McMaster experts comment on anticipated spike in COVID-19 cases and discuss how students can stay safe
Many Canadian COVID-19 experts have recently raised concerns surrounding a potential spike in COVID-19 cases on university campuses.
While case counts have been relatively low for many months, over the last few weeks, the country has already started see an increase in COVID-19 cases. This uptick includes 10 Canadian regions displaying an increase in cases and Hamilton COVID-19 data reporting an increase in test positivity over the last month.
Additionally, two new COVID-19 variants, EG.5 and BA.2.86, have recently emerged and are also suspected to have contributed to the uptick in cases.
Dr. Manali Mukherjee, an affiliate scientist with the research institute at St. Joeseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, assistant professor with the McMaster University Department of Medicine and long-COVID researcher, shared her thoughts on the predicted resurgence.
“COVID has never really left us; it's just the incidence has gone down. With more mingling, more people coming in, we are expecting a spike. We are already hearing a number of cases of friends, family, near and dear ones in community, who are testing positive for COVID. So, it is not a surprise,” she said.
"COVID has never really left us; it's just the incidence has gone down. With more mingling, more people coming in, we are expecting a spike. We are already hearing a number of cases of friends, family, near and dear ones in community, who are testing positive for COVID. So, it is not a surprise."
Dr. Manali Mukherjee, affiliate scientist, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton research institute
Dr. Matthew Miller, director of the Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research and Canada Research chair in viral pandemics, explained that the back-to-school season commonly marks a spike in other respiratory pathogens, including influenza.
Miller explained that these pathogens also pose a threat alongside COVID-19 upon our return to campus. Staying up to date with booster vaccines and seasonal flu vaccines will help relieve a burden off our healthcare system.
“If we look back to last year, one of the biggest stresses that our healthcare system faced was the co-circulation of [respiratory syncytial virus] and influenza. What that really stressed was our pediatric hospitals. Obviously, that's very worrisome because we want to make sure those hospitals have lots of capacity to deal with children who are sick for other reasons.” said Miller.
"If we look back to last year, one of the biggest stresses that our healthcare system faced was the co-circulation of [respiratory syncytial virus] and influenza. What that really stressed was our pediatric hospitals. Obviously, that's very worrisome because we want to make sure those hospitals have lots of capacity to deal with children who are sick for other reasons."
Dr. Matthew Miller, Director of the Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research
The availability of fall COVID-19 booster vaccines has not been confirmed yet, but Miller said it is likely they will be made available alongside and can be co-administered with seasonal flu vaccines.
Regarding the severity of the spike, both Mukherjee and Miller said that it is hard to predict the magnitude of the case spike.
“I think it's hard to predict the magnitude and overall impact of this spike because there are so many factors that determine those things. What I would say is that maximizing air circulation while indoors can be really helpful for reducing the likelihood of transmission. As the weather stays nice, trying to keep windows open and try to socialize outdoors as much as possible,” he said.
"I think it's hard to predict the magnitude and overall impact of this spike because there are so many factors that determine those things. What I would say is that maximizing air circulation while indoors can be really helpful for reducing the likelihood of transmission. As the weather stays nice, trying to keep windows open and try to socialize outdoors as much as possible."
Dr. Matthew Miller, director, Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research
Miller also noted wearing high quality masks in indoor environments can further help prevent the spread of the virus.
Almost three years have passed since the start of the pandemic and this time has allowed the medical community to develop many tools to effectively handle the virus when it resurges, such as new therapeutic modalities.
Mukherjee explained that no matter the severity of the case spike, she is confident in the tools and insight the healthcare community has developed for us to properly handle a virus resurgence.
“We are almost dealing with the aftermath of the pandemic. We have vaccines, we know how to deal with this, we know how to social distance, we know the ifs and buts of what to do. I think we are way better prepared than we were when it first hit us or the rounds that kept on coming after that,” she said.
"We are almost dealing with the aftermath of the pandemic. We have vaccines, we know how to deal with this, we know how to social distance, we know the ifs and buts of what to do. I think we are way better prepared than we were when it first hit us or the rounds that kept on coming after that."
Dr. Manali Mukherjee, affiliate scientist, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton research institute
More information on COVID-19 in Hamilton and prevention is available from the city of Hamilton website.
In honor of the one-year anniversary of their in-person office, we reviewed the journey of the Black Student Success Centre, from their launch to some of their current initiatives and services.
As of this February, the Black Student Success Centre has been open in-person for one year. In this time, they have organized numerous events, administered mental health services and worked to foster an open community gathering space for Black students.
The BSSC is an MSU service that launched in 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Opening virtually at first, the BSSC transitioned to in-person services on Feb. 7, 2022. The one-year anniversary of their in-person office, located in PGCLL, occurred during this past Black History Month.
