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Covid-19

^ the problem with the reasoning is that cases are a leading indicator. And even with deaths being concentrated amongst the now vaccinated to date, we are quickly going to overwhelm that math with just a huge number of cases amongst everyone else. Fort McMurray is closing in on 2% of the population having an active infection. Alberta wide we’re above 0.5%. Sure, the rest of the population might only be 1-5% as likely to die from covid, but if the population is much larger and we infect them at a higher rate, we can end up with the same number of deaths or even more.

Plus if we only make decisions with lagging indicators (deaths lag a long time, hospitalizations in the mid range) but we know that the leading indicator leads to the lagging indicators - why are we waiting?

it seems a big portion of our population just don’t get that our healthcare systems incredible capacity to adapt to the strain doesn’t mean that there isn’t a crisis.

I’d say yes, keeping elementary schools and day cares open has great social good that can’t be provided even somewhat well if shutdown. So close the damn patios. Lower mall capacity to 3-5% if 15% is still above what they’d have in Boxing Day. Monitor and shut down places in violation. If a rodeo announces they are going ahead put up road blocks. Divert vaccines to warehouses and food processing settings with histories of outbreaks. Enforce work from home in businesses that have no reason to be in the office - including much of the provincial government.

we don’t have to choose the same policy mix to achieve the same ends. We can mix and match.

at this point it is utter carelessness. Who is going to be our last pandemic death in the province? The last 50? The last 500? Each and every one of those deaths can be avoided. Cuz even using standard insurance numbers, those 500 deaths are worth $4 billion bucks if avoided. Plus all those who rotated through ICU and likely will never return to anywhere near 100%.

we are so close to being over. By mid June we should have herd immunity, and by mid August rock solid maybe even extirpate the virus levels of herd immunity. We just need to get from here to there while killing the least amount of people.

Worst part is that those infected now who develop severe outcomes will be dying right around the time we’re getting close to herd immunity - and only in looking back for many will it be realized that our governments leadership was stupid and callous.
 
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at this point it is utter carelessness. Who is going to be our last pandemic death in the province? The last 50? The last 500? Each and every one of those deaths can be avoided.

I bet 90% of those last 50-500 deaths will be people who were offered vaccines and declined them.

.we are so close to being over. By mid June we should have herd immunity, and by mid August rock solid maybe even extirpate the virus levels of herd immunity.

I think that’s right in inner city Calgary and in Edmonton. San Francisco has basically reached herd immunity already, but rural Michigan is a disaster. I think this will go on with a long tail of outbreaks among certain groups and in certain geographical areas.
 
Seems like they have concluded a significant percentage of adults (mostly in Republican states) have declared they will not get vaccinated. There is also a percentage of the population who after getting their first shot have either forgotten or have decided not to get their second shot. On top of that, there is the 'anti-vac' faction who probably won't get their kids vaccinated when they are eligible.
As Robert Burns once wrote

The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry"​

 
And restaurant patios are closing, back to strictly takeout. That is going to really sting some businesses.....
Yes. The last two years has been particularly awful if you are restaurant/bar owner
  • this is your third closure in 15 months for in-door dining
  • even when open, you have never been able to have anything close to full capacity
  • you spent extra money on safety protocols for in-door dining after the first closure
  • you spent extra money creating a safe environment for outdoor dining and now you have to close that
  • you missed all of the special events that may have put your business in the black over the course of the year i.e Stampede, Christmas parties, festivals etc
At some point, you are probably saying 'I can't take this anymore. It just is not worth it'. Which some have already decided to pack it in and I am sure many more will. When and if things get back to normal, the retail/hospitality landscape is going to look barren for awhile. I don't see a rush of entrepreneurs wanting to get into business after witnessing what happened to other owners.
 
I only hope pent up consumer demand will be so high, it will convince investors/entrepreneurs to risk the capital to start up new ventures to fill the old space.
It may depend on who absorbed the cost of all these closures. The owner? The bank if loans were defaulted on? Is government backstopping this in the COVID relief programs? (if so, just add it to the growing debt tab)
If banks or other financing sources have taken a hit across the country (we are talking tens of thousands of businesses in this same predicament), they will be much more reluctant to load out to new ventures.
 

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