Thread by @ClimateAudit

Three weeks ago, Ontario Science Table covid19-sciencetable.ca/wp-content/upl… challenged claims of lower Omicron severity using data from Gauteng (population 15 MM) shown below.

SciTable are supposed to be non-partisan SCIENCE advisors.

here's a comparison of actual Gauteng data up to Dec 16 (github.com/dsfsi/covid19z…). The boxes on right correspond to the excerpts shown in the SciTable figure. In full context, data shows exactly the opposite of SciTable claim. ICU and deaths had risen FAR less than previous waves

if the entire data for pandemic had been shown, together with corresponding case data, Ontario politicians and policy-makers would probably have drawn logical conclusion: that data showed Omicron as less severe. But SciTable didn't show them the full story.

and here's the Gauteng data up to yesterday (Gauteng population almost exactly same as Ontario). Cases have dropped like a stone since SciTable report; ICU leveled off; deaths remain at low level. Vax rates in S Africa much lower than Ontario.

having said that, recent data in Ontario is very discouraging. Last year at this time, only a handful of people had been vaccinated. This year, nearly everyone is fully vaccinated and large fraction boosted. Yet cases MUCH higher, hospitalizations just hit record high,

ICU levels now at levels similar to one year ago, even large spike in deaths today. It's very discouraging.