The centre was first created in response to discussions surrounding Black student experiences, as well as a notable review released in 2020 discussing anti-Black racism within McMaster University’s student athlete community.
Some of the services and resources offered by the BSSC include mental health and wellness support, financial literacy workshops and community building initiatives.
In a conversation with The Silhouette, BSSC Program Support Assistant Toluwalase Dayo-Olaide explained that the centre fulfills an important need for a community hub, which Black students at McMaster were previously missing.
“There was never any central hub for [Black students] to meet other Black students. I didn't even know Mac really had any Black students. So, coming in and seeing people, connecting with people, having this space, I think it's something that incoming students are really going to benefit from,” said Dayo-Olaide.
“There was never any central hub for [Black students] to meet other Black students. I didn't even know Mac really had any Black students. So, coming in and seeing people, connecting with people, having this space, I think it's something that incoming students are really going to benefit from,”
Toluwalase Dayo-Olaide, BSSC Program Support Assistant
Dayo-Olaide explained that the transition into an in-person space for the BSSC has been a catalyst for fostering community among Black students. Dayo-Olaide explained how the barriers of online services make it difficult for students to build trust and become comfortable to openly share experiences.
“You wouldn't be able to have those long, nice conversations, those spontaneous conversations online … I feel like the in-person space just makes people feel more connected to something tangible. I want to walk in there, sit down and feel like I'm part of a community,” said Dayo-Olaide
Dayo-Olaide has been with the BSSC since October 2022 and has watched the centre grow and continue to reach more students. Dayo-Olaide explained that one of the most notable points of growth he has noticed is the increased presence of Black men, where the centre had previously mostly seen female students utilize their services.
Dayo-Olaide explained that the BSSC’s 2022 Empowered program aimed to bring together Black men on campus, including undergraduate students, graduate students, professors and staff, to provide a secure space and to foster open conversations regarding stigma, stereotypes and wellness.
“There's this stigma or stereotype about Black men and sometimes stereotypes will force you to conform to them. [The Empowered program] was a wellness support for people to be able to come in and be open about themselves, the things they face and get advice from people that are above you … We were creating a safe space for the guys on campus,” said Dayo-Olaide
Toluwalase Dayo-Olaide, BSSC Program Support Assistant
“There's this stigma or stereotype about Black men and sometimes stereotypes will force you to conform to them. [The Empowered program] was a wellness support for people to be able to come in and be open about themselves, the things they face and get advice from people that are above you … We were creating a safe space for the guys on campus,”
The BSSC is located in PGCLL room M07, and they continue to provide virtual and in-person services. More information for accessing these services is available on the BSSC website.
Public fatigue and diminished monitoring are just some of the reasons the virus isn’t making its way to the headlines, but are we letting our guards down too soon?
For many of us, the return to in-person learning and the rolling back of public health measures, including mask mandates, signaled light at the end of the tunnel. However, with our newfound optimism, we’ve entered a period of social neglect, and the decline in COVID-19 media coverage has only made it easier to forget about the ongoing pandemic.
Decreased engagement with content and information concerning COVID-19 is forcing news outlets to shift their focus on other, more profitable stories, ultimately, challenging journalists as they try to communicate critical news about the virus.
Dr. Katie Moisse, assistant professor in the school of interdisciplinary science and an experienced science journalist, spoke about the current challenges of delivering COVID-19 news to the public.
“It is difficult to reach people . . . People [are] done hearing about the pandemic despite it not being done. So, journalists are finding new [ways] to bring us this information [and] are having to fight for this coverage,” said Moisse.
Limited amplification of these stories in the media combined with public disinterest continues to hinder meaningful engagement with these news stories, which could hold serious implications for public health.
As we head into a particularly daunting flu season, with the triple threat of COVID-19, flu and respiratory syncytial virus, there is a growing need for journalists to actively report on the progression and spread of these viruses.
It is difficult to reach people . . . People [are] done hearing about the pandemic despite it not being done. So, journalists are finding new [ways] to bring us this information [and] are having to fight for this coverage,
Dr. Katie Moisse, assistant professor
“It’s important that we not drop the ball on this story, it’s such a big part of our lives,” explained Moisse.
Throughout the pandemic, journalists have played an important role in influencing the public’s response to COVID-19 through the dissemination of accurate and reliable information. However, I believe journalists have played an even greater role in exposing the cracks in our systems to inform government action and policies.
Without effective coverage or data on COVID-19, and amid the emerging threat of influenza and RSV, we are heading into the winter with a false sense of security.
Dr. Ana Tomljenovic-Berube, assistant professor teaching global human health and disease in the school of interdisciplinary science, shared that COVID-19-related public health monitoring has also begun to fade away without preventative measures in place. Currently, Public Health Ontario offers weekly updates on case counts as province-wide testing has ramped down. Still, the reported numbers paint a grim picture.
