Health officials are hinting at ending COVID restrictions (and not because of the truckers)
While viruses such as smallpox and polio can be stamped out through aggressive vaccination, COVID-19 is simply too infectious to be eliminated entirely
nationalpost.com
Glad to see this said in the NP of all placed.At a public health level, the push to declare COVID-19 an endemic disease has been most apparent in British Columbia.
In the early days of the pandemic, B.C. Provincial Health Officer Bonnie Henry was one of the most aggressive at locking down civil society in order to stop the virus’ spread. Some of her orders regarding long-term care homes have been credited with avoiding much of the carnage seen in Ontario and Quebec.
Now, Henry is leading the charge to have COVID-19 treated more like the flu. On Jan. 21, Henry announced a significant drawdown on quarantine measures, and effectively asked anybody with COVID-like symptoms to simply stay home until they felt better.
British Columbians “have to change our way of thinking” and get used to a reality wherein COVID-19 is treated “much like how we manage other respiratory illnesses — influenza … or enteroviruses that cause the common cold,” said Henry.
Alberta and Saskatchewan followed soon after. On Jan 24., even as COVID-19 hospitalization peaked across Saskatchewan, Premier Scott Moe said his government would not be meeting the surge with new restrictions.
When I began posting in this thread I mentioned BC PHO doesn't like restrictions at all, but will put the hammer down when the data is there and ease up keep things open otherwise. Data driven and firm.
BC opened with Alberta last summer with lifting restrictions, but BC didn't declare the pandemic over. The quicker implementation of restrictions(by one month) saved BC from having to call in for federal aid.