CNA

CALGARY, Alberta: Public health measures, such as masking and physical distancing, that have been a high-profile part of the COVID-19 response for the past ...

That study reported a 50 per cent reduction in the hospital admissions for COPD following the onset of the pandemic. Even prior to the pandemic, public masking was a common practice in many Asian countries. In Canada, acute and chronic respiratory diseases are the third greatest cause of death, trailing behind only cancer and heart disease. These limitations are currently being addressed in a large-scale Albertan study of over 500,000 patients. Our analysis of nationwide admissions data revealed that hospital admissions for major respiratory illnesses dropped sharply in the year following the start of the first lockdown. Meanwhile, the decrease persisted for respiratory illnesses attributed to non-COVID-19 viruses.