The director of public health, Dr. Theresa, arrives for a press conference in Ottawa on August 4, 2020. Sean Kilpatrick / The Canadian Press
Director of Public Health Theresa Tam says the racist and misogynistic abuse she has faced during the pandemic has been a source of personal difficulty and underscores the growing threat posed by the proliferation of misinformation about COVID-19.
“Being a visible woman from a visible minority, if you will, was very difficult because of all the misinformation about the origin of viruses and the politicization … of all the beginnings of the pandemic, it was quite difficult, like you can imagine “. said Dr. Tam.
It was done by Dr. Tam he comments in a recent interview with The Globe and Mail, in which he offered a strange insight into his personal experience and perspective driving Canada through the worst public health crisis in a century.
COVID-19 is the first pandemic to occur during a time when social media plays such an important role in society, Dr. Tam said, and it is becoming increasingly clear that the online spread of false information and Conspiracy theories about vaccines and treatments are causing irreparable damage to society.
Correcting misinformation about COVID is not the same as canceling the culture
“Misinformation causes real damage and potentially kills, I think, in the end,” he said.
Dr. Tam has also faced criticism of missteps and mistakes made during the pandemic, such as failure to act with sufficient urgency in early 2020 and delays in updating policies to recognize that VOCID- 19 spreads more easily than initially thought.
But she has also faced harmful and hateful abuse because she is a racialized woman. A prime example came in April 2020, when former Conservative MP and leadership aspirant Derek Sloan falsely suggested that Dr. Tam, who was born in Hong Kong, worked for China and was involved in the cover-up. information about the virus, which is believed to have originated in this country. The comments echoed an increase in anti-Asian racism and violence since the start of the pandemic, due in large part to misinformation and misinformation about the virus.
“I think as a society we have to come to an agreement with the fact that this is happening in Canada,” he added. “Harassment, inappropriate behavior, racism have to be tackled head on. It can’t be forgiven and I think that’s the end result.”
She said she is grateful for the responsibilities that have been given to her as Canada’s public health manager.
“I am an immigrant. I am truly a newcomer to the entire history of Canada and I am so grateful to be here, he said. “And to be in such a privileged position to participate in a historic challenge to the public health society.”
Instead of focusing on the negative words and the abuse, Dr. Tam said she is trying to focus on the positive things: what has gone well and how far Canada has come since the beginning of the pandemic.
“When people are trying to be divisive, I try to be cohesive, and when people are spreading hatred, I try to do the exact opposite,” Dr. Tam.
One thing that helps, Dr. Tam said, is the fact that she is an introvert, which she said allows her to focus on the task at hand.
Despite the seriousness of the misinformation and misinformation, Dr. Tam said the high adoption of vaccines in Canada highlights strong levels of confidence in the public health system.
But vaccines against COVID-19 for children are a different story, as they are still lagging behind. Only 42% of children aged 5 to 11 have received two doses of a vaccine. With the adoption of vaccines for children up to six months on the horizon, it will be critical to build trust with parents, Dr. Tam said.
“We need to close the pediatric vaccine gap,” he said. “I think reaching out to parents and their communities, and influential parents and children, and education in school is very important.”
Dr. Tam said the Public Health Agency of Canada is working on several fronts to combat pandemic and vaccine-related misinformation and misinformation, and that it currently has approximately $ 14 million in community projects designed to promote real information. He said it is important to provide funding to community groups and leaders because they are the ones who have established relationships with people who may not trust health officials.
“We let trusted voices have everything they need to say, share and amplify evidence-based information,” Dr. Tam.
He added that part of these efforts also involve working with doctors and other health professionals who use social media to dispense evidence-based messages.
“They don’t want to see me at TikTok,” Dr. Tam laughed. “It’s not that it wasn’t a game for that.”
Regarding the following, Dr. Tam has previously said that the pandemic would not end until COVID-19 becomes more predictable. While there are now relatively high levels of immunity in the population, we have not yet reached a place of stability, he said.
“I don’t think we’re seeing a regular pattern of this virus yet,” Dr. Tam. “I expect turbulence. This is not going to be an easy trip, but we have a whole range of tools we have learned to try to prevent the waves from being really disruptive.”
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