Monday, August 31, 2020
Some Good News? Ya Want Some Good News?
I just finished a telephone consult with my GP. I'm still not sold on over-the-phone medicine but these are unusual times.
Among other things I wanted to know about this year's seasonal flu situation. Is there a vaccine yet. What were they prediction in terms of severity and spread.
Apparently the medicos look to the Australian experience as their spring/summer begins and ours ends. The Aussie government reports there was an A-strain flu. There was a vaccine. Was the vaccine effective? Here's where it gets interesting. They can't rate the effectiveness of the vaccine because the rate of influenza infection was too low.
This dovetails with the current view of the medical profession on Vancouver Island. The precautions we're taking on Covid-19 - hand washing/sanitizing, masks, social distancing, quasi isolation - should be equally as effective on other viral and bacterial contagions from influenza, strep throat and staph infections, measles and so on.
We still have to suppress the summer tourism/party outbreaks but at least there's another upside to these somewhat inconvenient protective measures.
People need to stop whining about how masks invade their democratic freedoms. STFU! It's not just Covid you may be spreading.
Absolutely agree, Mound! I tend to get my news on the internet (can't abide most of the talking heads reguritating the same old, same old. However, anything about the Covid virus and what is being done in BC, automatically brings out the "but the economy and why is everything shut down?"
ReplyDeleteI'm fed up with these ruddy, bluddy whiners who still want to go out and do whatever their little selfish hearts desire without any concern for their fellow human beings!
The medical folks have already alerted us to the very real possibility that even if you survive the virus, many could possibly have serious health issues down the road - yet they continue to believe they themselves are invincible! Priorities, folks! and it has become very obvious that those priorities are miles apart. I would just like to have a comfortable healthy life for the next few years --- is it so terrible that I go out once every 2 weeks to pick up a bit of food and consistently wear a mask!
I'm worried about the young kids returning to classrooms next week, Lulymay. I read a news item today about the psychological risks to those kids foreseen by mental health professionals.
ReplyDeleteCompared to the lower mainland, the island has low Covid rates.
ReplyDeleteCompared to the rest of the lower mainland, Richmond has the lowest rates of Covid.
When it comes to mask wearing and taking pandemics seriously, Asians (and Canadians of Asian descent) have us 'freedom loving westerners' beat.
Masks are now mandatory in my No Frills and city buses - better late, than never.
Masks are a big part of our future.
(Silver lining: they render face recognition useless atm.)
STFU? I had to look it up. Profanity does not help, it reflects badly on your vocabulary.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteWell, Steve, that's the beauty of a blog - no one has to read it.