Thread by @DonaldWelsh16

How did it come to this? A deeply misguided effort (@joyhataley) to silence @randyhillier, a MPP in the provincial legislature. This reflects poorly on the medical community. How could one do it differently in a thoughtful, educated manner. Lets consider. 1/

https://twitter.com/JoyHataley/status/1345560923734466561

First, Mr. Hillier and I don't share political perspective but we do share a respect for facts. Facts are the foundation of debate and for the development of sound policy. Ontario has no mechanism to robustly debate C19 facts as the legislature is basically shuttered. 2/

So Mr. Hillier has consequently decided to organize rallies and engage in civil disobedience. All rather normal behavior. He has an audience because leaders in the medical/political community haven't convinced the public that draconian actions are necessary. 3/

It may surprise many but the last time such draconian actions were taken were the middle ages. The plague killed half of europe. Lockdowns likely facilitated death, as after people panicked and killed their cats/dogs, rats florished and congregated indoors. 4/

Mr. Hillier tweets acknowledge the unprecedented draconian actions and expand upon concerns centered on civil liberties and the destruction of institutions that maintain the health and well being of Ontarians. Seems rather straightforward. 5/

Politicians have a rhetorical flourish but the smart ones ground themselves in facts. Mr. Hillary's tweets often highlight public health facts, such as hospitalization, death and all cause mortality. It isn't a pleasant discussion but it must be done to inform debate. 6/

Mr. Hillier displays reasonable understanding of those facts and is knowledgeable to question "cases" given the deeply flawed use of PCR. So then, let the debate begin. Question his interpretation and bring counter facts/data to the table. It isn't hard. 7/

Such a debate would be enlightening for all, especially those that support Mr. Hillier. A large number of his supporters are within the working class who have seen their livelihoods and communities dismantled over the last 10 months. 8/

Its important to present facts and context with previous years, as respiratory viruses have seasonal cycles. Data scientist do this routinely and many good examples can be found on twitter. 9/

I've provided an example from a data scientist who routinely works with these sorts of data sets. This Canada wide data is interesting as it highlights our early epidemic trend and also our questionable practices with the reporting of death. A debate for another time. 10/

Data, facts and debate are important and when placed within a common public health framework, it is highly informative. I have attached such a framework from Dr. Kulldorff, a Harvard epidemiologist. 11/

https://twitter.com/MartinKulldorff/status/1340352565481975812?s=19

He along with Sunetra Gupta (Oxford) and Jay Bhattacharya (Standford) authored the Great Barington Barington Declaration. Interesting read and it simply states that the ideas which guided public health prior to March 2020 should be used again. 12/

gbdeclaration.org

This scientifically grounded approach is what separates informative debate from propaganda. Propaganda is characterized by an absence of facts and is designed to exploit fear. It uses manipulative language/images to drive emotion and to destroy rationality. 13/

Many times, people can't visualize a propaganda campaign because they themselves are gripped by fear. As such, they actively contribute to it. This is an image from your own tweets presented without facts. 14/

It would be more appropriate to highlight the mountain of statistics surrounding the frail elderly. Respiratory virus are for many the last contributing element in a long chain of comorbities and events. It's an informative learning exercise. 15/

I encourage all to engage. As Dr. John Lee has stated from the beginning, C19 won't be remembered as a medical crisis, it will be remembered as a knowledge crisis. Excellent ground level clinicians who engage on this topic include @Origandclever and @JeanmarcBenoit. 16/

I think we can all appreciate that the Ontario gov't and our underperforming science table doesn't set a good example. Too often they engage in propaganda-like messaging. But perhaps, this is the time, the general public can set a better example. 17/

So go forth and debate with Mr. Hillier in a deep quantitative manner. He is an MPP, so he is used to it. It will be enlightening and engaging for all. End.