Canada's response to COVID-19 is heading in a concerning direction. Comments made today by the country's top doctor should be considered and reviewed by every Canadian.

Suggesting we won't be able to hold family and friends closely or enjoy community events or live our lives without fear of contracting the disease for years; that's something that shouldn't just be glanced over and accepted without reflection.

While widespread vaccine is a goal we should reach for -- I have a hard time sitting back and just accepting comments like, "Widespread vaccine uptake is the best shot Canadians have in regaining some of what we’ve lost and returning to things that we cherish."

We've lost so much that we cherish -- and I'm not convinced we should wait years to get it back.

Long-term lockdowns, and the threat of more lockdowns are devastating. Releasing daily case numbers without providing context is irresponsible. We've never counted disease or virus this way; so if we're going to continue, we should release daily numbers for all illnesses.

Clearly, COVID-19 is devastating for the very sick and elderly. Clearly, we should've been doing more to protect both groups from many viruses. Clearly, PSWs should not go from home-to-home-to-home.

But, equally clearly, health officials should think long and hard before suggesting it'll be years before we're allowed to hug those we love dearly, or gather as community.

And, clearly, these same officials should give us context; let us know how measures they've implemented are affecting other aspects of our health. Release data on mental health, how cancelled surgeries & rehab are impacting the population.

And to get very specific, if we're going to continue releasing daily COVID-19 numbers; we really ought to start doing the same for cardiac arrest, cancer, the common cold, season flu, etc., etc., etc. -- context is important.

Context like, every day in the world in 2017: 160,000 people died every day.

A question I've often wanted to ask is, if we stopped all physical distancing rules, what would the world's population be in a year? If health officials think it would be less than 7B, let's have a chat; if it's still more than 7B, what's this really all about?

The inconsistencies throughout this pandemic have also left my heart broken -- you can't hug your loved ones -- but construction workers can continue working in close proximity to build office towers.

Can we stop be terrified of each other? Can we admit early on, precautions in the general pubic were needed, but now they're not.

Can't we just put all of our efforts into protecting those most at risk from COVID-19 and other viruses. Let's give front-line health care workers the PPE they need and rethink how we do long-term care.

I know there's nothing all that profound in my thoughts, and I certainly don't expect to change anyone's mind. I just need to hope and pray one day soon, healthy Canadians will stop being afraid of other healthy Canadians.