Canadian Military Adjusts to Meet COVID-19 Threat

As of May 13, Canada has recorded a total of 71,486 cases of COVID-19 across the country, with 5,209 total coronavirus-linked deaths. Some parts of the country have remained relatively unscathed: The sparsely populated northern territories have reported few cases, for example, and several provinces have already begun loosening public health restrictions. Yet, in other parts of the country, the situation remains dire. Prime Minister Trudeau has expressed particular concern about the situation in the province of Québec: As of May 11, 3,013 people have died of COVID-19 in Québec, and Montréal remains an epicenter of the pandemic. The province of Ontario has also been hit hard, though the province has seen a “downward trend in the number of new cases reported each day.” Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, has thus indicated that while there are encouraging signs of slowed spread within the country, Canadians “still need to be cautious in our optimism.”