COVID-19 coronavirus disease in Ottawa

[J.OT13]

https://twitter.com/LaurenPelley/sta...99195136610309

[JCL]

It is known that talkshow hosts/commentators who previously worked at CFRA are right-wing/conservative leaning.

I've been analyzing some of the ex-CFRA talkshow hosts/commentator's take on the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically on business restrictions, mask policy, vaccines, and OC Transpo service levels. Here are my observations:

Rob Snow (on 1310 News)
- In favour of the mask policy
- In favour of people being required to take the COVID-19 vaccines, in favour of "no shots, no service" (similar to the no clothes, no service policy)
- Wants OC Transpo to cut service because of low ridership

Lowell Green (Blast the Radio, https://www.blasttheradio.com/lowellgreen)
- In favour of the mask policy (when interviewed by Rob Snow in June 2020 on 1310 News prior to Lowell starting his show, he did express support of OC Transpo's policy of requiring masks when the issue was up for debate by the Transit Commission)
- In favour of COVID-19 vaccines
- In favour of restrictions on private gatherings
- Against the recent 28-day business lockdown in October (in particular bars/restaurant)
- Wants OC Transpo to cut service because of low ridership

Nick Vandergragt ("The Nick and Joe Show", https://www.spreaker.com/show/the-nick-and-joe-show)
- Against the mask policy (scroll to 03:47 of the audio clip where he publically flouted the mask policy at a restaurant: https://www.spreaker.com/user/10530937/ep-135-2)
- Against the COVID-19 vaccines being mandatory to everyone (https://www.spreaker.com/user/10530937/ep132-3 -- listen to the first 16 minutes of it)
- Against the any business lockdowns whatsoever
- Against government telling people from having private gatherings
- Wants OC Transpo to cut service because of low ridership
- Has a mindset similar (if not identical) to Independent MPP Randy Hillier

[J.OT13]

Fully support Watson on this.

Kate Porter
@KatePorterCBC

Watson signals a "plea to Premier Ford" coming via motion later this meeting:

"Big box stores should be cordoning off their nonessential goods sections to respect the spirit of the current pandemic measures."

He has said before it's not fair to small business.

#ottnews
10:42 AM · Jan 27, 2021·Twitter Web App

https://twitter.com/KatePorterCBC/st...54746489360386

[J.OT13]

This video does a great job explaining the efficacy of the various Covid-19 vaccines. Although Pfeizer and Moderna sound superior because of their high efficacy rates, it's not that simple. At the end of the day, anyone of them will be just as effective at prevent you from getting severely ill from the virus, and that's the ultimate goal.

• Video Link

[LeadingEdgeBoomer]

OMAIR QUADRI--The Globe and Mail
PUBLISHED APRIL 6, 2021

Good morning,

A group of top scientists concerned about the weakening of the federal pandemic early warning system in the years before COVID-19 emerged have proposed relocating the operation to a university where it can work independently of government.

The proposal is aimed at restoring the Global Public Health Intelligence Network to its former status as an internationally respected pandemic surveillance system. Documents outlining the plan were submitted to an independent panel in Ottawa that is reviewing the system’s future.

According to the documents, GPHIN would work with the World Health Organization and be based at the University of Ottawa’s Bruyère Research Institute. The university and the WHO back the idea, says the proposal, which was reviewed by The Globe and Mail.

[eltodesukane]

I went to Walmart to get a few things, but the whole Walmart was closed except for the food section.
Ridiculous!
Is there really more covid danger if I get a toaster or a pillow instead of a can of soup?
(and all the usual customers are now packed together in the food section!)

[Aylmer]

I think the whole point is that you won't go take those extra toaster or pillow trips. And fewer trips means less exposure, yes.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Aylmer

I think the whole point is that you won't go take those extra toaster or pillow trips. And fewer trips means less exposure, yes.

That's my thinking as well. It also places the small business on the same playing field as big box stores. You have to order and curb side pick-up regardless of where you go.

