Estimated Deaths, Intensive Care Admissions and Hospitalizations Averted in Canada during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Both Canada and the United States have advanced medical care systems, and in both countries the COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on population health and the economy. The similarities and differences between the two countries’ healthcare systems have made cross-national comparisons an important source of insight into the strengths and weaknesses of their respective health systems (1). During the COVID-19 pandemic, both COVID-19 cases and deaths per capita have been higher in the United States than in Canada, while decline in gross domestic product has been 2.1% greater in Canada than in the U.S. (2). Greater economic losses in Canada may reflect more aggressive use of non-pharmaceutical measures such as business and school closures to reduce disease transmission. Per capita attack rates and deaths seen in the United States represent a counterfactual, which Canada might have experienced with less aggressive disease control measures.