Thread by @Protect_BC

Tune into this thread🧵for our live Tweet coverage of this afternoon's #bcpoli #COVID briefing at 1:30 PM. The province is expected to disregard the ongoing danger to unvaccinated children, immunocompromised people & health workers, and announce reduced public health protections.

We open with John Horgan, sharing encouraging words that we've done a great job so far by working together despite the fact that at least 2,764 people in BC have died due to the province implementing insufficient measures to contain the community spread of COVID in BC.

The measures we've used have been "as passive as possible", John Horgan says with pride. He is commenting on his meetings with 200 business leaders, who he says are very supportive of the NDP's approach. He does not mention listening to any experts, except for Dr. Bonnie Henry.

On to Dr. Henry, who reports that only slightly more than half (55%) of the children in BC have received their vaccines. Nevertheless, we will not delay the removal of public health measures that would help to protect unvaccinated children.

We're moving to a "long term COVID management strategy" which will download responsibility for managing risk to individuals. (Individuals will make their personal risk assessments with very little public health information to work with, and still no sign of rapid tests.)

This is the third time Dr. Henry has referenced "tools", plural, then moved on to talk only about vaccines and boosters. Now she also talks about masks and distancing potentially being needed for the coming waves, in certain places (like LTC), at certain times.

Dr. Henry claims that being vaccinated makes it "very unlikely" that COVID will result in a serious illness. This is contrary to evidence showing that even a mild respiratory phase of COVID is be followed by debilitating Long Covid experience for 10-30% of infected people.

"Individuals and organizations can assess risks and determine comfort zones in planning for changes. We expect people and organizations to go at their own pace". It may be tough to "assess risks" without even the most basic information: whether or not we are infected with COVID.

We are very relieved to hear that masks will still be required in indoor spaces. We remind readers that well fitted N95 or equivalent masks provide the best protection from infection with COVID, and are still not being provided to health care workers.

There are no more restrictions or capacity limits on gatherings or events, and it's no longer required to remain at your table in restaurants. We hope she will soon explain how masks can both be required and not required indoors at the same time.

We do have "some" protective measures still in place. Masks & vaccine cards are still required. Orders re. LTC, K-12, faith communities, and camps will be reviewed in coming months. Dr. Henry calls this an "exciting and positive" milestone, unless you are clinically vulnerable.

Minister Dix says 15,318,006 rapid tests have been received. 8,860,648 are sitting around gathering dust on a shelf somewhere, while most BC residents remain unable to access the most basic information required for assessing their personal risk: whether or not they have COVID.

Fortunately, students will be offered 5 test kits to be used by themselves and their families soon, and plans are in place to allow more citizens access to testing, beginning with seniors, but still not the public. He will have "more to say" about distribution in the coming week.

We are cautioned not to mistake people in hospital WITH COVID for people in hospital BEAUSE OF COVID. This distinction never made a lick of sense, because COVID is a vascular disease with a broad array of potentially dangerous & deadly outcomes.

On to questions: Why is BC an "outlier" in terms of vaccine cards, when other right-leaning provincial governments are doing away with them? Horgan gives a great speech about the power of community before putting on his N95 and exiting to make way for Dr. Henry for "the science".

Dr. Henry says the vaccine cards reduce the risk of community transmission. Keeping the cards in place at this time is BC's way to pack indoor events to full capacity while still having "some" risk mitigation in place.

"We are in a transition phase", with waning immunity & new variants on the way. She calls COVID a "respiratory" disease. This misunderstanding will be central to BC's pandemic approach, focused on protecting vulnerable people in "respiratory season".
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P…

Dr. Henry: "In terms of masks" with higher rates of community transmission ("and they're still really high right now"), you need more layers of protection. In March or April, mask mandates will be reviewed.

John Horgan says today's elimination of public health protections, despite the fact that community transmission is "really high right now", has absolutely nothing to do with the honking of horns. He's been watching polls & engaging with faith communities & businesses for 2 years.

He goes on to condemn the blockades occurring across the country, and in particular the violent elements amassing arms within the group, but nevertheless is going to do exactly what they want, since that was always his plan. We hope the armed convoy insurgents believe this.

Q: How are we supposed to make individual risk assessments without access to testing? A: (Dr. Henry) doesn't really answer this question. She simply repeats information offered earlier by Minister Dix, explaining where the rapid tests will be going while they're not going to you.

Q: At least 17 people died in a 3 day period. How much death and long term illness should we accept as restrictions are lifted? A: "When we look at the people who have died, it's people in LTC dying WITH Covid, not BECAUSE of Covid. Remember, it could be worse." - Dr. Henry

Dr. Henry says Covid is "not innocuous", and finally acknowledges the existence of Long Covid. She says we don't know much about the impact of Long Covid on children, but nevertheless, we are taking very few meaningful steps to protect them from infection while we figure it out.

Q: "Is it just vaccines that make you confident you won't need to go back to mandates in the fall?" A: We don't know how much protection vaccines provide. But a high level of vaccination "allowed us to weather this Omicron wave", which killed at least 17 people over the weekend.

Q: "Will we see school protections lifted before the summer?" A (Dr. Henry): The availability of vaccines for children has changed the risk profile. Expect announcements sooner rather than later. "Before grad season" is strongly implied.

Q: is 55% an acceptable level of vaccination in children to you? A (Dr. Henry): No, but it's most important to "get back to normal activities", to "normalize things", and to "make things as normal as possible". We are doing "quite a few things" to get that number up.

That's all folks, thanks for tuning in!