DirectionNorth
Active Member
Deleted by myself for being a stupid post and not helping the discussion.
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Novel Coronavirus COVID-19 (nCoV-2019)
- Thread starter AlvinofDiaspar
- Start date
Bayer
Senior Member
By all means, let's compare ourselves to a country whose COVID death rate is 3 times our own. I'm sick of the whining.
gibsonm
Active Member
I agree that the US was hit hard the first half of the pandemic and our measures served us fairly well until most of us became vaccinated. Now our approach is making it too hard to return to normal. Florida now has the second lowest death rate in the US. They have focused on providing the best treatments and are enjoying pre-pandemic freedoms without restrictions, while we obsess over testing, screening, masking, etc.
It’s unhealthy to live under so many blunt government controls. At this stage people in a democracy should be trusted to make informed decisions based on their unique health profiles and levels of risk.
Florida also stopped reporting for a while but started up again when Omicron hit. As for restrictions, they don't exist on a government level in Florida (I'm currently in Florida), but they do exist on a community level because managers and decision makers have taken things into their own hands and realized that there are times when they are needed. Many employers require staff to wear masks (Publix for example). And as soon as Omicron hit in Florida, the line ups for testing were massive once again and controls had to be put in place on who could get tested when, where and how. It's not completely the free-for-all that people like to make it out to be.
tiffer24
Senior Member
Current deaths per million (as of January 26, 2022):
Canada 862.29
Florida 2,980 (currently 18th on the list of states with highest deaths per million)
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1104709/coronavirus-deaths-worldwide-per-million-inhabitants/
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/
Florida is also currently #18 out of the states in terms of death rate. Not the second lowest. And that includes time when they weren't even reporting.
gibsonm
Active Member
Most Floridians (and I think now most Canadians) would say that freedom has tremendous value. There are non-Covid costs to restrictions, not just financial ones, especially for mental health. They’ve accepted that Covid isn’t going away and have decided that living with the risk and having personal discretion over behaviour is worthwhile. I’m sure you’re enjoying it down there. Take precautions as you see fit.
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I'm enjoying it, but I eat on patios if I do eat out and don't do indoor events or large gatherings. I do outdoor things like walking, biking and lap swimming. I wear my mask. I just had a large group of friends all down with COVID because they were all at the same event playing pass the virus.
There are also costs to not dealing with it, such as what we see at hospitals, etc. and the mental health toll this is taking on healthcare workers -- I have a few in the family, and they are so discouraged when they see people NOT taking precautions, because ... freedom! Well, what about their freedom to not have to work 16 hour shifts or to choose who gets the ventilator and who dies? That's the reality of what one of my family members faces on a regular basis.
There are also costs to not dealing with it, such as what we see at hospitals, etc. and the mental health toll this is taking on healthcare workers -- I have a few in the family, and they are so discouraged when they see people NOT taking precautions, because ... freedom! Well, what about their freedom to not have to work 16 hour shifts or to choose who gets the ventilator and who dies? That's the reality of what one of my family members faces on a regular basis.
Bayer
Senior Member
More than 900 Ontarians have died since the beginning of the year; we are in the middle of one of worst phases of the pandemic. We should relax restrictions when the data justifies it, not before, and stop comparing ourselves to a failing country where life is cheap.
gibsonm
Active Member
Canada simply isn’t as free as the US or UK, at least not anymore. Fear and government overreach are accepted by a resigned population that has gotten used to letting government decide how people should live. It’s a substandard existence, living in isolation waiting for the next directive, but people behind the iron curtain don’t know what they’re missing. Hopefully someday Canada finds its way back to normalcy.
W. K. Lis
Superstar
From link.
Top 10 Freest Countries in the World - 2020 Human Freedom Index
- New Zealand - 8.87
- Switzerland - 8.82
- Hong Kong (China) - 8.74
- Denmark - 8.73
- Australia - 8.68
- Canada - 8.64
- Ireland - 8.62
- Estonia - 8.54
- Germany - 8.52 (tie)
- Sweden - 8.52 (tie)
vic
Senior Member
With Hong Kong at #3, I'm wondering how good the numbers are... Though maybe they've dropped a notch or two since 2020.
gibsonm
Active Member
Just be thankful that some of the US is pushing back against government overreach. Maybe visitors to Florida who can run the draconian gauntlet to reenter Canada will remind us that liberty is still possible.
gibsonm
Active Member
It’s really not that difficult to return to Canada. Draconian gauntlet? Hardly.