Bioethics Matters: Decision-Making in Light of COVID-19
Preamble During this period of abundant information and social distancing for the common good, CCBI…
CCBI Resources for Covid-19, October 30, 2020
Dear Friends of CCBI,
By now we are all aware of many systemic injustices and flaws in our federal and provincial government and administrations: racism, poverty, health care inequities, indigenous issues, long-term care, and so on. The pandemic has exacerbated the effects of these injustices and while some have resorted to violence out of frustration at inactivity, some moves are being made to clarify and repair or improve the situation at government and social levels. Canada’s Chief Medical Officer of Public Health, Dr Teresa Tam, writes in her annual report to government: “The highly specialized unit of the Public Health Agency of Canada was a cornerstone of Canada’s preparedness strategy until it was silenced last year amid shifting priorities and resources….The fallout over GPHIN has shaken the federal public health agency. Its president and a vice-president have departed amid the controversy, and two investigations have been launched into the matter. The Auditor-General is looking into the situation, and the Health Minister has ordered an independent federal review. ” The annual report also calls for “sweeping structural changes as to how Canada approaches public health, with more collaboration between levels of government, better data collection and sharing, and more awareness of the social and economic impacts of a pandemic.”
An article in The Catholic Register also challenges us about our lack of action on these inequities. According to Citizens for Public Justice’s 2020 Poverty Trends Report, released in October, “What the pandemic has shown is these issues are about so much more than just a person’s income being at stake. People are starting to realize the importance of social capital and what it means to be alone and how that affects people.” The Report adds, “In a country as rich as Canada, poverty represents a failure of our laws and systems to uphold and protect the rights and inherent dignity of each person.” Challenging for us all!
A somewhat reassuring article in Nature states that schools are not major sources of coronavirus-spread, as was feared. This should help relieve the anxieties of many parents, some of whom have withdrawn their children from class after a student(s) in their class or school has been diagnosed with coronavirus. Schools seem to be doing a wonderful job of complying with public health advice, and I’ve noticed that my grandchildren put on their masks as a matter of course when we or they are ‘driveway visiting.’ It’s not a hardship for them and their parents don’t need to remind even the younger ones (e.g., aged 2)! Fast learners, unlike some adults?
At the same time, a major question remains: are we flattening the curve after recent resurgences? Dr. Adalsteinn Brown, one of the key public health advisors to the Ontario provincial government, said that if current trends continue, Ontario can expect a “steady state” of 800 to 1,200 cases a day. He noted: “Although cases are continuing to grow, that growth has slowed and we are starting to see a more gentle curve there.” Slightly different results are being shown in other provinces, but, at least in Ontario, according to Dr. Michael Warner, the medical director of critical care at Michael Garron Hospital in Toronto, “..it would be wrong to conclude from Thursday’s (October 29) numbers that hot spot restrictions can be loosened, given the struggle of public-health units with contact tracing…I think it would kind of pull the chair out from under them, if you did that.”
A detailed article from the National Post informs us that the informed opinions of 28 experts with an average of 25 years each working with vaccines estimate that it will be next June, possibly September, before a reliable vaccine will be available. Their opinions are carefully worded with scientific caution rather than with the breezy assurances we hear from sources who patently do not comprehend the many levels of testing for efficacy, side effects, and so on that are necessary in testing vaccines, nor the recent confirmation of mutations in the virus which present further challenges. One does not want to be negative, but ‘false positives’ are unrealistic. Dino Sicoli, a trustee with the Niagara Catholic District School Board sends out a weekly newsletter, God Winks, spiritually uplifting and humorous at the same time. Last week’s edition contained this wonderful line:
2019: Stay away from negative people. 2020: Stay away from positive people!
On another lighter note, but with social and health benefits in mind, we can ask: what would Canada be without ‘the good ol’ hockey game? An enterprising, former psychiatric nurse shows the way to helping some seniors stay active. The President of the Saskatoon 60+ Hockey Club describes the Club as “… not just a group of old friends, but a therapeutic-support system for players who, because of older age, have survived their partners or have limited social circles, and for whom weekly games provide an opportunity to get out of the house and make connections.”
Important points, and not just for just senior men! With cold weather rapidly advancing, our almost-enforced lack of activity may catch up with us if we’re not able to be out and about as much as usual. The opinion article from The Globe and Mail might inspire us to ‘get up and go’ for our own sake, for our physical and mental health and for that of others. If you’re already a skier, skater, hockey player or other winter-sports enthusiast, you’re all set. The rest of us could take a little longer to take up the challenge! The author reminds us: “The coronavirus has countless ways to keep us at home or inside, particularly as exhaustion and apathy set in…In the ordinary course of things, we take this accumulation of light activity for granted. But without it, people need to get intentional about scheduling movement into their day. For starters, take the simple step of prioritizing exercise ahead of a work deadline or time spent looking at a screen. If your day includes a list of things to do, reshuffle their order to put something that includes physical activity at the top.” Granted this is not easy to do if it’s not already a habit, but a wholistic approach tells us to look after our physical, mental and spiritual health, in gratitude for God’s gifts of these dimensions of our being.
Spiritual information and aids, even ‘retreats,’ are readily available online, and many parishes and groups have organized their own group or Club meeting online. These seem to be helpful and provide some spiritual and social benefits. My own Serra Club has a Zoom Rosary meeting every week, and we exchange news and catch up a little with people we know. Not everyone can attend Mass, for good reasons, and our Club is not limited to one parish, so this helps bridge some gaps.
Our Lady, Health of the Sick, pray for us!
We pray that by the virtue of baptism, the laity, especially women, may participate more in areas of responsibility in the Church. (Pope Francis’ Intention for the month of October)
Moira and Bambi
The Globe and Mail
The Catholic Register
| Inequity on rise, systemic change neededPoverty will get worse without policy shiftwww.catholicregister.org |
The Globe and Mail
Ontario begins to flatten the COVID curve
Nature
The Globe and Mail
Hockey for Senior Men
| For the love of hockey: Former nurse devises plan to return senior men to the ice, safelySaskatoon’s 50- and 60-plus leagues shut down when COVID-19 struck, but a former psychiatric nurse and league member helped kick-start the gameswww.theglobeandmail.com |
COVID, Winter and Physical Activity
| Opinion: In the winter of COVID, we need to get intentional about physical activityMany of the daily routines and institutions that we relied on for movement have been reduced or eliminated, leading to more sedentary lifestyleswww.theglobeandmail.com |