Canada’s MoH, PHAC & CPHO: the “new” model fixes nothing. It’s wrong to set your sights on a “slow burn” target. This thread explains.

#Go2Zero ⁦⁩
⁦⁦@CBCNews⁩ : “PHAC officials are aiming for a ‘slow burn’ scenario, in which the number.. 1/ cbc.ca/news/politics/… Canada’s MoH, PHAC, & CPHO are wrong on “slow burn”:
..of cases remains low enough for the public health care system to keep ahead of the influx of patients.”
“Slow burn” assumes you can control the virus, but you can’t. It’s a pandemic; the virus spreads easily.
#Go2Zero 2/

In a pandemic, what can ordinary Canadians do to prepare and help themselves if their governments won’t help them, as Harvard epidemiologist @BillHanage advises?
#Masks4Canada
@jkwan_md @jeremyphoward @AmyTanMD @jvipondmd @robshirkey @SharkawyMD @drmwarner @picardonhealth 1/

https://twitter.com/ecovals/status/1240367151829008385

Can Canadians join together in mass action - send a strong message to Public Health and governments on the critical need for mandatory masks in indoor public spaces?
#Masks4Canada @jkwan_md @jeremyphoward @AmyTanMD @jvipondmd @robshirkey @SharkawyMD @drmwarner @picardonhealth 2/

Aerovirologist & Public Health Professor @UF John Lednicky et al. (2020) “Collection of #covid19 from Air of a Clinic” is essential reading for leaders, policymakers, researchers & healthcare workers, others. 1/
#cdnpoli @janephilpott @jkwan_md @DFisman
aaqr.org/articles/aaqr-… Aerovirologist Lednicky & others (2020) “Collection of #covid19 from Air of a Clinic” find the virus in air 2+ m away from source. “Collection of a positive sample from a distance more than 2 m away from nearest patient traffic implies the virus was in an aerosol.” 2/ #cdnpoli

1/ Which is Canada’s Public Health’s #covid19 response? Wish it was zero transmission to save lives. #cdnpoli
Global PH expert @devisridhar: in UK one camp wants govt to try “get over the worst of the pandemic by allowing the virus to spread through the population..

https://twitter.com/devisridhar/status/1266769584415178754

2/ Which’s Canada? Global PH expert @devisridhar on what the first UK camp wants in #covid19 strategy: allow virus to spread: “..albeit at a slower pace to ease the strain on the NHS, and by creating more hospital and mortuary capacity to cope with a spike in deaths.” #cdnpoli

1/ Canada, science on masks for all clear some time ago.
Yet Canada’s Liberal Trudeau govt & supporters cite “changing science” for delay in mask advice. Perhaps science was ignored? #cdnpoli #covid19
Oxford @trishgreenhalgh & SFU @jeremyphoward summary:
fast.ai/2020/04/13/mas… 2/ On April 13 @trishgreenhalgh & @jeremyphoward wrote on science of #Masks4All. Since virus R0 was estimated at 2.4 by Imperial College researchers, as high as 5.7 by others: “This means that without containment measures, #COVID19 will spread far and fast.” #cdnpoli

Canada #cdnpoli failed to implement early & wide testing for #covid19 because of Liberal MoH Patty Hajdu’s flawed risk assessment - ultimately political - the federal govt can “manage” the surge of the pandemic, ignoring best science advice, WHO.
#covid19Canada
@janephilpott MoH Patty Hajdu’s flawed political risk assessment ignored best science advice on critical role of testing in #covid19 response, so the federal Liberal govt has not allocated enough funds for testing rapidly & broadly, including mild illness, no travel. #cdnpoli #covid19canada

Canada’s testing policy is weak. What chances of fighting #covid19canada?

Experts find severity of #covid19 outbreak in Italy vs South Korea due to testing differences. “Aggressive and sustained testing is a powerful tool for fighting the virus.”

reut.rs/2IIe79X Some say Canada #covid19 test levels stellar. Miss relevant benchmark is containment.
When Italy realized community transmission from a large number of unknown cases had occurred, raced to test to find them.

1/ William Hanage, Harvard expert: “I research infectious disease and how to fight it, so I know how important it is to detect outbreaks early. The #Covid_19 outbreak is the largest acute infectious-disease emergency most of us have experienced...
washingtonpost.com/outlook/corona… 2/ Harvard expert Hanage: “..For countries that are lucky enough so far to have been spared large #Covid_19 outbreaks, the way to handle the virus is simple: Strangle it at birth.”