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@OttawaHealth

28 Jan

🎶SCHOOOLLLS OUT -- NOT SO FAST, ALICE COOPER!

So, schools are opening. Is this a good thing or a risky thing? Short answer: Yes.

Long answer: read these 15 tweets (sorry)

Schools aren't opening because "things are great". Literally nothing about this is cause to relax. (1/15)

It’s quite the opposite, actually. Simply put: schools are opening because the risks and impacts of keeping schools closed far outweigh those of opening them.

Remember: just as peace is more than the absence of war, good public health is more than the absence of disease. (2/15)

Make no mistake: there is no such thing as a risk-free activity. We once sprained a finger whilst typing a tweet (true story).

But like we've said before, public health is about harm reduction. It's a pillar of our work. Our role is to help you identify and balance risks. (3/15)

Read 15 tweets

Ottawa Public Health

@OttawaHealth

11 Jan

HINDSIGHT IS 20/20, BUT 2020 SUCKED

Let's discuss...in 11 tweets

First & foremost: COVID levels in Ottawa are trending at the highest we've seen since this all started. We're now deeply in the Red level. We are once again in a crisis, & we don't use that word lightly. (1/11)

Our local healthcare system is again nearing its capacity. And remember: the people working in these healthcare settings have been at this for 10 long months. They need us as much as we need them.

We must bring this back. There isn't a choice when lives are on the line. (2/11)

The provincial shutdown remains in effect. Whether or not further restrictions are announced tomorrow doesn't change the fact all of us must act NOW. Or, like, 2 weeks ago. But we haven’t mastered time travel. Or edit buttons. Yet.

Do you have plans to gather w/friends (3/11)

Read 11 tweets

Ottawa Public Health

@OttawaHealth

31 Dec 20

PLEASE READ THIS.

Our dashboard has updated with today's cases. The number reported is different than what the Province reported earlier. There are reasons for this...involving databases, reporting methods, data verification at local level, etc.

But we must look deeper. (1/5)

The day-by-day case counts aren't what we need to focus on. It's the trends that matter. And ours are trending up. All of the data indicates that. And that's not good.

Many of you will likely say "but you wanted a shorter shutdown". Indeed we did. And like we always do, (2/5)

we based it on the data available at the time. But the data has since changed, & not for the better. We know the info changes quickly & that can be frustrating. We hear you.

We're sorry for the data roller-coaster. It's the inevitable result of an ever-changing situation. (3/5)

Read 5 tweets

Ottawa Public Health

@OttawaHealth

4 Dec 20

SEX, DRUGS & SANTA CLAUS

It's Friday, March 278th, 2020, and this is the longest thread we've ever written. Let that sink in.

So, we need to talk about how we're going to spend our holidays. Before we get into it, let's pause to appreciate being able to have this talk. (1/13)

We should be proud of our efforts that got us here. But we must stay the course. The winds can quickly change if we let our guard down.

We'll still celebrate the holidays...no one is taking that away from us. It'll just be different than normal. So let's chat about that. (2/13)

You've likely heard the term 'harm reduction' before. It's a pillar of public health based on reducing harms while still respecting autonomy. Evidence shows that just telling people to avoid certain things can be futile, so this approach guides you on being safer about it. (3/13)

Read 13 tweets

Ottawa Public Health

@OttawaHealth

30 Oct 20

PIE CHARTS, OUTBREAKS & FRUSTRATION: A THREAD

Yesterday, the province presented data about sources of COVID-19 outbreaks in Ottawa. That data, notably the pie charts, caused some confusion and we understand your frustrations.

Perhaps we can clear things up a smidgen? (1/11)

In a pandemic, it's even more vital that you get clear, concise info to help you understand the “why” behind the guidance that is being provided. Many of you are currently frustrated & know that we understand. Sometimes the data can be overwhelming, and we'd like to help. (2/11)

Important note: outbreaks are part of the picture, but not all. Of our nearly 7000 lab-confirmed cases of COVID to date (the real number is much higher as not everyone gets tested), just over 2150 came from confirmed outbreaks (a little over 30%).

But what are outbreaks? (3/11)

Read 11 tweets

Ottawa Public Health

@OttawaHealth

2 Oct 20

Threads were intended for major shifts. Things that couldn't be explained in 1 tweet. We'd planned to use one every 6-7 weeks. But this is our third thread in a month. And we're writing this one because we've hit a critical point. We'll get to that, but first let's chat.

(1/10)

@edyong209

It would've been simpler to work in physics. "Hey, does gravity exist?"...drops something..."yup! Case closed!"

But public health during a pandemic isn't like that. A piece by @edyong209 in @TheAtlantic way back in April put it perfectly. Quoting Harvard's Bill Hanage, he (2/10)

summed it up as: “We’re trying to build the plane while we’re flying it.”

The relentless flow of new information hasn't slowed in 7 months. And we've endeavored to make the best decisions we could based on the best information we had at the time. From your perspective, it (3/10)

Read 10 tweets

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