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Seeing as we are now well
into August 2020 I thought it was time to address the Global Pandemic v
Covid-19 in Canada and bring you up to date on how things have
progressed.
In January 2020 we saw
the start of this virus spread from China to Canada. March is when the
number of cases really started to ramp up. Since then Canada has
reported some 123,490 cases of infection with Quebec being the largest
count out of all the Provinces with 61,316 cases and then Ontario with
40,972 and then Alberta with 12,501 and then BC with 4,754. You can see
how the virus spread at:
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection.html#a1
It seems that in common
with other countries Canada was a bit late in locking down the country
but that's mostly to do with the extreme cost of keeping people safe.
For cost of the
pandemic see:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yohVGMaOpuA
Our deficit is now over
$300 billion and growing.
In my local area of
Chatham-Kent we are doing quite well. See:
https://ckphu.com/current-situation-in-chatham-kent/
How am I doing through
this crisis? Well I have to say that it has a very minimal affect
on myself as I work from home and so have been in a self isolating
environment for years really. As I am also retired my various
pensions have met my own financial needs and so am good there also.
I have taken to wearing a mask when shopping but I have also taken more
advantage of online shopping and delivery of groceries and my
prescriptions are also delivered.
However I am very aware
of problems a lot of people are experiencing. Those with kids are
having a tough time as it's been hard for them to return to work as
often grand parents have been unable to look after them so making it
difficult to get back to work.
I also note that a
significant number of young adults are selfish and stupid by
congregating on beaches and having parties. The general advice is to do
your best to keep 2 meters apart, wash your hands frequently and wear a
mask where you can't keep the 2 meter distance.
Also when you look at
some of the pictures on news sites you often see many people squashing
into bars and restaurants, protesting on the streets and having parties
with others. All of that it simply selfish and stupid. The
latest figures show that the greatest number of cases are now in the
20-49 years old range. Also with Kids going back to school I do
wonder if that might see a spike in the over sixties age range as so
many grand parents look after their grand children. Kids usually don't
show symptoms but they can pass on the virus. And so challenging times
ahead for sure.
I do note however that
the business market is seeing some major changes with more employees
working from home. More retail outlets selling groceries and other
retail goods online and also plans for increasing automation in
factories. I note that here in Chatham Walmart, Canadian
Superstore, M & M, Shoppers Drugmart and Staples are now using Instcart
for people to order online and get their groceries and other goods
delivered.
I also note that the
minority Liberal Government is in trouble again with our Prime Minister
being investigated for the third time of unethical practices by showing
favour to the WE charity where his wife and mother all earned money for
working for them. At time of writing he has prolonged parliament so has
at least temporarily avoided being investigated.
An update in Christmas
week...
We've seen a massive
spike in cases since my last report with Alberta seeing some serious
uptake in cases. Ontario and Quebec and hotspots but really most
of Canada is seeing large increases.
A new variant has been
discovered which seem to be more virulent in that the virus is getting
more potent and thus there is a faster infection rate. This was
discovered in the UK but cases of this new virus is already being
recorded in various European countries but could also be in Canada but
not yet recognised.
The one good story is
that two new vaccines have been approved and in the past week people
have started to get the vaccine. Of course health care workers are
taking priority with the over 80's and people in care homes being the
priority. It is estimated that it will take until the end of Summer to
get most people vaccinated.
I note that the Oxford
vaccine is likely to be approved in the UK shortly and it's thought
before the end of the year. This one is actually the cheapest and
the easiest to ship as it doesn't require extreme temperatures to store
it.
Right now it looks like
the UK is well in the lead for vaccines and will have a full supply of
the product after which they'll be able to ship around the world.
It's also thought that
the current vaccines will also be effective with the new more infective
strain of the virus that has just been discovered. |
