"We cannot risk further harm to children."

NEW: Please read this open letter co-written by @Protect_BC's @DrFiliatraultby and other signatories on the threat of a tripledemic this fall. Thanks to @BurnabyNOW_News for running this.
1/x

#bcpoliburnabynow.com/opinion/opinio… "If provincial authorities don’t catch up to the best practice preventative measures being taken elsewhere, we are on track for a disruptive and deadly repeat of last fall."

Recall that the number of children who died during last fall's tripledemic jumped considerably.

This study has some stunning findings: even among those who had COVID but no symptoms, there is tissue damage.
It suggests that we will see massive amounts of chronic diseases among people who had COVID infections in the future.
1/5
icemsg.org/2023/08/03/an-… This why Dr. Akiko Iwasaki has said we need to treat COVID as soon as possible with anti-viral agents such as Paxlovid.
2/5

Lots of ongoing warnings for what is likely to come to BC this fall.theguardian.com/australia-news… Warnings from Japan...

https://twitter.com/Yash25571056/status/1674348364434124800

Treatment with Metformin, a common diabetic drug resulted in a “42% reduction in [COVID] ER visits/hospitalizations/death through 14 days; a 58% reduction in hospitalizations/death through 28 days, and a 42% reduction in Long COVID through 10 months.”

1/6
medrxiv.org/content/10.110… Another study found that Metformin reduced the risk of developing long COVID by 41 percent among people who are overweight and those with obesity.

2/6
thelancet.com/journals/lanin…

While other provinces expanded their Paxlovid criteria to save lives, BC's May 2023 Paxlovid guidelines remain the most restrictive in Canada with no change to the age restriction of 70 for vaccinated, non-immunocompromised and non-indigenous people.

1/11
bccdc.ca/Health-Profess… About 4,800 US lives could have been saved during the winter 2021-22 SARS-CoV-2 Omicron wave if 5% of COVID-19 patients had taken the antiviral drug Paxlovid, estimates a modeling study published in the March 2023 JAMA Health Forum.

2/11
cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/5000-…

TODAY: our informative live interview on the risks of Covid & Pregnancy.

Please join us at 12:30 pm for an hour with Dr. Genevieve Eastabrook. Free livestream is here: protectbc.ca/livestream/

We will livetweet the briefing here, so please follow along.
#bcpoli

https://twitter.com/Protect_BC/status/1663636319636197376

Welcome to our live tweeting session. We're so excited to be joined by Dr. Eastabrook today! She is a Maternal Fetal Medicine subspecialist & will talk about risks to pregnant people & fetuses. We'll wrap up with resources to protect yourself.

Remember this:
theglobeandmail.com/canada/british… When @CDCofBC and PHO were too busy during #Omicron counting infections to prevent infections
End result: the 6 mo-4 yo in BC became the "most infected and least vaccinated".
Attack rate refers to infection rate causing the change in sero-prevalence ( #covid antibody response)

"The outbreaks come in the aftermath of a decision by Ministry of Health to lift mask mandates in health-care facilities. On April 6, PHO Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Dix announced an end to universal masking requirements in health-care settings." @juliemaclellan @burnabynow BC community surveillance program indicated high test positivity rate (16%) for #SARSCoV2 at the time mask protections were lifted in BC healthcare settings & seniors' LTC/AL homes. bccdc.shinyapps.io/respiratory_pa…

"@CTVNews has spoken with some of the staff directly but agreed to conceal their identities for fear of repercussions, which has been a massive concern in the province: muzzled healthcare workers of all stripes describe a culture of fear"

https://twitter.com/PennyDaflos/status/1658314573760593920

"fear for speaking out about the failures of the system, even when they’re solely advocating for their patients’ safety and care. @Fraserhealth has repeatedly told ED physicians to not openly discuss our ‘challenges’ with the public,” the group writes in its letter."

This is what happens when mask mandates in health care are eliminated and the public is given the false narrative that COVID-19 is no longer a threat.

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bc.ctvnews.ca/not-just-langl… Unfortunately the message the world heard when the WHO announced the end of the global health emergency, is that the COVID-19 pandemic is over.

