FUREY: Biden admits COVID is over — but Trudeau just can’t let go

It was a bizarrely worded social media post, but it speaks to the mindset around official Ottawa when it comes to COVID-19.

“It’s time – if you’re eligible for your booster, get it,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau posted to Twitter on Thursday.  “Let’s keep taking action to fight COVID-19, and let’s make sure our vaccinations are up-to-date. That way, we can continue to do the things we enjoy with the people we love.”

What a 2021 thing to say. That final line, what are we to make of it? It’s almost a thinly-veiled threat. If we don’t “make sure our vaccinations are up-to-date” what will happen?

Maybe the suggestion is just that we’ll get a little sick and feel like it would be prudent to stay at home for a couple of days to rest. But the wording is eerily similar to what Trudeau used to intone to the great unwashed periodically from when vaccines first became available until measures ended — hopefully for good — this spring.

“Vaccines are our best tool to protect our economy and save lives – and our best way to get back to the people, places, and things we love,” Trudeau posted early this February. That was back during the convoy, back when Ontario schools were still shut down and other measures were still in place. 

It was clearly a form of vaccine bullying — the implied idea being that you’ll only be allowed to get back to doing those things if you do what the government tells you to do.

The latest tweet also came with a video advertisement of Dr. Theresa Tam — remember her? — repeating much of the same slogans. But her ad is also a little off the mark.

It’s understandable that the government would be pushing for older persons to get a booster shot around about now in the lead up to traditional respiratory virus season. But the Dr. Tam video includes younger people out and about having a blast, as if they too must absolutely get their fourth (or fifth? I’ve lost count) dose to avoid societal ruin.

Have the feds even read the stats? While booster dose intake is very high among older persons, it’s low among the young. Only half of Canadians in their 40s have received a first booster dose. Only a third in their 20s have gotten one. And when it comes to six month to five-year-olds, only 0.08% have received their original two dose primary series. (No, that’s not a typo. I didn’t add an extra zero in that figure by mistake.)

All of this indicates that regardless of whether Trudeau and Dr. Tam are reading the stats, they’re certainly failing to read the room. If you want to suggest that people in their 20s need to get a booster shot so they can “continue to do the things we enjoy” you’re going to get laughed at by the two thirds of people in that cohort who are doing just fine without it please and thank you.

So what’s really going on here? Whether it’s pushing boosters or clinging desperately to ArriveCAN until the last possible moment, Trudeau just can’t let go of COVID.

Maybe it’s because there were times in the past couple of years where he was much higher in the polls than he is now. Plus it’s obvious Trudeau got a real kick out of vilifying the unvaccinated and telling falsehoods about freedom convoy protesters. Perhaps he looks back on the pandemic as his glory days.

Whatever the reason, Trudeau should touch base with his G7 associates, especially the American president. Joe Biden casually declared the pandemic over a few days ago during an interview with 60 Minutes.

“The pandemic is over,” Biden said, strolling the floor of the Detroit auto show, although adding the caveat that there’s still a ‘problem’ with covid. The President continued: “If you notice, no one is wearing masks and everyone seems to be in pretty good shape.”

By all means, let’s invest in our health-care system and protect the vulnerable. But, please, no more weird tweets and videos aimed at young people.