“The things that have been protecting us all of this time will continue to protect us if we are diligent about their usage . . . We all need to take responsibility as a society to protect each other,”
Dr. Ana Tomljenovic-Berube, assistant professor
On the week of Oct. 23 alone, a staggering 9,797 COVID-19 cases were recorded and this number does not include positive cases identified through independent rapid antigen testing. Yet these alarming case counts and the increasing number of hospitalizations are not always making their way to front-page news.
Influenza and RSV, compounded with the absence of public health restrictions only continue threaten an already compromised healthcare system.
“We are beginning to see a rapid rise in [influenza and RSV] infections likely due to lack of preventative measures. However, having the [triple threat], which we haven’t dealt with before, will lead to much more dire circumstances and this is what we’re starting to see in pediatric wards,” explained Tomljenovic-Berube.
The McMaster Children’s Hospital, which recently reached maximum capacity, presents an example of the overwhelming burden being experienced by healthcare facilities across the province as they grapple with the combined spread of COVID-19, flu and RSV.
Some institutions are already acting on scientific evidence from the flu season forecasts to implement protective measures. For instance, the University of Waterloo reinstated its mask mandate on Nov. 9 to enhance the health and safety of students and staff.
Regardless of mandated measures or dwindling media coverage, it is important to remember that we can take personal precautions to keep ourselves and those around us safe as we continue to learn in-person in closed and congregate settings.
“The things that have been protecting us all of this time will continue to protect us if we are diligent about their usage . . . We all need to take responsibility as a society to protect each other,” said Tomljenovic-Berube.
We need to recognize the pandemic is not over yet, even if the headlines fail to emphasize the current infectious disease crisis. And recklessly ignoring these escalating public health threats at our own discretion poses a risk to not only ourselves, but to all the vulnerable individuals around us.
Check out how undergrads of each year feel about wrapping up their first post-COVID restriction era university year.
Adriana Miranda — 1st Year Social Sciences
While first-year social science student Adriana Miranda would describe her overall first-year experience as rewarding, she expressed how completing her first year has left her with hard-hitting life lessons she can always carry with her.
Miranda feels that she truly came into learning how to confidently advocate for herself and her needs. She now understands that in university if she needs access to any available resources on campus, she must ask for it herself. This component of university taught Miranda that she must always be aware of her rights.
Even if Miranda is currently enjoying wrapping up her second semester with new friends, as a racialized student she faced systemic barriers in her first semester when she was still relatively new at McMaster.
“I never felt othered until I started attending McMaster. I saw many racialized students experience isolation and have difficulty making friends. Noticing this influenced how I viewed my classes, peers and professors. Thankfully, once I made friends everything got better,”
Adriana Miranda
In Miranda’s experience, she believes that McMaster can take a greater initiative when it comes to protecting and standing up for students experiencing sexual harassment and violence on campus. Even in departments dedicated to handling such issues such as the Human Rights and Dispute Resolution Program Miranda did not feel cared for or validated by the school.
“After all that, my main takeaway is that it’s built on colonialism and patriarchy. I’m realizing that now, I’m not going to be as naïve and as trusting with the institution because I’m now aware of what people in charge perpetuate,” said Miranda.
Going forward, Miranda will focus on finding spaces for racialized students like the Latin American Student Association and Women and Gender Equity Network where she can feel safer and more included.
Elizabeth Rylaarsdam — 2nd Year Life Sciences - Sensory Motors System
Now in her second year, Elizabeth Rylaarsdam had to adapt her first year in the life sciences program online. This year, she moved to Hamilton from Ottawa.
“When everything was online, it still felt like school. However, when I moved away alone for the first time to a new city and transitioned to a hybrid [format], everything felt optional,”
Elizabeth Rylaarsdam
In this year’s hybrid academic model, Rylaarsdam had trouble staying motivated in her online courses as switching between online and in person repeatedly between courses made some classes feel more real for her than others. Rylaarsdam had to adapt her learning style many times in university due to the COVID approaches taken by McMaster along with many second-years and has been unable to establish a routine that works for her.
Living alone combined with the physical demands caused by in-person learning made Rylaarsdam lessen the number of hours she worked to avoid falling behind academically. She reduced her working hours from 30 hours a week to 10 to 12 hours even if her living expenses increased.
It was difficult for Rylaarsdam to find a core social group within a school setting as she observed others in her year have somehow formed friend groups already. Aside from hanging out with her hometown friends from high school friends who also attend McMaster, Rylaarsdam managed her mental health by joining the Hamilton Hornets Women’s Rugby Club.
Playing rugby weekly allowed Rylaarsdam to stay in shape while being able to find a community that she regularly socializes with in a new city.
