TORONTO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th April, 2020) Some 1,200 to 1,620 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) related fatalities are projected in Canada by April 21, Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam said on Thursday.
"Our modelers, at the last look, are projecting anywhere between 1,200 to 1,620 deaths by April the 21," Tam told reporters during the daily cabinet ministers' briefing on the pandemic.
Modeling data from Federal health officials on April 9, indicated that the number of novel coronavirus-induced deaths was expected in the 500-700 range. However, dozens of reported outbreaks in care homes across Canada have pushed the death toll in the country to 1,048.
Half of the deaths are attributed to long-term facilities, which led to the revision of the expected mortality rates.
Earlier in the day, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau admitted that officials did not anticipate the dramatic deterioration of conditions inside the long-term care facilities.
At last count, there are reported 29,826 confirmed cases of COVID-19, Tam said.
The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on March 11. To date, 2.1 million people have been infected with the novel coronavirus worldwide, of which more than 141,000 have succumbed to the deadly virus, according to Johns Hopkins University.
