I remember hearing a silly song years ago that was written and recorded by Johnny Cash in 1984. Most of us can relate to the first two lines which are:
“Well now you’ve all been asked dumb questions and I think you all know
That you’re bound to run into them most, most wherever you go.”
I highly recommend that you find the lyrics and even a recording, as the song will put a smile on your face.
Over the years, I have also heard people say that there are no dumb questions and that it is important to ask questions to learn. Think of how children ask questions like “Why is the sky blue?” “Do Babies Come Out of Eggs Like Ducks?” “When can I drive the car?” Each answer helps the child understand the world and contributes to the knowledge base that he will use throughout his life.
So it’s been almost a year since the World Health Organization started locking down countries and I’ve certainly heard people ask a number of questions about our state of affairs. I thought I’d share some of them with you:
- Why don’t we call this virus a syndemic instead of a pandemic? Medicinenet.com states that the term “syndrome” was coined in 1990 by Merrill Singer. It suggests an aggregation of two or more concurrent groups of diseases that have biological interactions. A pandemic refers to a disease that travels around the world, while a syndemic recognizes that certain areas and populations are more affected than others due to their living conditions. For example, we have been told that some people are more vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus, including the elderly and those with other health problems. Therefore, syndemic seems to be a more accurate term than pandemic.
- Who should we believe when we look for a solution in “science”? Each country has research facilities, drug producers, and experts in the field of disease, but they rarely agree. In fact, we have received mixed messages from “science” in the last year. First, they told us not to wear a mask and gave us numerous reasons for it. More recently we have been told that we have to wear a mask and some people actually wear a double mask. What scientific source has the best answer to protect and treat us?
- What ingredients are in the vaccine and will it be effective? Are there research documents describing the clinical trials that were conducted? Many people received their first injection only to be told later that there were not enough supplies for the required injection? Now what? Are there negative reactions that could outweigh the positive ones? We have all heard the news about people who have had bad experiences with medication in the past. Think about what happened with thalidomide.
- What are the chances that I will die from COVID-19? Canada’s population in 2019 was 37.59 million. As of January 29, 2021, Health Canada has recorded 778,927 positive cases (about 2% of the population). Of those, 20,032 have died, which is about 2.5% of those who tested positive. So, in simple terms, out of 1875 Canadians, one would have died. Health Canada has also stated that 68.1% of cases and 79.8% of deaths in Ontario and Quebec.
- In the past we used to isolate people who were sick. Now we lock up those who are healthy. When and why did this change?
Please do not get me wrong. I definitely believe that there is a virus and that it is highly contagious. I also believe that as Canadians we need to be well informed and this means that it is important to do research.
It’s okay to have “dumb questions”, but it’s even more important that we have accurate answers.
Stay safe and feel good!
