Canadian Officials Say COVID-19 Cases To Peak In Late Spring, Expect Up To 22,000 Deaths

TORONTO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th April, 2020) The number of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Canada is expected to peak in late spring, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said during a daily briefing on the pandemic.

Trudeau's announcement comes after the head of Canada's Public Health Agency, Dr. Theresa Tam, unveiled modeling data on Thursday, that indicates that 11,000 to 22,000 deaths are expected over the course of the pandemic, at an infection rate of 2.5 to 5 percent of the total population.

"The initial peak - the top of the curve - may be in late spring with the end of the first wave in the summer," Trudeau said on Thursday.

Similar to other jurisdictions, Canada's top medic warned that the virus may reoccur in multiple, albeit, smaller waves. The prime minister added that the daily constraints that much of the population is adhering to will be the new normal until a vaccine is developed for COVID-19.

Data from the public health agency also revealed that between 22,580 and 31,850 confirmed cases of COVID-19 are expected by April 16.

As more and more provinces, including Ontario and Alberta released their projections for the progression of the deadly virus, Trudeau, along with members of his team, faced growing criticism for failing to release modeling data that will shed light on the best- and worst-case scenarios.

At last count, the country's public health agency reported 19,774 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 461 virus-related deaths. With a population of nearly 38 million, Canada's current COVID-19 infection rate is 0.0005 percent, while the death rate from COVID-19-related complications is 2.33 percent.

The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on March 11. To date, more than 1.5 million people have been infected with the new coronavirus worldwide, of which almost 90,000 have succumbed to the deadly virus, according to Johns Hopkins University.