Why are a higher percentage of Canadians dieing of SARS?

[Lancer]

I heard it's 10% among Canadians, and 4% among asians. Heard it during the Poly down time, don't recall where.

Also, I get a cold a couple times a winter. Will I get SARS a couple times a winter? It's a version of cold virus, yes?

[SlowwHand]

Yes, Lancer. You'll get SARS a couple of times a year.

[RedFred]

Both Asian and Canadian death figures seem high to me.

But the weather must have a huge impact. IIRC both Vancouver and Toronto were hit without warning on the same day (Thanks China) by the arrival of overseas passengers. The outbreak seems largely contained here but much more contagious in TO where it was still winter when the crisis hit.

[rah]

The fatality rate may be reported higher in Canada due to better record keeping and the willingness to report the true number.

[Drake Tungsten]

I think it's the French blood. Makes the people weak.

[Starchild]

*accidently slaps Drake*

Toronto's British Canada honey, with more non-Anglo/Francais ethnic groups than you can shake a stick at.

It's like rah said. The Canadians actually report their cases unlike our dear friends in Beijing HQ. Add to that the fact that Toronto's quite a bit colder this time of year than Guangdong and the higher death rate makes sense.

Though, with my ear to the ground watching the news/web, and chatting to family in Toronto, I haven't heard about this big a difference in deathrates based upon location. Anyone verify the Canadians dropping like SARS infected flies?

[SlowwHand]

I think the truth lies in RAH's AND Drake's answer.

[Dauphin]

There may also be more Canadians who have it and have not been diagnosed with it, or more Chinese who have been attributed it than have actually had it. (?)

[Lancer]

Sloww, it's confirmed to be a varient of a cold virus. You only remain immune after having a cold for a couple of weeks, then you can get the exact same virus again, or so I've heard.

So, my point is that we're dealing with a cold gone mad, but still a cold. You can get them again and again...

Speculation is that this virus survives on surfaces for up to 24 hours.

I'm impressed. This is looking like it might be...check out time for alot of us. A new world, totally changed in many ways, economic... In parts of asia people don't go out any more. This seems to be making lots of folks very sick, but killing older people. I've heard that smokers are particularly at risk.

Anyway, I find SARS to be very interesting. I've been waiting for something to come around and restore the balance to this planet, and I wonder if this is it.

[SlowwHand]

It may be a virus, but I still didn't see it as a cold.
Not that I'm a sawbones or anything.


Why can't these foreigners just keep their dread diseases to themselves?
They should have to pay some kind of import fee.

[Inverse Icarus]

it's that universal health care stuff. not many canadians are off dying in caves.

[Drake Tungsten]

It figures that the next worldwide pandemic would have to break out in Asia a few months before I move to Japan. It's all a damn conspiracy against me, I swear.

[RedFred]

Latest Health Canada Stats: 178 probable cases, 16 deaths.

Part of the issue may be the definition of 'probable' v. 'suspect' cases. There doesn't seem to be a reliable test for SARS yet so Canadian doctors may classify people who get sick with symptoms similar to SARS differently.

[Starchild]

SARS is related to the common cold in the fact that they both belong to the same family of virii called coronaviruses. Whether SARS displays the extreme mutability of it's cousin is something still to be seen.

[Dr Strangelove]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
It may be a virus, but I still didn't see it as a cold.
Not that I'm a sawbones or anything.


Why can't these foreigners just keep their dread diseases to themselves?
They should have to pay some kind of import fee.

There have been fewer cases yet in Canada. If the disease happened to hit a pocket of people who were more vulnerable (elderly, chronically ill) among a relatively small number of those afflicted the death rate would be higher. This is a potential source of error when comparing events affecting a small number of people with a larger group - random chance will have a larger effect on the smaller group.

I also seem to recall that some of the people who spread the disease from Hong Kong to Canada were health care workers, who would be in a position to spread the illness to a sicker population, i.e., people who are seeking medical care.