Trudeau says ‘normal’ may not return until Covid vaccine is developed in a year or more

It was a more sombre tone for the Prime Minister’s daily address today as Justin Trudeau talked about the latest jobless figures and the death projections for Covid-19.

With strong control measures, the federal public health agency projects that 11,000 to 22,000 Canadians could die of the virus in the coming months.

Short-term estimates are more reliable, predicating 500 to 700 deaths by the end of next week.

Trudeau said the models show the numbers could peak in the late spring and the first wave could end in the summer, but with further waves possible, he admits things may not get back to “normal” until a vaccine is developed in a year to 18 months.

“I think even after we’re through this first wave we will need to remain vigilant and we will need to bring in different measures. Normality, as it was before, will not come back full on until we get a vaccine for this and that could be a very long way off. But once we get through this first wave, we will have developed tools and habits that will allow us to be much more resilient and resistance to further outbreaks and spreads,” said Trudeau outside his home in Ottawa as the snow came down.

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Trudeau said the key is for people to keep following the health orders to stay home and practice social distancing.

On the jobs front, over one million jobs were lost in Canada last month, pushing the unemployment rate from 5.6 percent…to 7.8 per cent.

“As stark as those numbers are, they are not a surprise to most Canadians. Each one represents a different story. A worker whose been laid off, a family that’s having to hunker down. A community that is anxious about today and tomorrow,” said Trudeau.

Trudeau said his government’s three-point plan including the wage subsidy and emergency benefit will help stabilize the economy.