What’s so depressing is that as a species if we wanted to we could wipe out SARS2 like we did with that strain of flu a couple of years ago. Imagine lifting everyone’s lives up with this one action. But no, better to pretend it’s all fine and keep getting sick while millions are denied any form of a life.

@andymoose

COVID research scientist here.

We cant and we didnt.

The flu strain from a couple years ago H1N1 is still alive and kicking just like SARS-COV- is

Neither was ever an option to eliminate entirely with current technology, we knew this very early on in our studies,

@DavidM_yeg

Ahh ok, yea in that case the yamagata strain was just replaced with two new active strains.

Nothing unusual about strains being replaced with new strains, that happens no matter what we do and seen several strains of covid be eliminated by that metric.

@andymoose

@andymoose @freemo

It wasn’t just that a somewhat obscure strain was eliminated… here in Alberta, we skipped an entire ‘flu season, with 0 lab recorded cases in 20-21. We weren’t “shut down”, we weren’t being locked away in isolation, we weren’t living pathetic lives that were only a shadow of their former selves: we were instead taking very simple common-sense precautions against airborne diseases.

@DavidM_yeg

If alberta wasnt in lockdown at a time that most of the world was, sadly thats not a great example either. You were more than likely benefiting off the rest of the worlds lock down and your own commons-sense methods likely helped to keep you further isolated but only protected you to the extreme you did due to worldwide lock downs.

@andymoose

@freemo @andymoose

Sorry the world was *not* in ‘lockdown’ during the ‘20-‘21 ‘flu season, especially our largest neighbour to the south …unless by ‘lockdown’ you mean ‘required masks in schools and public places’ in which case we shouldn’t continue this conversation.

@DavidM_yeg

In the USA the lockdown was maintained until August 2020. So the lockdown basically existed right up to the flu season. Were you expecting the flu to instantly spike back to baseline levels once lock down ends? It takes time for viruses to start spreading again, it isnt an instant process you know, and with the lockdowns literally ending right as flu season begins means you are going to have a much reduced incident.

Also you are flat out wrong about the 0 flu cases.

It wasn’t just that a somewhat obscure strain was eliminated… here in Alberta, we skipped an entire ‘flu season, with 0 lab recorded cases in 20-21.

Alberta’s 2021 flu season had 2,906 confirmed flu cases resuling in 523 hospitalizations. Anf thats just confirmed cases.

alberta.ca/influenza-the-flu

@andymoose

@DavidM_yeg

unless by ‘lockdown’ you mean ‘required masks in schools and public places’ in which case we shouldn’t continue this conversation.

Just to be clear, no this isnt what I mean. I am talking about where movement itself is restricted (such as cancelling public events or shutting down non essential workplaces)

@andymoose

@freemo @andymoose

As the chairman at the time of a church congregation, I am very aware of the various measures in place as navigating them was very much my responsibility. There were no movement restrictions (though there were reduced occupation capacities for buildings) during that ‘flu season.

@DavidM_yeg

How does you being the chairman of a chrch congregation give you knowledge about **world-wide** movement restrictions? We are talking about how the world still being in lock down up to the start of the season (including in the USA) being a factor. Not to mention we havent even addressed when alberta lockdowns might have ended, as I dont have that info.

@andymoose

@freemo @andymoose

It doesn’t 🙄

I wait for you to address the “flat out wrong” statement first though.

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