COVID-19 control measures need improvement
By Lethbridge Herald on May 10, 2023.
KLAUS JERICHO
Control of Viruses in Populations
Mammalian bodies are superorganisms of cohabitating cells, bacteria, fungi and viruses. Viruses replicate within host cells. As viruses change they are able to overcome our defense systems, increase to huge numbers, destroy their host cell and leave the body to find new bodies to infect. If an infected body infects more than one new body then the virus is spreading, if less than one then the outbreak is dying.
Connections tie networks together. It is all about connections between infected bodies and susceptible bodies.
How does this relate to COVID-19 control methods in Alberta, China and Avian flu virus control in Canada?
Alberta:
The Medical Health Officer makes recommendations to the government as to disease control. The government responds with health and economic considerations.
March12, 2020: Meetings of more than 250 people were banned.
March17, 2020: Premier Kenney government declared a Public Health state of emergency under the Public Health Act, on the advice of the Chief Medical Officer.
March 19, 2020: 16,867 COVID-19 tests had been performed. First death reported due to COVID-19.
Nov 6, 2020: Kenney called on Albertans to “take personal responsibility.”
November 26, 2020: Political tensions between health officials and the Kenney government may have impacted Alberta’s response to the Pandemic.
December 8, 2020: New restrictions on gatherings in restaurants and other public places and a province wide mask mandate.
Dec 16, 2020: Alberta began distribution of the Pfizer-BionTech covid-19 vaccine.
January 2021: Whole genome screening to detect COVID-19 variants.
January 25, 2021: self- isolation when testing positive. April 2021: Kenny urged Albertans to stay at home and not travel outside their communities.
July 2021: v-19 was treated as an endemic disease and several restrictions were lifted.
Aug 13, 2021: Masks were mandated again for public transport.
August 2021: “Morally, ethically and legally the protection of life must be our paramount concern”.
August, 2021: Kenney apologized for treating COVID-19 only as an epidemic.
January, 2022: Quarantine rules for travelers crossing land borders.
Jan 13, 2022: No mandate for vaccination.
February, 2022: Vaccine passport program-restriction exemption program ended on Feb 9.
March, 2022: Waste water collection data showed an increase of virus isolations.
Dec 5, 2022: 9,762,868 doses of vaccine had been administered.
Dec 6, 2022: Total cases: 619,000 and 5,216 death (directly attributed to COVID-19).
Source: Wikipedia
China:
China is not the only country to pursue a Zero-COVID-19 policy. Europe considered a zero policy but judged it as not practical. The policy, introduced by the Chinese government has been successful to reduce fatalities and health costs.
The Chinese vaccine is 70 per cent effective and only 20 per cent of the older Chinese want to be vaccinated.
November 27, 2022, mainly the young are protesting against COVID-19 policy and the government. Restrictions could not be lifted until more elderly are vaccinated and the health care system is strengthened in this land of 1.4 billion people.
December 7, 2022: Restrictions were relaxed abruptly.
December 9: Streets and shops are empty, people are self- isolating.
December 22, 2022: Modeling of the disease predicts some 800 million Chinese will become infected and two million will die.
In Canada health care is a provincial jurisdiction. So we can compare Alberta’s COVID-19 policies (see above) with China’s which population is 317 times more than Alberta’s population of 4.5 million.
Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA):
Millions of birds are confined in barns without windows and with air input by fans. In 2022 avian influenza, H5N1 or viral bird flu spread across the globe (pandemic). It afflicts domestic (chicken, geese, ducks and turkeys) and wild birds with respiratory illness including sudden death.
Control measures agreed to by Canadians, industry and CFIA focus on reducing transmission and to keep export markets of avian products open (no country wants to buy products potentially infected with H5N1).
The control measures are disinfection of premises, tracing and destruction of all infected and potentially infected animals, products and materials. Producers are compensated for their loss by the Canadian tax payers.
Up to November 23, 2022 there were 113 infected premises in Canada; 23 premises in Alberta and 38 in B.C. The total number of domestic birds impacted and destroyed was 3,792,000 (1 399 000 in Alberta). How may wild birds died?
Society verses Individual.
We share our living space with countless of other life forms. Microbes find us, multiply in us and we transmit them to new susceptible hosts, where they multiply. How do we defend ourselves?
COVID-19 was a new experience for Canadians. How would we have fared without the knowledge of producing the vaccines so quickly and distributing them in such large amounts?
Albertan opted to live with the virus without really knowing what the consequences would be. We just wanted our life back and decision makers responded. Canadians increased their financial debt load significantly to maintain their accustomed lifestyle. Viruses have no consideration for our wants or the economy.
With eight billion people and billions of food animals other pandemics are a certainty. How should we respond the next time we are attacked?
There is the choice of zero-virus, but that takes total long term co-operation from the public. Not a good choice based on our cooperation with COVID-19. Some 20 per cent Canadians refused vaccination.
Will the next viral attack be mild enough to give us the choice of living with it? Will an effective vaccine be produced? Will society be unified in its defense?
Given these disease realities the process of choosing control measure does need improvements in Alberta.
We need a team of experts in microbiology, immunology, epidemiology, medical services, sociology and psychology to make recommendations to government level.
Depending on the severity of the virus, government has to act resolutely in the interest of Public Health and not the next election.
Individuals who do not want to follow guidelines should be offered information classes to learn why they should conform for the benefit of society.
Individuals who still feel uncomfortable to follow guidelines should have their free health services revoked. The issue is: Virus against society.
Is it wise to rely on hospitals and Intensive Care Units?
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The next pandemic is when, not if. What was glaring in this last pandemic was the reluctance, by some, to do prevention, but, when it came to them being ill, there was no reluctance to being treated with any number of other medications, being on a ventilator, etc.
No, it is not wise to rely on hospitals and ICUs.