2/12
cbc.ca/news/canada/br…

"What the world’s governments have really learned from the pandemic is that they can ignore it. Many have simply stopped testing, stopped counting cases and deaths; after all, if you don’t count it, it doesn’t count." @TheTyee thetyee.ca/Analysis/2023/… "Dropping non-pharmaceutical measures like masking may enhance the spread of COVID-19, but who will know without surveillance? "
#bcpoli @CDCofBC @adriandix @Dave_Eby

“But if you actually look at what’s happening with hospitalizations, since Omicron subvariants emerged, it’s a giant wave that’s lasted not only much longer, but is also just as high as those we saw in 2021 or even higher at some points." @BlakeMMurdoch “It’s like a high tide that’s always elevated, and this steadier state can mean a higher total burden over time.” Especially so given our 🇨🇦healthcare system has a low bed count per population compared to most OECD country. Meaning no slack in healthcare system.

In BC Long Term Care Facilities mandatory masks and screening of all visitors for COVID was stopped on April 6.

Dr. Henry said “we don't have any outbreaks in long term care right now of influenza or COVID [in B.C.],"

But is this really true?

1/7
cbc.ca/news/health/ma… BC CDC Covid stats show that seniors aged 80 plus continued to have high levels of hospitalizations and death from January 30 to March 27, 2023.

2/7

https://twitter.com/Protect_BC/status/1644899264253014016?s=20

Why do you feel like now is the appropriate time to drop masking in healthcare settings and LTC, Assisted Living homes? Cc: "In some parts of the country masking in healthcare settings is still mandatory, but in most provinces it's not or won't be for long. While many welcome the shift, human rights groups are concerned & some are asking this question, why do you feel now is the appropriate time?"

Great time to remove mask protections in BC healthcare and LTC facilities. #bcpoli @CDCofBC

https://twitter.com/VancouverSun/status/1646732235016396800

"In BC, updated calculations based on wastewater tests and other surveillance methods suggest one-in-250 people are getting a new infection daily."

Long COVID is real.

1/17 The World Health Organization defines Long COVID as: “The continuation or development of new symptoms 3 months after the initial SARS-CoV-2 infection, with these symptoms lasting for at least 2 months with no other explanation”.

2/17

We see you. We believe you. We care about you.
#LongCovid #LongCovidKids #LongCovidAwarenessDay Show your solidarity. Join in. Share.
Find the link for these sessions here:
longcovidawareness.life

NACI and BC Provincial Health are not offering COVID vaccine boosters for the general public.
Only people who are in the "higher risk categories" will be offered boosters.
But when it comes to COVID, all people are at risk and anyone can get Long COVID.

1/6 Vaccine efficacy requiring hospitalization for COVID decreased after 4-5 months from 89% to 66% and from 83% to 43% for COVID patients requiring emergency or urgent care, in all groups even young non immuncompromised adults.

2/6
bmj.com/content/379/bm….

There is a briefing today at 1:30 pm with Health Minister Dix and Dr. Bonnie Henry.

We'll be livetweeting it here. Please follow along!

We hope media will ask about the growing risks of Long Covid as well as BC's rationing of boosters, Paxlovid and data.
#bcpoli

https://twitter.com/matpVI/status/1634249132847280130

Will media also ask re "hybrid immunity": Is it now the official recommendation that anyone who hasn't yet had Covid get infected in order to protect themselves from… infection? Vaccination doesn't lead to #LongCovid and other outcomes like heart attacks; infection does. #bcpoli

For the last 3 yrs we've been trying to keep people from becoming infected with COVID.

Now VIHA is telling health care workers they don't need to test and can go to work even when still infected, potentially spreading COVID to vulnerable sick patients in hospitals and LTC.

1/7 COVID is not a cold and it is not the flu.

In BC, more people died of COVID in 2022 then in each of the two previous years of the pandemic.

2/7

Please join us Friday, Feb. 3 at 1:30 pm for for
"Covid Reality Check"
An online conversation about the pandemic with @SKGandhiMD, former BC Children's Hospital paediatric cardiac surgeon & new Deputy Leader of @BCGreens. Free!
Livestream link: #bcpoli @SKGandhiMD @BCGreens We will be live-tweeting our "Covid Reality Check" with Dr. @SKGandhiMD here on this thread starting at 1:30 pm today. Please follow along! #bcpoli