# Canada and the Coronavirus **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [March 30, 2020, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-and-the-coronavirus/850643 "2020-03-30T05:02:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 35
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2021, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-and-the-coronavirus/850643/684 "2021-11-06T19:49:02Z")
So, is there a hospital there? What’s that hospital’s mandate policy? ---
**Author:** ![Kimera757](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimera757/32/3765_2.png) [@Kimera757](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimera757)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2021, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-and-the-coronavirus/850643/685 "2021-11-06T19:58:47Z")
It has Thomas Elgin General Hospital. [https://aylmerexpress.com/2021/08/hospital-workers-must-be-vaccinated/](https://aylmerexpress.com/2021/08/hospital-workers-must-be-vaccinated/) > [@](#): > > St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital, in a statement issued Thursday, Aug. 26, announced that given the rising number of COVID-19 cases requiring hospitalization both locally and across Ontario, current staff and physicians must be fully vaccinated against the virus or submit to daily testing before each work shift. Looks like the hospital is doing what is necessary. I wonder if this is the case in every town with a low vaccination rate. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2021, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-and-the-coronavirus/850643/686 "2021-11-06T21:44:12Z")
In fairness, St. Thomas and Aylmer aren’t the same town. That is probably the closest hospital, but Aylmer’s vaccination rate isn’t going to be the same at St. Thomas, a substantially larger town that is rather less likely to fall under the sway of a crackpot preacher. This is, at any rate, another example of a case where the province not imposing a vaccine mandate on hospital staff doesn’t matter, since the hospital has its own mandate. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2021, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-and-the-coronavirus/850643/687 "2021-11-07T21:24:12Z")
It matters somewhat. Ontario and Quebec in my view should have proceeded. Not all that fair to pass the buck to individual hospitals. Give lots of lead time and any reasonable alternatives. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2021, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-and-the-coronavirus/850643/688 "2021-11-08T14:23:59Z")
I agree it matters somewhat and the province should have been a leader here, but I doubt it’ll matter a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2021, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-and-the-coronavirus/850643/689 "2021-11-08T15:56:37Z")
I heard a show on CBC this weekend that spoke of hospitals in Ontario facing frivolous lawsuits, and HR people in hospitals receiving death threats. The province has been cowardly passing the buck to the hospitals, because they don’t want to face this kind of criticism, particularly from their own base in my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2021, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-and-the-coronavirus/850643/690 "2021-11-08T15:58:44Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > The province has been cowardly passing the buck to the hospitals, because they don’t want to face this kind of criticism, particularly from their own base in my opinion. Sounds like day ending in ‘y’ from Queen’s Park. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-and-the-coronavirus/850643/691 "2021-11-09T03:13:43Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > The province has been cowardly passing the buck to the hospitals, because they don’t want to face this kind of criticism, particularly from their own base in my opinion. Not to mention, they’ve already started politicking for the next election. Doug is desperately trying not to lose any more votes from his base. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2021, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-and-the-coronavirus/850643/692 "2021-11-11T19:58:17Z")
The Ontario Science Table (q.v. today’s Globe ed.) states that unvaccinated people are five times more likely to be infected, eleven times more likely to be hospitalized and 26 times more likely to need intensive care. In Quebec, the risk of infection is 4.7 times higher and risk of hospitalization 16.2 times higher. In Alberta, just 12 of 262 people in their 50s admitted to ICUs (over the last four months) were fully vaccinated. Of 121 ICU admissions of people in their 30s just four were vaccinated. Approximately 3.5m Canadians over twelve have not received any shots and are driving the pandemic. While this effect is clear (especially in cases per capita), I notice some government statistic sites breakdown vaccination status by number of cases, which is misleading since about 85% of Ontarians are vaccinated. The numbers above are clear and not easy to logically debate. I also read an interesting piece on why health care workers are more reluctant than they should be. The reasons are not great, and reflect human logic, wrong thinking that can be explained - and is important to understand and address. We have had occasional doctors saying the evidence was not yet here. It is. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2021, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-and-the-coronavirus/850643/693 "2021-11-11T20:16:31Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > In Alberta, just 12 of 262 people in their 50s admitted to ICUs (over the last four months) were fully vaccinated … Yes, and of those 250 unvaccinated who ended up in an Alberta ICU, I knew one. He was a friend of mine. He wouldn’t get the vaccine because it was some sort of government plot, or something. Odd, because he never struck me as somebody who bought into conspiracy theories. He ended up in the ICU, on a ventilator, doing so poorly that they put him in a medically-induced coma. But they couldn’t save him, and he passed away a couple of weeks ago. ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2021, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-and-the-coronavirus/850643/694 "2021-11-11T22:26:54Z")
