The Canadian Institute for Health Information estimates that the first three waves of the COVID-19 pandemic pushed medical costs in Canada up almost one billion dollars, and that doesn’t include Quebec.
The Institute says the average cost of treating a COVID-19 patient average more than 23-thousand dollars, four times more than someone suffering from influenza.
For those in intensive care, the average price tag for care is 50-thousand dollars for coronavirus patients, six times higher than that of someone who’s suffered a heart attack.
All these numbers don’t include the cost of doctors who are treating the patients.
The Institute says figures from the fourth wave, which began in the spring, should be available in December.