A half-dose now would be better
Health Minister Adrian Dix says 10 per cent of eligible people should be vaccinated by the end of March. What if we could get that closer to 40 per cent?
There have been a number of intriguing articles about vaccines recently, which have strongly suggested:
1. A half dose of the Moderna vaccine might be almost as effective as a whole dose.
2. Delaying the second dose for quite some time (perhaps months) might not harm the resultant immunity.
3. A single dose of the mRNA vaccines appears to offer up to 90 per cent protection.
4. We don’t know the optimum dose or timing of the vaccines. When new drugs are tested they want them to be effective so usually the drug companies maximize the dosing.
If we put these together, we can speculate that if we gave everyone a single dose of half the recommended amount we could get four times as many people an initial dose of vaccine.
People can then get their booster dose once everyone who wants the vaccine has had their first dose. If we get everyone to, say 80 per cent protection this should shut down the pandemic faster than getting one-quarter of us to 95 per cent.
Doctors normally don’t like to vary from a drug’s recommended dosing, as that is what the studies have tested, so let’s get on and test this hypothesis.
If you offered me the choice of a half dose now and a booster in six months or two full doses of vaccine in three months, I’d take the half dose now.
Dr. John Miller
Retired family doctor
Victoria
Statue removal in keeping with times
The statue of Sir John A. Macdonald removed from outside City Hall in Victoria was erected in 1982.
It was commissioned by the Sir John A. Macdonald Society of Vancouver in 1981. The city council of the day decided to erect the statue outside City Hall in 1982.
The city council of 2018 decided to remove it. How is this cancel culture at work?
There was no broad consensus of citizens to have the statue erected. The society that commissioned it is a group of conservatives who managed to persuade a conservative council to erect their statue.
Why is it somehow an outrage for a less conservative society to remove the statue? We now know a lot more about Sir John A. than we did in 1982, and in particular we are far more aware of the damage done to Indigenous societies by Macdonald’s policies.
For a duly elected council to remove this statue from the street outside City Hall is legitimate, and in keeping with the times.
Bert Slater
North Saanich
Speculation tax and forested land
I just want to take a moment to express a degree of incredulity with regard to the speculation and vacancy tax, which does not have any appeal for exceptions where it really ought not to apply.
As owners of a forested piece of land in Saanich on which there is no home(s), I find it incredible that this tax applies.
The property has been “growing trees” and left in its natural state for about 50 years under our family’s stewardship, and it feels grossly unfair that a tax aimed at ensuring homes be lived in, would apply to property that has no home on it.
Given that the neighbourhood has enjoyed a de facto park all this time, to call it speculation is also preposterous. There should be room for exceptions.
This tax as it is currently being applied is grossly unfair.
Steven S. Barer
Saanich
Civic employees need police escort
A few months ago, when the controversy about homeless camping was getting under way, the Times Colonist printed a letter from a reader in support of the campers.
The writer minimized the idea of danger to the public, and concluded with the dismissive remark that “if a couple bikes get stolen, so be it.”
Now, we read that city workers can’t go about their duties without a police escort. Looks like we’ve blown past the “couple stolen bikes” stage.
On the same issue, I see that Coun. Ben Isitt voted against additional police funding, preferring to devote the funds to other services.
I guess the business about those services requiring police protection was somehow lost on him. Or something.
Michel Murray
Saanich
Law enforcement makes things worse
Last week, Victoria council voted to approve additional funding for VicPD to continue criminalizing folks sheltering in parks.
In his appeal to council, Chief Del Manak expressed that he considers the parks unsafe and strong-armed them into approving the funding by using bylaw officer safety as a weapon.
As a young woman, I don’t feel any less safe in Victoria’s parks than I do in any other public space.
I visit Beacon Hill Park on almost a daily basis and all of my interactions with folks living in the park have either been neutral or of a friendly nature. However, it is not my job to criminalize them.
I think it is misguided to ignore the fact that unhoused folks have been under constant harassment from and displacement by bylaw officers for as long as they have been experiencing homelessness.
I do not condone violence and believe that workers have the right to safe work.
However, I think we must consider that when folks behave with hostility toward bylaw officers — who have often come to criminalize them in some way — it is likely coming from a place of stress and survival.
Many folks have experienced oppression by bylaw officers in some form, including confiscation of their shelter and belongings and/or repeated and sustained displacement.
We need to start investing in the root causes of homelessness, stop throwing money at harmful law enforcement efforts that only exacerbate the situation, and end this stigmatizing narrative that unhoused people are dangerous.
Kim Mackenzie
Victoria
Those on the left want to silence the rest
Responding to two letters on cancel culture.
From the first letter: the “vast majority of honorifices are bestowed upon white, European men…”.
Could this be because those “white males” were responsible, themselves, for building, or in many cases organizing and financing the building of this country, and basically everything you see around you, other than the trees, rocks and dirt?
Without the grit and determination that these pioneers possessed, you would not be sitting comfortably at a computer, typing away about how they do not deserve “honorifices.”
From the second letter:
“The right to free speech does not equate to the right to broadcast that speech in print…”
What about the right to speak loudly, on a soapbox with a megaphone? Is that not allowed by the cancel-culture-left as well? Where do they draw the line?
My suspicion is that there is no line, and free speech is not a right that the left wants anyone who they disagree with to have at all.
Bill Wilson
Saanichton
A returned wallet, a welcome relief
On Feb. 9 I used the ATM at the TD Broadmead branch and either left my wallet at the machine or dropped it in the parking lot.
I want to express my heartfelt thanks to the very kind soul who found it and gave it to a bank employee. Everything intact, including $70 in cash. After leaving the bank, I was standing in a checkout line at Broadmead when I received a call that the TD bank had my wallet.
At that time I didn’t even know it was missing, so am also thankful I received the call before panic set in.
This all happened at the beginning of a very stressful week culminating with my father’s passing on Valentine’s Day. The last thing I needed to be worrying about was cancelling and replacing all ID and so on.
Again, thank you so much to the very kind soul who found my wallet and saved me endless grief. There are truly good people in this world.
Cathy Weston
Central Saanich
An obituary that was loving and inspiring
I skim the obits — have done so for years. On Friday I read the most heartfelt message, one that brought me to tears. Hurray “Mads,” your message is beautiful and loving and inspiring! A wonderful ode to a mother-daughter relationship — I am sure your mother, Anne Sheane, would be very proud and grateful.
It reminded me of how important my relationship is with my mother and daughters, and I can only hope that I might be remembered in a similar way some day down the road. Big hugs to you! I might have a margarita, too!
Kelly Betts
Mill Bay
Mars mission is a colossal waste
Most people would view the landing of a rover on Mars as a great technological achievement.
The goal is to find signs of life, past or present, no matter the size. Really? The expenditure is colossally wasteful as the Earth requires much attention now with regard to climate change, homelessness and hunger.
And NASA will continue this space folly when they go to retrieve the excavated samples in 2034. Except, history will step in and repeat itself with a global event so big that those samples won’t get collected for eons, but the waste of money, brain power and the like will continue unfortunately unabated.
Steve Hoffman
Victoria
We helped Europe when they needed us
With all the chatter from the European Union regarding the possibility of slowing down or delaying shipments of various vaccines purchased in good faith by Canada to fight its COVID-19 pandemic, it would be nice to think that they will take a moment to remember the help that Canadians gave them during their time of need fighting two world wars.
Bruce Cline
Victoria
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