Canadian government warns pandemic worse than COVID is coming
The Canadian government has warned businesses in their country to prepare for a new hypothetical virus considered to be far worse than COVID-19 in the future.
The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety rolled out a second edition of its Flu and Infectious Disease Outbreaks Business Continuity Plan Handbook.
The guide provides information for employers on what to prepare for in the face of another pandemic.
In the new edition, released in June, they focus on a “hypothetical virus”, that they warn could trigger further disruption than Covid-19.
It states that “based on trends from past pandemic flu, there may be a higher average number of illness and deaths in age groups different than what we typically see during annual flu seasons.”
The guide advised employers to prepare for a scenario like a disease outbreak or a pandemic which forces people to stay home.
The guide reads, “If there is a pandemic, how many people will be off work? It is impossible to determine with certainty.
“Estimates vary because no one will know for sure how ill the new virus will make people, how fast it will spread, or how many people will not go to work until it happens.”
A future pandemic “will come in two or three waves about three to nine months separating each outbreak”, it adds.
The hypothetical virus could also last in these cycles for as much as two years, the report warns.
It adds that people should brace for disruptions like reduced labour, supply chain issues and shifts in consumer demand.
Other areas it would affect include telecommunications, banking, water, gasoline, medicine and food.
