(Re: “Shops remain open, why not church?” Chilliwack Progress letters, Feb. 19, 2021)
They letter seems to attempt to texture pandemic life in Chilliwack in a rather opportunistically negative context. It suggests that this walk about constitutes some sort of basis to discredit, the efforts of the BC Chief Public Health Officer. This is unfortunate in the middle of this COVID-19 pandemic.
I was disappointed by the lack of respect and appreciation that this letter signifies toward the many medical experts represented in managing this very complex high stakes situation.
READ MORE: LETTER: Shops remain open, why not churches?
Through my eyes, I have looked at a doctor like my father, a retired professor of medicine who specialized in diseases of the brain and nervous system. He spent 13 years in university becoming a doctor and specializing. I think that it is important to realize, and respect the lengthy intense academic rigour as well as the commitment that takes place to function in these roles.
I also feel it is worthy of considering the significance of their Hippocratic Oath to “primum non nocere,” to “do no harm.”
I have much more confidence in the guidance of the physicians and scientists that are engaged to manage this crisis.
Admittedly they don’t have a magic wand. However, they are our best option to realize the scientifically informed expertise, which is actually needed to calculate the best parameters to mitigate the potential harms.
I am left to question the motives of organizations or members of organizations that seek to place themselves above the laws and rules that are in place, to maintain the safety of the society at large.
Brian Mielke
Chilliwack
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