The writer of the letter B次元官网网址淭ime to heal wounds caused by COVIDB次元官网网址� (Jan. 6) makes some valid points about how we should treat our fellow citizens. However, he also argues that public health policy that uses persuasion rather than penalty works better and as an example cites Florida as having lower case counts than New Mexico, thereby implying that mandates/penalties donB次元官网网址檛 work. He goes on to say that British Columbia should follow suit. I think this is a gross oversimplification of a very complex issue and is indicative of how information about COVID can be misinterpreted and misunderstood.
The folks who donB次元官网网址檛 believe in COVID lockdowns, vaccine mandates and other restrictions often cherry-pick statistics to reinforce their particular beliefs. Florida isnB次元官网网址檛 necessarily doing better than other states depending on what statistics you look at and how you interpret them.
One just needs to do a simple Google search - B次元官网网址淔lorida COVID cases compared to other statesB次元官网网址� - to learn that statistics can be deceiving. One physician is quoted as saying B次元官网网址淔lorida only reports those positive cases among people who are full-time residents of Florida. So, if your full-time residence is in Ohio, and you have a condo in Miami Beach and you go down there and you get COVID, youB次元官网网址檙e not a case in Florida. YouB次元官网网址檙e not even a case in Ohio. YouB次元官网网址檙e nothing, and thatB次元官网网址檚 why I donB次元官网网址檛 put a lot of impact on that Florida case rate.B次元官网网址�
I donB次元官网网址檛 know if this statement is actually true, but if it is, it means you canB次元官网网址檛 compare Florida statistics with those of New Mexico; they are apples and oranges. In order to accurately compare apples and oranges when it comes to COVID, you need to be an epidemiologist or infectious disease specialist. I choose to put my faith in Dr. Bonnie Henry because she has the qualifications and experience to make the hard and complex decisions required to steer us as efficiently as possible through this pandemic. Armchair Google experts do not.
Joan Richardt
Sidney
