STUDIN: The three policy sins of the good Dr. Moore

The worst possible policy leader of a major jurisdiction at a time of historical crisis is a mediocre professional devoid of humour and unaware of his ever-worsening circumstances.

Enter, accidentally, Dr. Kieran Moore.

In late September of this year, Dr. Moore calmly announced that the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine would be “de-recommended” for young Ontarians aged 18 to 24 — and especially young males — because of evidence of increased vaccine-related myocarditis risk for this demographic. No detailed elaboration was provided. On to the next tweet.

Ontarians and Canadians have yet to receive a full and proper accounting of exactly who has suffered such myocarditis or pericarditis — and, of course, why this was ever allowed or justified. But the die was cast, and now there is ample, considered awareness of cases of myocarditis in Canada and abroad — particularly for teenage boys and young men — for both the Moderna and Pfizer mRNA vaccines.

Policy Sin Number 1: A week before his Moderna de-recommendation, Dr. Moore and most of Ontario’s many officers of medical health had already begun explicitly and aggressively linking basic access to sport and recreation participation and facilities on the fact of vaccination for youngsters over the age of 12. A teenager could happily play hockey, soccer or basketball in the province’s clubs or municipal facilities only if he/she was vaccinated. If not, he/she was on the street.

And so thousands of regular Ontarian (Canadian) kids are indeed now on the street — out of all sport — because Dr. Moore has boxed them into impossible, once inconceivable, entirely un-Canadian choices: assume the risk, however small or less small, of myocarditis (often life-changing), or be left without sport altogether.