Canadians brace for worse after 2nd Covid-19 wave: Poll

Ottawa, Oct 1 (SocialNews.XYZ) As a second Covid-19 wave has started in Canada, a majority of the citizens were bracing for the worse, leading to increased personal anxiety and concerns over falling ill, a new poll has revealed.

According to the poll conducted by the Angus Reid Institute, two-in-three Canadians (64 per cent) have said that the worst of the health impacts from the novel coronavirus are yet to come.

This figure represents a stark increase from June, when nearly the same number held the opposite view that the worst was over.

The poll revealed that seven-in-10 Canadianshave now said that they are concerned about personally contracting Covid-19, up from a low-point of 46 per cent in early June.

But on a more positive note when asked to describe their mental health over the past few weeks, three-quarters of Canadians said that it was at least "good" (58 per cent), if not "great" (15 per cent).

Meanwhile those under the age of 35, appeared to fare worse. More than one-third of both men and women in this group said that they were struggling with the current situation.

Further, two-in-five women between the ages of 35 and 54 have said that their mental health was bad (34 per cent) or terrible (4 per cent).

The poll comes after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's September 23 announcement that a second coronavirus wave had started in the country.

"In our four biggest provinces (British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec), the second wave isn't just starting, it's already underway. We're on the brink of a fall that could be much worse than the spring," Trudeau had said a televised address to the nation.

The country witnessed a sudden spike in the number of coronavirus cases, from about 300 per day in August to a record high of 1,248 on September 22.

Canada has so far reported more than 159,000 coronavirus cases, with 9,297 deaths.

Source: IANS