Covid: Canada sounds the alarm as cases overtake US
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Covid: Canada sounds the alarm as cases overtake US
本帖最後由 geemong 於 2021-4-18 12:29 編輯
Covid: Canada sounds the alarm as cases overtake US
The rate of coronavirus infections in SLOT Canada's biggest province has reached
an all-time high as hospitals warn they are close to being overwhelmed.
A panel of experts say infections in Ontario could increase by 600% by June if public
health measures are weak and vaccination rates do not pick up.
Last week, for the first time since the pandemic began, Canada registered more
cases per million than the US.
About 22% of Canadians have now received a first vaccine dose.
That compares to 37% in the US.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government would help
Toronto, the largest city in the country, which has been hard-hit by the latest surge.
"We're going to do whatever it takes to help. Discussions are ongoing about extra
healthcare providers, and we are ready to step up," he said on Friday.
Why has it suddenly got worse?
New variants - especially the UK variant, B1.1.7 - account for more than two-thirds
of infections in Ontario.
Even with vaccinations progressing, the expert panel warned that the number of
new cases in Ontario could go as high as 30,000 a day - in a province with 14
million people, 38% of the total population of Canada.
On Friday, Ontario reported 4,812 new cases, its third straight day of setting new
records since the pandemic began.
Hospital admissions and the number of patients in intensive care also set records
for Ontario: 1,955 and 701, respectively.
How is the vaccination campaign going?
After a slow start, the pace of vaccination is now picking up. Canada was quick
to buy up stocks of vaccine doses, but until recently the rollout was lagging behind
other industrialised countries.
Nine million Canadians have now received at least one vaccine dose.
There was mixed news on Friday. Moderna said it would cut its next shipment to
Canada by almost half, to 650,000 doses, but Pfizer is to supply an additional
eight million doses after it reached a new deal with the Canadian government. |
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