Thread by @GrantRants

Good afternoon, Niagara. Here is your quick Tuesday #COVID19 data snapshot. Remember, tomorrow is Wednesday, which is when we do our weekly data deep dive. (thread(

COVID-19 Niagara: New cases per day public.flourish.studio/visualisation/… Visualised with @f_l_o_u_r_i_s_h

So that's 144 new cases confirmed today, which as you can see above, shows the 3rd is shaping up to have a greater overall volume of infections than its predecessor wave. There is also no sign the trend is waning yet.

Looking at the basic indicators, active infections is now nearly at the 2nd wave peak (1854) with 1849 cases, and more on the way.

Niagara COVID-19 Infection curve public.flourish.studio/visualisation/… Visualised with @f_l_o_u_r_i_s_h

This, again, is a sign of the greater volume of infections and the speed with which the virus is spreading, with new cases vastly outpacing recoveries. You will also note by hitting the log button on the above chart, you can see the number of ICU patients with #COVID19 locally.

You can see hospitalizations are still climbing and reaching near the 2nd wave peak. There are 71 COVID patients at @niagarahealth. The above chart also shows you that hospitalizations are happening faster than they did in wave 2.

I should say that is 71 patients as of yesterday. We are still waiting for today's @niagarahealth update on patients, ICUs and new deaths. As of right now, there have been 387 people who died with #COVID19 in Niagara.
public.flourish.studio/visualisation/…

Watch for more local updates from the team at @StCatStandard today (@GordHoward @karena_standard and @abenner1)

Before I go I wanted to make a quick note about something linked to the anti-lockdown, conspiracy theories rallies in Niagara the last two weekends.

For background:

Anti-lockdown protest organizer facing criminal charges stcatharinesstandard.ca/news/niagara-r… via @StCatStandard

I noted the other day that during the Niagara Falls protest march, a group called "The Brampton Freedom Fighters" were chanting a Qanon slogan. They were captured on video, the crowd cheered at the slogan and one of the main figures of the rally answered them with "amen."

I have gotten two sorts of messages since I posted that tweet. 1) protesters denying there is, or ever was, any kind of Qanon anything linked to their "movement" and 2) readers asking if these marches are, in the main, Qanon focused. Lets start with the second:

Are the rallies in an of themselves Qanon? No. They are certainly not Q focused. But the rallies are neck-deep in conspiracy theories and awash in disinformation about the pandemic, masks, vaccines and politics. And there is a lot there that a Qanon supporter would find familiar.

For instance, Qanon is a deranged conspiracy theory that things there is a satanic cult in positions of great power that is secretly abusing children and trying to take over the world. They generally regard the pandemic/vaccines as part of this Bond-villain level plot.

As we have reported, the speakers (including organizers and one local mayor) at local rallies claimed that the pandemic isn't real, masks are child abuse, vaccines are gene-altering bio-weapons and the entire thing, from the virus to the lockdowns, are part of a satanic agenda.

So if a person is inclined to believe the Qanon nonsense, these claims of a vast plot to control the people made at the local rallies will sound very familiar.

This may explain why, despite the claims by rally goers that there are no Q types in their ranks, that Brampton group of fellas was chanting the Q slogan "Where We Go One, We Go All".

Nor was it limited to chanting. Here are members of that group front and centre while one of the organizers, now criminally charged, speaks. Notice the slogon on their backs above the pirated Punisher skull. wwg1wga. That is the Qanon acronym/hashtag of the above slogan.

There is clearly a kaleidoscope of beliefs at these rallies, but there are core conspiracy theories (a global plot, fake pandemic, vaccines disinformation etc) that link many of them together. These are ideas that are actively promoted, at the microphone, not disavowed.

Anyway, watch for more updates today from the @StCatStandard team.

Be safe, be smart and be kind. Stand together, we'll get through this.

Get vaccinated when you can.

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