Long-Term Care Deaths Surged in COVID-19 First Wave, Tam Hopeful It Won’t Repeat

Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam responds to a question during a news conference in Ottawa, on October 28, 2020. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld

Long−term care deaths accounted for nearly 80 percent of COVID-19 cases in Canada during the first wave of the pandemic, but the country’s chief public health officer thinks a repeat can be avoided amid a new spike in cases.

A snapshot of Canada’s COVID-19 situation during the first wave of the pandemic was outlined in Dr. Theresa Tam’s annual report released Wednesday, one day after Canada passed 10,000 COVID-19 deaths.