Thread by @_JasonChapman, THREAD: The third and fourth waves of COVID-19 will come, COVID is [...]

THREAD: The third and fourth waves of COVID-19 will come, COVID is clearly more deadly than the seasonal flu. Still, as a father of a four-year old and newborn, I firmly believe lockdowns are a cure more harmful than the disease. /1

This is going to be a highly personal string of thoughts. After an incredible conversation with a good friend, I wanted to jot down some takeaways. /2

My kiddo is four, she just started Kindergarten this fall. We have a brand new baby at home as well! But, because our newborn is so young, my oldest doesn't have a sister to play with (not quite yet anyways!). Because she attends a French school, her classmates don't nearby... /3

Because of the odd fall, we didn't really get to know any parents at her school, or her friends... there weren't any playdates. So, we don't have the ability to text parents and say, "Hey, wanna meet up for an outdoor hang!" /4

Don't get me wrong, she's been able to see a few neighbours and cousins, but since the Christmas break her time with kids her age has been really limited. And, that's starting to really take a toll. She's getting shyer around people and wanting screens more and more. /5

Now, I'm excited she gets to go back to school next week. That's going to breath new life into her. BUT, I see so many people screaming for schools to stay closed. Now's not the time, THE VARIANTS are here. A 'disaster' is on our doorstep. /6

Friends, I guess it all comes down to your lens on the world. In my world, a disaster is already here. My fun, outgoing, French-learning kid is regressing. Her French is suffering, she's getting nervous around kids and the more she spends around a screen, the more she wants. /7

Like I mentioned, we have a newborn at home. We're so blessed! This kid eats and sleeps like a champ. But man, it takes a village to raise a kid. Our village is too tiny right now. Friends and family should be streaming over to hold and hug a newborn. /8

Aunts, uncles, grandparents, friends, coworkers, our Church congregation, neighbours they should all be popping over. Unfortunately, the, "there will always be next year" saying just doesn't apply here. (it actually doesn't apply in lots of situations). /9

I have hit some truly dark places. My heart has felt like it has cramped and stopped in some moments. It has ached. It aches for my 4-year old who is lonely, for my wife who can't hand our newborn to loved ones and selfishly for me, my basement is lovely, I'm just sick of it. /10

In Toronto, we've been in some form of lockdown since the weekend of Thanksgiving. We've been shamed for walking outside with friends since November. How's that worked out? Not so well. LTC deaths skyrocketed. ICUs filled up. /11

Listen, I love life. I love people, those I know and strangers. I value our hospitals, the staff and their leaders. I love our country's elderly. But, I've watched lockdown after lockdown fail to protect our loved ones. /12

I've watched COVID-19 follow a trend very similar to the seasonal flu. No doubt, COVID is more deadly than the flu. No doubt the variants will cause this virus to continue spread. But, what I don't understand is why so many still think we can stop a virus from spreading. /13

I understand a handful of nations have brought case counts to zero. Unfortunately, we don't live in an Oceanic island. One day, Australia will open its borders again, and I have no doubt COVID will spread... it's what virus do. /14

And, I guess this brings me back to my original point: suggesting lockdowns for months and months and months moving forward just seems much more cruel than the alternative. /15

Lockdowns completely ignore every other aspect of public health. They ignore all the people of opioid overuse because they've lost their support groups. They ignore the shadow pandemic of eating disorders among kids. /16

Lockdowns ignore the widespread deaths that continue to take seniors from us in Long-Term Care Homes. They ignore the tremendous amount of depression small-business owners continue to endure. They ignore the 8% spike of domestic abuse Toronto saw in 2020. /17

Lockdowns ignore the fact the poorest, hardest-working still need to go to work so the middle-class and rich can enjoy working from home. They ignore LONG transit rides these workers have to take. They ignore the lack of paid sick days (ten isn't nearly enough). /18

Lockdowns ignore our humanity. Maybe Ontario hasn't locked down as hard as some would've liked. Well, B.C. hasn't locked down nearly as hard as Ontario. So, my question is simple: why do we think more lockdowns are the solution? Why aren't we focusing on what really matters? /19

What really matters??:
Fixing our Long-Term Care Homes (more staffing, better pay)
Twenty-five paid sick days (if you get fluid in your lungs, and work a crappy, low-paying job, you're going to need a lot more than ten days to get better). /20

For the duration of the pandemic:

Quarantine LTC homes. That doesn't mean cut them off from the world. It means paying workers a crazy amount of money to live in community for a month or two at a time, and divert all testing resources to family & friends who visit. /21

If we open up, will the virus spread more: YES. The virus will spread more. But, from my lens, the general population will fair extremely well. Will some die? YES. We live in a world of virus. Sadly, virus will take some of us sooner than we want. /22

Will we see an uptick in ICU units? YES. I'm so proud and grateful for the doctors and nurses who staff these units. It sounds like our hospital leaders have been screaming for more resources for decades. We haven't listened. We better listen moving forward. /23

Long thread, too long. Conclusion: I'm a healthy, happy EP of @am640, a proud poppa and I have the best wife ever. Even with all this: I've felt pangs of depression, talked to so many parents who have seen their kids develop anxiety, and watched grown-ups weep over lost jobs. /24

I'm begging leaders, columnists, and health officials to take a hard look at lockdowns. Are they really our best tool? COVID sucks, but the cure we've chosen, stinks even more. I can't support a policy that does so little to save, while hurting my kid and others so much. /FIN

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