Over 25,000 Covid-19 fatalities in Canada

India — Canada crossed the grim mark of 25,000 Covid-19 fatalities on Tuesday. But, that unfortunate milestone was reached as health authorities are increasingly positive of a return to a semblance of normalcy over the summer and into autumn.

Canada has now recorded 25,018 deaths from Covid-19. The first death was reported on March 9 last year. But with the third wave of the pandemic waning in the country, and vaccinations ongoing, there may be room for optimism.

This was echoed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during a media interaction that “this summer once cases are low and at least 75% of people have had one dose and 20% had a second, you can look forward to outdoor things”, including sharing meals at patios of restaurants, hiking and camping.

The fall may be better, as he said “once three-quarters of eligible Canadians are fully vaccinated we’ll be able to do more of the indoor things we missed whether that’s watching sports in person or a dinner party at a restaurant”.

Vaccine availability is easing in the country, about 55% of its approximately 37 million population has had at least one jab of the coronavirus inoculation, including about 4% with both doses.

In a statement, Canada’s chief public health officer Dr Theresa Tam was also positive as she said Canada was “making steady progress, with a 25% decrease in reported active cases since the peak of the 3rd wave in mid-April”. However, she warned with regard to relaxation of restrictions: “We’re not there yet, but I am really hopeful because of how fast some of the vaccines are going in the arms.”

More demographic groups are now eligible for vaccinations as the National Advisory Committee on Immunization or NACI has now recommended that the complete two-dose regimen of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine can be given to those aged between 12 and 18.

Health authorities have also said that those who received a jab of the AstraZeneca vaccine as their first dose could have the option of choosing a different vaccine for their second.