TORONTO -- Nearly one year since the World Health Organization started referring to COVID-19 as a pandemic, the daily new case numbers have lost meaning for many Canadians. On March 17, 2020, Ontario and Alberta declared states of emergency. By March 20, when B.C., Saskatchewan, New Brunswick and Manitoba also declared states of emergency, Canada had a total of 215 new cases of COVID-19, with a 7-day average of 127 cases. 11 months later, on Feb. 25, 2021, Canada added 3,094 cases with a 7-day average of 2,961. Since then, the numbers have lost meaning for many. University of Toronto psychology professor Steve Joordens says thatâs because of semantic satiation, a phenomenon in which an oft-repeated word or phrase loses its meaning.