IMPORTANT NOTICE: As of January 1st, 2023, COVID-19 contact tracing assistance has ceased. Thank you for your continued interest.
Statistics Canada expertise in demand
From July 2020 to January 2023, Statistics Canada provided continuous assistance in COVID-19 contact tracing efforts at both the federal and provincial levels. These critical efforts benefited from Statistics Canada's expertise and interviewing competencies, as well as its dedicated staff.
Contact tracing is the process of getting in touch with people who may have been exposed to the virus and making sure they are taking steps to control its spread. By being properly informed of possible infection, individuals can then quarantine and monitor their potential symptoms as needed. This helps ensure they received the necessary care and treatment while preventing further transmission.
Contact tracing activities are led by the provinces and territories. However, since the federal government also has fully equipped resources to do this work, it offered to support provinces and territories as needed.
The following table demonstrates the total volume of calls completed each month, from July 2020 to December 2022, by Statistics Canada for contact tracing on behalf of provincial and federal health authorities.
Description – Total calls made for contact tracing each month
| Date | Total calls completed | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul-20 | 1,783 | ||||||||||
| Aug-20 | 4,610 | ||||||||||
| Sep-20 | 25,423 | ||||||||||
| Oct-20 | 42,390 | ||||||||||
| Nov-20 | 72,120 | ||||||||||
| Dec-20 | 107,975 | ||||||||||
| Jan-21 | 113,131 | ||||||||||
| Feb-21 | 115,841 | ||||||||||
| Mar-21 | 238,116 | ||||||||||
| Apr-21 | 202,393 | ||||||||||
| May-21 | 198,812 | ||||||||||
| Jun-21 | 148,460 | ||||||||||
| Jul-21 | 106,151 | ||||||||||
| Aug-21 | 128,975 | ||||||||||
| Sep-21 | 189,429 | ||||||||||
| Oct-21 | 209,016 | ||||||||||
| Nov-21 | 189,512 | ||||||||||
| Dec-21 | 172,734 | ||||||||||
| Jan22 | 115,049 | ||||||||||
| Feb-22 | 82,419 | ||||||||||
| Mar-22 | 93,818 | ||||||||||
| Apr-22 | 68,897 | ||||||||||
| May-22 | 50,871 | ||||||||||
|
Jun-22 |
51,399 | ||||||||||
| Jul-22 | 74,601 | ||||||||||
| Aug-22 | 70,140 | ||||||||||
| Sep-22 | 44,349 | ||||||||||
| Oct-22 | 3,227 | ||||||||||
| Nov-22 | 2,261 | ||||||||||
| Dec-22 | 927 | ||||||||||
| Total | 2,924,829 | ||||||||||
| Source: Statistics Canada, Contact Tracing | |||||||||||
Statistics Canada actively helped health agencies, researchers, and front-line practitioners by providing a variety of tools, data, and expertise to help manage the pandemic. These efforts included providing data standards, technical infrastructure and systems support to better track and understand the number of cases. Statistics Canada also helped measure the need for personal protective equipment, as well as the social and economic impacts of the pandemic on vulnerable segments of the Canadian population.
Throughout the process, Statistics Canada continuously adhered to strict privacy and confidentiality measures. It also kept the Office of the Privacy Commissioner fully informed of its approach and up to date on specific activities.
Statistics Canada is committed to helping Canadians remain safe and healthy by using its data and expertise responsibly, in a fully transparent manner.
Any questions or concerns can be sent to infostats@statcan.gc.ca.