“Despite the tumultuous learning curves of moving and finally starting in person university where I felt like I experienced much of the learning I was supposed to get in my first year in my second year, I am hopeful about starting fresh next semester after a restful summer now that I know what to expect,” explained Rylaarsdam.
Jaclyn Holdsworth — 3rd year Arts and Sciences
Jaclyn Holdsworth’s third-year experience in the arts and sciences was defined by the bonding she experienced with her cohort post lockdown. Holdsworth experienced connecting and making friendships in her first year within the community culture fostered by her program before enduring Zoom university until this semester.
“After so much time in lockdown, everyone had more appreciation for the kind of social network and the relationships we wanted to have with others. We are a lot more willing to foster relationships and the quality of those relationships are a lot more authentic,”
Jaclyn Holdsworth
Experiencing the isolation of Zoom school was difficult for Holdsworth, however it caused her to become more willing to acknowledge the times when she is not feeling her best. To mitigate her mental health, Holdsworth stresses the importance of doing at least one small act of self-care every day, be it restocking snacks or going for a walk.
Embracing and taking care of oneself even when times are tough allowed many third-years like Holdsworth to understand that better times await, and that you are in a much better position to be able to support other others if you start to take care of yourself as well.
Upon tasting in-person life after a world-shattering event, and still with one year of university left, Holdsworth vows to make herself happy everyday instead of planning for possible contentment five years down the line. Trying not to take her undergraduate experience for granted anymore, Holdsworth encourages everybody to take the time to be present and practice gratitude every day.
“I would prefer not another pandemic if you can arrange for that. Plan for tomorrow but don’t depend on it,” said Holdsworth.
Claudia Yong — 4th year Kinesiology (Graduating)
Working tirelessly on her kinesiology degree throughout her undergrad, Claudia Yong waves a bittersweet goodbye to her time as an undergrad student as she returned to classes in-person just in time to graduate. Yong still feels a little unfamiliar in her position as a fourth-year student given that she lost a year to COVID, and wonders if other graduating students are also feeling a sense of imposter syndrome.
“The moment I realized I was graduating was when we were taking grad photos. When I put on the gown and sat in the chair for photos, it was surreal, and I could not believe it. The moment the camera went off I finally realized that I’m graduating,” said Yong.
Fortunately, the return to classes this academic year allowed Yong to pursue the hands-on thesis work she always dreamt of doing and ignited a passion for research in her. Missing out on much of the experiential learning of her science degree in her third year, COVID greatly influenced Yong’s decision to pursue a masters to once again give herself the opportunity to explore and further expand on the research skills she fell in love with.
With the end of her degree, Yong is continuing to learn not to compare herself and her journey with others, understanding that everybody has their own destined trajectory.
Referencing the kindness of her kinesiology professors, Yong always encourages the importance of fostering meaningful connections for personal enrichment with faculty members, regardless of a desire for recommendation letters.
Claudia Yong
“Many women including myself experience a lot of dismissiveness in healthcare, even from other female practitioners. I want to positively impact the healthcare system for women who might otherwise avoid treatment,”
C/O Gustavo Sanchez
Amidst cold weather and high COVID-19 case counts, the city of Hamilton failed to protect and consider its unhoused residents
January 2022 was a difficult month for the city of Hamilton, with temperatures dipping as low as -20 degrees Celsius and hundreds of Hamilton residents hospitalized with COVID-19. Unfortunately, low temperatures and high rates of COVID-19 created even more obstacles for Hamilton’s unhoused population.
“What we've observed as COVID has been ongoing and as the cold weather has been ongoing is just the lack of empathy and the lack of tangible sustainable solutions [from the city],”
Koubra Haggar, member of Hamilton Encampment Support Network’s Steering Committee.
HESN is an advocacy group and support network run entirely by volunteers in the Hamilton community. They advocate on behalf of the needs of unhoused residents of Hamilton and provide unhoused people with support and resources.
Vic Wojciechowska, another member of the Steering Committee, explained how shelters in Hamilton have not been adequately supported by the city throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Wojciechowska explained that, earlier this year, all but one of Hamilton’s men’s shelters were experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks.
“Given the Covid outbreaks, [people] were being refused at the door. We had testimonies come in from shelter workers about the lack of municipal support for staffing, for adequate PPE, for any sort of code protocols or measures. We are two years into this pandemic now. The city has had adequate time to respond, to prepare, to prioritize and yet we're in the same position that we were a year ago,” said Wojciechowska.
Hagger added that, over the past few months, the city has taken a clear stance against people residing in encampments by saying that tents have to go.
“They care about aesthetics. The city cares about maintaining a certain image. While making these remarks and saying all these horrible things, they aren't providing any alternatives that are sustainable or dignified,” said Haggar.
