Profile picture
, 4 tweets, 2 min read
My Authors
Read all threads
The origin of this story is one of my colleagues asked for an immunity explainer, and I said, "GOD NO, have you any idea how complicated immunology is, that would kill me," but then I realized that I am already dead inside, and wrote the piece.

theatlantic.com/health/archive…
Me, after reporting this piece:
Correction: This piece states that "Immunology confuses even biology professors who aren’t immunologists," but it also confuses biology professors who are immunologists. The Atlantic regrets the error.

theatlantic.com/health/archive…
In an interview for this story, Jessica Metcalf (who told me the joke in the intro) told me something really counterintuitive. I said, "Wait, why does THAT happen?!?"

And without missing a beat, she said, "It's immunology, Ed."

theatlantic.com/health/archive…
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh.

Keep Current with Ed Yong

Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

Twitter may remove this content at anytime, convert it as a PDF, save and print for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video

1) Follow Thread Reader App on Twitter so you can easily mention us!

2) Go to a Twitter thread (series of Tweets by the same owner) and mention us with a keyword "unroll" @threadreaderapp unroll

You can practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @edyong209 see all

Profile picture
Ed Yong
@edyong209
The central idea behind this piece on why the US failed so badly to control the pandemic is that it fell under the combined weight of a multitude of weaknesses, every one of which was predictable.

I want to unpack that idea.

A thread. 1/

theatlantic.com/magazine/archi…
This paragraph at the top hints at some of those weaknesses--all discussed, all left to fester. 2/

theatlantic.com/magazine/archi…
But I think that while everyone saw the cracks in their particular area, few people saw all the pieces--or weighted them correctly. Which is why we had pre-pandemic indices that assessed the US as the most prepared of all nations. 3/

(From March: theatlantic.com/health/archive…)
Read 14 tweets
Profile picture
Ed Yong
@edyong209
🚨🚨Here’s the big piece I’ve been promising: an Atlantic cover story about the US’s catastrophic mishandling of the pandemic. It’s a full autopsy of what went wrong, every unattended weakness & unheeded warning, every festering wound & reopened scar. 1/

theatlantic.com/magazine/archi…
I know these times are hard, that we’ve frayed and maxed out on bad news. If you’re wondering if you can cope with a big piece on this topic, I don’t know. But fwiw, I don’t write these to stoke fear or drain hope. I hope to clarify and embolden. 2/

theatlantic.com/magazine/archi…
Across these months, I’ve been repeatedly struck by how foreseeable everything seemed—how every vulnerability that the pandemic tore open was predictable & preventable. We had built a world “ever more prone to a pandemic but ever less ready for one.” 3/

theatlantic.com/magazine/archi…
Read 12 tweets
Profile picture
Ed Yong
@edyong209
Let me share a nice thing. We could all use some nice things.

I got an email yesterday, from a person I've never heard from before, but whose name I recognised. 1/
"Good Afternoon, Ed.

I am a long-time trauma worker and work contiuously with folks affected by vicarious trauma. I was asked to write two books, both of them cover much of what you write about. 2/
"I am moved by your reporting and am hoping to send you a few things in case they may be of any help or support to you or your comrades. I’m deeply grateful for your work in this realm.

Laura van Dernoot Lipsky"

That's lovely. But also! I sent her this reply:

3/
Read 9 tweets

Embed code for your website

×
Follow Us on Twitter!

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!

This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3.00/month or $30.00/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!