Almost a year into the pandemic, most areas of Canada continue to be impacted by COVID-19 on a daily basis. Social media has been a valuable tool for sharing information and staying connected during this isolating and anxiety-provoking time.

Unfortunately, we have also seen that social media can be used to bully, harass and threaten the same public health officials who have been working non-stop to keep us safe and are doing their best with ever-changing information. This kind of intimidation is demoralizing, contributes to burnout, and is simply unacceptable. Our public health officials should not be afraid to walk out onto their front lawn or worried about the safety of their families or themselves.

As physicians, we see on a daily basis how our patients are suffering and how they have been affected by the pandemic. Their voices and concerns must be heard and acknowledged. We all benefit from sharing our experiences and different perspectives with each other. Respectful discussion and civil discourse are essential to our society. However, violence and threats of violence against physicians, including public health, have no place and must not be tolerated.

We, the undersigned physicians, residents, medical students and nurse practitioners, condemn, in the strongest terms possible, the abuse, harassment and intimidation that our public health colleagues have endured.

We ask that threats against our public health officials are taken seriously by law enforcement, and that those who are responsible are held accountable.

To our public health colleagues, we see you. We support you. We stand with you. You are not alone.