Is your head spinning yet?

Yesterday we were told that a person who has COVID 19 is unlikely to develop long term immunity which means that banking on the majority of the population becoming infected and developing immunity to COVID 19 ( herd immunity) as a means of ending the pandemic is not likely.

We need to wait for either a vaccine or an anti-viral treatment to rid the planet of this virus, both of which will take a year, not weeks or months. We are stuck with this virus.

Yeah. That could definitely lead to despair. I realized something this morning as a woke at 5 am. For the last week or so, I am not waking up with dread and panic. That innate, deep, gnawing fear that I push away everyday in the name of coping and moving on, is no longer there. There is a reason for that. There is less uncertainty. It is fear of the unknown that can drive us to despair. We are beginning to accept COVID 19 and the many, pervasive, dizzying ways it has changed our lives. Acceptance, in an odd way, brings peace. I accept this dramatic change. I accept that things will not be the same again. I accept the challenge of working together nationally and globally to end COVID 19 and I accept the resistance and opposition I will face everyday as I work to get the scientific word out there.

Today, we hear that COVID 19 transmission in Canada is largely under control. The epidemiology, the science shows that WE HAVE THE VIRUS UNDER CONTROL! Physical distancing, living in bubbles, wearing masks, washing hands, testing, testing and testing while collectively following our leaders has allowed us to get this virus under control.

Acceptance and control brings more than peace, they bring confidence and strength, power!

The number of daily cases continues to decline along with the number of hospitalizations and ICU admissions. I just need to remind everyone what an incredible accomplishment this is. We flattened the curve, we smashed COVID 19 and we came out the other side beaten, bruised and bewildered but relatively intact.

And all this success at the same time that the World Health Organization announces that the world is no where near the end of COVID 19, that most countries have yet to feel the devastating brunt of the virus. We have not been spared. This is not magic. We are here because our health care system is public and available to all, because our governments worked together collaboratively and because as a nation and a culture, we followed their lead.

Until there is a treatment or a vaccine, your life will not go back to normal but there is life out here in this new world. There is much to be grateful for and there is still so much work to be done. Cases can reemerge at anytime and any place. In a matter of weeks, we could find ourselves in the same terrifying state as so many other countries are experiencing. The pandemic restrictions need to stay in place. Releasing these restrictions will put us back to where we were in March and April

"Dynamic models are telling us that if we relax too much or too soon the epidemic will most likely rebound with explosive growth as a distinct possibility." Dr. Theresa Tam

Accept set backs. We will see small outbreaks. Restrictive public health measures will slowly be lifted "to minimize the unintended health, social and economic consequences." This will inevitably lead to an increase in cases but not necessarily to the dreaded second wave. The key is to keep the outbreaks small and contained by testing those that are the most at risk and quarantining the positive cases.

Of Ontario's 257 confirmed new cases of COVID-19, reported today, 177 are from the Windsor-Essex area. The provincial caseload grew sharply following targeted testing of migrant farm workers over the weekend. Expect higher numbers as the Kingston outbreak is contained.

British Columbia, has moved into Phase 3 of its reopening plan and is seeing a sustained rise in cases for the first time in months, with hospitalizations at their highest point since June 7 and the five-day rolling average of new cases the highest since May 17. This is to be expected. Fear not. It has been awhile since I have said this but, we have got this. Trust the science and the experts.

Our job remains the same. Follow the guidelines, remain vigilant and accept the changes in your life. We are working through a massive global catastrophe, and we have faired very, very well. Let's hold on to that.

There is a small group within the population that will use COVID 19 and the fear it creates to convince you that the science is wrong and that your leaders have ulterior motives. Nonsense. Our numbers prove that our leaders and health advisors can certainly be trusted as they follow the science. And a vaccine that is safe and effective can definitely be made and mass produced in a short period of time because we have never been this smart. We have never lived in an era of such scientific technology and advancements. Never before in our history has the world worked so collaboratively with so many resources. We will get this done. You are safe.

Anne-Marie

Please share.

And don't forget the vulnerable. It is time to make the world a place of justice and equality. Amen to that!

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