People who spent a few years following Sesame Street—by choice or compulsion—will recognize words on the title line. A memory of these lyrics emerged when I followed statistics related to the impacts of coronovirus.
Alexander Smoltczyk, writing from Lisbon for Spiegel International, says Portugal had a better response to coronavirus than its neighbours:
It was the fear of developments similar to those seen in Spain that drove Portugal to adopt precautionary measures early on. In early March, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was the first head of state to go into voluntary quarantine. Luckily, it was a false alarm, but it served its purpose as a warning. Supermarket chains like Pingo, Doce, Continente and Lidl began only allowing small groups of customers inside at a time. Shoppers were surprisingly disciplined and the darker the news from Madrid, Barcelona and Milan grew, the larger became the distances between people waiting in line.
…The vast majority of suspected cases or patients with mild symptoms are kept at home, amounting to 85 percent of those who have tested positive. It is a prudent strategy, given that in northern Italy, the virus frequently spread in hospitals, despite all of the precautions.
…And there is a further possible explanation: In contrast to Spain and Italy, seniors in Portugal are generally vaccinated against tuberculosis. A recent study has found a possible correlation between countries where such a vaccine is mandatory and a lower COVID-19 morbidity rate…
After this virus recedes, experts will study the effectiveness of human responses and argue about their conclusions.
But the differences in fatality rates are striking. They are here in Canada as well. For example, deaths per million in Spain (355) are 32x that of British Columbia (11). BC’s rate is two-thirds that of Ontario’s and one-third of Quebec’s.
Yet, these results might cause people in BC’s lower mainland to be complacent. A drive past Horseshoe Bay Park today revealed busy ferries and parking places with no empty spots. Numerous groups were congregating in the park without observing rules for separation.
BC is doing quite well but that is at risk if people don’t follow directions of Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry, or if an outbreak occurs at one of the large industrial camps kept open by irresponsible companies like BC Hydro and Teck Resources.
Categories: Health
IN-SIGHTS 
Or if travel restrictions aren’t tightened on BC Ferries where mayors such as the mayor of Gibsons implored Dr Henry to take stronger measures but to no avail. That BC Ferries have reduced sailings and capacity is in my opinion insufficient to stop the spread of COVID-19. Too many are simply ignoring Dr Henry’s pleas for social isolation and physical seperation therefore I feel that stronger measures are necesessary.
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Bonnie Henry doesn’t believe in harder actual orders. Only trust, advise, guidelines too do whats right. Sad and tragic. So i would say forget about more stringent stuff as she said she feels there’s no need. I feel she obviously doesn’t have the control in the end. It’s more like Horgan and his officials have the say. Site C still going strong,man camps, even some self isolation’s going on, workers and on site medical staff telling their concerns, community leaders concerns and all the viral spread contact points that no way can be stopped. Teck Mines and big industry too with all the resal behind the scenes concerns by people and workers. You just have to look at stories out from the Tyee, Alaska News Highways, The Narwhal and others to see the real stuff about this negligence. Wheres the hard questions to Dix and Henry from that yellow spineless press gallery at the daily announcements that come out each day with the question period that follows.
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Thank You for shining a light on SiteC. I agree.
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Hello Norm: There is a darker side that needs to be discussed. What can happen when one nation decides its plans for world dominance. With poor hygiene practices, 14 million people are employed at “wet markets” in China. Wuhan has been the source of three serious virus outbreaks that could become the extinction of the human race. Is it a coincidence that the Virus laboratory is in close proximity to the Wuhan Market. There are now 3 strains: Virus A, B, and C that are in circulation all traced back to Wuhan.
Consider that China is the source of the opioid crisis… fentanyl, BC money laundering, real estate transactions like the billion $ Retirement Concept with Chinese numbered companies and BC casino cash transactions. Chinese investments in huge projects world wide like: BC Hydro (turbines) … Italian debts, African railroads, Australian Port purchases, the 5G spy phone network and the purchase of American Bonds. We should suggest that the 5G network lady be held in a Federal prison until our two Canadians are sent back to Canada. Currently, she is a prisoner in her own $10 million mansion in Vancouver. She must be suffering terribly.
The World Health Organization learned that China was aware of the virus contagion in November 2019 and that it was possibly spreading worldwide. Secrecy, profits and cover ups by the Communist regime appears to be a strategy toward military dominance. (See their military airports on manmade islands “for peaceful purposes”.)
One should question why the virus is lethal to the elderly, poor, ill health and those with respiratory disabilities. Why are the viruses appearing in eldercare facilities that are staffed with low paid foreign workers. Congregating religions are another target as China does not support religious gatherings of any kind. The wealthy (retired) cruise ship passengers are also catered to by under paid foreign workers that have no health plan coverage.
I wish this could be labelled a racist conspiracy plot but the virus has left a DNA trail.
The Washington Post journalists were detained and removed from China for documenting the truth and now riots that are occurring all over China. China is profiting by reselling faulty health protection gear.
Although there are no bullets being fired in the pandemic war China has an agenda.
Mankind could be saved over time by a vaccination shot in the arm.
The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, LA Times, San Francisco Chronicle and The Guardian are reporting these topics. It is not a Happy Easter but we must remain positive and have hope in our Canadian democracy. Canada needs to retool our supply network and not ship our raw materials to places like China, Russia or Syria.
BC’s Dr. Bonnie Henry deserves the Order of Canada medal.
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One should look south of the boarder where there is the thought that Trump wants a USA epidemic to precede some sort of marshal law before the 2020 elections this fall.
As well, Trump may close down the USA Postal service (let it go bankrupt) to thwart any sort of “mail in” vote during the epidemic.
It’s not just China, one has to be wary of!
