Even if the H1N1 virus is on balance producing a relatively mild illness in the vast majority of people, the real point I fear will be lost in the final analysis is that the government had, and blew, the perfect opportunity this flu season to demonstrate that we are prepared for a pandemic episode of a more debilitating nature. We may uneasily skate through this in the end but all thanks will be to a microscopic virus, not the actions of the government.

The one important thing they could have done well in advance of vaccine distribution is public education; instead we have Vancouver SkyTrain and Toronto Go trains decked out with gratuitous advertising.

Since Health Canada have abdicated their responsibilities, local and national TV appear to now be shouldering the burden of educating the public but only after much confusion and misinformation has already been widely disseminated.

One does not have to be partisan to identify the failure of the government and in particular the health minister has certainly not acquitted herself well on this file.

Prescription: resignation.