Thread by @Tinfoil_Travis

A #covid19nfld 🧵 : Less than 24h from now, The Science™️ apparently changes.

Mar 13th: Proof of 💉 to keep everyone safe. Masks mandated. Lowered capacity. Dance floors “permitted” but you must mask while dancing…

Mar 14th: No restrictions. (but 💉 Req. for work still).

Here’s the same health minister @Johnrockdoc saying in *2018* that the government cannot force people to get vaccinated “Regardless of how beneficial vaccines are to public health,” because of the Charter. Little bit of a flip-flop there, hey?

Here’s a summary of a briefing from February by @PeterCBC, in which our @PremierofNL (who’s also an MD) stated that the vax pass will remain in place if it “alters behaviour and encourages people to get boosted.” To make the “right choice.” Medicine is a one size fits all now.

For context: NL has had 76 covid deaths over the last 2 years. In the 2017 influenza season NL had 39 deaths. “The flu” has always been particularly deadly to elderly and immunocompromised in the past, just as covid is.

Our covid case fatality rate for all ages is: 0.30%…

Deaths/recoveries x 100 for a percent. 76/25,162x100=0.302%.

Now lets do influenza:

39 deaths / 873 recoveries x100=4.47%.

No that’s not a typo. CFR for flu in 2017= 4.47%. More than 10x the covid CFR.

We weren’t testing as much, but the comparative response is alarming.

Another comparison: on June 8, 2021, our total # of covid deaths was 7 for the province. But there was only 1284 recoveries (far fewer cases back then). The CFR for June 8 in NL was 0.55%. I.e- the case fatality rate has dropped, likely due to a milder variant, and high 💉 rates.

What’s my point? Parts of the province were in “alert level 4” because of 3 new cases in a pop. of 540,000 for a virus with a CFR of 0.55%. We’ve been masking children, closing schools, & segregating via 💉 status, when people <40 were NEVER at any significant risk of this virus.

Before anyone gets upset at making a claim like that, consider the fact that the CDC has released graphs showing that children had similar-or LESS- hospitalizations from covid even during the less vaccinated Delta wave than they did during previous bad flu seasons… (yellow line)

More confirmation by @Johnrockdoc about the severity for those under 50-esp. now at 95% vaxxed- so why in the hell are we continuing to mask our children in schools in NL even beyond the “dropping of all restrictions” tomorrow? Did we mask kids for the flu? #nlpoli #covid19nfld

On that note, why in the hell did we ever segregate the unvaxxed from society and jobs, especiallu now with Omicron evading 💉immunity? Given our CFR in this province, was it REALLY necessary to restrict funerals, lockdowns, mandates, constant fear, when we never did for the flu?

Furthermore, the only argument for the necessity of stringent responses to covid in retrospect is to emotionally argue: “Imagine how bad it would’ve been if we didn’t!?”

Which is 1) Not how the scientific method works. 2) NOT the least restrictive public health approach for all

Two bad flu seasons at 39 deaths each year would have totalled more than our provinces current 76 covid deaths. All deaths are tragic, but did we ever respond in any way similar to influenza which has a high CFR for the elderly and immunocompromised as well?

For example: here’s a CBC article about NL’s optimism regarding ordering many more doses of the FLU shot.

Did we segregate the 65-70% unvaccinated for influenza when NL lost 39 lives to the flu? Did we say, “You HAVE to take the flu shot or you lose your job?” #covid19nfld

Did the NL Gov pay money for Ads claiming that in order to safely play cards with others that we should have our flu shot? The guilt tripping and fear promoted from a top-down level has been infuriating to watch. Endorsement of pressured medical decisions violate informed consent

Finally, I’m happy to see a silver lining. But I’m weary moving forward that the Overton window of public health policy has been forever shifted towards lowest common denominators, and NOT finding a happy medium of risk assessment coupled importance of quality of life of all ages