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Not just irresponsible companies like Teck and Corporation like BC Hydro Site C. It’s more like irresponsible government also to allow it to happen. Shows who has lots of power that puts the rest of us in danger that are doing our part. Good too see the negligence and hypocrisy exposed by our officials on sites like yours and others at least.
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Not just irresponsible companies like Teck and Corporation like BC Hydro Site C. It’s more like irresponsible government also to allow it to happen. Shows who has lots of power that puts the rest of us in danger that are doing our part. Good too see the negligence and hypocrisy by our officials on sites like yours and others at least.
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Dr Henry has done a good job. One of the things which helped was to order care worker to only work in one care facility so that there would be no transmission of COVID 19. however, here in Nanaimo, the community care organization continues to send workers from care facilities to private homes. Its going to get some of us killed.
Upon fracturing my tibia, and being returned home after a week,, when home care final arrived after several days I found the second worker in worked in both care facilities in lock down and private homes. I asked the worker to leave. my sibling and I share a two story house. the sibling has Parkinsons and several other health issues, lives on the main floor. I upstairs, yes medi transport had to carry me up a full flight of stairs and here I remain untli the leg is healed. The sibiling opens the door to the care workers, steps back and they come upstairs. the sibilings doctors has been clear no contact with outsiders and is not permitted to even go into the front yard. if they contact COVID 19 they could die. Now we have been exposed to risks we should not be.
After many phone calls and emails I was advised of a change In policy in the nanaimo Vanoucver Island health authority. people would no longer work in care homes and in private homes. this moring’s worker did not phone, after they proceeded up-stairs I still asked the question even though I was under the impression there had ben a change in policy. the worker explained she worked one shift a week in a care facility. I contacted the office and was eventually adivsed it is their pooicy to send workers where they were needed and it was most unfortunate I couldn’t have what I wanted but things were not going o change. I was further informed she was responsible for 300 care workers and no longer had time to listen to me. end of conversation. I was told to contact my occupational therapist. yes, I’ve done that and in a couple of days I’ll be contacted and be told the same story.
My concern is my siblings health is fragile. Why is she being exposed to this. I fractured my tibia and while in hospital it was discovered there are heart concerns. They are exposing me to unnecesssary risks I though the name of the game was keep people healthy and alive not bring them COIVD 19 so they can die.
My sibling and I self isolated 3 weeks prior to the first case came to Vancouver island because we knew what was going on in Wuhan and weren’t going to take any chances. food was brought in along with our medicatojns, etc. we were good to go. then I fell from the third stair. My sibling should not be forced to take this risk. the care workers from the Vancouver island health authority usually don’t put on gloves until we ask them to and none wear masks.
50% of the deaths have bee in care homes. How many deaths will we see in private home because workers are bringing the virus from the care homes into private homes. There is no cure. the older you are the more you are at risk your risk increases if you have heart conditions, high blood pressure, have smoked, etc.
I feel like I’m play a game of chance every time the door is opened to a care worker from the vanocuver island health authority. The stress if becoming very intense.
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Just finished listening to the daily announcement from Henry and Dix. In the Press question period a reporter asked Henry about the concerns of Shuswap Residents concerns of bumper to bumper traffic of tourists with many having Alberta licence plates over the long weekend through there. Henry completely deflected from the question and talked about Tofino for some reason not having much traffic and then her and Dix tried to say well we don’t really no who these people are and what purpose they have and we shouldn’t judge, and stopping this stuff doesn’t NECESSARILY prevent the spread. HOLY CRAP, is that not amazing and messed up.
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Having Albertans travel to the Shuswap, might not have been the greatest idea. On the other hand are they Albertans or B..Cers coming home for the weekend. There are still a fair number of people from B.C. working in Alberta and’ you’d be surprised how many people in B.C. drive with Alberta plates
People going into these small towns isn’t great, but it may have been the opinion that the Kamloops hospital could deal with the fall out. There also the not so small matter of people in the area actually wanting tourists there, for the money.
I don’t know how the Kamloops Shuswap area is doing, but it might have been a better idea of the tourists were kept out. RCMP could simply have been stationed at major intersections and stopped the traffic. going to cottages is dumb right now. going to help family and friends who are ill, may be fine, but on the whole we don’t need a lot of extra people any where. they whole idea is people stay in their own areas.
Some small towns have handled it well, they simply won’t sell to the tourists. I think its a good thing to do.
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Yes you are right on about irresponsible Teck and especially BC Hydro Site C NON ESSENTIAL work. Even with the Voluntary 6 to 8 week shift rotation in place and some self isolating going at Site C is still dangerous and irresponsible. too be continuing. It’s still like a petri dish where anything can happen and get out someway. there are too many variables. But i’ll pray that nothing does happen of course.
The virus is showing how hardy and versatile it is. There were out of country workers and in country workers that came in and out of there also fairly recently. The propaganda from Hydro and big corporate and government about everything is just wonderful is disgusting.
So now god knows what will happen. It’s not only the negligence of these corporations that I question, it is also the union leadership for continually going along with it all since the Covid threat started showing it’s ugly self quite a while ago instead of working on getting everyone out of there. Horgan and his people, The Corporations and even Unions playing with life, while we and the frontline and essential people and services try to do our darndest too protect and save it.
I was disgusted hearing Bonnie Henry deeming Site C constuction essential service and allowing others like Teck as if to say that had something to do with saving and protecting lives. It had to be orders from Horgan from behind the curtain. One would think a top Health Official with all there so called powers, [HAHHH!!],would not allow all these camps and big construction to be deemed essential and continue. So sick. Kind of like Trudeau’s puppet Health Official. Social Distance and wash your hands, but let’s just let that air travel and non- essential cross country and non-essential interprovincial travel carry on. Bloody frigg’in hell.
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