On March 19 and 20, GSL Director Steven Hoffman appeared in a couple of Global News items to compare the spread of COVID-19 in Canada to the rapidly worsening situation in Italy. The comparison was motivated by the similar case and casualty numbers in Canada this week, to the data out of Italy from two weeks ago.
In the interviews, Hoffman pointed out the major differences between Canada and Italy, namely the age of the two countries’ populations and the fact that Canada had 2-3 more weeks to prepare.
Being among the first Western countries to be heavily affected by the coronavirus was unlucky for Italy, not just because it had less time to prepare, but also because the public had less time to fully understand the danger and accept very disruptive public health measures.
“Canadians have had an opportunity to see some bad situations outside of our country, and then might react differently once it gets worse here, knowing what has happened outside of our country.”
– Steven Hoffman
Read the full article here, and watch the news segment here.
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