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LETTER: Henry and media causing over-reaction to COVID

A Maple Ridge reader is critical of the provincial health officer’s stance on herd immunity
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Dr. Bonnie Henry, provincial health officer for B.C. (B.C. government)

Dear Editor,

It would be much more interactive and interesting, and really making use of online news, for you to provide opportunity for comments.

There is a justifiable perception that media is a scripted and controlled world of one-way communication that stifles free speech.

In last times written media was “just the facts”, which at least mediated the mostly one-way communication.

Now, however, even regular articles more closely resemble opinion editorials.

It is quite oppressive to have articles slanted and public opinion twisted to justify shutting them down and filtering public dialogue.

Let the reader or listener decide if they agree, or disagree, like it dislike, a particular belief or idea.

In this article [Gaining herd immunity through COVID-19 transmissions ‘ineffective’: B.C.’s top doctor, April 18, The News online] by [provincial health officer] Dr. [Bonnie] Henry, slamming the growing voice to have herd immunity and more strategic measured and focused response to COVID as the medically uneducated yet describing it advocated initially by the U.K. chief science advisor is a contradiction.

The reason that was not followed is lack of support for the resources to manage the target audience.

The reasons Dr. Henry dismisses this is a narrow and faulty one.

The logic of worrying about the people who may have unknown vulnerability is a narrow population in light of this massive social and economically devastating reaction to this virus.

The facts are skewed by the unprecedented testing and reporting of COVID mortality and comparing it with inaccurate prevalence, especially in light of not reporting the incidence and prevalence normally for other mutated viruses of various virility and strength, with great mortality rates.

The justifiability of this devastating over reaction to COVID is one that is shrouded behind the anonymity of not being able to ever know, for sure, if it was really that significant.

Especially in light of the consequences.

Noah Liguori, Maple Ridge

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