As of Friday, COVID-19 has killed more Canadians than SARS did in 2003.

Winnipeg is home to the only Level 4 lab in Canada and it's the battleground when it comes to the fight against infectious diseases and deadly viruses like COVID-19.

Some strategies are proving more effective than others in containing the pandemic.

Ontario stockpiled some 55 million N95 masks and other medical equipment after the SARS epidemic. Officials have confirmed that the masks in the stockpile have passed their expiration date.

Experts say that Canada has all of the necessities for widespread disease outbreak, but hospital overcrowding remains a concern.

Hubei, the center of the outbreak, has adopted a revised diagnosis and treatment plan aimed at accelerating the identification and treatment of patients.

The development is prompting worried comparisons with the deadly SARS pandemic of 17 years ago.

Dr. Susy Hota, an expert on infectious disease prevention who teaches at the University of Toronto medical school, said policies are in place to protect those working in the health-care sector from illness.

Humber River Hospital, which opened in 2015, was built after the SARS epidemic, and the viral outbreak had a major impact on the way the hospital was designed.

Four health care experts gathered on campus to discuss the coronavirus and what lessons were learned from the SARS.