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Tracy Casavant Oh, BASc (Chml), MES Profile picture
Tracy Casavant Oh, BASc (Chml), MES
@OhCasavant
Always do the right thing, even if it's the hard thing. #COVIDisAirborne. #SafeSchools. #CircularEconomy #BioEconomy - intersections where I can find them!
Sep 26 • 11 tweets • 4 min read
1/ Well, some #bced absence rate data was sent my way, and, even with some rough crunching, holy 💩!

❌hybrid immunity
❌schools are safe
❌kids were always this sick

Here's total fall (Sep-Dec 2022) absence rates compared to 2019. Image 2/ Let's look again. Remember, this is AFTER seroprevalence showed all the kids were infected with COVID. And AFTER the huge Omicron 1 wave that peaked early Jan 2022.

"We aren't seeing..." my 🫏.

Bonnie Henry, Adrian Dix, Rachna Singh knew how sick kids were.

#bced #bcpoli Image
Sep 5 • 15 tweets • 7 min read
1/ DYK that under the BC Workers' Compensation Act (under which the BC Occupational Health & Safety Reg falls), government workplaces like hospitals or schools are NOT EXEMPT from @WorkSafeBC regulations?

Workers Compensation Act ()
gov.bc.ca
bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document…
Image 2/ DYK that @WorksafeBC is hard-wired in legislation to require an Engineering Firm Permit to Practice, and so is bound to follow @EngGeoBC Code of Ethics:

Sep 3 • 19 tweets • 6 min read
1/ NEW! Guidance for HVAC Systems in BC Schools
Aug 9, 2024


Actually references @ashraenews 241 🧐

#bced #bcpoli #COVIDisAirborne www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/edu…
Image 2/ 2.1.2.3 ASHRAE Standard 241-2023 “Control of Infectious Aerosols”. ...requirements of how ventilation systems will need to operate during any future “Infection Risk Management Mode” (“IRMM”)". As @joeyfox85 noted, it should be ALWAYS: itsairborne.com/ashrae-241-alw…
2.1.2.3 ASHRAE Standard 241-2023 “Control of Infectious Aerosols”. This is a new standard, issued in 2023, with requirements of how ventilation systems will need to operate during any future “Infection Risk Management Mode” (“IRMM”), although the standard indicates it, in itself does not define when IRMM is initiated. Page 8 of 24 It is assumed one or more of public health authorities or other regulatory bodies will determine an appropriate time when IRMM is required. An example would be another occurrence of a public health emergency similar to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
May 29 • 23 tweets • 9 min read
1/ For years (oh, god, it has been years) every request for scientifically & ethically sound COVID action has been met with denial and "We follow Bonnie Henry."

Now, I was taught that even the Queen herself (now King) could not direct a P.Eng to abandon ethics.

So ...

🧵 2/ @PHSAofBC runs @CDCofBC. BC CDC guidance is ref'd everywhere. So, I asked CEO.

"...help me to understand the legal roles and responsibilities for healthcare PPE decisions in BC? It's unclear when one considers PHO, PHSA itself, BCCDC...PicNet, and Worksafe BC." Dear Dr Byres: Hospital workers in patient contact roles are not currently mandated to wear N95 respirators, the appropriate PPE for a bioaerosol hazard such as COVID. The relevant national standard (CAN/CSA-Z94.4-18) requires N95 respirators be issued to, and worn by, all workers in healthcare environments where COVID may be present. Can you please help me to understand the legal roles and responsibilities for healthcare PPE decisions in BC? It's unclear when one considers PHO, PHSA itself, BCCDC (which is only a program of PHSA, not a separate legal entity) each health authority (which do...
May 8 • 21 tweets • 10 min read
1/ Is this sufficient evidence of willful negligence? Were healthcare workers in BC, across Canada, around the world?

A chronological walk through some evidence.

Feb 2020
Unions request airborne protection.
@govcanhealth & IPAC /ID gang say not needed.


Image 2/ Mar 2020.

Health Services Association of BC union (@hsabc) presents report from
Dr. John H. Murphy
BSc MHSc MBA PhD ROH CIH (🔥)
Principal - REA Group
Adjunct Professor - Occupational & Environmental Health, University of Toronto DLSPH

hsabc.org/sites/default/…
The first page of the linked report, showing the date as Mar 19, 2020. It was addressed to President of HSABC.
Apr 7 • 17 tweets • 6 min read
🧵 Is there hybrid immunity for measles like for COVID? If so, should that be a public health goal?

