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She issued a statement on Sunday urging Canadians to follow public health rules in order to support front line health workers, who she said are at risk of psychological distress and burnout due to stress, long hours, the difficult medical decisions they have to make.
“In the face of these challenges, frontline health workers may feel tremendous personal, organizational or societal pressure to be superheroes — to not appear vulnerable, tired, worn down, or weak,” she wrote.
“All of these pressures may prevent them from seeking the care, treatment and supports they need for their own mental health.”
The United Kingdom, Czechia and Italy lead the world in deaths per 100,000, according to a tracking tool provided by the Coronavirus Resource Center at Johns Hopkins University. Canada falls 16th on the list of the 20 countries that are most affected worldwide,
As of Jan. 31, there has been a total of 102,083,344 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and 2,209,195 deaths reported to the World Health Organization.
Quebec and Ontario together account for about 80 per cent of Canada’s COVID-19 fatalities, even as new cases and hospitalizations have been declining.
On Sunday, Quebec Health Minister Christian Dube said there were 200 fewer COVID-19 hospitalizations compared to a week prior, which would allow the province to restart surgeries that had been delayed due to the pandemic.
Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador reported no new cases each, while harder-hit New Brunswick reported 26.
