With strong control measures, the federal public health agency projects that 11,000 to 22,000 Canadians could die of COVID-19 in the coming months.
Canada’s chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam says by April 16th, it expects between 22,580-31,850 cases of the virus in the country.
Officials add that could mean 500-700 total deaths in Canada by next week.
However, Tam has cautioned that models that try to predict how many people could become infected and die from the coronavirus are not “crystal balls.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to comment at 11:15 this morning.
He has repeatedly told Canadians that how fast and far the virus spreads will depend largely on how stringently Canadians follow public health advice, including physical distancing, handwashing and staying home whenever possible.
Several provinces have already released projections. Ontario estimates the number of deaths in the province could reach between 3,000 and 15,000 people over the course of the pandemic, which could last up to two years.
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