Answer from Dr Mansour Haeryfur, President, Canadian Society for Immunology

*Replying in a personal capacity, not on behalf of CSI or UWO From: Mansour Haeryfar <mansour.haeryfar@schulich.uwo.c a> Sent: Saturday, March 9, 2024 7:09:20 AM To: tracycasavant@gmail.com <tracycasavant@gmail.com> Cc: Prabhjot Kaur Sohal <psohal5@uwo.ca>; Cynthia Fazio <cynthia.fazio@uwo.ca>; April Kemick <akemick@uwo.ca> Subject: RE: CSI position on Measles Hybrid Immunity This reflects my perspective and is not an articulation of official Westen University policy (or that of the Canadian Society for Immunology) on issues being addressed. b. Measles & COVID hybrid immunity

"The goal for measles should be herd (population) immunity through vaccination, not breakthrough infections for several reasons:" Image
Apr 5 • 10 tweets • 5 min read
1/ So, I got curious about hybrid immunity, which seems to have been discovered only for SARS-CoV-2 (COVID).

I asked a bunch of experts - can we acquire measles hybrid immunity? If so, is that then a good public health goal?

🧵 2/ Text of my inquiry (1)

I understand that two doses of the measles vaccine are very effective; in fact, even one dose seems fairly protective. Nonetheless, the US CDC indicates about “3 out of 100 people with two doses of MMR vaccine will get measles if exposed to the virus”,
Mar 12 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
1/ NEW from an excellent team inc @DavidElfstrom!

COVID-19 outbreak at a residential apartment building in Northern Ontario, Canada

#COVIDisAirborne

cambridge.org/core/journals/… 2/ "A professional engineer assessed the building’s HVAC systems. Whole genome sequencing and an in-depth genomic analysis were performed. Forty-five outbreak confirmed cases were identified."
cambridge.org/core/services/…
Jan 27, 2023 • 18 tweets • 7 min read
So, if VSB doesn't ref the Ventilation Guidance developed by Min of Ed Ventilation Technical Advisory Panel, what does it reference?

This thread will provide a quick overview of the, um, ecosystem of references shown below: image showing which how doc... VSB Ventilation Page
vsb.bc.ca/page/5017/vent…

Refers to
“MERV-13 as recommended by Min of Ed”
VCH: FAQ on Ventilation and Portable Air Cleaners - Jan 12, 2022
COVID-19 Updates page (which refs VSB Communicable Disease Plan) Header from ventilation page
Jan 27, 2023 • 8 tweets • 4 min read
1/ I submitted an FOI request to BC Ministry of Education for documents related to the Ventilation Technical Advisory Panel (VTAP) From 9/1/2021 To 8/31/2022.

Response is 333 pp! I will slowly post results & thread the threads here. We are all volunteers wading through this... Image 2/ The FOI package included a scanned black & white version of the Min of Ed HVAC Guidance (the Aug 8 version. The version below was updated Dec 13, 2022 🧐

www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/edu…
Jan 24, 2023 • 4 tweets • 3 min read
As of today, @WorkSafeBC has allowed 15,027 #LongCovid claims. FIFTEEN THOUSAND.

This excludes more than 2,000 disallowed claims, and, of course, thousands of Long COVID cases, including in children, not linkable to workplace infection.

#bced #bcpoli Image The Healthcare & Social Services and Education sectors are by far responsible for most of the claims.

Guess what? There is no way in hell workers are getting infected in healthcare & education workplaces, but the public- inc babies & kids, seniors, immunocompromised - are not 🤬 Image
Dec 21, 2022 • 13 tweets • 10 min read
1/ Since medical establishment won't come & collect its grifters, I'm wondering it there is a consumer fraud angle we can leverage?

It should be illegal to claim that medical masks provide the same protection as respirators?

@PPEtoheros @BarryHunt008 @CSA_Group @GovCanHealth 2/ Here's @GovCanHealth on med masks:

🚨🚨🚨
Unlike FFRs, medical masks are looser in fit...
➡️do not provide same level of particulate filtration.⬅️

canada.ca/en/health-cana… Image
Dec 6, 2022 • 18 tweets • 4 min read
URGENT CALL FOR BC HUMAN RIGHTS INQUIRY

I'm submitting a letter today calling on @humanrights4BC Commissioner @KasariGovender to launch an immediate inquiry into the widespread discrimination of British Columbians.

