Thread by @IrfanDhalla

Thread: I know and admire many authors (e.g., @drbobbell, @OnyeActiveMD, @vg_to, @UofTMedDean, @trclosson, etc.) of the "balanced response" letter re: Covid-19.

But I worry about the overall tone of the letter, and I also have three specific concerns...

1. The letter says that "with ready access to health services, severe outcomes can be averted in those who do not have pre-existing risk factors."

This is misleading. Covid-19 does occasionally kill healthy people who are in the prime of their lives. nytimes.com/2020/07/06/hea…

2. The letter says that the "consequences of the public health measures" are being borne disproportionately by "those in lower income groups, Black and other racialized groups, recent immigrants and Indigenous people."

I agree. But...

...the consequences of the virus itself are also being borne disproportionately by these same groups, and the letter is quiet about that.

I would suggest we listen to people from these groups, support them, and then help champion their interests.
toronto.ctvnews.ca/family-of-psw-…

Here's a statement from Black Health Leaders on COVID-19’s impact on Black Communities in Ontario written in early April. Not surprisingly, these leaders foresaw much of what has transpired over the last 3 months allianceon.org/news/Statement…

3. The letter is silent about what countries we should look to as exemplars. Several of the authors have commented favourably on the Swedish approach, saying "it is a question of paying now or paying later."

This is now obviously wrong. nytimes.com/2020/07/07/bus…

What countries would the authors have us emulate? I know at least one of the authors is a fan of the South Korean approach. If the authors had said we should emulate their approach, it would be getting very different coverage in the media. ourworldindata.org/covid-exemplar…

There is a lot in the letter that I agree with. In particular, I strongly agree that we should "ensure that public health has the resources to conduct timely and effective testing and contract tracing." Public health also needs the resources to isolate and provide support.

So, what should we do?

If we look around the world, we can see that countries like South Korea that aim high, and properly resource a #TestTraceIsolateSupportMask, can contain Covid-19 and open up.

We can do this too in Canada. 🇨🇦