What's up with Canada?

[pat_k]

They have 72 cases confirmed. National Microbiology tested 623 and identified 17 of the 72 cases. Their coronavirus page doesn't have results of provinces that do their own testing.

They had a first death in a care home.

It sounds very familiar -- where we were a couple weeks ago. I poked around a bit and can't determine whether they are doing a better job of tracing contacts and testing. Like we were, they seem very focused on taking measures at airports and testing travelers. Maybe they are doing more. I hope so.

[Amaryllis]

1. You know that whatever they are doing they have better leadership on it than we do.

[pat_k]

3. Absolutely!

When I saw the report of the first death in a care home, it was all too reminiscent of the first death reported at the Life Care nursing home here in WA (now the deadliest hotspot in the US, responsible for at least one case outside WA).

I poked around a little to see how they seemed to be responding overall. There weren't a lot of details, but I'll be following the story to see if they do a better job of containing their potential "hotspot" (and another Care Centre in North Vancouver with 2 confirmed cases).

As you say, under better leadership, they will undoubted do a better job.

And they won't have the same fears the uninsured, and under-insured, have here.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

2. Canada has public healthcare, a cooperative populace, and a faster response

The first Canadian cases happened around the same time as the American ones.

I get a sense it may be spreading more slowly in this country. Note: Canada has 11 percent of US population, so in comparing statistics it makes sense to multiply Canada by 9 or 10 for comparison.

One death so far, a couple of days ago.

First Canadian cases in the last week of January.
First confirmed US case Jan. 21.

"As of March 7, 2020, more than 1,895 tests have been performed in the United States"
The 623 Canadian tests performed so far would be roughly equivalent to more than 5,600 US tests.

[pat_k]

5. Haven't found specifics, but I assume...

... they are doing a better job of contact tracing and won't have the disastrously severe constraints on testing we've had here up until about last week.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

12. Well it has been good enough they know all cases are traced to known traveller contacts. . . . nt

[Bev54]

4. They are testing

all of the cases so far can be traced to travellers, some from previous cruises. Most cases are in Ontario and BC. 77 reported cases 1 death today and 8 recovered.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

6. A US passenger on the delayed cruise ship in CA said that

he watched as the Canadian passengers were top priority after gravely ill. They were all whisked away promptly.

[pat_k]

8. Ahh. Found the story about evacuating Canadians yesterday.

Were they "whisked" somewhere within the ship before that?

https://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/coronavirus-infected-cruise-ship-carrying-canadians-set-to-dock-today-1.4845023

OTTAWA -- A cruise ship that's been floating off the coast of California for days amid coronavirus concerns is set to dock in Oakland today, setting the stage for Ottawa to bring the 237 Canadians aboard the Grand Princess back home.

Global Affairs Canada announced late yesterday that it had chartered a plane to fly the stranded Canadians to the air force base in Trenton, though it did not provide a timeline for when that would happen.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

11. No no...people were allowed to leave ship in stages

and American said he was jealous because Canadian government had their act together and he watched as they got their citizens off earlier than the rest.

[Quixote1818]

7. They have about 1/10 of our population so if anything they are a bit higher than us

which would make sense since we are not testing and they are.

[pat_k]

9. Of course.

Silly of me not to adjust for pop.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

10. I am hopeful the greater rate of testing may mean higher detection rate when combined with contacts

I don't know how the two countries compare in efficiency and sufficiency of contact tracking.

I calculated that Canada is testing at about a three times higher rate.

[maxsolomon]

13. They have a built-in advantage

there are more moose than people.

[pat_k]

14. Yes.

And the states that have more cows than people here are likely to fare better too.