Pandemic may have contributed to thousands of ‘excess deaths’ in Canada: report

A new report is giving us a better sense of just how devastating the COVID-19 pandemic has been on Canadians, and just how severe some of its results have been.

According to the report, commissioned by the Canadian Medical Association and put together by Deloitte, the pandemic may have contributed to more than 4,000 excess deaths not related to illness from the virus between August and December of last year. Those deaths are believed to have been the result of missed or delayed health care appointments and services.

“We are facing a significant backlog in procedures and treatments as well as more acute illnesses,” said Dr. Katharine Smart, CMA president. “The legacy of this pandemic — which is still ongoing — will be felt for years to come, and we must start working now to keep the backlog problem from becoming even worse.”

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The CMA and Deloitte point to a number of other devastating results of the pandemic, but highlight difficulties in accessing care through 2020 as a major concern.

The report finds about two-thirds of Canadians with chronic diseases had trouble getting care last year. In addition to that, routine cancer screenings were paused for a number of months, and continued at diminished levels through the first month of 2021 in some areas.

Big funding needed to address backlogs

The report notes there is also a remaining backlog of as many as 327,000 surgeries to be performed country-wide, with estimates suggesting it could cost $1.3 billion in additional funding to get surgery wait times back to pre-pandemic levels.

That figure could rise further after we understand just how much of an impact the fourth wave of the health crisis has had on the system.

Many procedures have had to be put off over the last year and a half because of the COVID-19 pandemic and its overwhelming affects on the health care system.

According to the report, the number of days lost to perform procedures ranges from 46 days for breast cancer surgeries to at least 118 days for hip replacement surgeries.

“The pandemic has exacerbated existing problems including the health human resource crisis. It will take significant efforts and commitments to rebuild the health system and invest in our health workforce,” said Smart.

Food insecurity, race-related impacts

In addition to surgery and care, the CMA says there was also an impact to food-insecurity in the country. The report shows the population of food-insecure people in Canada grew by nearly 40 per cent in the first two months of the pandemic. It’s unclear what updated figures will be, close to two years after the virus uprooted many lives and economies.

Meanwhile, the report says the “perceived threat of race- or ethnicity-based harassment of Chinese, Korean, and Southeast Asian minorities” rose up by 30 per cent, 27 per cent, and 19 per cent respectively.

The CMA is applauding the federal government after it made a promise in last week’s throne speech to prioritize investments in health care and address backlogs in the system.

Smith says the organization is also “pleased to see the federal government take significant action to protect health care workers.”