This should have been done a while ago.

[JCL]

Originally Posted by eltodesukane

I went to Walmart to get a few things, but the whole Walmart was closed except for the food section.
Ridiculous!
Is there really more covid danger if I get a toaster or a pillow instead of a can of soup?
(and all the usual customers are now packed together in the food section!)

It's to address the unfair advantage that the big businesses have had over the small businesses.

Small businesses have that during previous lockdowns that they haven't been able to open their stores while big businesses (like Walmart, Costco) were able to open selling more than just food without any physical distancing.

[waterloowarrior]

Costco is way less crowded now that it's limited to essential items.

[ars]

Originally Posted by Aylmer

I think the whole point is that you won't go take those extra toaster or pillow trips. And fewer trips means less exposure, yes.

This, it seems to be working too as the stores seem less busy overall. They honestly should've taken this step earlier.

The only negative is that people will be relying even more on Amazon to get their non-essential items, but small/local businesses were getting hammered on that front either way.

Originally Posted by waterloowarrior

Costco is way less crowded now that it's limited to essential items.

Costco is actually bearable to visit now

[YOWflier]

I'm all for level playing fields and I'm a big defender of small business. However, I don't see this "non-essential" item restriction as being a significant trip reduction/pandemic management method. At least for the Costco crowd anyway (of which I am a huge part).

I suppose I could buy the argument that with a more focused shopping experience people are lingering in the store for less time, resulting in less exposure. But even then you're concentrating those people into fewer parts of the store (less square footage) ... so is anything accomplished really?

I bet the number of trips isn't going down much if at all either. Everyone that was going to Costco pre-restrictions is still going to Costco now. They're just not buying the toaster at the same time as they're buying the toast. Crowding has been mitigated by capacity restrictions, not so much by purchase restrictions.

Capacity restrictions based on square footage is what I've been advocating for all along ... not complete closures or purchase restrictions or other half-baked "lockdowns". Let's face it, the biggest issue is civil disobedience and people flouting the restrictions around social gatherings, which is virtually unenforceable.

But I'm sure Bezos likes it. I'm sure Costco is just fine too considering they already had a robust online business to begin with. Costco loyalists will likely buy the toaster at costco.ca instead.

[OTownandDown]

These closures should be tighter for a 3 week period.

I've had a total of 5 close calls in the last 10 days here in Ottawa. Colleagues, friends, clients, and other types of one-step-away people have contracted the virus. Its definitely a younger crowd, and they all complain about how bad it is.

Grocery store worker (x2), construction worker (x2), gas-station attendant.

[lrt's friend]

At this point, the only way to stop Covid is vaccine administration and even then we don't know for sure. We can't live 100% in a bubble. It is not possible so everybody who is unvaccinated is at risk every day if there is any contact with anybody. Thankfully, I got my first dose today.

[phil235]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

At this point, the only way to stop Covid is vaccine administration and even then we don't know for sure. We can't live 100% in a bubble. It is not possible so everybody who is unvaccinated is at risk every day if there is any contact with anybody. Thankfully, I got my first dose today.

OPH is specifically warning people not to count on vaccinations. From their press conference this afternoon:

"Ottawa Public Health says vaccines alone won't be enough to stop this fifth wave of COVID-19 infections and the rise in COVID-19 infections.

"It's not going to help us, in terms of the people immunized over the next few weeks to get us out of this wave," said Dr. Moloughrney. It's really going to come down to our own behaviours and our own work, and sometimes it feels like difficult work, to interact with people virtually, to wear a mask, to be distanced and to reduce opportunities for transmission."

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by OTownandDown

These closures should be tighter for a 3 week period.

I've had a total of 5 close calls in the last 10 days here in Ottawa. Colleagues, friends, clients, and other types of one-step-away people have contracted the virus. Its definitely a younger crowd, and they all complain about how bad it is.

Grocery store worker (x2), construction worker (x2), gas-station attendant.

