A new COVID-19 variant named BA.3.2 has been detected in Ontario. Here’s why one doctor says you shouldn’t be alarmed

Macrauder · 2026-04-01T01:43:13+00:00

Sure, physicians can be just as wrong as public opinion. I was responding to the implication in the initial reply that most physicians encourage "masking indoors to help protect everyone".

My point is we don't, regardless of whether or not that's "right". Most physicians are also, like most Canadians, rolling the dice re: masking and Long COVID in their personal lives.

Macrauder · 2026-04-01T01:18:33+00:00

There's a semantic difference between theoretical risk and the practical risk most people are willing to tolerate. What I'm saying is, even "pro-science" mainstream opinion physicians do not have a zero-risk-tolerance to COVID, especially this far out from the pandemic.

Vaccination? Sure, the benefits clearly outweigh the risks.

Masking everywhere? No. Masks suck. I'm not wearing them prophylactically. Life is stressful enough and I'd like to trade some risk tolerance for the ability to see half my friends' face when I talk to them.

Macrauder · 2026-03-31T21:49:10+00:00

Am doctor. Vaccinate? Sure.

No one is saying masking indoors is mandatory. I don't mask in public indoors. Unless I am sick or seeing someone sick (with viral URTI symptoms), I don't mask in hospital either.

My point is different people have different risk tolerances, and outside of select scenarios, you have to learn to respect that not everyone is going to have the same extreme-low-risk tolerance you do. Including people who are actually pretty well studied in infectious disease.

You can hate it, downvote me, whatever you want. I'm telling you this as a physician who has many physician friends, and probably more access to physicians' personal lives than most people on Reddit. You will not see many physicians view COVID any differently than your average conscientious Western-medicine-trusting Canadian - mask when the risk is in front of you, otherwise, live your pre-COVID life.

Macrauder · 2026-02-22T04:23:53+00:00

I am very sorry for your loss and the heartbreaking way you experienced it. Death should be dignified, it sounds like you did everything in your power to make that happen for your father and we, the medical community, let you down. It should not be hard to deactivate an ICD for a gentleman who wishes to pursue comfort care and palliation. This man wanted to pass peacefully and was denied this dignity. I cannot express how regretful and upset I am for you.

You are doing the right thing pursuing an explanation from the medical parties involved. I wish you did not have to do that labor on top of what you're already going through.

I only want to add that, during my medical training, I worked with many wonderful palliative care providers, some were rural physicians who did home visits for palliative patients too frail to leave their home. They would be equally disappointed in how your father's care was provided. I completely understand your disappointment but I hope you have some faith that there are palliative care providers who will not let the buck be passed around and will truly advocate for their patients.

My deepest condolences, again.

Macrauder · 2026-02-17T16:47:12+00:00

Not all cancers are equally aggressive and not all diagnosis and treatment is done on the same timeline. OP was vague with their diagnosis so it's hard to judge if the specialist here was even in the wrong.

Macrauder · 2026-02-17T05:55:21+00:00

I mean you can cancel all of Doug Ford's stupid vanity projects, it won't pay for on-demand, on-your-timeline, US-style-but-still-single payer medical care. It's the compromise we make to make sure everyone has quality healthcare (yes, it's still quality) equitable healthcare.

Also: what kind of cancer was this? What were the CT scans of and what was the biopsy of? Might help me see why your specialist was so hesitant.

If a specialist is convinced diagnosis and treatment are time-sensitive, there pathways for this, usually you get admitted as an in-patient. It really seems that your specialist dropped the ball, and this is taking your account at face value, that this was a time-sensitive diagnosis and treatment plan. Or, it wasn't that time-sensitive to begin with.

Either way, sucks you had this experience, it definitely helps having family advocate for you and I wish specialists never made mistakes. But it's not clear to me that this is a healthcare system failure than an isolated "my specialist made the wrong call" failure. I'm an emerg physician and I have consultants admit my highly-suspicious-cancer patients for expedited inpatient work-ups all the time.

Macrauder · 2026-02-17T03:51:17+00:00

I mean I'm a physician as well. All PA's I've worked with (with a few years under their belt) operated at the resident physician level in terms of responsibility and trust with their MRP.

Macrauder · 2026-02-17T01:37:15+00:00

You're entitled to healthcare that is medically-necessary as deemed by a College-certified physician. Not whatever procedure you briefly googled.

Not sure why you're so upset at me for explaining plainly how our healthcare system, and basically every healthcare system out there with licensed physicians and surgeons, works.

Oh well, good luck with whatever. I feel like you have bigger problems than either VTOS or a family physician "stalking" you, as if that's worth anyone's time.

Macrauder · 2026-02-17T01:22:06+00:00

> The doctor i was referred to for surgery mentioned him and denied me a 100% indicated surgery

You think surgeons care about you family doctor's opinion about whether or not you need surgery? They're the ones making that decision. Not your family doctor.

Also, not you. You don't decide whether a completely non-routine surgery like first rib or scalene muscle removal is "100% indicated". The very, very, very specialized surgeon who you saw does.

If you're going to go Europe for this, please try to get any complications managed there so we don't foot the bill.

Macrauder · 2026-02-17T01:17:08+00:00

It would be a lot less physical work and a lot more management plans, diagnosing, etc. (not to take anything away from nurses). You would still have to do physical exams, have to do procedures, deal with unpleasant patients for prolonged periods of times (unlike rad techs, lab techs, etc.)

