Thread by @Aaron_Derfel

1) The latest graph by Our World in Data shows #COVID19 deaths globally trickled to a mere dozen on May 17. Yes, that's right, only 12 such fatalities the world over. How is that possible? In this thread, I explore our rush to wipe the #pandemic from our collective consciousness.

2) Our World in Data had been a reliable source of #COVID stats. But since March 8, it's depended on data from the World Health Organization, whose information is only as accurate as the stats it collects from jurisdictions. But many countries are no longer so diligent.

3) The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center had been an excellent source of information during the #pandemic, producing a highly detailed dashboard every day. But it stopped collecting data as of March 3. Sadly, the chart below is its last update.

4) It was on January 27 that Japan announced it would formally downgrade #COVID19 as a common infectious disease, on a par with the seasonal flu. Japan's declaration would influence many jurisdictions around the world.

5) Three days later, U.S. President Joe Biden informed Congress that he would end #COVID19 as both a national emergency and a public health one on May 11.
With the emergency now lifted, the uninsured must pay out of pocket for most COVID expenses in their entirety.

6) Six days before the U.S. lifted its COVID state of emergency, the World Health Organization's director-general announced "it's with great hope that I declare #COVID19 over as a global health emergency." Most people did not focus on what Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said next.

7) "That does not mean COVID-19 is over as a global health threat," the W.H.O. chief added. In my home province, Quebec on May 18 reported 864 #COVID hospitalizations. Twenty individuals were receiving intensive care, and 35 deaths were declared in less than three weeks.

8) The pandemic severely weakened Quebec's health-care system, as it did in many other jurisdictions. The system must still cope with #COVID hospitalizations and those suffering from #LongCOVID, many of whom rightfully complain they're being gaslit by the medical establishment.

9) Meanwhile, the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes #COVID continues to mutate, as the chart by Quebec's public health institute reveals. Yet the World Health Organization has lamented that it's receiving less and less reliable information about new variants.

10) This rush to wipe the #pandemic from the public consciousness may come back to haunt humanity. There are simply too many unknown variables at play here, and the current cavalier attitude toward #COVID data doesn't help. End of thread.