1/Feeling a bit reflective today. Bunch of us have been advocating for better safety measures for #bced since last May. We were attacked by our own Prov union, our own locals refused to press for science, SDs hauled teachers in, & the media belittled us for asking to science.
2/ We haven’t changed our stance since last May.
We’ve been right about:
✅Masks
✅Ventilation
✅Schools ⬆️ transmission with ⬆️community spread
✅Asymptomatic spread
✅Virus being airborne
✅Test-Trace-Isolate
✅Long-Covid
✅MIS-C
✅#COVIDzero
✅GBD in BC
3/ The Unions now realize they backed the wrong horse and hung members out to dry, the media seems to have realized how bad things really are, SDs are realizing about Long-Covid, and our govt is still MIA. They have let all BCians down. What are we going to do about them? #bcpoli
4/ Today felt like the drip, drip drip, turned in to a gusher. The dam broke and there’s no going back. The @BCNDPCaucus have a reckoning coming. They better get their house in order and make things right.
If I were @jjhorgan, I would: 1. Create an ind panel of experts from across 🇨🇦 (Epidemiologist PhD, ICU MDs, Stats, Eng, Aerosol, etc). 2. Ask Fed Govt for Emerg support 3. Ramp up testing & Sequencing 4. Use Prov, & municipal govt employees for contact tracing. #bcpoli#bced
5. Install @DrVictoriaLeeFH as the new PHO. 6. Fire P. Daly, R. Gustafson and DBH for endangering the lives of BCians and dereliction of duty. 7. Develop standards that are clear and based on science. 8. Hire new a new comms team. 9. Adopt #COVIDzero 10. Revise #bced guidelines.
11. Legislate data transparency. Tell the truth at all times to win back trust. 12. Revise vaccination schedule so that those in LTC homes get their second shot within two months. 13. Vaccinate front line workers immediately. 14. Acknowledge virus is aerosolized & adapt mask plan
3/ In Aug, the MofEd outlined safety plan in a court of law (parent court case) and argued that: 1. Masks hinder learning 2. If masks were required in schools then students would feel safe & might not stay away from school if they felt sick.
1/ I find it gobsmacking that there are journalists that can’t seem to comprehend that BC is deliberately under testing so the @bcndp can say our numbers are low— go out & shop.
The numbers testing positive are deliberately low, but there are thousands in BC with COVID. #bcpoli
2/ BC’s dashboard has claimed that we were in the 400 to 600 range for the past week.
The University of Washington projections say that we should have approx. 4266 positive cases in BC.
That means there are thousands of BCians who are positive and don’t know it. #bcpoli
In terms of projected deaths — we are doing worse than Ontario, which has 3 times the population of BC.
Meaning BC would have 51 daily deaths if we had the same population as Ontario.
BC is becoming famous for categorizing what should be COVID deaths as Excess Deaths.
At the last press conference Dr. Henry described an aerosolized virus but did not call it one. Why?
CDC says the main way COVID-19 infects is through aerosols.
The #bced plan has no protections for an aerosolized virus.
Soap & hand sanitizer do not protect against aerosols.
2/
-Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec & Nova Scotia all have mask mandates in classrooms.
-WHO, CDC & Health Canada all recommend masks in classrooms.
-There is no scientific, logical or moral reason why masks are not mandated in #bced classrooms.
-Only 1 questionable reason.
3/ -Students are not required to social distance at school, it is recommended.
-Masks are NOT required in classrooms.
-Most Sec students in FH have 2 classes that are 2.5 hours in length.
-Many classrooms with 30 desks do not allow for 1 meter of distancing between desks. #bced
All public places have a mask mandate, except schools. Masks are required in hallways but not classroom. Classes are 2.5 hrs. Students eat in hallways with no masks. 30 in classes.
@yaneerbaryam@CovidActionGrp@JoeBiden@usatodayopinion 2/ Physical distancing is recommended not required. Classes are so full, not able to distance. Cohorts in Secondary are 120. Only layer of protection is hand sanitizer, & washing hands. Guidance doesn’t recognize virus is aerosolized.Won’t give data on student/teacher infections.
@yaneerbaryam@CovidActionGrp@JoeBiden@usatodayopinion 3/ Classes have multiple students infected but if students say they are friends outside of school, it is categorized as a community transmission, to keep school transmission low.They changed the definition of an outbreak, so it’s virtually impossible for it to be labeled as such.