Common Sense Returning to Parts of Ontario
Haldimand-Norfolk welcomes Dr. Strauss; Mayor of Warwick comes out against vaccine passports
Dr. Matt Strauss, assistant professor of medicine at Queen's University, was announced as Acting Medical Officer of Health for Haldimand-Norfolk last week.
The public health establishment, however, was not pleased. Why? Because Dr. Strauss has quite publicly denounced lockdowns as unethical and ineffective.
In Dr. Strauss’ own words:
'Do no harm' are three words all doctors must follow in the course of their work. These words make me convinced that Covid-19 lockdowns are the wrong approach, and a growing number of doctors are on my side.
You can imagine the terror that the good doctor’s appointment would strike in the hearts of lockdown proponents within the Ontario public health establishment. The past 18 months have essentially been a waste, with many lives needlessly disrupted - or even ended prematurely:
However, evidence for the harms of lockdown is now piling up. In the US, homicides are up 50 per cent compared to last summer. In France, domestic violence calls are up 30 per cent. In Canada, almost three times more people are contemplating suicide compared to last year; and in British Columbia, overdose deaths have tripled from pre-pandemic levels. When you deprive children of their education, adults of their livelihood, and elderly people of their social connections, desperation and despair quickly set in. While a thoughtful person might have predicted this, the mathematical models did not.
The common-sense, scientifically-grounded views of Dr. Strauss are the opposite of what we’ve had our public health officials spoon-feed us without question for much of the past year and a half. So much so that Dr. Strauss had even debated Peel Region’s medical officer of health Dr. Lawrence Loh on lockdowns.
It was no surprise, then, that the appointment of Dr. Strauss was condemned by officials seeking to protect their reputation.
Here’s a statement from the Minister of Health, Christine Elliott:
The Ontario Liberal Party, which has, despite its name, openly advocated for tight restrictions on people’s civil liberties, went so far as to demand that Minister Elliott “veto” his appointment - which is legally impossible so long as Dr. Strauss remains in his role in an acting capacity rather than as a full-time appointment.
The establishment’s reaction to the appointment of Dr. Strauss is founded on nothing other than the fear of being proven wrong on lockdowns and other futile restrictions on our lives.
Dr. Strauss is pro-vaccine, having written this article suggesting that the arrival of covid-19 vaccines diminishes further any rationale for a future lockdown. This makes his condemnation as an “anti-vax” doctor even stranger.
A statement by Dr. Strauss published today underlines the doctor’s compassion and commitment to scientific inquiry:
I have also seen the extraordinary and life-saving power of the available Covid-19 vaccines to prevent such devastation. I am excited to continue the hard work of vaccine rollout in the communities of Haldimand and Norfolk with particular attention to, and compassion for, underserviced, vulnerable, and potentially vaccine-hesitant individuals there.
In my clinical practice, I have generally found that nuanced, personalized and non-coercive conversations help individuals make the best possible health care decisions to the benefit of both their health and the public health. Such approaches are generally well-evidenced by the scientific literature.
My clinical practice has always been explicitly science-based. As a frontline ICU physician treating Covid-19 patients, I have always applied the highest-quality scientific evidence to their care.
I have been and remain skeptical of some proposed therapies such as: hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin, ivermectin, Remdesivir, and empiric anti-coagulation. Such healthy skepticism has been validated by subsequent clinical trials.
I bring similar skepticism to novel non-pharmaceutical interventions such as stay-at-home orders. So far, most trials that have compared Covid-19 mortality between jurisdictions with stringent lockdowns against those with more liberal approaches have not demonstrated any mortality reduction from the more stringent policies.
The appointment of Dr. Strauss is a small but pivotal step in Ontario’s return to normalcy.
Finally, the Mayor of Warwick, Ontario, Jackie Rombouts, has come out strongly and publicly against vaccine passports in Ontario.
I will refuse the Ontario vaccine passport and will not patron any business or organization that will not welcome all my fellow Ontarian’s equally. I am prepared to accept any discrimination that will inevitably come my way as a result of this decision and will vehemently defend the rights of others to do the same.
This is a welcomed statement as many Ontarians are vehemently opposed to vaccine passports, even those who have been fully vaccinated themselves and would like to see many others choose to be vaccinated.
Mayor Rombouts’ position is based on compassion and a desire for true equity. And it’s not a rejection of science. Consider that even Harvard Medical School professor Martin Kulldorff has stated that “vaccine mandates are not only scientific nonsense, they are also discriminatory and unethical.”
The winds of change are blowing in Ontario. Let’s hope they pick up speed.