Hagger recalled seeing police officers and city workers tell encampment residents to move farther into the trees where they would be less visible.
“The city doesn't have an issue in terms of letting people die in the cold; they also have an issue around maintaining a pristine image of Hamilton that excludes all poor and unhouse folks,” said Hagger.
In November 2021, several people who protested against encampment evictions were arrested. These people said that police officers used violence during the arrests, leaving them with various injuries.
In a video shared by the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion, officers can be seen tackling three Black youth in front of Hamilton’s central police station.
“Here is the footage of Hamilton Police arresting [three] Black youth early this afternoon. These violent attacks are a reminder of outright police brutality & systemic racism. Why are Black youth being arrested when they are advocating for better housing options for residents?”
Statement from Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion
Wojciechowska also pointed out how many of the people making decisions about Hamilton’s housing crisis do not truly understand what the options for unhoused people look like. Wojciechowska recalled that, at a community delegation day to inform the operating budget, a city councilor expressed confusion about why one might choose to live in an encampment over a shelter.
“These are the people that are making the decisions. They don't even understand what the conditions within shelters are,” said Wojciechowska.
Wojciechowska highlighted how this lack of understanding leads the city of Hamilton to present options to unhoused community members that are not truly viable.
“We had someone provide testimony that, during the outbreaks in the women’s sector, people who were in COVID-19 isolation would not be able to access the shower for ten days. Again, these are being presented as options to people. In an encampment, at least you have community, at least you have control over isolation and contact and exposure with others. Whereas [the other option is that] you're crammed into a shelter with who knows how many other people, a shelter in an active outbreak and the city is calling this a housing solution,” said Wojciechowska.
Despite the current situation, Wojciechowska and Hagger expressed optimism that through the work and advocacy of HESN, the public has become more aware of Hamilton’s housing crisis.
“There's been a shift in public narrative over the last year regarding encampments. [There has been a shift in] understanding the conditions and the causes of encampments and understanding how these are linked to the housing crisis and how this is aligned to municipal failure to take responsibility of housing people,” said Wojciechowska.
Treating all members of our community with care is crucial, and this involves respecting and considering the needs of unhoused community members. Moving forward, the city of Hamilton still has much work to do in order to support unhoused individuals.
C/O Jessica Yang
Holding space for the stories closest to our hearts
One of the first articles I wrote for the Silhouette was for the 2020 Sex and the Steel City issue. As I struggled to come up with an idea, I remember feeling daunted and underqualified to tackle the topics at the heart of the issue. I agonized over that article, rewriting it half a dozen times before I got a draft I was even remotely happy with. But after, I also appreciated the space writing that article offered me to think about the questions of love, intimacy and relationships—and then the space the issue offered to read the stories and thoughts of others as well.
Just like that early article, I’ve agonized over this issue, too. When I started planning it, I felt just as daunted and underqualified as I did before. Sex and the Steel City is a unique special issue, close to the hearts of so many people and I wanted to do justice to that, but I didn’t know what I had to bring to the issue.
And I kept thinking about the space that first article gave me, the spaces I’ve strived to offer interviewees as a reporter and my writers as an editor, and I thought about the unique, wonderful safety inherent in community — in a space where you are free to not only be yourself but also able to even just figure out who you are to begin with, without having to worry about protecting yourself or the expectations of others and knowing you have people in your corner who see you and will support you.
This same sense of safety, of community, is a key part of Sex and the Steel City. It’s what allows this issue to offer the space it does to not only its contributors to share the stories closest to their hearts, but also to its readers to feel seen and heard, to know they are not alone. In this year’s issue, we’ve tried to honour the importance of community, highlight the ones that have built us up as well as those we’ve built through love, intimacy and relationships.
Sex and the Steel City is a community project, a true labour of love. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this issue, who shared their stories and their artwork; it has been a privilege to hear your stories over these past few weeks. Thank you to everyone on staff who wrote for and created and organized this issue. This will be the largest issue of the Silhouette to date and it wouldn’t have been possible without you.
For everyone who reads this issue, though, I hope you feel some of that same sense of community, too. I hope you can see yourself somewhere in these pages, even if it’s just in one image or one story, and know you are not alone.
But if you don’t, because I also know there are stories missing from the pages of this issue, stories still to be told, I hope you know there is still space for you here, just as you are. I like to think that’s why we do this issue every year, so everyone has a chance to tell their story.
C/O Yoohyun Park
Stringent restrictions on clubs and gathering spaces have changed student nightlife
Nights on the town replaced by Netflix parties, social gatherings constrained to a Zoom screen — those have been the realities of the university social scene for the last year. The spaces once meant for dancing and screaming at the top of your lungs just to find your voice gone the next day have disappeared over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. The hole left by where these social spaces once stood is felt not only by students, but also by business owners and the greater Hamilton community.
