1) Evidence is emerging that in addition to Quebec, other provinces are now resuming délestage, purposely ramping down clinical activities in the #pandemic so as to not overwhelm hospitals. In this thread, I'll try to assess the potential long-term impact of délestage in Canada. 
2) During the first wave of the #pandemic, Quebec hospitals stopped screening for cancer. Promising clinical trials were halted. McGill University researchers attempted to quantify the potential impact of this form of délestage in Quebec and across Canada.
3) The researchers warned that “cancer care disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic could lead to 21,247…more cancer deaths in Canada in 2020 to 2030.” That’s likely an underestimate because that projection was made last year — before the latest resumption of délestage.
4) Still, the McGill projections do give us a glimpse of the unfolding disaster in cancer care. The chart below shows that disruptions in oncology treatment in the first waves of the #pandemic will result in 2,782 more cancer deaths in Quebec.
5) The same study, however, projects the highest number of excess cancer deaths in Ontario, 8,794, which stands to reason as it is the most populous province. But the highest relative mortality increase is projected for Manitoba at 2.9%. See below.
6) The McGill study projects the lowest relative mortality increases in New Brunswick and Quebec, both at 1%. However, these projections will probably have to be revised to take into consideration the latest délestage in Quebec and across the country.
7) The ramp down in clinical activities is also harming heart patients. I wrote about one man in the @mtlgazette recently. Canadian researchers observed in a July 2020 study that 1,252 cardiac procedures were being put off monthly in Ontario at the time. montrealgazette.com/news/local-new…
8) The researchers concluded that in addition to #COVID19 posing a higher risk of death for Canadians suffering from cardiovascular disease, there will also likely be deleterious long-term consequences for their health.
9) “These delays can further worsen their conditions, leading to the need for complex care and greater risk with interventions,” the researchers summed up in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology Open. But they stopped short of making mortality projections.
10) The bottom line is that this #pandemic is not just killing infected Canadians now. It will kill others indirectly in the future. This is something that seems to be lost on #COVID denialists. Plus, I haven't even mentioned long COVID, which deserves its own thread. The End.
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