COVID-19 made almost 5 million Canadians sick, put hundreds of thousands in hospitals and claimed over 50,000 lives. The numbers are startling yet they don’t begin to capture the enormity of what we endured in our three years ordeal, nor the fact that it’s not over. Many people are still grieving loved ones, many survivors are still grappling with long COVID and many continue to experience the pandemic as a never-ending trauma.
General healthcare has deteriorated and waiting lists have swelled even for urgent surgeries. Rates of respiratory and heart disease and strokes are up. Years of involuntary confinement, isolation and boredom have contributed to a ‘shadow pandemic’ of alcohol, cannabis and opioid abuse especially amongst the young. Rage is everywhere. The number of hate crimes has spiked, along with fears of civil disorder.
Three million workers lost their jobs and a majority of small businesses either failed or weathered near-death experiences. Our workplaces, schools, and downtowns were hollowed out and may never entirely recover.
As year four begins, people are still dying at alarming rates and we are just beginning to learn of the myriad knock-on effects of this pandemic.
Please make time to read this OPINION piece in the The Globe and Mail and consider picking up my newest book from Sutherland House Books.
It’s time to do a full audit of the personal and social consequences of COVID-19 as it is the indispensable first step to a full recovery for individuals, families, and communities.
