Ontario Premier Doug Ford said in a press briefing that, unlike Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, he will release Ontario’s coronavirus projection data. Ford said the data will be available to the public on Friday, April 3.
“You deserve the same information I have, you deserve to see the same data that I see when I’m making decisions. You deserve to know what I knew when you’re making decisions. And that is why I’ve asked our medical experts to provide a full briefing to the public on where this [pandemic] could go,” Ford said.
“You deserve to know what I know when you’re making decisions … That is why I’ve asked our medical experts to provide a full briefing to the public on where this could go” – ON Premier Doug Ford, who says data will be made public tomorrow #cdnpoli https://t.co/iZNsLfCpo0 pic.twitter.com/PnNK6NSi5Z
— Mackenzie Gray (@Gray_Mackenzie) April 2, 2020
Ford broke with the precedent set by Trudeau. It appears the Prime Minister has no plans to release data on how bad the coronavirus could get in Canada. Instead, he tells Canadians to “imagine” how bad it could get and stay inside.
“There is a range [of people infected] out there and just highlighting that range is not as useful or important as being able to get clearer numbers and a clear analysis of what we are likely to face,” Trudeau said. “Everything we are going to face will be directly linked to how people behave today and that is why it is so important that people stay home.”
Trudeau tells Canadians to "imagine" how bad coronavirus will get, won't release numbers pic.twitter.com/WHCnjueKo8
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) April 2, 2020
Ontario released their COVID-19 data and predictions estimating approximately 80,000 cases by April 30. All figures are based on Canada’s current level of intervention.
According to Dr. Peter Donnelly, the President and CEO of Public Health Ontario, coronavirus deaths in Ontario could exceed 100,000 without public health measures and social distancing.
In a press conference, Donnelly said between 3,000 to 15,000 deaths are projected in the next two years, even with public health measures and social distancing.
Donnelly recommended Ontarians continue to isolate and take additional public health measures seriously to keep numbers closer to 3,000 than 15,000.
“Every year in Ontario, we lose about 1,350 individuals to normal seasonal flu. So, in a bad year we may well lose 1,500 to normal seasonal flu. Now, when you think that the mortality of this disease is up to 10 times higher and when you remember that we have no vaccine, we have no specific treatment, and this is a disease which is entirely new to the population. Then suddenly the figure of 15,000 becomes entirely logical and comprehensible,” Donnelly said.
In a bad year, we may well lose 1,500 to normal flu. When you think that the mortality of this disease is up to 10x higher and we have no vaccine, we have no specific treatment, suddenly the figure of 15,000 becomes "completely logical and understandable," said Dr. Donnelly. pic.twitter.com/XS15nd4pyu
— Rachel Gilmore (@atRachelGilmore) April 3, 2020
Not only was Ford’s work with Donnelly and releasing COVID-19 data applauded, he was also praised for personally picking up 90,000 medical masks in Markham, Ontario for hospitals. The company Dental Brands donated 90,000 masks and Ford drove to their warehouse and picked up the equipment and loaded it into the back of his pickup truck.
See that guy? That’s Doug Ford, Premier. Dental Brands, a company in Markham, texted him to say they were donating 90,000 masks to hospitals in Ontario. Ford drove to their warehouse and loaded the masks onto his truck. Didn’t tell his staff. #onpoli @fordnation pic.twitter.com/yygtZNXVHf
— Warren Kinsella (@kinsellawarren) March 30, 2020