My condolences, @Spoons. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2021, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-and-the-coronavirus/850643/695 "2021-11-12T00:24:41Z")
_Ignoti nulla cupido; dabit deus his quoque finem. Semel insanivimus omnes_. I’m sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2021, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-and-the-coronavirus/850643/696 "2021-11-12T13:47:06Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > He wouldn’t get the vaccine because it was some sort of government plot, or something. Odd, because he never struck me as somebody who bought into conspiracy theories. @Spoons I’m sorry you lost a friend to this. This quote just crystalizes the oddest/saddest part of this whole period in time. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2021, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-and-the-coronavirus/850643/697 "2021-11-14T19:17:23Z")
Sorry to hear the news, @Spoons . Always hard to lose a friend. Even harder when they could have taken steps to protect their health. By any chance, was it one of the friends you mentioned back in September? > [@Spoons](#): > > I’m not understanding the hesitancy, but it exists. Two of our regulars for “Beer and BS” refuse to get vaxxed, and texted us all their regrets at being unable to attend. They weren’t very regretful though, as one said, “Our supreme leader, the Great and Powerful Jason Kenney has determined that I am a threat to public health.” He goes on about how the vaccine is useless, and only being used because it lines the pockets of Big Pharma. The other just sent a WWII photo of a Nazi soldier demanding somebody’s papers, with the tag, “This weekend, don’t forget to turn your clocks back to 1942.” ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2021, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-and-the-coronavirus/850643/698 "2021-11-14T19:28:41Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > By any chance, was it one of the friends you mentioned back in September? No, it was nobody from our “Beer and BS” group. It was a guy I knew from a community group, and we kept in touch outside of the group. The “Beer and BS” guys who won’t get vaxxed still aren’t (we all keep in touch), but one looks like he may be wavering on that stance. Between his employer and his inability to go anywhere like the local pub, or do anything other than sit at home, he may be changing his attitude. I hope so anyway; he was always a hoot at “Beer and BS.” ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2021, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-and-the-coronavirus/850643/699 "2021-11-14T23:21:39Z")
This is why I support strong mandates for employment and other “fun” activities. If we can convince more folks to get vaccinated (without resorting to darting them from helicopters) the better. It will hopefully get to the point where if you want to be a covidiot, then you can do so in complete isolation from society. If you don’t want to follow a society’s rules, you can go it alone. And that means ALONE. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2021, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-and-the-coronavirus/850643/700 "2021-11-14T23:40:07Z")
It is a small miracle that an RNA vaccine was produced at all. They’ve been trying for decades. Live vaccines or workarounds have been used for RNA viruses like measles and mumps. So it is a strange world we live in where the vaccine exists, and is available, and free, and encouraged - and some stubborn people still do not want it, despite inconveniences including death. The stated reasons are not as great, unlike the irony but it is important to understand them. Why they would choose to make their stand here is baffling - there are really many more courageous or heroic stances one could take against many issues - but this is not really one of them. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2021, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-and-the-coronavirus/850643/701 "2021-11-15T00:11:23Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > I heard a show on CBC this weekend that spoke of hospitals in Ontario facing frivolous lawsuits, and HR people in hospitals receiving death threats. > The province has been cowardly passing the buck to the hospitals, because they don’t want to face this kind of criticism, particularly from their own base in my opinion. While I have no doubt it’s chickenshit pass-the-back politics, hospitals would be getting death threats anyway, because if you’re looking to spreadnecks for the application of logical thinking like “who to correctly assign blame to for something that angers me” you are barking up the wrong tree. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2021, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-and-the-coronavirus/850643/702 "2021-11-15T04:27:41Z")
Yes you’re probably correct. These are folks who think “hey, you know what would convince people that modern medicine is a hoax? If we disrupt a Remembrance Day ceremony and crap all over Canadian veterans. Ya, that will make us look good. “ ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2021, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-and-the-coronavirus/850643/703 "2021-11-15T08:22:44Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > This is why I support strong mandates for employment and other “fun” activities. If we can convince more folks to get vaccinated (without resorting to darting them from helicopters) the better. It will hopefully get to the point where if you want to be a covidiot, then you can do so in complete isolation from society. If you don’t want to follow a society’s rules, you can go it alone. And that means ALONE. Unfortunately you’re also talking those who about least likely to comply with the rules of the gubmint. The ones who comply are the ones who’ve already been vaccinated. You can lead a horse to water…. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-and-the-coronavirus/850643.md?page=34) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-and-the-coronavirus/850643.md?page=36)