The first thing that happens from a public health point of view after any event like we've had is that we understand, as much as we can from our experience, who was mostly affected, who had the most severe outcomes, and how big a problem it was all around. I think we've learned a lot. We're now analyzing much of that data, and again, I tried to summarize that in my opening remarks.
I think so far it looks like, compared to what some people feared, and certainly compared to the 1918-19 pandemic, which many of us were preparing for, overall this has been much less severe than most of us expected from a pandemic. This is not comparable to 1918 so far. It's more comparable to a bad flu season of seasonal flu, with a couple of important differences. One is a higher rate of severe disease among previously healthy people in their twenties, thirties, and forties. The other is—and this is not different by quality, it's different by quantity—a higher differential of severity between aboriginal people and non-aboriginal people. The reason I say it that way is that when we have analyzed seasonal, regular influenza, just like most infectious diseases and other injuries and other health outcomes, there is almost always a differential. That was true for seasonal influenza as well. This differential, certainly in Manitoba's experience, has been more striking, wider, and more severe.
I could speak more about what we've learned about the disease, but if you're asking me what we have learned about our plans and our effectiveness and how to get ready for the next wave, that would be another conversation, which I'd be happy to have if there's time for it.