COVID-19
2017 Influenza VS 2020 COVID19 – A comparison
We’ve all heard the claim “COVID19 is no worse than the flu”.
Is this true? Now that COVID19 has been around for about a year we can look at the numbers and make some definitive observations.
The first case of COVID19 in Canada was reported by Health Canada on Jan. 25, in a Toronto man who had recently travelled from Wuhan. Nine months later, COVID19 has swept the country, devastated economies, and is responsible for the death of over 12,000 Canadians. In some areas measures to control the spread seem to be working, in other areas despite a range of measures, it’s spreading rapidly. There’s still so many unknowns and COVID19 remains nearly as mysterious as when it first appeared. As usual in a situation where knowledge is lacking, fear is not. The Canada Suicide Prevention Service reported to the Canadian Press that in September, 18% of their calls came from people worried about their finances while 26% of their calls were from people very worried that they or someone close to them would contract COVID-19. It’s very likely the claim COVID is no worse than the flu is an understandable response and an attempt to calm this “fear of the unknown”. It is true that so far the survival rate is closer to 100% than it is to 99% for those of us under the age of 60, but can we truly compare COVID and influenza?
The first thing we have to do is dismiss any comparisons with the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic
The only other time millions of Canadians tried to protect themselves with masks was during the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic. Actually there is no comparison between the severity of these 2 viruses. The 1918 Spanish Flu was FAR more devastating. We can put this comparison to rest immediately. According to government figures the 1918 ” international pandemic killed approximately 55,000 people in Canada, most of whom were young adults between the ages of 20 and 40.” As of early December, COVID19 is responsible for under 12,500 deaths in Canada. There are fewer deaths (so far) and the age group most severely attacked is much, much older. The majority of COVID19 fatalities are at, or above the life expectancy of Canadians (82.37 years of age in 2019).
So what about the regular flu? Is it true that COVID19 is no worse that the (regular) flu?
Well if you’re going to make a claim that the flu is as bad as COVID19 you’d better pick a pretty bad flu season to compare. 2017 was a bad year for the flu in Alberta. About the worst in the past 10 years. According to the 2017 Seasonal Influenza Summary Reports on the Alberta Health Website:
2017 Influenza – 9,069 laboratory-confirmed influenza cases (the largest number of cases in the previous five seasons)
2017 Influenza – 3,053 hospitalizations, 242 ICU admissions and 92 deaths
Compare these numbers to the stats from the Province of Alberta’s COVID19 website.
2020 COVID19 (to Dec 4) – 64,261 positive tests
2020 COVID19 (to Dec 4) – 2,096 hospitalizations, 379 ICU admissions and 590 deaths.
Up to December 4 there were actually more people hospitalized due to the flu in the 2017 / 2018 season, but that number looks like it will tip toward COVID19 in the next week or less. The other numbers swing heavily toward COVID19 being worse than the flu. Furthermore, it’s important to note COVID19 is NOT behind us yet. So while the numbers here are current to the beginning of December, it could be nearly another year (when vaccines have been widely distributed everywhere) before we’re more-less finished with COVID19 in this first series of waves.
Our final answer
Within the next week or so (after 58 more people are hospitalized) COVID19 will conclusively be worse and in the end far worse than the flu in every category our health system measures.
Interesting Final Note
Having said all this, a remarkable thing is happening with the 2020 flu season. So far there isn’t one. According to Health Canada’s weekly FluWatch Report as of the end of November there is no evidence of community circulation of the flu virus in Canada. Officials are not sure why but they suggest the lack of positive flu tests may be related to the existence of COVID19.
By Cindy Harper
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A Canadian court has ordered the release of documents that could shed light on how federal authorities and law enforcement worked together to freeze the bank accounts of a protester involved in the Freedom Convoy.
Both the RCMP and TD Bank are now required to provide records related to Evan Blackman, who took part in the 2022 demonstrations and had his accounts frozen despite not being convicted of any crime at the time.
The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) announced the Ontario Court of Justice ruling. The organization is representing Blackman, whose legal team argues that the actions taken against him amounted to a serious abuse of power.
“The freezing of Mr. Blackman’s bank accounts was an extreme overreach on the part of the police and the federal government,” said his lawyer, Chris Fleury. “These records will hopefully reveal exactly how and why Mr. Blackman’s accounts [were] frozen.”
Blackman was arrested during the mass protests in Ottawa, which drew thousands of Canadians opposed to vaccine mandates and other pandemic-era restrictions.
Although he faced charges of mischief and obstructing police, those charges were dismissed in October due to a lack of evidence. Despite this, prosecutors have appealed, and a trial is set to begin on August 14.
At the height of the protests, TD Bank froze three of Blackman’s accounts following government orders issued under the Emergencies Act. Then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had invoked the act to grant his government broad powers to disrupt the protest movement, including the unprecedented use of financial institutions to penalize individuals for their support or participation.
In 2024, a Federal Court Justice ruled that Trudeau’s decision to invoke the act had not been justified.
Blackman’s legal team plans to use the newly released records to demonstrate the extent of government intrusion into personal freedoms.
According to the JCCF, this case may be the first in Canada where a criminal trial includes a Charter challenge over the freezing of personal bank accounts under emergency legislation.
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From LifeSiteNews
Pfizer and Moderna’s mRNA COVID shots must now include warnings that they cause ‘extremely high risk’ of heart inflammation and irreversible damage in males up to age 24.
The Trump administration’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it will now require updated safety warnings on mRNA COVID-19 shots to include the “extremely high risk” of myocarditis/pericarditis and the likelihood of long-term, irreversible heart damage for teen boys and young men up to age 24.
The required safety updates apply to Comirnaty, the mRNA COVID shot manufactured by Pfizer Inc., and Spikevax, the mRNA COVID shot manufactured ModernaTX, Inc.
According to a press release, the FDA now requires each of those manufacturers to update the warning about the risks of myocarditis and pericarditis to include information about:
- the estimated unadjusted incidence of myocarditis and/or pericarditis following administration of the 2023-2024 Formula of mRNA COVID-19 shots and
- the results of a study that collected information on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cardiac MRI) in people who developed myocarditis after receiving an mRNA COVID-19 injection.
The FDA has also required the manufacturers to describe the new safety information in the adverse reactions section of the prescribing information and in the information for recipients and caregivers.
Additionally, the fact sheets for healthcare providers and for recipients and caregivers for Moderna COVID-19 shot and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 shot, which are authorized for emergency use in individuals 6 months through 11 years of age, have also been updated to include the new safety information in alignment with the Comirnaty and Spikevax prescribing information and information for recipients and caregivers.
In a video published on social media, Dr. Vinay Prasad, director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation & Research Chief Medical and Scientific Officer, explained the alarming reasons for the warning updates.
While heart problems arose in approximately 8 out of 1 million persons ages 6 months to 64 years following reception of the cited shots, that number more than triples to 27 per million for males ages 12 to 24.
Prasad noted that multiple studies have arrived at similar findings.
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