THIS IS A CATCHY & ATTENTION-GRABBING TITLE

Today, the Province will likely announce what zone of the reopening framework we'll shift into as of Tuesday. Whatever is announced, though, doesn't change what we need to do. Why?

Kindly read these 14 tweets & we'll tell you. (1/14)
Fun fact: COVID-19 does not follow us on Twitter. COVID doesn't know, or particularly care, if we're in the Red or Orange zone.

The behaviours of the virus do not depend on the current ‘zone’ of public health restrictions. And, to be perfectly candid, neither should ours. (2/14)
Once upon a time we used to say #WeAreInThisTogether in our messaging. Here's the thing: we are, but we aren't. Not everyone is experiencing this pandemic the same.

Nurses, doctors, paramedics & healthcare workers have experienced things much differently than most of us. (3/14)
Some people have been home & isolated for months, while others haven't been able to stop working.

Business owners & hospitality workers have been on a rollercoaster of openings & closures.

Students, parents, teachers & school staff have had to adapt to going from online (4/14)
to in-person learning (and back again) numerous times.
And this virus has disproportionately affected some groups more than others.

But there's the thing: while our experiences of this pandemic haven't been shared, we do have a shared goal.

And we can reach it together. (5/14)
Want to ease the strain on our healthcare workers? We can avoid gatherings, only socialize in-person w/those we live with & limit our non-essential outings.

Want to help ensure that once our local businesses reopen, they stay open? We can wear masks & physically distance. (6/14)
Keeping schools open & as safe as possible? We can monitor ourselves daily and we can get tested & isolate if we have COVID symptoms (got kids? Ditto).

Helping those who are isolated or have been disproportionately affected? We must get our vaccines when our time comes. (7/14)
Speaking of segues, the vaccine rollout plan (based on the current delivery schedule) will see the general population of Ottawa begin to get their vaccines in August.

Between now and then, we'll be following our COVID-19 Vaccination Plan: ow.ly/icfy30rwpgr. (8/14)
This means 2 things: there's light at the end of this dark tunnel & we must do everything we can to keep that light bright.

No one is perfect. In fact, other than the song Tiny Dancer, perfection doesn't exist.

Yes, some of us haven't been 100% #COVIDwise every day. (9/14)
But the past is the past. This isn't a time for shaming, it's a time to recognize that we need to focus on continuing to be better today, and tomorrow, and next week, and next month, and...you get it.

Our actions matter. We know the lack of instant gratification is hard. (10/14)
It's not like you put your mask on & suddenly our active cases drop by 12. This is the marshmallow test, en masse.

It's about knowing our actions now will pay dividends later.

And with the new variants, we don't have a choice but to be as vigilant as we can, every day. (11/14)
These variants are new, but the ways to keep them at bay aren't. We know how to do it, we just need to commit to it.

If you ♥️ or RT this, do it because you're committing. Make it a sign. Your way of saying to your followers that you're on board.

And you won't be alone. (12/14)
Occasional slip-ups aside, the overwhelming majority of this community continues to follow the guidelines every single day & has been all along.

What we need to do now is commit to seeing this through to the end & ensure that we finish strong.

We know this is a lot. (13/14)
You've likely had a busy day today.

You’d probably like to lay down in sheets of linen.

But Tony Danza can't hold you closer right now.

If we all commit to doing our part, though, he'll be able to someday soon...once you’re both vaccinated, of course😉.

-OPH out. (14/14)

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More from @OttawaHealth

8 Feb
Well, this seems like a great opportunity to chat about misinformation.

As the amazing people at @ScienceUpFirst will tell you, it's important to ask questions of the things you see online. So, with that in mind, let's analyze this now famous tweet together, shall we? (1/4)
(i) using that placeholder image makes no sense. None. It just seems like a redundant amount of work to have made it, no?

(ii) it's posted via Twitter & a quick scan of our tweets shows we always use the same platform when scheduling (i.e. it was not a pre-scheduled tweet) (2/4)
(iii) we didn't delete it. We were actively liking/replying to everyone after the post went live, so we were definitely watching. If it was a mistake, surely we would've deleted it before people saw it.

If Twitter had an edit button we could've fixed it, but we digress. (3/4)
Read 4 tweets
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
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
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
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
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

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