Still, Canada’s situation looks relatively healthy compared to its southern neighbor. Across the border in the United States, more than 190,000 people have died from the pandemic and more than 6.38 million people have been infected.
Canada’s experience dealing with SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, helped health officials be better prepared. SARS killed 44 people in Canada, the only country outside Asia to report deaths from that outbreak in 2002-2003.
Canada’s first recorded case of coronavirus was in Toronto, on Jan. 25. Both Ontario, the country’s most populous province, and neighboring Quebec turned into the hot spots for COVID-19 infections.
Both provinces struggled with outbreaks in long-term care homes. Canada’s first COVID-19 death was reported on March 9 at a British Columbia long-term care facility.
This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.
