1) The latest graph by Our World in Data shows #COVID19 deaths globally trickled to a mere dozen on May 17. Yes, that's right, only 12 such fatalities the world over. How is that possible? In this thread, I explore our rush to wipe the #pandemic from our collective consciousness.
2) Our World in Data had been a reliable source of #COVID stats. But since March 8, it's depended on data from the World Health Organization, whose information is only as accurate as the stats it collects from jurisdictions. But many countries are no longer so diligent.
3) The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center had been an excellent source of information during the #pandemic, producing a highly detailed dashboard every day. But it stopped collecting data as of March 3. Sadly, the chart below is its last update.
4) It was on January 27 that Japan announced it would formally downgrade #COVID19 as a common infectious disease, on a par with the seasonal flu. Japan's declaration would influence many jurisdictions around the world.
5) Three days later, U.S. President Joe Biden informed Congress that he would end #COVID19 as both a national emergency and a public health one on May 11.
With the emergency now lifted, the uninsured must pay out of pocket for most COVID expenses in their entirety.
6) Six days before the U.S. lifted its COVID state of emergency, the World Health Organization's director-general announced "it's with great hope that I declare #COVID19 over as a global health emergency." Most people did not focus on what Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said next.
7) "That does not mean COVID-19 is over as a global health threat," the W.H.O. chief added. In my home province, Quebec on May 18 reported 864 #COVID hospitalizations. Twenty individuals were receiving intensive care, and 35 deaths were declared in less than three weeks.
8) The pandemic severely weakened Quebec's health-care system, as it did in many other jurisdictions. The system must still cope with #COVID hospitalizations and those suffering from #LongCOVID, many of whom rightfully complain they're being gaslit by the medical establishment.
9) Meanwhile, the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes #COVID continues to mutate, as the chart by Quebec's public health institute reveals. Yet the World Health Organization has lamented that it's receiving less and less reliable information about new variants.
10) This rush to wipe the #pandemic from the public consciousness may come back to haunt humanity. There are simply too many unknown variables at play here, and the current cavalier attitude toward #COVID data doesn't help. End of thread.
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1) Author @GadSaad, who has taken an unpaid leave from Concordia University, has just written this commentary in the New York Post, headlined: "How Montreal became the antisemitism capital of North America." Here are my thoughts on this topic.
2) Obviously, it's debatable as to whether Montreal is indeed the antisemitism capital of the continent. As many Jews are painfully aware, antisemitism sadly exists everywhere. But recent events in Montreal have caused many Jews here to feel unsafe. montrealgazette.com/news/local-new…
3) A friend just sent this text: "Recently, several of my Jewish friends - lifelong Montrealers - have made the difficult decision to leave the city. They’re not leaving for better opportunities or a change of scenery, but because they and their children no longer feel safe...+"
1) BREAKING: The lengthy #COVID19 summer wave is continuing unabated in Quebec, along with other parts of North America and even around the world. Here in Quebec, it has been associated directly and indirectly with 1,100 hospitalizations for the past 12 days in a row.
2) As you can glimpse from the chart below, the #COVID testing positivity rate in Quebec was 20.9 per cent as of Aug. 11, the most recent date available. The trend line suggests the positivity rate has yet to peak.
3) Although nowhere near as fatal as it was back in 2020 (when vaccination was unavailable), #COVID this year has nonetheless been linked to 675 deaths, 38.7 per cent of which have occurred in octogenarians. But 30 Quebecers in their 50s have also died from #COVID in 2023-2024.
1) On Tuesday, the Quebec government unveiled its 2024-2025 budget, with the biggest expenditure to be made on health and social services. In this Twitter thread, I assess whether this "Health/Education Priorities" budget lives up to its hype, especially when it comes to seniors.
2) As you can see from the chart below, the lion's share of spending in the budget is for health and social services, pegged at $61.9 billion — up by 4.17% from the year before. In contrast, spending on education — so vital to Quebec's future — will rise 9.35% to $22.3 billion.
3) But as far as health and social services is concerned, Tuesday's budget may be indulging in a bit of spin. The chart below states that Quebec will spend an extra $3.7 billion over the next five years to "support a humane and effective organization of health care."
1) "The pandemic is far from over," one of the preeminent experts on #COVID19, Dr. Eric Topol, declared today, Jan. 4, 2024 — three years after the world first learned of a novel virus that was killing people in China. In this thread, I take stock of what's going on in Quebec.
2) "The pandemic is far from over, as evidenced by the rapid rise to global dominance of the JN.1 variant of SARS-CoV-2," Topol noted in a Los Angeles Times op-ed. In Quebec, nearly one in two genetic samples collected was from JN.1 as of two weeks ago. It's likely higher now.
3) "Clearly this virus variant, with its plethora of new mutations, has continued its evolution ... for infecting or reinfecting us," Topol added. Although the updated booster is considered 60% protective against hospitalization, only 17% of the Quebec population has taken it.
1) BREAKING: By every major indicator, Quebec's health-care system is now arguably the worst it's ever been. Please click on my story below on Quebec wait lists for cancer and other surgery setting record highs — again. via @mtlgazettemontrealgazette.com/news/local-new…
2) Although Quebec has made it a priority to tackle wait lists for cancer surgery, more than 4,400 oncology patients are still waiting for their operations. More than 600 are waiting longer than the medically acceptable delay of 57 days, potentially putting their health at risk.
3) Even the wait list for so-called non-urgent surgery has now swelled to nearly 164,000 people. Almost 14,000 Quebecers today have been waiting more than a year for their surgery. At a year's wait, a non-urgent surgery starts to become urgent.
1) BREAKING: Quebec, like other jurisdictions across North America, is now in the midst of a new #COVID19 resurgence — nearly 4 years into the #pandemic. In this thread, I will assess the implications of this latest wave of infections, likely driven by a new SARS-CoV-2 variant.
2) On Dec. 5, Quebec declared a total of 2,214 hospitalizations with and for #COVID. Please note this increase also reflects a change in the way Quebec's public health institute has been compiling such hospitalizations. But make no mistake: Quebec is still facing a resurgence.
3) The United States is also facing a #COVID hospitalizations resurgence, with 20,000 new admissions per week, according to preeminent expert @EricTopol. In the U.S., the JN.1 variant is becoming dominant, with wastewater levels surging with SARS-CoV-2. See Topol's tweet below.