I agree. But reality is that a lot of people don't care.

My wife works HR at a dealership. Management got upset with her for trying to enforce masking. Younger employees there aren't following the rules and some think it's all a hoax.

At this point, we've basically decided to hunker down and just keep our family as isolated as possible till we're vaccinated. It's clear that a lot of the community and the government doesn't really care to enforce anything.

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by phil235

OPH is specifically warning people not to count on vaccinations. From their press conference this afternoon:

"Ottawa Public Health says vaccines alone won't be enough to stop this fifth wave of COVID-19 infections and the rise in COVID-19 infections.

"It's not going to help us, in terms of the people immunized over the next few weeks to get us out of this wave," said Dr. Moloughrney. It's really going to come down to our own behaviours and our own work, and sometimes it feels like difficult work, to interact with people virtually, to wear a mask, to be distanced and to reduce opportunities for transmission."

If the vaccines don't work, then what hope is there?

Are these statements about getting people to comply with public health rules rather than based on facts?

You would expect that effective vaccines should soon significantly lower infection rates.

I get it, but I tire of the almost daily changing messages that add to anxiety.

[passwordisnt123]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

If the vaccines don't work, then what hope is there?

The statement simply says we can't count on vaccines turning the tide in the timeframe of weeks with regards to this particular wave. Israel had to have like triple the vaccine rate Ottawa has now before it started showing some effect on a population level.

[CityTech]

Originally Posted by phil235

OPH is specifically warning people not to count on vaccinations. From their press conference this afternoon:

"Ottawa Public Health says vaccines alone won't be enough to stop this fifth wave of COVID-19 infections and the rise in COVID-19 infections.

"It's not going to help us, in terms of the people immunized over the next few weeks to get us out of this wave," said Dr. Moloughrney. It's really going to come down to our own behaviours and our own work, and sometimes it feels like difficult work, to interact with people virtually, to wear a mask, to be distanced and to reduce opportunities for transmission."

This kind of messaging is not helpful. As evidenced by lrt's friend's response.

I get what they trying to say - that the current wave will breach hospital capacity before vaccination rates get the chance to start bringing things back down. But to the general public, it sounds like they're trying to say that vaccines are useless and we need to continue living with this sh*t forever, vaccines or no vaccines. And if people think that - they're going to give up and stop giving a f*ck about any of the rules. Nobody can live like this forever, and if you make people feel like that's what's going to happen, they're going to say "screw it, I'd rather get the damn disease and die now than keep this up for the rest of my life". I honestly like a lot of the non-compliance we're getting from the public stems directly from this - the "eternal pandemic" messaging that the government and media keep pushing.

The reality is: this will all be over by summer. They need to take a break from the doom messaging and start telling people that. Way easier to motivate people to hunker down and deal with one more round of lockdown if there's the implicit promise that it really, truly, will be all over soon.

[CityTech]

Originally Posted by passwordisnt123

The statement simply says we can't count on vaccines turning the tide in the timeframe of weeks with regards to this particular wave. Israel had to have like triple the vaccine rate Ottawa has now before it started showing some effect on a population level.

Not that much. In Israel, hospitalization rates peaked on February 7th; at that point, only 25% of Israelis had been vaccinated for 4 weeks or more. About 20% of Ottawans are vaccinated as of today. So given 4 more weeks...

Moreover, the Israeli data shows that herd immunity is possible:



After the Israelis began lifting restrictions in February, cases went flat - it appeared that the rising vaccination rate and increased social contact from fewer rules were basically cancelling each other out. But then in early March, once they passed over 50% vaccinated, cases starting dropping even as they continued lifting all rules. Notably, cases among unvaccinated groups (mostly children at this point) are dropping too, meaning that the vaccinated are protecting the unvaccinated through herd immunity.

It appears this is starting to happen in the UK as well, as they approach 50% vaccinated.

It won't happen soon enough to knock out this third wave before hospitals overload (unless we isolate/lockdown), but this will all be over in a couple months.