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Canada has shrunk as a nation. Our minds dulled by relentless propaganda, uninspiring leaders, a lazy media and an absent academic class. Those aren't my words but of a colleague travelling to his birth country with decidedly less resources. They were struck by the contrast. 1/
C19, a rather standard albeit slightly more virulent respiratory virus,has brought a nation to its knees. Panic and fear runs amuck and simple statistics fail to penetrate the collective consciousness. 2/
C19 strikes the frail and the vulnerable which was utterly predictable. Our response has been to ignore the frail, then shutter society and prevent kids from going to school and tobogganing. The logic is opaque to any reasonable citizen so where did it come from? 3/
It arose, from a not so fringe subset of the public health community with sway in federal circles and which populate the Ontario Science Panel. Fueled by anodyne theory and quack modeling, they pushed a dangerous social isolation experiment on unsuspecting Ontarians. 4/
Media and politicans supported this flight into fantasy land, perhaps thinking that the idea made so little sense, it must be right. This experiment has failed miserably. The citizenry is now stuck with a dysfunctional society crippled by meaningless regulation. 5/
Society must now dig out and the first order of business is simple. The Ontario science panel must be disbanded, repopulated and then given the mandate of returning Ontario to normal. It's naive to think that those that brought us this mess will lead us out. 6/
Ontario has a rich community of clinicians, scientists and engaged citizens well versed in standard public health principles. Engage them and build a focused plan centered on ground level reality, not aloft theory from obscure medical journals. 7/
Many things need to be considered but the top three are:
1) Improved messaging. Be honest and concrete. End the fear narrative.
2) Kids in school full time with full extra curricular activities.
3) Businesses and cultural events reestablished quickly. 8/
1) Improved messaging. Be honest and concrete. End the fear narrative.
2) Kids in school full time with full extra curricular activities.
3) Businesses and cultural events reestablished quickly. 8/
The public health community should adhere of its standard operating principle of minimal intervention in society. Every intervention should be grounded in evidence based medicine and don't over sell. Show concern, humility, intellect and most importantly discipline. 9/
And when this sad chapter of Canadian history comes to an end, the public health community should lead the charge for a full Royal commission. This was an epic disaster that should never be repeated. Serious lessons need to be learned. End/
