Thought of the Day - July 1 2021 - Canada, One of the Few Bright Sparks in the Darkness of COVID

With cases continuing to decline in Canada (down 50% in the last two weeks) and restrictions rapidly being lifted (BC has now moved to Step 3 - Thought of the Day - June 30 2021 - BC Step 3, Here We Come ), it is easy to think that the pandemic is drawing to a close.

The reality is much, much different. The reality is that Canada is one of the few bright sparks in the darkness of COVID.

Surprised. Well don't be.

As we talked about on Sunday, South America is still the epicentre of new official cases with five times the world average ( Thought of the Day - June 27 2021 - By the Numbers ), along with the same multiple of new deaths per capita.

Southeast Asia, through a combination of good luck and good policy, escaped much of the carnage of 2020. But now, following India and Nepal's lead, countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan, Indonesia, Myanmar and Mongolia are in real trouble - much of it unreported.

What about Europe? Unfortunately, they are following the UK, with cases now increasing on the continent, in Portugal and Germany for example (and, of course, EURO 2020 will not help). Moreover, continued restrictions mean continued civil unrest.

What about Africa? While reporting from the African continent is very inconsistent, places like South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, even the Democratic Republic of Congo are clearly in their next wave. Also, for the first time ever, the new case rate for Africa per capita is ahead of Canada.

What about Oceanana? Australia has just locked down 80% of its population - some for the first time.

Oh, and I almost forgot Russia, with their 50% increases in cases in the past ten days. And, unfortunately, deaths have also followed suit.

But vaccines are working, right? Not yet, only 10% of the world is currently vaccinated. Moreover, some of the countries with the highest vaccination levels such as the UK, and even Israel, are seeing a significant increase in cases. Hopefully, hospitalizations will not follow suit.

Sorry to sound so negative, but maybe you missed the real point: Canada is one of the bright sparks in the darkness of COVID - perhaps we should celebrate after all.

Cheers Cliff