Seanna Watson
It has been over a year since the WHO declared COVID-19 — the disease caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 — to be a global pandemic. March 11, 2020, seems like a lifetime ago.
- 956,655 cases have been confirmed in Canada (126,680,669 worldwide)
- 22,826 have died (2,778,858 worldwide)
- 893,469 have recovered (102,146,907 worldwide)
- approximately 40,360 (~0.1%) of people in Canada currently have COVID-19 (actual numbers are likely higher given that 17-20% percent of cases are thought to be asymptomatic)
- 4,800,931 doses of vaccine have been distributed across the country; 10.9% of people have received at least one dose
Vaccination rollouts differ by province/territory — select your region below for more information.
- Alberta
- British Columbia
- Manitoba
- New Brunswick
- Newfoundland and Labrador
- Northwest Territories
- Nova Scotia
- Nunavut
- Ontario
- Prince Edward Island
- Quebec
- Saskatchewan
- Yukon
Around the world, vaccine deployment is proceeding much more quickly than anyone would have predicted last year at this time:
The vaccines are evidently effective. For example, as of this 26 March the UK’s daily infection growth rate has fallen to between -5 percent and -2 percent. In further good news, preliminary results are showing that vaccines are also effective at reducing transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Also, a recent study has shown some indication that people with long-haul COVID symptoms see their conditions improve after vaccination. In the meantime, the Canadian government is standing by their commitment to provide vaccines for all by the end of September 2021. So we just need to hang in there until the end of the summer!
And while we are waiting for biological vaccines, we can still benefit from an Inoculation Against Misinformation — check out CFI U.S.’s Coronavirus Resource Center.