Certain people in our media seem to feel it is their job to find something that the federal government is doing wrong in handling #COVID19 and broadcast it. They are looking very hard, very hard indeed. The top two complaints I have seen today are typical. 1/16
First is that the Prime Minister won't tell reporters when this self-isolation crisis will end. "Donald Trump is telling American reporters when it will end, so why won't Trudeau?" Seriously, if you are journalist, and this is your line of questioning, you should be ashamed. 2/16
Here's a little secret. Trump does not know. Among the many things Trump does not know, is when the virus will taper off. He likes to tell people he knows because he is a self-aggrandizing narcissistic sociopath. We should be glad our PM is not like Trump. 3/16
Another factor in Trump downplaying the risk of the virus and assuring people it will be over soon is that he and his party care more about the stock market than about people. Again, we should be very glad our PM is not like Trump. 4/16
Epidemiologists do not know when this pandemic will end. It is a new virus. They don't know if or how it might mutate. They cannot predict how well people will abide by the self-isolation rules. It seems that some people are not observing them at all. 5/16
globalnews.ca/news/6756925/a…
globalnews.ca/news/6756925/a…
Which brings me to the other thing I have been seeing picked at recently. Face masks. Some media people seem to be suggesting that the Canadian government should be mandating everyone to wear a face mask. They are pointing to places where they have done this. 6/16
They are saying, "look at China, look at South Korea, look at ....! They made everyone wear face masks and now they have flattened the curve! Why is our government not doing this?" There are several aspects to the answer. 7/16
The #1 priority has to be ensuring there are enough masks for medical personnel. This should be obvious. The masks that apparently seem to work are not in infinite supply. They need to be properly fitted. 8/16
Wearing the wrong mask, or an improperly fitted mask, could give people a false sense of security and lead to them taking risks they might not otherwise. Taking off a mask can add a layer of risk if it is not removed correctly. 9/16
Wearing a mask on your face can actually increase unconscious or accidental face-touching. They are not natural-feeling. They are another object that could become contaminated and then transfer the virus. 10/16
Dr. Tam has already mentioned all those points. It doesn't seem to be enough. So, here's another thought. The populations that have used face masks and flattened the curve may be considerably more compliant with government rules overall. 11/16
If they are doing all the self-isolation, distancing, hand-washing, & wearing masks, we cannot be certain that of all of those, it was the masks that made the difference. The greater likelihood is that greater compliance is the key. 12/16 #CorrelationDoesNotEqualCausation
If people do what they are being told to do, if they self-isolate, only go out when necessary, keep 2 metres' distance from others, and wash their hands thoroughly, they should be able to avoid infection. With or without face masks. That is what we ALL need to do. 13/16
If Canadians can't follow those rules, what makes these media people think they would wear face masks? People were still going to the gym in Alberta in the past week. People are having covid parties, for goodness sake! 14/16
Intentionally making people anxious about whether or not they should be wearing a mask raises the risk of panic-buying and hoarding of masks, which could leave health care staff without the equipment they need. 15/16
It's not helpful. It's actually irresponsible. In fact, both of these current popular lines of attack are unhelpful and irresponsible. Please try to do better, #cdnmedia 16/16
