A new study led by a team of Ontario researchers suggests Canada's response to the COVID-19 pandemic compares well to other countries with similar health-care and economic resources.
The study, published today in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, indicates Canada's restrictive and persistent public health measures and successful vaccination campaign paid off.
The research looks at how 11 countries with similar economic, political and health-care systems, including the United States, France and Germany, handled the first two years of the pandemic.
Canada's rate of virus-related deaths and infection is the lowest among the analyzed countries.
Canada can also boast the highest vaccination rate.
More than 80 per cent of eligible residents have been immunized with two doses as of June, while the percentage in other countries included in the study remains between 64 and 77 per cent.
Study co-author Dr. Fahad Razak acknowledges the pandemic affected all countries in different, brutal ways, but says certain magic occurred in Canada when it came to solidarity and rallying around public health measures.
He says Canada used community outreach efforts -- including strategies to target low-income neighborhoods and vulnerable residents -- and showed the world that high vaccine engagement is possible with the right strategy.