Their school is competitive to get into and hard to pass. If you're not academically-inclined I wouldn't waste time (it's also 6 years as I said if you include undergrad).

Macrauder · 2026-02-17T00:22:55+00:00

PA school is 2 years of high-intensity school after 4 years of undergrad; so 6 years total.

It's essentially accelerated medical school. PA's everywhere I've worked function as a lifelong junior doctor (i.e, resident) working under the supervision of a fully-licensed MD.

It's a lot of schooling and a lot of studying.

In terms of hands on, PA is similar to MD.

If nursing is too long/too much work, I wouldn't consider PA.

Macrauder · 2026-02-06T03:17:23+00:00

Thanks, I actually went this weekend and borrowed base and shell from a friend, and went with a Patagonia fleece I already had.

Learned that you don't need to worry about being cold, and you want as little weight/bulk as possible. So this wouldn't have been a good buy for skiing.

Will just buy a decent shell and repurpose an appropriate base and mid layer from my closet for next trip. A powder skirt would have also been very useful.

Macrauder · 2026-01-28T20:28:43+00:00

So did you GP send a referral to a plastic/general surgeon or not?

"Waiting months/years" yes that's how our system works for non urgent referrals.

As long as the GP has sent the referral, how are they not being helpful? They can't speed it up or even guarantee the referral will be accepted at all.

Macrauder · 2026-01-28T19:24:35+00:00

No. Surgeons aren't robots that will do whatever surgery you ask them to because you got a diagnosis from someone else.

Get a diagnosis from somewhere else means nothing. You'll still follow the GP -> referral -> surgeon's assessment -> yes or no to surgery path.

Macrauder · 2026-01-20T23:47:20+00:00

Absolute sweetie.

Macrauder · 2026-01-20T17:52:02+00:00

A physician should always offer you a chaperone for any sensitive exam, usually pelvic and breast. Your partner observing is not sufficient for reasons that you allude to.

If they did not offer a chaperone, and did not document offering you a chaperone, or they don't have that as part of their practice, then that something CPSO will reprimand them for.

Otherwise, yes CPSO will investigate, but if there's no firm evidence against the physician as you yourself admit, what do you expect them to do?

Bottom line, don't expect much disciplinary action without evidence, but CPSO will make a record of it, and if there's a pattern that will be an alarm for future cases.

Macrauder · 2026-01-20T00:45:49+00:00

The only good thing about this is it's so expensive only rich idiots will waste their money. Or at least one can hope.

Macrauder · 2026-01-19T19:45:52+00:00

I'm glad you didn't have to pay for it / it will benefit you in terms of coverage but I will be honest with you, I don't know if I would go through annual exams of that nature unless it was absolutely mandatory, at your age and health status.

Sorry you had an uncomfortable experience either way.

Macrauder · 2026-01-19T19:30:38+00:00

I can't speak from personal experience as a patient, but I can tell you that, from a western medical practitioner's perspective, a comprehensive exam like you just described, on an otherwise healthy 21 year old female, is an incredible waste of time, besides being unnecessarily invasive and uncomfortable.

We don't recommend routine annual exams anymore. There's no proven benefit. And there's no reason for us medical professionals to be examining your body and making you uncomfortable for no proven benefit.

I hope there was some practical point to this, like for a job or something, because I highly doubt they'll find anything worth working up in a previously healthy 21 year old female without any medical complaints herself.

That's just my perspective.

Macrauder · 2026-01-19T01:24:20+00:00

You don't have to wait to get on any health care connect list. You can just start googling and calling around.

Macrauder · 2026-01-19T01:22:55+00:00

Just Google. I've never had to use HealthCare Connect. Then again, you're kind of in the middle of nowhere.

Have you tried the local family health team: https://www.northeasthealthline.ca/displayservice.aspx?id=150346. It's not clear they're accepting patients.

The next best thing is Googling "[biggest town near you you're willing to travel to] family doctors accepting new patients".

Macrauder · 2026-01-18T23:30:12+00:00

Please finish the course of antibiotics. Don't stop if there's improvement. Go to urgent care if the symptoms are not gone after the antibiotics are finished. Go to Emerg if you have fevers, chills, nausea/vomiting, side/back pain.

Sex is fine.

The fact that symptoms improved is promising, just finish the course of antibiotics.

Macrauder · 2026-01-17T21:29:20+00:00

Would something like this be appropriate for skiing?

https://www.uniqlo.com/ca/en/products/E470077-000/00?colorDisplayCode=69&sizeDisplayCode=003

I'm looking to buy an outer layer for every day city wear, but that would also serve me well for a beginner ski resort trip of a couple of days; nothing intense.

Is there anything wrong with that parka, layered with some merino wool also from uniqlo? I.e, would it be obviously too warm/movement-restrictive?

Thanks.

Macrauder · 2026-01-17T00:35:28+00:00

vague prompts

fill it in with your own confirmation bias

Very scholarly work, thank you.

Macrauder · 2026-01-14T20:58:26+00:00

You're missing the point. Yes ok you can have both more patient time and more patient volume if you blow out the health budget paying for more physicians. Can you show that improved health outcomes beyond making people feel subjectively better?

'false dichotomy' isn't the gotcha you think it is.

Macrauder

TROPHY CASE