In addition to the privilege of coauthoring many COVID-19 policy papers with the fantastic @DukeCPIGH team, in 2020 I was lucky to have the opportunity to write 12 columns for @TIME & to co-author several @bmj_latest editorials. Here's my end of 2020 look back. THREAD! 1/n
In March, I was worried that access barriers would prevent many Americans from getting COVID-19 testing and care. I also feared that the lack of mandatory sick pay would lead infected people to turn up to work. 2/n
One of the topics I wrote most about & worked the most on (with the wonderful @Justice_Collab & @ACLU) was COVID-19 in prisons, jails & detention centers
The US did too little, too late to avert mass death events in these settings
"At long last, we have made a truly game-changing scientific breakthrough in preventing the spread of COVID-19. The impact of this breakthrough seems almost too good to be true."
It was about masks. I got death threats for this piece 6/n
Here's my piece on masks. Wow did it upset some people. Apparently, pointing out the science on masks meant I wanted to take the freedoms of Americans away. Some Trump supporters wanted me dead, others said they would report me to the FBI. Fun times! 7/n
In July, I teamed up with the brilliant @clarewenham to write about the remarkable parallels between the inept, catastrophic responses of the US and UK governments to COVID-19. Trump & Johnson have performed equally abysmally; both rejected science. 8/n
On July 16, I teamed up with another brilliant researcher @AstroKatie to express our deep concerns that bringing university students back to campus in the midst of a pandemic would fuel massive transmission. I wish we'd been wrong. Horrific outcomes 9/n
In August, I teamed up with a wonderful UK colleague @_2000shazzam to write a piece on long-COVID. We argued that patients needed 3 Rs: recognition, rehabilitation, & research. Special thx to @trishgreenhalgh & @Dr2NisreenAlwan for pioneering work.
In Sept, I was so lucky to team up with @BhadeliaMD, infectious disease expert, to examine what universities would need to do to be able to reopen safely in Spring 2021. Right now levels of community transmission seem way too high for safe reopening! 11/n
The person I asked to co-author an editorial with me for @bmj_latest on how UK universities could avoid making the same mistakes as US universities was @RWalensky (our new CDC director!). I hope she'll still return my calls now that she's so famous 🙃12/n
In October, I wrote about those awful Great Barrington folks and their immoral, inhumane, anti-scientific "let the virus rip" strategy. More death threats (these one were really graphic!). 13/n
For ages, @gregggonsalves had been a hero of mine (an inspiring example of an engaged, activist academic). This year I got the chance to write 2 editorials for @bmj_latest with him, in which we discussed Trump as a political determinant of COVID-19. 15/n
And I teamed up with Dean Jamison @IGHSatUCSF, one of the world's most influential health economists, to compare the failed US response to COVID-19 with China's response 16/n
A HUGE thanks to @lucas_wittmann, my totally incredible editor @TIME, & to @KamranAbbasi & Alison Tonks & @DrBirte & all the extraordinary copy and technical editors @bmj_latest. Editors are the hidden heroes. They take in our dirty washing & turn it into clothing of beauty END/
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
The Great Barrington folks & other "dissident" academics have vocal supporters. Who write to me! Some are rude. Others engage politely & meaningfully. The latter group tell me I'm wrong to suggest the dissidents influenced policy.
In this qualitative study, the researchers conducted 55 individual interviews and 8 focus groups with people with long COVID.
Their analysis revealed "a confusing illness with many, varied and often relapsing-remitting symptoms and uncertain prognosis" 2/n
What else did they find?
▶️a "heavy sense of loss and stigma"
▶️barriers to accessing care
▶️difficulty "being taken seriously & achieving a diagnosis"
▶️disjointed care
▶️varying care standards (e.g. "inconsistent criteria for seeing, investigating and referring patients") 3/n
I want to share my thoughts, as someone who has been so alarmed by the so-called "dissident" scientists like Gupta, Heneghan, Kuldorff, Bhattacharya, & Ioannidis who consider themselves brave Galileos unfairly treated by "establishment scientists." I will try not to swear. 1/n
I want to talk about 3 things:
‼️Their fringe views are inhumane, unethical junk science that promotes harm
‼️They complain that they've been marginalized but this is simply untrue
‼️I am sick of people telling me we have to "listen to both sides." There aren't 2 sides here 2/n
These 'dissident' scientists have consistently downplayed COVID-19, urging policymakers not to take aggressive control measures. They claim it is not a serious threat. Gupta even went on TV saying people under 65 shouldn't worry about it!
In between my Zoom meetings today, I'm going to start a list of my favorite *reissue* albums of 2020! Tune out if this isn't your cup of tea. Some of this year's finest "new" music was "old" music. I'll include re-releases & also discoveries of unreleased "heritage" sounds 👩🎤⏳⏲️
1. @Habibi_Funk has been reissuing some stone cold classic Arabic funk from the '70s & '80s. This year they released an album of killer tunes by Sharhabil Ahmed, the so-called "King Of Sudanese Jazz." Fierce funk-rock meets surf meets horns meets guitar
2. Nina Simone, the greatest musician who ever lived (or maybe it's Alice Coltrane?), released an album in '82 "Fodder on My Wings" that critics hated. They were so freaking wrong. It got a 2020 re-release and it is PERFECTION. Play 'Vous êtes seul, mais je désire être avec vous'