EI Sickness Benefits and COVID

The COVID pandemic first struct early in 2020. By mid-2020, the full impacts were being felt in Canada by mid-year. And then by 2021, it was viewed as a crisis. With time the sense of crisis past. Going into 2025, many people regard it as over, but is it? 

There are many sources of data, and many valid perspectives that could be taken. The spreadsheets tables shown below contain data on usage of Employment Insurance Sickness Benefits. As would be expected the, then numbers rise sharply from 78 thousand per week to 92 thousand per week. 

This may seem like a lot but compared to an economy of 13,000,000 employed, it is not substantial. But on the otherhand, it does not include those who drop out completely, or who receive support for sickness by other means. 

Still it is a useful part of a bigger picture. It also includes an interesting caveat, as the recent yearly numbers appear to show that COVID is making a rebound now that precautions have been relaxed.