Photo shows impact of pandemic on Canadian healthcare worker

11,455 people have died from coronavirus in Canada so far.

That number is expected to grow as active cases surge across the country, with 54,999 of Canada’s 330,503 total cases remaining active as of Monday, November 23.

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While the active COVID-19 numbers may begin to feel like nothing more than statistics as the pandemic continues after over eight months, Canada’s healthcare workers bear witness to every hospitalization and every ICU death.

Alberta Health Services showed the heartbreaking impact this has on frontline workers in a photo posted to their Twitter account on November 20.

The photo, according to the tweet, shows Alberta ICU physician Dr. Simon Demers-Marcil calling a family to tell them that a loved one has died.

As of Friday, 462 people had died of COVID-19 in Alberta. In this picture, ICU physician Dr. Simon Demers-Marcil calls a family to tell them a loved one died of COVID-19. Help prevent the spread of #COVID19ab by following all public health measures: https://t.co/C0V22rhMrD pic.twitter.com/EuVvcfV1Jh

— Alberta Health Services (@AHS_media) November 21, 2020

The death was just one of 462 for the province and was enough to bring Demers-Marcil to his knees.

Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, touched on the deadliness of COVID-19 in a press conference held earlier that week.

“This is deadly serious. I have asked for kindness, but I also ask for firmness. The need to control our spread and protect our health system is why I ask everyone, anywhere in the province, to abide by all public health measures.”

Canada’s current coronavirus death rate is 30 per 100,000 population. According to the Government of Canada, the virus has been deadliest in Quebec at 80 deaths per 100,000 population.