The coronavirus now ranks as one of the most deadly diseases in Canada, according to statistics analyzed by the Star.

On average, forty people a day have succumbed to the virus since the first death was recorded in British Columbia on March 8. That number puts the virus third after cancer and heart disease in terms of daily deaths.

In total, the virus has killed 1,758 Canadians since the pandemic began, ranking it 12th on the list of most deadly diseases by year.

It’s an about-face in Canada, where infectious diseases have been largely eradicated due to vaccines or other improvements in public health, says Todd Coleman, an assistant professor with the department of health sciences at Wilfrid Laurier University.

“We’ve emerged in the last 40, 50 years to a period of largely chronic diseases, such as heart disease, cancers, diabetes” as the leading causes of death, he says, which is why public health has been focused on chronic disease prevention, such as encouraging people to quit smoking or eat healthier.

But he says, it’s a focus that didn’t take into account that new infectious diseases could emerge.

“Now we’re seeing because of the global nature of humans, the resurgence of infectious disease agents,” says Coleman. “And something that has a highly infectious nature like this, which is transmittable through the air, it is easily transmittable through our plane and travel routes.”

Coleman says he expects the virus to change the focus of public health.

“I’m banking on a lot more funding and a lot more focus going into infectious disease,” prevention in the future, he says.