Yesterday, a second person in the Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) region was confirmed to have coronavirus by provincial health authorities.
Now, a new study conducted by the Angus Reid Institute finds that a third of Canadians are worried that they may contract the virus. Further, over a third of respondents (33%), report that they aren't confident in their province’s, "own front-line health services to handle a coronavirus outbreak if the problem does, indeed, worsen in this country."
Report authors note that almost all Canadians are aware of this health issue. They highlight that, "The coronavirus outbreak scores as the second highest of any issue ever asked about by the Angus Reid Institute, with just one per cent of respondents having not heard much about it."
The study also find thats that a staggering 40% of respondents are concerned about the impact the outbreak may have on their community, while 76% are concerned about the impact on the global community. Cases have been confirmed in 28 countries, though the vast majority have been concentrated in Mainland China.
Nearly half of respondents (48%) stated that they would cancel travel plans that included areas in and around China. In fact, only 8% of Canadians said that the epidemic would not affect their travel decisions.
With this in mind, seven-in-ten respondents feel that, "the threat of the coronavirus when it comes to an outbreak in Canada is largely overblown." Only three-in-ten felt the threat was real and should be taken seriously.
Since the coronavirus is reportedly more dangerous for those who are elderly, the study found that the group of Canadians who are most worried about the contracting the virus are over 65 (40%).
The study also found that 12% of Canadians are avoiding public places more than they normally would due to fears of contracting the virus. However, Canadians overall appear relatively unconcerned about spending time in these areas or on public transit at this time.
