anti-vaxx • mackaycartoons

Wednesday July 21, 2021

July 28, 2021 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday July 21, 2021

Ford outright rejects vaccine passports on eve of Step 3 of COVID-19 reopening

Ontario Premier Doug Ford firmly rejected the possibility of implementing vaccine passports on Thursday.

June 4, 2021

Ford spoke at a news conference announcing a new long-term care home in Toronto, the Runnymede Long-Term Care Home, expected to open in the summer of 2023. The centre is expected to provide 200 new long-term care spaces.

“No, we aren’t doing it,” he said. “We’re not going to have a split society.”

As for whether it will be mandatory for health-care workers to get a vaccine, Ford said while they’re encouraged to do so, no one should be forced to be immunized.

“I’m not in favour of a mandatory certification and neither, by the way, is the chief medical officer,” said Ford. “Folks, just please go get vaccinated.”

Fords comments follow similar ones by Solicitor General Sylvia Jones a day before, who shut down the possibility of any sort of proof-of-vaccination system being introduced in the province.

April 8, 2021

If needed, Jones said, Ontarians who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can rely on the receipt printed or emailed to them after their second shot.

Some businesses in the province have said that when Ontario enters Step 3 of its reopening plan, patrons will need to show proof of vaccination upon arrival.

Toronto Mayor John Tory has called on the provincial government to create a voluntary system that would help individual businesses or organizations determine the vaccination status of patrons, employees and members. The Toronto Region Board of Trade has also endorsed such an initiative.

Ford said Thursday he will be addressing the question of a federal vaccination card with the prime minister later in the day.

Ontario reported 143 new cases of COVID-19 and 10 more deaths linked to the illness on Thursday, while total vaccinations fell by more than 100,000 from the same day last week.

Public health units collectively administered another 166,201 doses of COVID-19 vaccines yesterday, of which roughly 88 per cent were second shots. Last Wednesday saw more than 268,000 shots given out provincewide.

More than 57 per cent of Ontarians aged 12 and older have now had two doses of vaccines. (CBC)

Saturday July 3, 2021

July 10, 2021 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday July 3, 2021

‘The virus will infect them’: Vaccine hesitant Americans think variant risk exaggerated, poll shows

There are few things more normal than the sight of a crowded beach on the 4th of July weekend. However, even as Americans celebrate Independence Day with renewed verve this year, freedom from the virus may still be far off with a highly transmissible delta variant infecting unvaccinated communities.

April 27, 2021

“They are going to be fodder for the virus,” said Dr. Richard Novak, head of infectious diseases at UI Health. “The virus will infect them, it will mutate in them and the new variants will come from them and we’ll all be at risk.”

According to the latest ABC News/Washington Post Poll, three in 10 adults said they have not gotten a coronavirus vaccine, and definitely or probably will not get one.

Of this group, 73% believe U.S. officials are exaggerating the risk of the delta variant and 79% think they have little or no risk of getting sick.

“It’s almost heartbreaking that now the two populations that need this, the most are urban minority patients and rural white patients, are the ones that are saying no in the loudest numbers,” said Dr. Mark Loafman, with the Cook County Health Department. “That group of patients that were able to hear facts and be reassured, we got to them. It’s this group that the facts aren’t going to fix it for them.”

March 17, 2021

“It’s been long enough,” said Christina Brown, who got her first shot Monday. :I started seeing results. Everybody was doing it. I wasn’t hearing nobody having that bad of side effects. I said alright I’ll go get it, and see what happens.”

However, there are still others who feel their freedom to choose was taken away.

“I felt like I was forced into it. I had to have surgery and my doctor basically told me that in order for me to get the surgery I literally had to get the shot. So this is my only reason to get the shot,” said 23-year-old Tamarianna Tate. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t. I’m was a strong believer in not getting the shot. ”

The Delta variant now accounts for 25% of all cases in the United States. It’s estimated by the end of August that number will surpass 90%. (ABC)

Friday April 29, 2016

April 28, 2016 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday April 29, 2016

Naturopath who treated boy who died of meningitis should be held accountable, physicians say

The naturopath who treated Ezekiel Stephan, an Alberta boy who died of bacterial meningitis in 2012, “did not meet the standard of care” and should be held accountable for her actions, according to a critical letter sent to the College of Naturopathic Doctors of Alberta by nearly four dozen physicians across Canada.

The situation raises broader questions about the growing trend toward the regulation of naturopaths in Canada and whether the colleges are doing proper oversight, said Michelle Cohen, a family physician in Brighton, Ont., who wrote the letter.

The college has opened an investigation based on the letter and did not respond to an interview request.

David and Collet Stephan were found guilty in a Lethbridge court on Tuesday of failing to provide the necessaries of life for their son Ezekiel, who was 19 months old.

The Stephans went to a naturopath, Tracey Tannis, because they suspected that the boy had meningitis. The naturopath testified that she did not physically examine Ezekiel and that she had advised the Stephans to take him to a hospital. But she gave Ms. Stephan an echinacea treatment for the child. Others testified that Dr. Tannis discussed Ezekiel’s case with his mother.

Naturopaths are governed by a self-regulatory college in Alberta, in a manner similar to doctors and nurses. Dr. Tannis is still listed as a member in good standing of the College of Naturopathic Doctors of Alberta and there are no notes attached to her registration to suggest that there have been any concerns about her actions.

The physicians’ letter criticizes the naturopath for recommending a treatment for a sick child without having examined him and for failing to provide vital information about the grave risks of meningitis and the urgent need for a lumbar puncture and treatment to prevent death or permanent brain damage.

“Albertans should expect that any regulated health-care professional meeting the standard of care for treating children would have basic knowledge about meningitis,” the letter says. “Albertans should also expect that any regulated health professional using the designation ‘Dr.’ would not recommend a treatment for a child without first physically examining them to arrive at a diagnosis.”

Dr. Tannis did not respond to an interview request on Wednesday. (Source: Globe & Mail)