Ontario forecasts thousands dead
Original projection saw 100,000, isolation helping
TORONTO
As known COVID-19 cases rose nationally and almost all construction in the country’s economic heartland was idled on Friday, health authorities in Ontario said the death toll in that province alone could be kept below a still-staggering 15,000 — if stringent isolation measures prove effective in curbing the pandemic.
In a sobering presentation, a top health official said the coronavirus might have killed as many as 100,000 people in Ontario had economy-crushing restrictions not been imposed.
“If we do everything that we can think of — everything that already has been done stays in place (and) all of the other measures which are being considered (are) put in place — I think we could reduce the death toll in Ontario to somewhere between 3,000 and 15,000,” said Dr. Peter Donnelly, head of Public Health Ontario.
The latest data indicate more than 12,000 Canadians have contracted the virus. Of those, about 180 have died, but the numbers could be higher given gaps in reporting.
Ontario released its worstcase projections for the COVID-19 as its known caseload — and those of other provinces — climbed again. The province has now seen 3,255 cases and 67 deaths.
Given the “extremely serious” situation, Premier Doug Ford announced a halt to almost all industrial construction.
“We’ve told the vast majority of Ontario’s work force to stay home,” a grim Ford said. “Lives are on the line.”
The pandemic and the unprecedented stay-at-home measures to fight it have taken a brutal toll on the economy and jobs, with no sign of nearterm improvement.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the latest in a string of federal measures to cushion the blow: More aid to low-income people will flow through the GST credit this month, rather than in May. Qualifying adults will receive up to $300, plus $150 for each child.
Trudeau also said the military would move into northern Quebec, at the province’s request, to help remote communities cope.
Canada’s top public health official, Dr. Theresa Tam, noted a sharp increase in deaths but said the health-care system was coping.