Join the call by signing petition:

chng.it/QTMwZ4hdCJ We, the undersigned residents of the Prov of British Columbia, respectfully request that BC Human Rights Commissioner launch an immediate inquiry into discrimination in accommodation, service & facility against many BCians due to their physical or mental disability or age.
Nov 28, 2022 • 19 tweets • 9 min read
Worried about the environment? WEAR A MASK.

What? But most are disposable & generate waste!

I assure you, wearing a mask leads to less waste than spreading COVID / Flu / RSV.

A thread, inspired by some infectious disease specialists.

/1 You should not be shocked to learn that North American hospitals generate more waste per bed than anywhere else in world.🥇

One recent study found the average waste generated per hospital stay in North America is a staggering

4.42 kg / bed / day.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35364785/

/2
Nov 16, 2022 • 10 tweets • 3 min read
I received a speaking invitation today. I had to decline. Here is my response:

#BringBackMasks #Ethics #COVIDisAirborne #LongCOVID #MentalHealth #HumanRights

🧵 2/ Thank you very much for the invitation. Unfortunately, I am off work for the foreseeable future to the failure of every institution to stand up to public health and put measures in place to reduce COVID-19 transmission, which is proven to transmit via aerosols (airborne).
Sep 27, 2022 • 17 tweets • 7 min read
1/ DYK regulations governing individuals performing regulated engineering work also apply to some firms?

Engineers & Geoscientists of BC (EGBC) regulates Individual and FIRM Permits to Practice.

This 🧵looks at regulated BC Engineering Firms.

#bced #bcpoli #COVIDisAirborne 2/ The ability to require some Firms to hold an EGBC Permit to Practice stems from the Professional Governance Act:

bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document…

A Firm can be a government entity or what we normally think of as 'companies'. Firm definition section of ...
Sep 14, 2022 • 21 tweets • 9 min read
1/ Well, here is everything I can share with you regarding my complaint to Engineers & Geoscientists of BC (EGBC) against the Vancouver School Board (VSB).

Thank you to all who helped with legal fees. I will post the final accounting as soon as I receive invoice!

Here goes! 2/ Important background part 1: Building engineering is a regulated practice in BC.

#COVIDisAirborne #bced #bcpoli

Sep 4, 2022 • 4 tweets • 3 min read
Here is the video of this interview by @AlissaMThibault w/ @SoniaFurstenau (🏆), teacher @jheighton3, and me - not-anxious-but-frustrated parent.

I applaud #bced taking some action as #COVIDisAirborne . But it's amateur hour. The #bced safety plan that supposedly 'meets @ashraenews' doesn't even clear the pre-requisite bar!

Perhaps an objective could be fewer hospitalizations than last school year, when 679 kids were hospitalized from Sep 4 to Jul 2?!

Sep 3, 2022 • 9 tweets • 5 min read
1/ I am livid.

#COVIDisAirborne. Washing our hands will not help. Mask 'choice' is unscientific - that's not how aerosols work. Mask 'choice' is ableist bs that endangers our high risk family.

Shame @VSB39 for propping up this dangerous nonsense & abdicating your duty of care. 2/ "Staff will continue to remind students of importance of regular hand washing/hand sanitizing and of coughing/sneezing into their elbow or a tissue. We will continue to ensure hand sanitizer is available."
This is NOT going to protect my kids from COVID. It's AIRBORNE. #bced
Sep 2, 2022 • 13 tweets • 4 min read
This post captured my (& many others) frustration. The masks-dont-work crowd feels like arguing with flat-earthers. @CPita3 is right - filters are everywhere!

It occurred to me that, besides ideology, maybe issue is people get solid, liquid, gas BUT don't grasp fluids. Short🧵 "In physics, a fluid is a liquid, gas, or other material that continuously deforms under an applied shear stress, or external force. They have zero shear modulus, or ... are substances which cannot resist any shear force applied to them." Wikipedia

Air moves like a fluid!
Aug 31, 2022 • 17 tweets • 14 min read
.@ashraenews TC 9.7 - Educational Facilities Working Group released its new

DESIGN GUIDANCE FOR EDUCATION FACILITIES:
PRIORITIZATION FOR ADVANCED INDOOR AIR QUALITY

Apr 20, 2022

#COVIDisAirborne

nemionline.org/wp-content/upl…

🧵 Image Here is the Table of Contents for the Apr 2022 ASHRAE Advanced IAQ guidance for schools

#COVIDIsAirborne Image