Alex Atfield

Husband, father of 2, sometimes cyclist / canoeist / runner / skier. Family and emergency physician. Life long learner. Views my own.

[Alex Atfield @alexatfield]

At least we’re being consistent. We only care about severe symptoms.

[Alex Atfield @alexatfield]

So this showed up in our mailbox today, personally addressed to my wife. From a law firm in Scotland but stamp is Portuguese and no cancellation mark.

The law firm in question has a legitimate looking website. Seems super scammy yet high effort, which feels creepy and targeted.

[Jeff Gilchrist @jeffgilchrist]

COVID-19: Hospital Admissions Better or Worse Now?

In the 3rd summer of the pandemic, are things better or worse? Looking at the # of hospital admissions because of COVID-19 in Ottawa from July 1st to August 15 in 2020, 2021, and 2022 things are definitely worse. 🧵1/

[Ian Stiell @EMO_Daddy]

Great article featuring ⁦⁦⁦@PaulAtkinsonEM⁩ Alecs Chochinov ⁦@CAEP_Docs⁩ ‘life boat is full': Why Canada's entire health-care system is failing and how it can be fixed, via @OttawaCitizen ⁦@emergmedottawa⁩ ⁦@hrosenberg33⁩ ⁦ https://t.co/ezQODyRrAz

[Michael Gerald Gibbs🏳️‍🌈🍁 🇺🇦 (He/Him) @Mikeggibbs]

On this very sad day, we should listen to Tommy Douglas.
#onpoli
#PublicHealthCareForAll
#NoPrivateHealthCare

[Alex Atfield @alexatfield]

Buck a beer though.

[Dr. Atul Kapur @Kapur_AK]

Ottawa's Montfort Hospital says an "unprecedented shortage of nurses" has forced it to make the difficult decision of closing its emergency room overnight on Saturday and Sunday. 
In Canada's capital and Ontario's second-largest city.
https://t.co/OWxbe12Ncl

[Natasha ❀ @ndelriego]

This thread will be dedicated to the victims of the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

As a parent, my heart is broken seeing these faces and their ages.

My condolences to their families during this difficult time 🙏🏻

Xavier Lopez, 10. He was a 4th grader at Robb Elementary.

[Alex Atfield @alexatfield]

@KitchenAid_CA your online store has been broken since at least yesterday. RFC CONNECTION IS NOT AVAILABLE AT THE MOMENT. Can’t get into the cart. Same happens in multiple browsers, mobile and desktop. Are you going to fix this?

[Colin Furness MISt PhD MPH @FurnessColin]

Making sense of Ontario CMOH Moore's complacency about rapid spread of COVID in schools and elsewhere.

A thread.

There are two ways to understand COVID:

1. "It's only a respiratory virus, and if we can keep people out of the ICU, it's a win. Wear a mask if you want."

1/7

[Alex Atfield @alexatfield]

Excellent thread. Agree 100% we need better communication and assessment. But then, our government is not even bothered to protect the vulnerable with masking. It’s very tempting to be cynical but I remember that I’m privileged to basically zero risk. Many of my patients are not.

[Tara Kiran @tara_kiran]

Why have so few Ontarians received Paxlovid, a drug that can reduce the risk of hospitalization for those at higher risk of #covid?

Here are some of my observations as a family doc 🧵

[T. Ryan Gregory 🇨🇦 @TRyanGregory]

If you thought masks and vaccine passports were bad for business, wait until you see what 100,000 cases per day does.

[Dr. Amit Arya @AmitAryaMD]

Retweet if you think that your government should bring back mask mandates. 😷

[Alex Atfield @alexatfield]

Well that explains my last few emerg shifts.

[Richard Southern @RichardCityNews]

#BREAKING - Ontarios fiscal watchdog finds Ontario’s total program spending in 2020 was the lowest in the country.

The FAO says “Health spending per person in Ontario was $4,800 in 2020, the lowest in Canada and $536 (10.0%) below the average of the other provinces”

[Tara Moriarty @MoriartyLab]

Regular reminder:

Canada tests for COVID 50-90% less than high income peer countries

9% per capita UK testing
12% South Korean, Italian testing
17% French testing
23-24% German, Australian testing
39% American testing
53% Spanish testing

Utterly disgraceful with new wave here

[Lisa @SeeLuluRun]

Dismantling COVID protections won’t bring back 2019.

It will keep us in perpetual 2020.

[Laurie Garrett @Laurie_Garrett]

This is potentially very disturbing. A large multi-site Japanese study comparing #Omicron (BA1) to its much-mutated descendant #BA2 finds the later is more transmissible & more pathogenic.
MORE

[Tristan Imgrund @tristan_sudbury]

I guess, “We are done with COVID” means 40 deaths per day and hundreds of schools with 20%+ student absence is the new norm.

[Dr. Steph (Stephanie Cooper MD- ObGyn/ Mfm) @DrStephanieCoo1]

Wearing a mask and getting a vaccine is not a ‘lock down’.

[Neil Stone @DrNeilStone]

USA death rates from Covid by vaccination status via @CDCgov

Unvaccinated: 9.7 deaths per 100k

3 vaccines: 0.1 deaths per 100k

Reallllllly tough to work out if vaccines work or not....