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3 Nov, 6 tweets, 2 min read
1/ It’s Election Day in the US! Thank you to our wonderful Dear Pandemic community for joining us for a weekly series on voting – something near & dear to our hearts. To celebrate, we wanted to re-share some key topics we’ve covered & remind you to VOTE if you haven’t already! Photo Credit: AnnaliseArt via Pixabay
2/ FIRST: Brush up on what you need to stay safe while voting. Wear your mask, pack your hand sanitizer, umbrella, water, & voter ID, get as much space around you as you can, & wash your hands thoroughly before & after.
3/ Take a look at last week’s post to make sure you have everything ready to go before you head out to your polling place: dearpandemic.org/how-can-i-stay…
4/ SECOND: Protect yourself from misinformation & misleading stories by using Lindsey’s Laws: 1) demand evidence for outrageous claims, 2) seek out opposing viewpoints, & 3) focus on good info by using a “truth sandwich” to debunk anything false or misleading.
5/ THIRD: Still undecided about voting at all? We encourage you to make your voice heard, particularly because voting for local, state, & federal officials has a lot to do with shaping the health of our communities.
6/ We hope you all can exercise your right to vote safely & effectively. Whatever your voting option, THANK YOU for participating in this important way to support public health.

#VotingTuesday #StayingSafe

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More from @DearPandemic

Dear Pandemic Profile picture
2 Nov
1/ Q: Any “information hygiene” tips for tomorrow?

A: Don’t expect resolution on election night. Fact-check (!!!). Take a purposeful pause prior to sharing information. IMAGE CREDIT: World Health Organization
2/ Tomorrow’s going to be a rough day on the information frontlines. How can we prepare? Knowledge is power, and here’s what the experts* want us to know:
npr.org/2020/10/31/929…
3/ 1️⃣ Brace for the possibility that we won’t know the winner for a while.
Some states’ laws allow for early processing of mail-in ballots, while others’ don’t. Differences in reporting are the result of FEDERALISM – not fraud. We should celebrate the slow lane, not disparage it.
Read 8 tweets
Dear Pandemic Profile picture
22 Oct
1/ Q: I’m feeling anxious… & bored at the same time. Is this normal? Is there a solution?

A: Welcome to the paradoxical feeling of acedia – an old word used to describe that very now feeling of apathetic restlessness. Good news: There are evidence-based ways to fight back.
2/ Background:
Early Christian monks called acedia the “noonday demon” – the tough feelings you feel where you are alone, feeling listless & wonder why the day is dragging on forever. bit.ly/2Hq167u
3/ Modern author & poet Kathleen Norris (@knorriseyt) describes acedia as a feeling of restlessness, seeing the future as overwhelming & seeing the work ahead as never-ending.

Do you miss hanging out with people, yet cringe at the prospect of yet another Zoom happy hour?
Read 11 tweets
Dear Pandemic Profile picture
20 Oct
1/ Q: Did a recent CDC study show that 85% of people who wear masks get COVID?

A: No. The @CDCgov study showed that close contact with people who had #COVID or visiting locations that offered on-site eating & drinking were associated with getting COVID. cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/6…
2/ This study does not offer any information about whether wearing a mask is a risk factor for getting #COVID19.

So where does this 85% figure come from?
3/ In the study, they also reported that 85% of those who tested positive for COVID-19 said they had worn a mask "always" or “often” & that 88.7% of those who tested negative for COVID-19 said they had worn a mask either "always" or “often”.
Read 15 tweets
Dear Pandemic Profile picture
14 Oct
1/ Are there really false-positives from COVID tests? If so, how is it possible for a test to pick up something that is not there?

A: Yep, they exist. Image Credit: Jernej Furman, focusonmore.com
2/ Two types of tests are commonly used to identify an active #COVID19 infection, & both of them can occasionally lead to a “false-positive” result, or a positive test result when there is actually no infection present.
3/ The two types of tests are:
1. PCR tests 🧬, which detect itty bitty pieces of the virus’ genetic material, &
2. Antigen tests 🦠, which detect signature proteins on the outside of the virus. (Note: Don’t confuse antigen with antibody tests 🩸 ! That's different.)
Read 10 tweets
Dear Pandemic Profile picture
13 Oct
1/ Q: What do you think of the idea of “focused protection” or “shielding” the vulnerable so that everyone else can get on with normal life?

A: We *wish* it were this easy, but sadly it’s not.
2/ While this approach sounds appealing on the surface, the deeper you dig the more the argument folds in on itself.

Let me explain...
3/ 👉The death and hospitalization toll even in under 65s would be staggering

👉No consideration of waning immunity and re-infection

👉No mention of impact of “Long Covid” for millions infected

👉Cordoning off of a large percentage of the population is not feasible
Read 31 tweets
Dear Pandemic Profile picture
13 Oct
1/ What do we do when college-age children come home at #Thanksgiving? Should they come home?

A: “Come Home & Stay Home” or “Don’t Come Home” are your best options. Coming home just for the Thanksgiving holiday & then returning to campus is *not* a good plan. p/c: Dan Renzetti
2/ Some of your options are clearly better than others from a #COVID safety perspective. Before we go through those options, we want to highlight a common mental bias to which we are all susceptible: We underestimate the risk of getting COVID from people we know and love.
3/ Dr. Birx mentioned this in a recent speech, as she noted increasing case counts that are likely driven by small gatherings of family. “We take down our guard when we are with people we know... & we assume if we know you, you couldn’t have COVID.”
bit.ly/2H4ykJK
Read 12 tweets

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