A new Fraser Institute study, Global Storm: The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Responses around the World, finds that Canada ranked poorly compared to other industrialized countries on testing and hospital beds — two factors determined to be key in mounting an effective response to COVID-19.
Conducted by Livio Di Matteo, senior fellow at the Fraser Institute (and a contributor to The Hub), the detailed statistical analysis examined nearly 200 countries and their experiences with and responses to the pandemic to determine factors that have been successful at reducing transmission of COVID-19 cases and lowering mortality rates.
Of greatest importance? Early and strict lockdowns, and lots of testing and hospital beds.
“The study finds that early and strictly enforced lockdowns did work initially to reduce the spread and mortality, but that prolonged lockdowns instituted later in the pandemic were less effective. Instead, high rates of testing and access to hospital beds have proven successful at reducing transmission and lowering mortality rates.”
Out of 35 IMF advanced economies, Canada ranked 26th in tests per million population, and 32nd in terms of hospital beds per capita with 2.5 per 1000 people.
Among our advanced economy peers, this constrained access to hospital beds was well below countries such as Japan (13.1 per 1,000 people) and South Korea (12.2), and in line with countries on the low end of the scale like Denmark (2.5) and Sweden (2.2).
The study finds that Canada also failed to implement lessons learned from the previous SARS outbreak in 2002. Of the five jurisdictions that had more than 100 cases of SARS between 2002 and 2004 (Canada, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore), Canada’s COVID-19 death per million rate was the highest at 500. The other countries’ rates ranged from 0.3 to 22.
