Trudeau self-monitoring after staff catch COVID, again urges Canadians to “do their part”

Almost two years into the COVID-19 pandemic and Canadians are hearing a very similar message from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

In his virtual address to the nation three days before Christmas, Trudeau said no one is immune to the virus, including his own staff, as he once gain urged all Canadian to do their part over the holidays.

The Prime Minister says three people from his office and three members of his security detail have all tested positive.

“I have been taking rapid tests, so far negative, but following public health guidelines, I’m being careful about everything that I do which is part of the reason why we are virtual today,” said Trudeau on Wednesday.

Trudeau pleaded with Canadians to get their booster shots and reduce their circle social circle, saying he knows people are tired of COVID and just want it to go away.

“When you think of how tired you are, how weary you are, know that there are people more tired than you. Know that our health care workers haven’t had much of a break over the past two years.”

Trudeau added the best way to show support for the frontline workers is to help prevent Omicron from overwhelming our healthcare systems.

He says rapid COVID-19 tests are also part of the solution with about 85 million having been delivered to the provinces and territories up until this month, and another 35 million on the way in December.

“We’ve got tens and tens of millions more tests arriving in the coming weeks and into the new year,” said Trudeau. “So province and territories will have the supplies necessary to get them into peoples hands.”

The Prime Minister says he will advise everyone if he does test positive. Early in the pandemic, Trudeau’s wife Sophie tested positive for COVID, but he never caught the virus himself.

As part of Wednesday’s address, the federal government announced it was temporarily expanding eligibility for two COVID-19 benefit programs to aid those affected by capacity limits imposed in response to the spread of the Omicron variant.

Trudeau’s message was in sharp contrast to U.S. President Joe Biden’s televised message to vaccinated Americans, telling them they could safely celebrate the holidays with friends and loved ones if they are fully vaccinated, especially if they have a booster shot.

“If you are vaccinated and follow the precautions that we all know well, you should feel comfortable celebrating Christmas and the holidays as you planned it,” Biden said.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos drew a more pointed distinction, highlighting that Canada has a lower death rate from COVID-19 than the U.S.

“Canada is not the United States. And I think all of us know that very profoundly. And our countries have taken very different approaches in the fight against COVID,” said Freeland.

“I think we are aware of and proud of the sovereign choices our country makes.”

Freeland said Canada has the second-lowest mortality rate from COVID-19 among G7 countries.

Duclos went further, highlighting the comparatively high death rate of the U.S. versus Canada.

“Their death rate is three times what we have seen in Canada. That means that had we had the same death rate as we have seen in the United States, we would have had 60,000 more people dying of COVID-19 in Canada,” Duclos said.

Last week, Canada recorded its 30,000th COVID-19 death since the pandemic began in early 2020.

Biden said the arrival of vaccines means Americans are now more protected from hospitalization and death, which was not the case at the start of the pandemic in March 2020. Biden also told unvaccinated Americans to get a COVID-19 shot, saying it was their patriotic duty to do so.

“Americans have a much lower double-vaccination rate, which is certainly something that the president no doubt had on his mind as he was, you know, touting the benefits of being vaccinated,” said Trudeau.