A Federal Official Says Canada Handled The Pandemic 'In Better Ways' Than Other Countries
The health minister claimed that if the government acted like the U.S. there would've been more COVID-19 deaths.
According to a federal government official, Canada's pandemic response has been handled "in better ways" than other countries in terms of both health and economics.
Following the announcement of new travel restrictions because of the Omicron variant on November 30, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos spoke about the state of the pandemic in Canada and how the country will get through a new "level of uncertainty" now.
"We know it's difficult for all Canadians but we know that all Canadians see that there is hope, there has always been hope as we, successfully in Canada compared to many other countries, go through the crisis in better ways both from the economic side but also from the health side," Duclos said.
The federal minister of health also said that he was told by a Public Health Agency of Canada official that if Canadians and governments across the country had gone about the pandemic like those in the U.S. did there would've been 60,000 more deaths from COVID-19 in Canada.
"Canadians can be proud of the fact that we have worked together, we've been supporting each other," Duclos said. "Because of that, we will go through this level of uncertainty in the best possible manner."
In light of the discovery of the new Omicron variant, the government has introduced new travel rules that include an entry ban for some foreign nationals along with testing and quarantine requirements for other travellers.
Also, officials have asked the National Advisory Committee on Immunization to offer guidance on whether national standards and actions on the use of booster doses should be changed now.
Health Canada has a robust website with all the latest information on COVID-19 vaccines and can answer any questions you may have.