Aaron Derfel Profile picture
May 20, 2023 10 tweets 6 min read Read on X
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. Image
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. Image
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. Image
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. Image
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. Image
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. Image
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. Image
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. Image

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More from @Aaron_Derfel

Mar 13
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. Image
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." Image
Read 9 tweets
Jan 5
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. Image
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.
Read 10 tweets
Dec 17, 2023
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. Image
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. Image
Read 14 tweets
Dec 6, 2023
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. Image
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. Image
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. Image
Read 10 tweets
Nov 13, 2023
1) BREAKING: Jewish-owned businesses in Montreal are being targeted and vandalized with antisemitic profanity. Please click below to read my report.
via @mtlgazettemontrealgazette.com/news/local-new…
2) "Last weekend, they put swastikas on the … menus downtown and they wrote FUCK THE JEWS," a Jewish business owner told me. I have also seen a list of Jewish businesses that is circulating, provoking not only boycotts but vandalism.
3) The Gazette has decided not to publish these disturbing images, as the Jewish business owners are fearful of reprisals.
Read 4 tweets
Jun 16, 2023
1) BREAKING: A month after Japan downgraded #COVID19 to the seasonal flu, the country is now beset with a 9th wave of infections. In this thread, I will explore the persistence of the #pandemic that everyone — especially politicians — wants to forget. Image
2) First, it's worth noting that the number of #COVID hospitalizations in the nation of 125 million rose to 4,330 from 4,122 a week before. The seven-day average for the number of patients in intensive care units was 79, according to the Japan Times.
3) It appears that XBB subtypes of the SARS-CoV-2 virus are driving the latest wave of infections in Japan. Meanwhile, China has recorded a more than five-fold surge in the number of people diagnosed with COVID in hospitals since April. China is also bracing for another wave. Image
Read 7 tweets

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