When we had H1N1, a family member having a precondition which qualified them for early vaccination attended for vaccination. The government solution to vaccinating people was to set up a vaccination centre in a church - 100s people congregated there to get their vaccination; the most vulnerable. We never knew who was presymptomatic, who was an asymptomatic carrier or who was unaffected and neither did the government - yet they did it anyway. It makes no sense, whatsoever, to respond to a contagious disease by congregating people or by bringing them to a central hospital. It makes more sense to maintain social distancing, to isolate people from one another. So why then did the government do such a silly thing and why are they still doing such silly things? Now with Covid 19, they have people reporting to centralized treatment centres, centralized testing centres etc..
I think the reason the government would congregate people during a pandemic to vaccinate is so medical professionals can administer the shot. The better solution would be to distribute the vaccination kits to people's homes via a courier or special Canada Post and have people administer the vaccine to themselves. I give myself B6 and B12 injections all the time, I give myself the flu shot every year - there are few simpler tasks than giving an injection - yet the government is willing to put lives at risk - why.
Why does the government insist that I have a prescription from a doctor to get a drug? A smart person would seek the advice of a doctor before starting on to a new drug - I would - yet the government insists that every time I want drugs I have to get a prescription - even ones I've been taken before. In most cases, it is a complete waste fo time and resources. The doctor prescribes medication often absent the knowledge of what other drugs a person is taking - especially now when so many people rely on walk-in clinics and there is little continuity of care. In all my years of attending to pharmacies, I've never had anyone ask about my diet, my other medications or supplements herbal or otherwise. So the "safeguards" that are touted as the reason these regulations are in place, are ineffective. So why have them?
The challenge we face when state paternalism controls our actions is, the solutions are delivered by edict, top-down, a one size fits all solution for the entire population. It is good for the government to provide pertinent information and to coordinate a response; it is bad when the government impairs people's capacity to care for themselves, especially when governments' assumption of generalised incompetence puts people at greater risk. We need to support people in being self-reliant, independent and resilient - if you give people the data and the tools, they are their best keepers. When you allow varied and independent response to challenges, a 1000 flowers bloom and new best practices emerge.
The depth of knowledge that resides in the population, or in the case of Covid 19 with the medical personnel, can never be accessed under a collection of edicts. Is just a fact of life, if I, by myself, list all the green vegetables I can think of, that 10 people will list many more. It is a paradox, that the collective, is best served by individuals acting in harmony to a cause rather than under the thumb of leadership/authority. It is a truth, that the best decisions are made closest to the point of action, that is to say, that people affected by all the immediacies of a given circumstance are best equipped to respond - rather than some centralized authority somewhere. There is a trend toward the infantilisation of the population, it effects control by dependence - it is insidious and one of the greatest risks to our liberty.
