Craig Spencer MD MPH Profile picture
Mar 6, 2021 16 tweets 7 min read Read on X
Here’s a roundup of the weekly #COVID19 pieces I’ve written as a @Medium contributor.

My first piece in early February set my intentions for this project:

“My goal is to explore the stories and issues that are critically important, but under-reported”.

link.medium.com/rnNMsJdCpeb
This ⤵️ examined the inequities of the global #COVID19 vaccine rollout. Wealthy nations need to help the rest of the world get vaccinated - not just for moral and humanitarian reasons, but also to tamp down variants and soften the global economic impact.

link.medium.com/XkTnoweCpeb
This ⤵️ outlined the precarious place we’re at in the pandemic. The next phase will depend on vaccines, variants, and how well we adhere to public health measures.

The recent lifting of restrictions & mask mandates may unnecessarily prolong the pandemic.
link.medium.com/wCfDk8eCpeb
Here ⤵️ I reflect on the anniversary of the pandemic in NYC. Its hard to describe all the sadness healthcare workers saw this past year.

But theres reason for hope. Thankfully many of us are vaccinated against a disease we feared, bringing some comfort.

link.medium.com/xZEP8IfCpeb
In ⤵️ piece I wrote about the global shortage of medical oxygen.

I know it might sound boring. But oxygen is something we take for granted. Like running water or nurses, we can’t even imagine a hospital without it. The global reality is very different.
link.medium.com/Z8irQT9cAeb
In ⤵️ piece I discuss the promise and perils of vaccine passports.

Even with their obvious upsides, there are many unanswered questions on how they’ll be used and who will be left out. Let’s collectively consider their limitations before it’s too late.

link.medium.com/ulH1ky4bOeb
I wrote about how this summer will be weird. Going back to normal—whatever the hell that even means—will be a shock for many.

I know because I've had to do it before.

Some of us will bounce back differently, faster, or more completely. And that's okay.
elemental.medium.com/its-about-to-g…
Recently as part of a monthly update I wrote an update about vaccinations, variants and adherence to public health measures.

“If the trajectory of the pandemic in the U.S. was determined only by vaccinations, we’d be in great shape. But it isn’t.”

link.medium.com/dFmnvEOQAfb
In ⤵️ piece I wrote how the decision to pause the J&J vaccine seemed short-sighted. But for the health of our patients and for the long-term credibility of our public health institutions in the future, it was absolutely the right one.

link.medium.com/ny7auLsRAfb
In ⤵️ piece I wrote about the most common misconceptions when it comes to herd immunity.

FYI: it’s not a set, single, or even known threshold. Nor is it a country-level on/off switch where everything magically changes once we reach it. Want more deets? 👇
link.medium.com/Zs9wg1IaUfb
While the U.S. and other wealthy nations vaccinate their way out of our pandemic nightmare, Covid is raging around the world.

But only 0.2% of all Covid vaccines are going to low-income countries.

⤵️ I outline how the 🇺🇸 can help get the 🌎 vaccinated.
link.medium.com/nzALSYdfUfb
The CDC recently issued new guidance on masks. The hot takes were mixed.

Some were glad to see updated recommendations on what’s safe. But many found them too cautious and confusing.

I wrote about the important takeaways from the new recommendations.⤵️

link.medium.com/2wtkm9NhWfb
I wrote about Fox News fraudster @TuckerCarlson and his deliberate lies about the Covid vaccines.

In pushing disingenuous disinformation about the vaccines, Carlson is doing his viewers a huge disservice. Hopefully, none of them pay the ultimate price.

link.medium.com/zoHOGdJQtgb
The U.S. vowed to be an ‘arsenal of vaccines’ for the world. So what are we waiting for?

My latest for @Medium on the state of the pandemic in the U.S. and globally, and why lofty promises won’t end this pandemic👇

link.medium.com/BYG0Epiiwgb
"We're fully vaccinated but our kids aren't - can we still have fun this summer?"

Parent friends have asked for my advice on navigating the next few months with unvaccinated kids.

