FASCIST MAGICAL THINKING
UCP MLA suggests he wants to see 'accelerated case rate' of COVID-19Author of the article:Jason Herring
Publishing date:Aug 28, 2021 •
Publishing date:Aug 28, 2021 •
Lethbridge East MLA Nathan Neudorf is seen in this file photo. Neudorf suggested he'd like to see COVID rates rise quickly and pass through the unvaccinated population, in hopes of a fast decline.
PHOTO BY FILE
A United Conservative Party MLA is under fire after saying he’s “very hopeful” Alberta will see a rapid rise in COVID-19 spread among unvaccinated people.
Lethbridge-East MLA Nathan Neudorf suggested he wants to see Alberta’s COVID-19 fourth wave emulate events in the United Kingdom, which saw a steep rise in virus transmission at the start of the summer and continues to see high rates of spread.
“If you watch the signs around the world with this fourth wave, as it’s being called, in the U.K. we also saw a rapid rise of case numbers but then an equally rapid decline as it finished going through the unvaccinated population, it didn’t have anywhere else to go,” said Neudorf, who made the comments in a Friday interview with Bridge City News, a Lethbridge media outlet.
“So I’m very hopeful that we will see the same kind of trend, maybe a bit of an accelerated case rate, but then a very quick decline as well, allowing us to safely keep businesses open so we don’t have to add further restrictions.”
A United Conservative Party MLA is under fire after saying he’s “very hopeful” Alberta will see a rapid rise in COVID-19 spread among unvaccinated people.
Lethbridge-East MLA Nathan Neudorf suggested he wants to see Alberta’s COVID-19 fourth wave emulate events in the United Kingdom, which saw a steep rise in virus transmission at the start of the summer and continues to see high rates of spread.
“If you watch the signs around the world with this fourth wave, as it’s being called, in the U.K. we also saw a rapid rise of case numbers but then an equally rapid decline as it finished going through the unvaccinated population, it didn’t have anywhere else to go,” said Neudorf, who made the comments in a Friday interview with Bridge City News, a Lethbridge media outlet.
“So I’m very hopeful that we will see the same kind of trend, maybe a bit of an accelerated case rate, but then a very quick decline as well, allowing us to safely keep businesses open so we don’t have to add further restrictions.”
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Neudorf’s characterization of the U.K.’s fourth wave is inaccurate. The country did see a precipitous rise in cases followed by a brief rapid decline, but case counts there have been steadily increasing since the start of August.
The MLA, who is also the UCP caucus chair, also said the government would keep public-health measures at their current level and “see what happens” when schools reopen.
Alberta is in the midst of a surging fourth wave of COVID-19, having recorded more than 1,000 cases of the virus daily on the last three days for which data was available. Hospitalization rates are also rising steeply, with 336 Albertans in hospitalization with the virus, the most since early June.
The province has a high population of unvaccinated individuals, with about 1.5 million Alberta who have not had even one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. That includes about 660,000 Albertans under the age of 12, who are not yet eligible for the jab.
Neudorf’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Postmedia, nor did Alberta Health when asked whether his remarks accurately represent Alberta’s COVID-19 approach.
The remarks drew broad criticism on social media, where doctors, infectious disease experts and political opponents were among those to deride the comments as hazardous and unscientific.
The MLA, who is also the UCP caucus chair, also said the government would keep public-health measures at their current level and “see what happens” when schools reopen.
Alberta is in the midst of a surging fourth wave of COVID-19, having recorded more than 1,000 cases of the virus daily on the last three days for which data was available. Hospitalization rates are also rising steeply, with 336 Albertans in hospitalization with the virus, the most since early June.
The province has a high population of unvaccinated individuals, with about 1.5 million Alberta who have not had even one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. That includes about 660,000 Albertans under the age of 12, who are not yet eligible for the jab.
Neudorf’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Postmedia, nor did Alberta Health when asked whether his remarks accurately represent Alberta’s COVID-19 approach.
The remarks drew broad criticism on social media, where doctors, infectious disease experts and political opponents were among those to deride the comments as hazardous and unscientific.
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“To suggest a reasonable plan would be to allow COVID to essentially run rampant through the unvaccinated is so problematic on so many levels,” Mithani said. “Essentially reaching herd immunity and not caring about the casualties around the way is reckless.”
Mithani said she has been asking all patients she sees whether they are vaccinated against COVID-19, and if not, why. She said only a tiny minority of those who are unvaccinated say this is by choice; others are in vulnerable populations, many working multiple jobs or raising young children at home.
“A lot of these people aren’t the typical anti-vaxxer everyone finds so easy to hate. It’s much more nuanced than that,” Mithani said, arguing more vaccine outreach is needed to reach these communities.
She added Alberta’s acute-care system cannot handle a pandemic strategy where COVID-19 is allowed to spread freely among the unvaccinated, and said it’s concerning leaders like Premier Jason Kenney or Health Minister Tyler Shandro have yet to speak publicly about the fourth wave.
Both politicians, as well as chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw, have not spoken to media in weeks. Kenney’s office has said the premier is on vacation, but would not confirm where he went or when he would return.
In a statement Friday evening, NDP health critic David Shepherd said Shandro must address Albertans and explain whether Neudorf’s comments represent the province’s COVID-19 plan.
“The UCP caucus chair says the plan is clear: let ‘er rip,” Shepherd said.
“This government will let the Delta variant sweep through our unvaccinated population, causing more serious illness and death. No thought for the impacts on families who will suffer, on health-care workers who are still trying to recover from the last wave, on businesses trying to get back on their feet or students returning to school in just a few days.”
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