Restrictions and guidelines for nightclubs, music venues and entertainment establishments have been especially stringent over the course of the pandemic, largely due to concerns over the ability to enforce mask-wearing and social distancing. As a result, a number of local nightlife hotspots have had to creatively rethink the way they operate and do business within the Hamilton community.
“Nightclubs weren't even able to open up — we're lucky because we had seating and an in-house food menu. If you didn't have seats, you weren't able to open until July 2021, so we removed all our couches from the VIP area and moved bottle service onto the dance floor. It turned into a seated party,” said Dash Majithia, manager of Zen Lounge.
Brodie Schwendiman, owner and operator of The Casbah, a live music venue on King Street West, echoed similar sentiments in regards to the ways they’ve adapted their business to meet demands of ever-changing restrictions.
“From an operational standpoint, the main way we have changed how we interact with the community would be that we have a patio now . . . People know Casbah as a place to go to see music bands or listen to a DJ. Most people wouldn’t go to The Casbah for dinner so it required a lot of extra promotional energy,” explained Schwendiman.
Though the transformation of these spaces into mainly food establishments has allowed them to continue operating given the less stringent restrictions on restaurants, there’s been a disappearance of the floors once meant for dance, crowding and heat islands of energy.
The limited operations of these gathering spaces has negative ramifications on the student social scene and larger Hamilton nightlife.
“Why do people want to go to the nightclub? To talk to other people, to dance — all of the things that were not allowed. [At Zen Lounge] you had to sit in your group that you came with. There was a max of six or eight people per table. You weren't allowed to dance. You weren't allowed to walk around and mingle,” said Majithia.
There finally seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel in terms of McMaster students’ return to campus. However, having been away from campus for so long, there is now an entire generation of undergrads who have never had a ‘normal’ undergraduate social experience. And, those social experiences aren’t always easy to find — especially right now.
Schwendiman went on to describe that, even before the pandemic, there were difficulties for small music venues like his in reaching a student audience. Non-campus-affiliated groups had a more difficult time advertising events geared towards students in the areas around campus and the variable commute to off-campus venues added a barrier to access for many.
However, nightlife establishments have now almost completely lost their student client base. In a niche market where business owners often came to know their regular student visitors on a first-name basis, the undergrad and student crowds have been especially sparse as of late.
“I feel like we've lost touch with all these groups in the last few years because the people that were coming to us to do their parties and stuff moved on. The kids never came back,” said Majithia.
On the brink of a full return to campus for the Winter 2022 semester, students back in the Hamilton area can slowly find their way into the hustle and bustle of student life and with it, the nightlife of the surrounding areas.
“Finding the time is sometimes challenging, but what I would say to students is that I encourage them to carve out time to do their own research about Hamilton's cultural scene. Online, there's all kinds of places to learn about what's going on. Social media is such an important thing now, so it's very easy to access what's going on just by surfing around,” said Schwendiman.
Despite the difficulties posed by restrictions that nightlife establishments have dealt with in the face of the pandemic, business owners and the Hamilton community are excited to welcome students back to the area. Take a night off and see what it means to experience the vibrant social spheres of the Hamilton community.
C/O Jorge Franganillo, Unsplash
Anti-vaccine misinformation on social media has costed many the ultimate price
Cw: death, COVID-19
In the past two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, our society has become divided. In a time when some trusted the words of the medical community, others also displayed signs of skepticism.
From wearing masks to following restrictions, it seemed as if not everyone agrees with the mandates. Slowly, our communities started to branch out and go against one another.
“Anti-vaxxers” and “COVID-deniers” went head to head with those who support immunization and the use of masks. However, this was far from a friendly debate as misinformation put forth generated irreversible consequences for our society.
Many individuals who denied COVID-19 as a whole and deemed the virus as government propaganda used social media to voice their opinion. In the beginning, I observed that most of these posts seemed rather harmless in the format of humorous memes.
“Anti-vaxxers” and “COVID-deniers” went head to head with those who support immunization and the use of masks. However, this was far from a friendly debate as misinformation put forth generated irreversible consequences for our society.
KIMIA TAHAEI, OPINIONS STAFF WRITER
Alas, these seemingly harmless posts rapidly escalated into widespread misinformation.
Some started suggesting that the prediction models are fake, the test kits are contaminated and the media is exaggerating the virus as there is no pandemic. Others started suggesting how the vaccine will alter their DNA and stated how this is not a risk they will take.
There were even “factual checklists” suggesting the vaccine has not been tested on animals but is tainted with aborted human and monkey cells. Unfortunately, as the title of this article suggests, such mass amounts of misinformation came with a fatal price.
The prominent subreddit, r/HermanCainAward has been exclusively following the stories of individuals who did not trust the science and passed away as a direct result of COVID-19. This online discussion forum was inspired after the passing of Hermain Cain, a former presidential candidate for the Republican Party.
