coronavirus pandemic raged, Canadian public health officials found themselves facing down what the country’s top doctor on Wednesday described as “swabaggedon.”The swift and sudden onset of the highly contagious virus saw a global race for everything from personal protective equipment, to ventilators, to chemical testing agents and medical swabs, with reports emerging of some countries such as the United States stealing medical supplies on the runway from allies.[ Sign up for our Health IQ newsletter for the latest coronavirus updates ]Speaking at a virtual conference of Canadian public health officials, Tam described an all-out rush to try to secure the supplies needed for a robust domestic response.“We had to find swabs from everywhere,.