Skip to main content

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

FELDSTED -- It makes no difference how we got here, or who made what decisions when -- none of that changes where we are today


Picking through and sorting out coronavirus / COVID-19 bones is a waste of time and energy. It makes no difference how we got here, or who made what decisions when.

None of that changes where we are today.

The infection curve was hypothetical, and it appears we have managed to avoid the estimated infection rate scenario. We cannot know if that is due to enforced isolation, overestimates of virus spread rates or some of each.

There is no cure for coronavirus on the horizon. Our challenge is to find a way to cohabit with the virus while minimizing infections and maximizing recovery rates. We forget that we exist with other influenza viruses we have no cure for.

Coronavirus is an inanimate bit of parasitic protein that can infect us but cannot attack us. Infected people can infect others. We need to identify infected people early and trace contacts while we isolate and treat them to minimize fatalities. We need to have an income replacement plan for isolated people for that system to work.

We failed to learn lessons from SARS and H1N1 outbreaks ... and did not use our surveillance resources to identify the next virus epidemic that we knew would appear.

We need to get it right:
• develop the protocols and tools necessary to manage the coronavirus risk,
• use our intelligence networks to identify the next virus threat early and act when we detect a threat – we do not need permission from anyone to protect Canada.
• curtail international travel when a threat is detected.
• make sure we have adequate medical supplies and protective equipment on hand to deal with an epidemic.
• have plans in place so that clinics, hospitals, personal care facilities, private and public workplaces have action plans to implement when an epidemic threat is detected not months later; and
• strengthen our laboratory and research facilities to ensure that we can create tests for a new virus quickly.

John Feldsted ... is a political commentator, consultant, and strategist. He makes his home in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Interfor Moves Headquarters Out of BC as Forestry Crisis Continues

NDP policies are driving businesses out of B.C., and the forestry industry just suffered yet another calamity. Interfor, a BC company founded more than 60 years ago and now one of the world's largest lumber producers, is moving its headquarters from Burnaby, BC to Atlanta, Georgia. As BC’s forestry sector faces mill closures and mounting uncertainty, this move is another warning sign that the crisis is deepening and conditions are fatal. “This is the NDP’s record: endless job losses with no hope in sight for the forestry sector,” said Ward Stamer, Shadow Minister for Forestry. “Interfor still has three mills in BC which are now in serious jeopardy, and it is likely we will see even more companies pull out of BC. The NDP government is suffocating the forestry industry with high taxes, excessive regulations, and permitting delays, while DRIPA has made it impossible to plan for the future.” “Decisions like this are sadly not surprising given the NDP’s indifference if not hostility tow...
Post a Comment
Read more

Okanagan Farmers Face NDP-Created Water Crisis ~~ BC Conservatives

Okanagan farmers are facing a water crisis as government-imposed restrictions threaten to kill their crops and destroy one of B.C.’s most important agricultural industries. In perhaps the most water-rich province in the country, our farmers have been left high and dry by the NDP government. For nine weeks, Okanagan and Shuswap farmers have proposed solutions, only to be met with NDP foot-dragging. Now forest fires have come to these regions as they are simultaneously reckoning with a water crisis that has been made worse through years of government inaction. Vernon-area farms have lost 70 percent of their water, while Kelowna and Summerland growers face severe restrictions. This situation is unacceptable and cannot continue. Ian Paton, Shadow Minister for Agriculture, said the NDP is once again forcing farmers to pay for its own failure to plan. "Farmers and ranchers must be listened to when decisions affecting their livelihoods are made, and under the NDP, they aren’t," said...
Post a Comment
Read more

NDP Hypocritically Admits Natural Gas Power Was Needed All Along ~~ BC Conservatives

The NDP just got caught buying back the exact kind of power plant it spent years telling British Columbians they didn't need. The NDP government announced today that BC Hydro is purchasing the Island Generation natural gas facility in Campbell River, an admission that its electrification-only energy policy was never realistic. The 275-megawatt plant was originally privately owned yet kept to a minimal backup role under the NDP, operating just 15 days a year on average. Now, with demand outpacing what the NDP's plan can support, the government is spending taxpayer funds on the very gas capacity it once treated as obsolete. "You cannot electrify everything and pretend natural gas doesn't matter," said Larry Neufeld, Shadow Minister for Energy.  "Buying back a gas plant they once wrote off is proof their own plan couldn't keep the lights on. It's a step towards more energy reality, but the government needs to go further and scrap the impending province-w...
Post a Comment
Read more

Labels

Show more