The Chief Public Health Officer called attention to a Statistics Canada report on excess deaths in Canada in relation to COVID-19.
Dr. Theresa Tam said this is a measure of the additional deaths over and above the expected number based on trends from previous years.
“It is an important way for us to understand the full impact of an extraordinary event like COVID-19 against expected mortality,” she said.
There are now 71,486 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Canada with 5,209 deaths.
Tam said these illnesses can have health consequences beyond themselves.
“Such as increased illness and death associated with mental health issues, problematic substance use or delayed health-seeking for acute and chronic health conditions,” she said.
Tam said delays in seeking care for life-threatening illnesses or chronic disease management can affect death rates.
“Likewise delayed or missed appointments for prevention visits to maintain routine vaccinations, increases the risk of infectious disease outbreaks and associated illness and deaths.”
Tam said it is vital to maintain health visits for everything from prevention and vaccines to mental health and chronic disease management and not delaying getting immediate attention for life threatening health and mental health concerns.
She said healthcare providers have implemented a range of precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and ensure patient’s safety.
“Speak with your healthcare provider to see what options are available for you and your family to safely have your health needs met.”
34,496 or 48 per cent of people in Canada have recovered from COVID-19.
1,169,000 people have been tested for COVID-19 with 6 per cent testing positive overall.
