Update To Article
Recently, Sapphire Health listed Furness as an advisor. That page has since been changed, removing him. The before and after versions are available.
Since the original publication, Furness’ name has been removed from the Advisors list. He claims he was listed in error, and never a paid advisor, but merely an old friend of the owner.
About
I am an infection control epidemiologist with an industry focus on behaviour and infection risk. I am also the U of T Faculty of Information’s first teaching stream assistant professor.
My teaching is in the area of knowledge management, specifically the design of information systems to support effective information sharing and use. My research is focused on defining and measuring outcomes associated with work-integrated learning in a graduate professional training environment.
Furness was a consultant for nearly 15 years. This coincided with his time as a Sessional Lecturer and as a scientist. According to his biography, he has only been teaching in recent years.
University of Toronto Professor Colin Furness is another “expert” that is constantly on the news, spouting out his fear-porn predictions. He appears on television often, saying that civil rights should be watered down in the name of public safety. He’s also with the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, just like many Medical Health Officers in Ontario.
Even more telling are the topics that’s aren’t discussed.
The Ontario Deputy Medical Officer, Barbara Yaffe openly admitted there can be a 50% false positive rates in PCR tests. Toronto Public Health and Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott admitted that deaths “with Covid” are conflated with deaths “from Covid”. Also, the death waves that been predicted never materialized, so that has been replaced with “case counts”. These are just a few problems the “experts” will not address.
Out in B.C., Bonnie Henry openly admits there is no science behind limiting group sizes. She has also flip flopped on the importance of masks, and backtracked on the reliability of PCR tests. In fact, the BCCDC admitted in April 2020 that PCR tests can’t actually determine infection. Again, no pushback or addressing these points by TV experts.
The experts also won’t discuss that these vaccines have interim authorization (not approval), testing goes on until 2023, and the manufacturers are indemnified. In spite of this, they all push hard for everyone to get it. Nor will the extensive lobbying by the pharmaceutical industry be mentioned.
What’s lacking in these TV interviews is differing opinions, or at least some hard questions about how these conclusions came to be. A specific follow-up would be to ask what is the scientific basis for the proposals being made. One would think that the media would want to ask someone else just for the appearance of viewpoint diversity, but apparently not. As for Sapphire itself:
OUR PURPOSE GREW OUT OF A RECOGNIZED NEED.
We are medical professionals with frontline experience treating acutely ill and injured intensive care unit patients. Many patients have complex, absent, or inaccessible medical histories when data is needed most. Without this precision information, safe and rapid care decisions are difficult and patients are at risk of error and poor outcomes.
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We believe in the power of data and know first-hand the positive impact that access to detailed personal health records makes in our patients’ lives. Our unique digital solutions facilitate connected care and precision medicine.
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Sapphire Digital Health Solutions Inc. is a privately held business based in Waterloo, Canada comprised of a team of medical experts with a passion for leveraging technology to improve patient health.
Sapphire offers a service for digitize health records. Now, the idea of digital records is nothing new, but this company claims it to be the secure cloud-based platform, it’s simple to access, and easy to use – anytime, anywhere. Designed by Sapphire Digital’s skilled team of physicians and artificial intelligence experts, LifeSTAT™ is the most detailed and comprehensive record of your health information, and a critical tool for safe, fast, and effective care decisions by your care providers “in secure cloud-based platform, designed by Sapphire Digital’s team of physicians and artificial intelligence experts, LifeSTAT™ is the most detailed and comprehensive record of your health information, and a critical tool for safe, fast, and effective care decisions by your care providers.”
With continuous lockdowns, lack of access to physical medical care, and the AI revolution, companies like Sapphire are in a position to profit from this. However, the best way to guarantee continued growth and demand is to ensure that there isn’t a proper reopening of society any time soon.
Again, Furness has been removed on the listings as an Advisor for Sapphire. The benefits companies like this get from the lockdowns must be just a coincidence.
(1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r42HYDlfwOQ
(2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38MqQPBWBRw
(3) https://ihpme.utoronto.ca/faculty/colin-d-furness/
(4) https://twitter.com/TOPublicHealth/status/1275888390060285967
(5) https://www.sapphirehealth.ca/
(6) https://www.sapphirehealth.ca/about/
(7) https://archive.is/YU4pP
(8) https://www.sapphirehealth.ca/faq/
(9) https://www.sapphirehealth.ca/features/
(10) https://www.linkedin.com/in/colin-furness-a52736/
hi there! I had a few conversations with Sapphire many years ago, it’s founded by a high school friend. I have never provided advice, nor attended any meeting, nor even been paid.
You could have reached out to me and asked before publishing this nonsense.
Please be responsible: attacking people in public health is low, and doing so based on falsehood is just so much worse.
Sincerely,
Colin Furness
hi there! I see your article now claims I “backed out” of an interview. I did no such thing.
You also seem to suggest that I really am a paid advisor to Sapphire. But I never have given them any advice about anything, ever. Sapphire doesn’t list me as an advisor, because I’m not an advisor. You can easily verify this.
I don’t know who wrote this article, so I don’t know who to contact. But this “journalism” is disappointing.
Sincerely,
Colin Furness