The COVID-19 pandemic

[danbrotherston]

I absolutely reject that. The excess deaths for Ontario for March 2020 to July 2021 was 19,000. The mortality rate in a place is usually quite stable (and, due to public health and medicine in general, people have indeed been living longer and healthier lives than 50 years ago). COVID has in fact caused the excess deaths number to spike. That number is about an extra 36 preventable deaths per day over the pandemic.

Look, I think that by working together we can in fact improve things and prevent unnecessary deaths. Maybe someone doesn't die of COVID now but instead of something else in 10 years. I think their loved ones would appreciate the extra 10 years.

Am I going to go eat in restaurant right now, just after Omicron has peaked (and who knows how much we'll stay at this high level due to kids being in schools)? Hell no. There's just no reason to do that. At some point I'll go to restaurants again, but I really don't need to do that right now.

I reject your claim as well - Is it reasonable to extend the lives of some after 2 years of pandemic and rob future generations in the process? I believe that there is a point where the harm from the lockdown outweighs the harm of the virus and I think Omicron is that point specifically.

Just to be clear, we do not, and have never had a lockdown.

But we aren't even talking about lockdowns. There are hundreds of policies we can use to reduce and limit the spread of COVID and we are using very few of them.

That being said, no right now, if ever is the time to do a lockdown. Our hospitals are in a precarious situation. There is a good chance that if you walked out your door, and a drunk driver ran you over, you wouldn't be able to get a bed in a the region's hospitals.

Why does anyone everyone think this is okay?

And as for "robbing future generations" I think saddling our children with the long term health effects of long COVID absolutely qualify for that.