What we know about COVID-19 today and what you can learn with a few clicks

It has long been known that older Canadians and Canadians with underlying health conditions are among the most susceptible to die from COVID-19. Recent studies reveal, however, that the likelihood of dying from COVID-19 goes well beyond simply looking at the age and health of Canadians, as it can also be associated with their type of residence, income, ethnicity and gender, among other factors.

The pandemic is ongoing, and the COVID-19 virus is still evolving. Looking at the individual characteristics of Canadians who died during early waves of the pandemic can help us better prepare for action by understanding who may be most susceptible to adverse outcomes.

By tapping into existing data sources and working closely with the Public Health Agency of Canada, we know a great deal about the profile of Canadians who died of COVID-19 during the first year of the pandemic who were not living in an extended care facility or a retirement home.

Lower-income Canadians were more likely to die of COVID-19 than higher-income Canadians

Canadians living in low-income households were 1.3 times more likely to die of COVID-19 than those not living in low-income households. This aligns with another analysis using 2020 Vital Statistics data, which showed that mortality rates due to COVID-19 in Canada were 1.7 times higher for those living in neighborhoods with the lowest income compared with those living in the richest neighbourhoods. The association between low income and COVID-19 mortality could be due to multiple factors. One might be that more low-income households work in occupations that often require increased contact with the public, such as sales, service and recreation.

Canadians living in apartments were twice as likely to die of COVID-19 than those living in single detached homes

The type of dwelling a person lived in was also found to be associated with COVID-19 mortality. Canadians living in duplexes and apartments during the first year of the pandemic were approximately twice as likely to die of COVID-19 than those living in a single-detached home. There are several potential reasons for these patterns. For example, living in multi-residential buildings like apartments could increase exposure to COVID-19 due to frequent close contact with others in high-traffic areas, like lobbies and elevators. Apartment dwellers are more likely to be renters than single-detached-home residents. Renters experience higher rates of household crowding, which can exacerbate COVID-19 transmission. These inequalities might be related to underlying social conditions.

When looking at type of dwelling and low-income status combined, COVID-19 mortality rates among those living in a detached house, semi-detached house, row house or duplex did not significantly differ based on their low-income status. Canadians living with low income and in an apartment in a multi-story building had significantly higher COVID-19 mortality rates than those living in apartments who were not low-income. This shows how income and socioeconomic status can shape differences in risk for those living in apartments.

Ethnocultural background and gender are also factors relevant to COVID-19 mortality rates

Another way to look at patterns of COVID-19 mortality is by looking at rates occurring within areas or neighbourhoods and then exploring the characteristics of the population living in that area.

Data showed that Canadians living in neighbourhoods with a higher ethnocultural mix, lower income and in large urban centres had higher mortality rates than those living in other neighbourhoods.

Overall, men were more likely to die of COVID-19 than women. The magnitude of the difference between men and women was larger in neighbourhoods with lower income and higher ethnocultural mix, including concentration of individuals who recently immigrated or were born outside of Canada, who were designated as racialized groups, or were not proficient in either official language.

Further details about the different characteristic profiles of those that caught COVID-19 and died from the virus can be found in the full report.

New website helps Canadians better understand the risk factors associated with COVID-19 deaths

To help Canadians better understand the risk factors associated with COVID-19 mortality, the Public Health Agency of Canada and Statistics Canada have created an easy-to-use interactive website.

The website provides information on the characteristics of Canadians who died of COVID-19 during the first year of the pandemic—including where they lived, their income, their gender and more—along with age-standardized COVID-19 mortality rates. Standardizing the rates by age is important because most of those who died from COVID-19 were seniors.

With a few simple clicks, you can see which groups of Canadians were most vulnerable to dying of COVID-19 during the first year of the pandemic.

Note that the increased risk of COVID-19 infection, hospitalization and, ultimately, mortality is driven by a combination of factors, including public contact, geographic location, public health restriction compliance and many other factors not available in this analysis.