The prominent subreddit, r/HermanCainAward has been exclusively following the stories of individuals who did not trust the science and passed away as a direct result of COVID-19. This online discussion forum was inspired after the passing of Hermain Cain, a former presidential candidate for the Republican Party.
KIMIA TAHAEI, OPINIONS STAFF WRITER
He was against masking mandates from the beginning of the pandemic and was seen maskless in large Trump rallies. Unsurprisingly, he soon contracted COVID-19, was admitted to the hospital and died after two days.
Influenced by Herman Cain’s story, the member of the forum decided to share stories similar to Cain’s in order to exhibit the dangers of misinformation.
One of the most recent awardees of the “Herman Cain Award” was Czech folk singer, Hana Horka. An unfortunate victim of misinformation, Horka passed away after deliberately getting infected with COVID-19.
Horka was told she couldn't perform unless she showed proof of vaccination or recent recovery from COVID-19. Sadly, because of misinformation and downplaying the repercussions of COVID-19, she chose the latter and passed away shortly.
“I know exactly who influenced her. It makes me sad that she believed strangers more than her proper family,” Horka’s son, who shared pro-vaccine views, stated.
Members of the Herman Cain Award subreddit are begging users to get vaccinated in order to prevent stories like Horka’s. And while many have taken offence to this community, labelling them as unempathetic and callous, I believe they have done more good than bad.
Although many posts harshly judge unvaccinated individuals, the community has motivated a lot of people to receive the vaccine. The community sincerely wishes and hopes this subreddit is deleted as soon as possible with no more unfortunate stories to share.
For the most accurate information regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and guidelines, students and community members should refer to the federal government website on COVID-19 here.
C/O Mark Sanchez
The pandemic will come to an end, but only with fair and meaningful restrictions
Cloth masks won’t cut it anymore, so you must purchase medical masks. No, not those, the expensive ones that are out of stock. If you’re experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, isolate yourself from family and friends for a minimum of ten days. You should definitely be back to work in five though.
We will start to limit PCR testing, so instead, use rapid-antigen testing kits. Good luck finding those, but if you do, don’t use them because they’re not accurate. You need PCR. But wait, they have great news! Elite sports are allowed to run. Not the largest university athletics organization in Ontario though, they said elite.
As hard as it may be to believe right now, all pandemics do eventually come to an end, though the fate of this one is clouded by the rising Omicron variant. Just as many started to regain hope for returning to a pandemic-free lifestyle, the Ford government placed further restrictions in Ontario in response to Omicron on Jan. 6, 2022.
These changes included a halt to indoor dining, gyms, movie theatres and further capacity limits for essential and non-essential businesses.
The execution of these changes, however, left many confused with questions about how this will aid in efforts to control the spread of COVID-19, with just one thought at the forefront of thousands of minds: make it make sense.
How exactly does this response fit into the potential end of the COVID-19 pandemic? First, it’s important to note that this alleged “end” cannot be abrupt, but one so gradual that COVID-19 will become something that the world simply has to learn to coexist with.
This may sound frightening at first, but recall that the human race has been doing this for centuries with viruses such as influenza and measles.
After establishing that COVID-19 isn’t going away, governments must set clear and realistic goals of how life is expected to be like upon endgame and take measures that directly result in said goals. At some point, the World Health Organization would declare when the pandemic is officially over, after measuring each country’s success in controlling case counts, or hospitalizations and deaths at the very least.
This would mark the endemic, or a post-pandemic state many would call the “new normal”. The endemic would mean reaching a somewhat steady-state of manageable cases, but how many is not exactly a scientific question, but a social one.
Omicron has proven to be an ultra-contagious variant so different as a result of mutations that it has managed to evade detection by immune defences gathered through previous infections and even vaccines.
That being said, Omicron essentially marks the beginning of when the virus will eventually max out in its ability to drastically mutate and make large evolutionary jumps.
New variants would still arise every so often again, much like the flu, but booster vaccines that are better catered to new mutants will also continue to evolve, as will the human immune system.
Additional measures and meaningful restrictions can effectively reduce hospitalizations caused by Omicron and give the general population a chance to boost their vaccinations. After all, it’s easy to point out that a major barrier preventing the COVID-19 pandemic from evolving into a flu-like endemic is hospitalizations and deaths.
With over 100,000 active cases in the province, this is more important now than ever.
Despite this, the request still seems to remain: make it make sense. As long as healthcare pursues a capitalist model, anything experts will say may be perceived as persuasion and manipulation rather than facts that fuel an effort to safeguard the public.
Living in low-income areas where healthcare may not be accessible is conducive to (valid) feelings of confusion and neglect.
