Flip-flop, flip-flop. What’s that sound? It’s the making of Canadian health-care policy on COVID-19.
The long list of COVID policy reversals began even before the pandemic officially took hold a year ago, and continues unabated. Here’s a short trip down memory lane:
COVID won’t be Canada’s problem; we are officially in a pandemic. There is no evidence of asymptomatic spread; asymptomatic spread is real. Masks are not helpful; everybody wear masks please. Canada will have adequate vaccines; dear U.S. President Joe Biden, please send us vaccines. Vaccines shouldn’t be spaced more than three weeks apart; vaccines can be spaced four months apart. The AstraZeneca vaccine is not safe for seniors; the AstraZeneca vaccine shouldn’t be given to people under 55.
And so on. It’s enough to make you sick — literally.
It’s true that COVID-19 is a new disease and the science is continually evolving. But as Auditor General Karen Hogan chronicled in a scathing report released last week, Canada’s public health officials still made a shocking number of mistakes, the top of the list being the failure of our early warning system coupled with inaccurate risk assessments.