more costly.

Opinion

The Canadian Paediatric Society estimates that in 2014, there were approximately 59,000 unintended pregnancies in Canada among those under the age of 25.

Unwanted pregnancies can derail young lives.

Educational and career plans, financial plans, mental and emotional health, and families can

Advocates for universal free contraceptives argue that providing free, confidential contraception, including condoms, decreases teen pregnancies.

According to the Canadian Paediatric Society, youth are more likely to use condoms when they are free.

In February, Vancouver city council passed a motion to request B.C. to cover the cost of prescription contraceptives under the Medical Services Plan (MSP).

Their argument is a good one. Male contraceptive methods like condoms are low cost, but other methods for people with uteruses like birth control pills, hormone

Although contraceptive pills are a popular method, it is not the preferred one for everybody. Allowing people options when choosing birth control to find one that works for them will help ensure that they will be used.

Ontario had free coverage for a variety of prescription drugs, including birth control pills, for youth under the age of 25. Unfortunately, this was curtailed in the summer of 2018, by Doug Ford’s government.

Youth were excluded from the free coverage if they had extended health care benefits through a parent’s private health care plan. Unfortunately, this change forces a young person to talk to their parent about contraception in order to access their parent’s plan. Because some youth may not feel comfortable doing this, they don’t seek out contraception.

The Canadian Medical Association estimates that free contraception coverage for all Canadians would cost $157 million per year, but it would be outweighed by $320 million per year saved in direct medical costs related to unwanted pregnancies.

The savings are even greater when one thinks about the social support programs in Canada that would not have to be relied upon.

The business case for free contraceptives for all Canadians, especially youth, is clear.