Thread by @nb_covid_info

I saw a 🇨🇦 MD accuse the new CCS of “monetizing COVID” and I have some things to say.
1. It’s unserious to pretend there hasn’t been remarkable wrongdoing in 🇨🇦 - ongoing - re: SARS-CoV-2. Ongoing denial of airborne transmission; access to PPE; and see my pinned 🐦re LC.

https://twitter.com/CanHealthwatch/status/1765364132398682548

As for the intentions of the people involved. Over the past 2 years I have spent countless hours in virtual meetings with many of the people working on @CanCovSoc. My kids recognize Dr. Vipond, Nancy, Cheryl. Why? We do most of this work in the evenings.

People squeeze in meetings between meal time, family time, other volunteer commitments, work shifts. Never once have I heard someone say “step 4: profit” or express any desire to make any money off of anything we do. Why do orgs need to raise money? To pay someone to work.

A major problem with Covid info in Canada (the actual info; LC, airborne, how to effectively protect yourself in evidence-based ways) is that it’s
mostly in English. This isn’t right. Francophones deserve access to the info too. But for many of us, English is our working lang.

Creating good info resources is work. It’s work that people should be compensated for. Having a nonprofit with a board, stated goals, an employee - there‘s accountability there. There‘s a process. A mechanism to be able to say, for just 1 example, this info should be in Fr/En.

And an actual way to get that work done. Pay someone for it.

Anyway, that was a bit of a diversion, but as for the people who put their time into organizing groups like this - I truly spend hours a week with these folks and others. Hours that others are sleeping, relaxing.

And none of us are looking for fame or fortune. We are concerned. We are outraged. This week marks the beginning of the 5th year of the pandemic, since it was declared. Why doesn‘t your kid’s school have clean air yet? Why hasn’t your workplace informed you about long covid?

The reality is, the existing structures and processes and institutions have somehow gone really off course with serving the public. Those of us who do this - we care. We care that people are not protected when they seek healthcare. Our 🏥 in NB still use droplet/contact for C19.

We care that people develop long COVID, try to get help, and the healthcare systems knows almost nothing about it. That there are 0 approved treatments. That even the HCW who WANT to help don’t know where to go for info or resources. That they may HARM w exercise therapy!

Oh, and we care about that pesky little detail that PHAC and the office of the chief science officer warned every single province directly over 30 times about the health and economic consequences of long COVID, and the provinces seemingly all decided to IGNORE this every time.

All that info - in all their own words - is in the freedom of info request in my pinned tweet. We’ve been trying to get this information out to media and the public since November 2022. No national outlet has reported on this incredible story. Why, I wonder?

So if you‘re worried about monetization - about grift - honest to goodness are the handful of people who have freely given of their time to try to solve these problems and shed light on them the issue?

The reality is that:
Our healthcare system (hospitals, paramedics, primary care, etc)
and
Our own personal health - quality of life, our vascular systems, our life expectancy -
are all being used to *subsidize* short-term profit in many industries.

We are in healthcare debt. We are in health debt. We are taking on health costs that are unsustainable. So that travel, tourism, restaurants, bars, professional sports, sports entertainment, conferences, oil and gas, and many other industries can make money.

The population is being harmed. You can’t deny that it’s a huge problem that PHAC and every CMOH knew about long-term consequences of infection since 2020 and generally *never mentioned this to the public or other government departments.*

You can’t deny that it’s a problem that hospitals are using droplet/contact precautions for an airborne disease.

Here’s a glimpse into how much of a problem.
- we had to FOI for this
- it’s the only 🇨🇦 data I’m aware of
- why is that? hmm.

https://twitter.com/PoPNB_kindness/status/1704179236439769209

Covid is the 3rd leading cause of death in Canada. So why aren’t Canadian hospital reporting on healthcare-acquired infections? They clearly lead to many deaths. Why on earth wouldn’t we want to acknowledge and SOLVE this deadly problem? Why might that be?

It’s 7am. I just rolled over in my kid’s bed onto a bagel from yesterday morning. I’m surrounded by stuffed animals. I should be enjoying my kids’ childhood. Instead I’m balancing that with voluntarily fighting government-perpetrated crimes against the public.

Luckily this is the kid who hates butter so it’s a dry bagel; I’m not starting my day covered in butter.

Anyway. This takes a heck of a lot of time, effort, and heart. That is not compensated. Yet CMOHs and hospital leadership make $300,000+ a year while ignoring airborne & LC.

Who is actually monetizing Covid? It‘s sure as 🦭not the beauties behind CCS.