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You might think tonight’s briefing looks a little different. And you would be right because the epidemiological data we need for the charts and graphs that have been a big part of this newsletter throughout the pandemic didn’t come today as promised by the Manitoba government.
Every Thursday since the province pivoted in the spring to a learn-to-live-with-it approach regarding COVID, the respiratory surveillance report provided an update on testing, hospitalizations and fatalities. Until today. But here’s the thing: there’s nothing on that website to suggest anything has changed or has been delayed. In fact, the next reporting date still shows the data was due on Nov. 17, 2022.
Our reporter wondered why the promised data wasn’t released, so she asked what was going on and then she waited. And waited some more. And then late in the day at 4:30 p.m. she got this response:
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The Epidemiology and Surveillance (E&S) unit is planning to publicly post the new and combined respiratory virus surveillance report for 2022–2023 season on Friday, November 18, 2022 (and weekly thereafter each Friday morning) that includes surveillance indicators and intelligence around COVID-19, influenza and other respiratory pathogens. Also included are updates around corresponding immunization coverage.
At one level, I’m not sure I should make too big a deal about a delay of a day, especially if there will be the added benefit of insight into what the flu is doing to add to the woes of the pandemic.
But at another level, I can’t help but think this is yet another example of how public health data continues to be an afterthought in the midst of the biggest public health crisis of our lifetime.
While living with COVID meant we had to take more responsibility for assessing risks and threats, the province dialed back its daily reports to just weekly. And even then, the weekly release was already a week out of date. Having made that adjustment, the province then decides to move the goalposts again without telling the public.
OK, so maybe someone just dropped the ball. Perhaps someone with the keys to the website was down with COVID. Or the data geek was busy getting their bivalent shot.
I’d be more sympathetic if this wasn’t part of a pattern well-established over the course of the pandemic. It’s why the public doesn’t get to see the models and forecasts public health officials have at their fingertips. It’s why we now go more than a month without hearing from Dr. Brent Roussin or members of his team. It’s why we always seem to be waiting forever for wait-time dashboards.
And now it’s why something due on Thursday has been pushed to the next day.
While manana may be a great way to handle things while vacationing in Mexico, it’s not the best prescription in a pandemic. And I don’t think TGIF was ever designed to reflect the release date of a provincial epidemiological report.
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