dmontonjournal.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-lockdowns-are-the-wrong-response-to-covid-19 in an excellent piece in the Edmonton Journal a pediatric dr named Dr Ari Joffe along with David Redman who used to manage emergencies in Alberta broke down how lockdowns are unethical and were not the appropriate response to the wuhan coronavirus and here are some of the numbers they presented in their article to make the case to ending this lockdowns which have caused more harm than the virus has: No. What is the infection fatality rate (IFR) from the virus? Many more infections occur than are detected and diagnosed as cases. In an analysis of international reports of IFR (the number of people with virus infection that will die of COVID-19) the median was 0.23 per cent. The median IFR was 0.05 per cent for people under 70, and was lower than for influenza in people under 50.
In Alberta, in people aged 0-19, no one has died with COVID-19; in people 20-49 and 50-59, the case fatality rate is less than 0.04 per cent and 0.16 per cent, with the IFR likely 10 times lower. Who is at high risk from the virus? People 70 and over, and 60-69-year-olds with multiple severe comorbidities (obesity, diabetes, kidney disease, dementia).
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In Alberta, 86 per cent of deaths occurred in people 70 and older, and most other deaths were 60-69 with multiple comorbidities. Over 80 per cent of deaths occurred in long-term care homes for older people. These are the people accounting for most hospitalizations, intensive-care admissions, and deaths, and that require protection.
How do COVID-19 deaths compare to background death rates in Alberta? In normal years in Alberta there are more than 70 deaths/day and 25,990 deaths/yr. Over the past 12 months there have been 1,512 COVID-19-associated deaths in Alberta, accounting for less than 5.5 per cent of deaths in Alberta. Many of these were in people who in other years may have died from other causes.
Is there good evidence that lockdowns are required to protect high-risk people? No. Several studies have found that more restrictive lockdowns in different international locations were not associated with any clear effect on flattening the curve of cases or deaths. Sweden (with schools and businesses open, a no-mask policy except on rapid transit, social distancing recommendation of one metre) has lower deaths per capita than Quebec.
Has cost-benefit analysis demonstrated that lockdowns have more benefits than harms? No. Studies find that lockdowns cause far more harm to population well-being and deaths in the long term than they prevent. Harms include economic recession, unemployment, and loneliness that each reduce population well-being and lifespan. To deny Charter freedoms, reasonable limits that are demonstrably justified are necessary; this requires a cost-benefit analysis." (my note: public health and govt never did that because that would fly in the face of their socialist agendas and their globalist intentions to to allow the UN to run us by fiat)
Were most claims based on solid evidence?
No. First, the focus on case fatality rate was misleading, increasing fear of the virus. Second, the claim that health-care capacity has been expanded “by delaying less urgent care” was misleading; capacity should ensure care for both COVID-19 and other health-care needs that do not need to be delayed. Third, claims about herd immunity were misleading. Recent studies suggest that less than 40-per-cent naturally induced immunity in a population achieves herd immunity. Natural herd immunity occurred for measles, mumps, rubella, and chickenpox in the era before vaccines. Fourth, vaccine claims were exaggerated. Available viral vaccines do not result in better and longer-term immunity than natural infection. Current vaccines may not protect people from upper respiratory SARS-CoV-2 infection causing subsequent transmission to others, even though they prevent COVID-19; thus, they are not known to result in herd immunity.
"Are there better strategies to respond to the pandemic?
Yes. A public emergency response aims to minimize impact of COVID-19 on our society. This requires a written emergency management plan released to all Albertans. A co-ordinating agency (Alberta Emergency Management Agency) is required to co-ordinate requests from the subject matter agency (public health) dealing with the direct effects of COVID-19, while also dealing with the indirect effects of the pandemic. In the 2014 Alberta Pandemic Response plans, the four goals are: controlling the spread of infection and reducing illness and death from the virus, mitigating societal disruption by ensuring continuity and recovery of critical services, minimizing adverse economic impact, and supporting an efficient and effective use of resources."
overall it is a great read and share it with your family and friends Our freedoms depend on it more than ever before