Naturally, the first community that government officials turn to for information and guidance is the scientific one. Where most governments fall short is listening to research done by the social science and humanities community.
Time and time again, social scientists have identified how public health communication can impact the way people respond and act. Especially since this crisis so heavily relies on behavioural changes on a massive scale, social science can be used to align human behaviour with scientific recommendations.
The public continues to announce their frustration on further restrictions and lockdown measures that don’t seem to offer any slivers of hope. Some have even drawn comparisons between COVID-19 and suicide death rates, implying the importance of one over the other.
However, ranking equally important issues and insinuating the dismissal of one will not solve nor validate the other.
So how exactly can the government induce restrictions that appease the general public? It’s impossible. What’s completely plausible though, is alleviating mass confusions that accompany tighter regulations.
Lockdowns and public health measures will continue to seem like a performance act to the public unless they’re joined by measures that rebuild the damages inflicted by for-profit agendas on our healthcare system. It may be the key to reaching the endgame before running out of greek alphabet letters.
C/O Anna Katherine Verdillo, taken at PNB formal 2019
Student societies, clubs and services are looking forward to in-person events
Soon after the start of the semester, McMaster released a statement regarding in-person classes in the winter 2022 semester with very limited exceptions. In the same update, students were promised pre-pandemic capacity for on-campus student life activities, such as services, resources, events, study spaces and social spaces. In light of this announcement, program councils and McMaster Students Union services have begun considering larger in-person events for winter.
For instance, the Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour Society is in its early stages of planning for its traditional winter formal. Dianne Cardwell, one of the Vice Presidents of Social of PNB Society, hopes in-person events can help students forge new connections within the psychology, neuroscience and behaviour program.
“We’ve definitely found this year there seems to be a separation between the second-years and other members of the program just because they’ve been isolated and not in the McMaster community. We are really hoping to make those second-years feel accepted into the Mac community and PNB community as a whole,”
Dianne Cardwell
Similarly, the Bachelor of Health Sciences Society typically organizes a formal event in January along with a club night. Two years ago, they also collaborated with societies from kinesiology, engineering and PNB to host a pub night. Currently, it has been difficult for BHSS to plan much ahead, with changing restrictions and guidelines from the government and the school.
“For now, we are trying to see if we can plan based on what we know right now . . . But that’s all going to be dependent on restrictions at that time,” said Michal Moshkovich, one of the Social Coordinators of BHSS.
Recently, on Nov. 25, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore shared that he expects COVID-19 cases to increase through the winter. As COVID-19 cases are predicted to rise as the cold weather settles in, both the PNB Society and BHSS are continuing to observe the situation closely and are considering planning in-person events for the end of the second semester.
With lots of ongoing uncertainty and lack of clarity in communication with the university, MSU services like the Women and Gender Equity Network are preparing to do last-minute planning as well.
Typically, in the winter, WGEN has two big campaign weeks in the second semester: Bodies are Dope, which usually runs in February, and Making Waves, which usually runs in March. The service’s first campaign of the year, [Trans]forming Mac, ran completely online from Nov. 20 to Nov. 25.
“[Planning] has been a little difficult based on how much information we receive . . . For now, the plan is to hopefully do stuff in person. But it might have to be really last-minute planning because we don’t know what the rules are, so that makes it a little difficult to plan in advance which we would ideally like because we want to be able to make sure we book proper rooms for social distancing and things like that,” said Neha Shaw, Director of WGEN.
It is also still unclear whether WGEN’s safe(r) spaces will operate in-person due to accessibility concerns. However, the service has received approval for in-person resource delivery, such as gender-affirming gear, and it is planned to open in the winter.
In general, the PNB society, BHSS and WGEN are all looking forward to at least some opportunities for in-person gatherings and events. They recognize online events feel intimidating and more formal, discouraging participation, compared to dropping by physical, live spaces or events that feel more casual and natural.
“It’s really hard to get people to come out to these online events and not feel intimidated versus in-person events . . . So far, we’ve hosted second-year welcome day and bonfires and the turnout was great because people are just excited to be back on campus and back in social environments where they can interact with people, even if it means following very, very rigid protocols for COVID,” said Moshkovich.
As much as all the societies and services miss the experiences of in-person gatherings, they also recognize the benefits of virtual events.
“With virtual events, there’s higher accessibility. You get things like captioning and people can engage to a level they are comfortable with. I know it can be more awkward to attend Zoom events than it can be in-person events, but at the same time, you can log onto an event and not turn your camera on, you can put your [fake] name [for anonymity] . . . you can type in the chat if that’s easier for you,” said Shaw.
At the end of the day, the main goal of student societies, services and clubs is to connect people together and foster community. Whether it continues to be facilitated virtually or back in person, they will all continue to work towards community building and enhancing the student life at McMaster University.
