EDITORIAL: As vaccinations increase, lockdowns must decrease
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It was cause for celebration to see the first Canadians receive their initial dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Monday.
Photo ops in Ontario and Quebec offered up the two smiling faces who were first in line to get vaccinated.
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In Ontario it was Anita Quidangen, a personal support worker who rolled up her sleeve to receive one of the 249,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine.
In Quebec it was Gisele Levesque, an 89-year-old from Quebec City, who got the jab.
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Those who deserve some of the greatest credit and praise during COVID-19 are medical researchers who burned the candle at both ends to develop a vaccine in such a short time span.
It’s been rightly described as a “moon shot” feat of innovation.
Politicians were celebrating the eventful day, as they should. But they also offered troubling words of warning.
“Make no mistake there is a long road ahead of us, but this represents hope and proof that this pandemic will come to an end,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford posted to social media.
Long road? How long?
We have learned a lot about COVID-19 these past nine months. We’re in a much better position than we were back in March.
A key thing we have learned is who is hardest hit by COVID-19 and who is likeliest to have a serious outcome leading to hospitalization and death.
The truth is that the vast majority of COVID-19 deaths in Canada have been in elderly persons with multiple underlying conditions who live in group settings. This is a fact.
We need to use this information to make smarter policy decisions about restrictions. We must fast-track those decisions as more people get vaccinated.
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The more elderly persons and healthcare workers there are who have been vaccinated, the less of a need there is for restrictions on the lives of low-risk persons.
The facts already show the closure of small businesses is not supported by the evidence.
As policymakers speak about the timeline for vaccines, they also need to speak about the timeline for easing restrictions.
While low-risk Canadians won’t have access to vaccine doses until several months from now, they do not need to live under onerous restrictions until that time.
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