About 4/5ths or 80% of the deaths come from 1/5th or 20% of the Canadian population. Our seniors and those living in long-term care facilities have been ravished with obscure and unregulated measures to say the least. On the opposite spectrum, approximately 1/5th or 20% of the deaths have come from 4/5th or 80% of the population that are younger than our senior population and perhaps some underlying health issues. While not short of devastating to families affected, it is roughly a thousand deaths in 80% of the population or about 1 in 40,000 deaths in this sizeable wedge of our communities. The mortalities equate to a relatively small number of 2.5 per deaths for every 100,00 Canadians.
The most dangerous characteristic of COVID-19 is its weakness to kill
In contrast, the top 5 leading causes of death in Canada per 100,000 are:
Cancer: 68,000 deaths or 207.7 per 100,000
Heart Disease: 50,000 deaths or 152.8 per 100,000
Cerebrovascular Disease: 14,000 deaths or 42.3 per 100,000
Chronic Lower Respiratory Diseases: 10,000 deaths or 30.0 per 100,000
Accidents: 9,700 deaths or 29.5 per 100,000
In 2018, there were 4,157 suicides in Canada: making it the 9th leading cause of death behind Alzheimer’s Disease. With an economy currently on life support in some sectors, the number of suicides will likely climb higher this year as people succumb to job loss, the inability to pay their mortgage or credit loans, and bankruptcies. In the last month alone, there have been 9 spouses murdered in domestic violence and likely thousands of cases of abuse and violence in family homes are going unreported.
While the initial unknowns and actions around the pandemic were certainly justified, Canada and the world should be better equipped to understand what is necessary to sustain a more robust economy if there is indeed a second wave of the virus. The most dangerous characteristic of COVID-19 is its weakness to kill. Unlike more deadly viruses that dispatches the host quickly and has a tapered prospect to vault to others and dies out, COVID-19 is carried by asymptomatic humans who unknowingly infect those most vulnerable to the illness.
A full financial recovery will be painful for many
The best solution following a crippling downturn in the market from the first wave will not be a nation-wide shutdown in the next go around; but rather a laser focus to take care of our seniors, specifically in our long term care facilities, and self-isolate our most at risk population and those with underlying medical issues. One must wonder how the leading causes of death in Canada will pop well above the number of COVID-19 related deaths with postponed cancer treatments and the like over the course of the year.
One then must also examine whether the prolonged lockdowns and restrictions throughout the country, not to mention the crippling debt load and taxes to ensue, was the best reaction overall. It is safe to say, lives were saved through physical distancing practices, and the sacrificial deeds by individuals taking coronavirus seriously was prudent. If only intense attention was placed on long-term care facilities during the onset, Canada would have come out relatively unscathed by the pandemic.
A full financial recovery will be painful for many and it will likely take several years to see some semblance to a roaring economy. We do know many life savings for retirement have withered, numerous sectors in the economy such as automotive, travel, hospitality, and oil and gas will not bounce back any time soon, and many Canadians will never return to the jobs they once worked.
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Rule changes and lockdowns are more easily accepted when one’s income stream is uninterrupted
It is also apparent through this pandemic that if you have an alternative opinion, one is quickly shunned or dismissed as irresponsible if you are not a medical professional or virologist predicting models of death or advocating ever changing protective measures or restrictions that shift the goal posts almost daily.
Rule changes and lockdowns are more easily accepted when one’s income stream is uninterrupted, however it is a far different story for those on the cusp of their business dissolving in debt or a neighbour prevented from earning a living and placed in the dire predicament in having to choose between paying their rent or buying groceries to feed the kids.
The effects of COVID-19 are far reaching today and will be far-lasting tomorrow. One thing for sure, the adversity we have all faced through the pandemic has introduced us to ourselves.
Rich Berdan——Bio and Archives
Rich Berdan, was a regular guest co-host on a popular radio broadcast and has grown his passion to write on various topics; resulting in numerous published editorials and features. As a proud American and Canadian citizen, Rich's diverse work-life experience, including raising a family, as well as a number of bumps and twists along the road has resulted in this interesting journey we call life
