Public Health Measures Update (February 11th, 2022)
Earlier today I supported the motion to receive a report for information which means we would not be implementing a Municipal Restrictions Exemption Program (REP) and that we will continue with our face coverings bylaw. I want to share my closing comments from today’s meeting. You can also watch or listen to them here.
On November 3rd, 2020 we experienced 15 deaths from COVID-19. By this point in time we had been tracking this data for about 6 months and I believe it was the first time we surpassed double digits in the number of Albertans who lost their lives. That was a hard number to accept and I know the vast majority of Edmontonians were quite concerned about the well-being of our community. Just yesterday (February 10th, 2022), there were 22 COVID deaths and I think it’s safe to say that the vast majority of us didn’t have the same reaction as we did a year and a half ago.
Even though we may have become more desensitized to the total number reported every day, we cannot forget that we have lost thousands of people in this province over the last 2 years. And contrary to some of the emails and messages over the last two years, but especially the last two days, COVID and the flu are clearly not the same thing and this pandemic is not a hoax. Any suggestion that is the case is not based on the facts.
I believe the provincial government is removing public health measures too quickly yet again. I wish that wasn’t the case and I hope that this time, those of us who think it is premature will be wrong. But my lack of confidence stems from a few key points:
The first point is not having access to Dr. Hinshaw’s recommendations and all the data used by the provincial government to inform their recent decision. That was even more evident during yesterday’s public health update.
The other point is conversations with nurses and doctors working on the frontlines in our hospitals. The vast majority of those that I have spoken with still have concerns about the pace of change and have suggested that we exercise caution as we move forward.
We should have a REP province-wide that requires the booster shot. Unfortunately, there isn’t an easy way for us to administer a municipal REP and appreciate that even if we were able to create a municipal system, the lack of cooperation from the provincial government in relation to access to data adds to the challenge.
Not having consistency across the region would also make things very difficult for many of our small businesses who have been struggling and I heard that from the Stony Plain Road Business Improvement Area which includes people who believe that the province is removing the REP too early.
I also want to share a bit of what I heard from residents.
While I don’t want to spend much time on the positions of those who have more extreme views, in part because I think they have received a disproportionate amount of attention, I want to quickly acknowledge a few points. The public health measures that have been in place are not tyranny or genocide or anything remotely close to that.
Thousands of people in Alberta and almost 5.8 million people worldwide have lost loved ones in under 2 years. That unimaginable loss of life happened even with the vast majority of countries taking significant actions to help reduce the spread of the virus. I don’t want to think about how many people we would have lost worldwide if those actions hadn't been taken.
We also know that tens of thousands of people in Alberta had surgeries postponed or cancelled due to the impact on our healthcare system. This includes people looking to get exploratory surgeries to determine the best cancer treatment and seniors waiting to get surgeries that will improve their quality of life (ex: hip surgery). I realize that saying that won’t change the minds of those who share those more extreme views but I felt we should acknowledge the reality.
I will spend the rest of my time speaking to the majority of Edmontonians who have been working hard to support one another over the last two years. I heard from people who have been quite supportive of the public health measures over the last two years who have concerns with a municipal REP. They worry about how that may create further division and the benefits of having a program that isn’t consistent across the region. I understand the concerns around division but I don’t believe that our city is nearly as divided as people may think.
I also heard from many who believe the provincial government is acting far too quickly and are worried what that means for their family and loved ones. As noted above, I share those concerns and I believe that keeping the face coverings bylaw is an important measure since this virus is still serious.
My biggest concern with moving into ‘living with the virus’ is that we have no idea what that actually looks like yet. Seniors are still dying at a much higher rate than something like the standard flu. Is that increase in the number of deaths going to be the new reality? Are there steps we could take to help prevent or reduce that increase in a new normal? Would those steps create more mental health or economic challenges? We don’t know the answers to those questions and that’s not right. The provincial government has failed us and we all deserve better.
For more information on what I’ve been hearing and the benefits of different public health measures, please take some time to review my blog from February 9th, 2022.
