Reposted by Ian Robertson
Ian Robertson
@ianwrob.bsky.social
2.3K followers 3.5K following 32 posts
Modest egomaniac + secular humanist misanthrope + erratic Marxist + I design buildings, hopefully passiv, and once climbed Grouse Grind 17 times in a day. Same handle on the bird.
![Misinformation and Conflicting Guidance on Mask Use
The COVID-19 pandemic appeared to exacerbate the infodemic, with misinformation amplified through politicized debates surrounding mask mandates, vaccinations, and other mitigation measures. While the majority of health care providers advocated for mask use, a minority of health care providers offered contradictory guidance. One physician stated:
I’m a physician—I believe in statistics—I follow the science. There is no evidence that masks decrease the spread of COVID-19. Masks cause issues for children ...
While a parent cited recommendations received from their health care provider, claiming that masking could worsen illness severity:
Dr. [Insert name] states that asymptomatic or mild cases of COVID become more severe when the infected is masked .... The oxygen-lowering effects of masks cause these microbes to be inhaled deeply into the lungs, where respiratory disease far worse than COVID can result.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ij4exulujmnsyyveltg2im66/bafkreihnzgshz3fbpj7xv5uad3t5h3yg2rz7dp6hrwcr2prqy2ytrieabq)
![[Text on an yellow octagon meant to look like the output of an overhead projector.]
The silent erosion of COVID-19 awareness & management in B.C.:
A TIMELINE
[A timeline of the year 2025 and the January of 2026. Numbered diamonds are placed on the timeline to mark the events below.]
1. April 16: Amount & timeliness of SARS-CoV-2 sample data uploaded to GISAID, an online repository, deteriorate.
2. May: The end of RAT Kit Distribution Program is announced in a professional newsletter. This provided free RAT kits to pharmacies.
3. May 31: RAT kits orders from this day onwards would not be reimbursed.
4. June: The BCCDC page dedicated to how COVID-19 spreads is removed.
5. September 1: Under the BC medical services plan, less than 20 people will be allowed in an online group medical visit. An unknown number of bed- & house-bound people will lose telehealth access to the BC-CLMF, a long COVID & ME/CFS clinic. Implementation delayed until January.
6. September 15: Vancouver Sun publishes a sponsored article, suggesting the program responsible for generating SARS-CoV-2 data from wastewater samples would be expanded & describes the then-current state of the program.
7. September 18: The wastewater surveillance program is cut: 8 of 12 wastewater treatment plants will no longer be monitored, and 1 sample will be taken per week instead of 3.
8. October 14: The year's vaccination campaign begins to widespread shortages.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:dy4l7kqcar73iaezbjxzwiui/bafkreibyc7hcwrwtwlid453tk3fv523vx3cziv4g5qksvdrks6b3ymxo2a)