This @Medium piece outlines how my family is approaching the summer 👇

link.medium.com/2lMOoM3OJgb
Over 115,000 health care workers around the world have died from Covid-19. Like many of my frontline colleagues, I've lost too many of my friends to this virus.

I wrote about how vaccinating every health care worker should be an immediate global priority.
coronavirus.medium.com/why-are-my-col…

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More from @Craig_A_Spencer

Dec 22, 2024
It’s being reported that the Trump administration plans to withdraw from the World Health Organization on day one.

This is not a huge surprise.

But it IS an absolutely stupid and self-defeating move.

And I say this as a longtime critic of the WHO…🧵
The first time the Trump administration tried to withdraw from the WHO back in 2020, I wrote for @USATODAY what we needed to do was build up, not tear down, the WHO.

Despite its faults, the WHO plays a huge role as ‘our eyes and ears around the world.’

usatoday.com/story/opinion/…
There is no other organization with the relationships and buy-in to do the critical work needed to keep us ALL safe—including us here in the U.S.

The WHO also has critical partnerships & programs that we benefit from for vaccines and critical health data

who.int/initiatives/gl…
Read 6 tweets
Dec 19, 2024
Hey @elonmusk, that’s not ‘bioweapon labs’

I’m (unfortunately) very uniquely qualified to tell you why this is important. And why you’re very wrong here.

I assure you, with 100% certainty, that cutting this is pure stupidity

(Also, did you read a few more lines to Sec 2315c?)
For anyone paying attention (is anyone still actually even here??)…

THIS 👆👆👆 is exactly how overconfidence mixed with a stunning lack of expertise and stubborn unwillingness to listen to people who actually know what they’re talking about will directly put you at risk.
I could happily speak on the congressional floor for hours about why we need BSL-2, BSL-3 (and BSL-4) labs. So could a lot of really qualified folks, many way smarter than me.

We could also talk about what happens if we don’t have them, and how that puts us all at risk.
Read 6 tweets
Dec 6, 2024
"What's happening with this mystery illness in the Congo"

I've gotten this text dozens of times in the past few days.

Here's what we know. What we don't.

And what really matters 🧵 Image
Since the end of October, there have been just under 400 cases of an 'unidentified' illness in the Kwango Province of Southwest DR Congo.

And 79 reported deaths.

Symptoms include "fever, headache, coughing, breathing difficulty, and anemia".

Kids under 5 appear most affected. Image
Breathing difficulties and other signs suggest a respiratory disease and likely respiratory transmission.

Epidemiologists have been sent to the area.

Testing is in process, with results expected in the next few days.

BUT we don't know anything for certain...
Read 11 tweets
Nov 12, 2024
10 years ago today I walked out of the hospital after surviving Ebola.

Back then I begged the world to strengthen our response to that crisis and prepare for others.

I’ve been reflecting on what we’ve learned over the last decade.

And the role of the U.S. in global health🧵 Image
The international response to Ebola in 2014 was way too slow and weak.

Too many people died because we didn’t have the experience, coordination or willpower to address the crisis quickly and head on.

In the aftermath, we focused on lessons learned. We made changes.
We created new ways to fund outbreak response at the global level.

The Africa CDC was created to help the continent better prepare for and respond to disease threats.

And changes were made in U.S. government to allow better coordination among agencies.

africacdc.org/about-us/our-h…
Read 15 tweets
Sep 30, 2024
As news of the Marburg cases in Rwanda spreads, I want to share some thoughts on where the outbreak stands, what will likely come next, and why this outbreak may (hopefully) end up being unlike other viral hemorrhagic fever outbreaks in the past 🧵
For those just tuning in, Marburg is a viral hemorrhagic fever, very similar to Ebola.

This is the 18th Marburg outbreak since 1967.

Most outbreaks fizzle out fast. This one, despite being just announced days ago, is already among the largest.

Although the incubation period, symptoms, and spread are very similar to Ebola, there are some really important differences.

Most importantly, we have FDA/WHO approved vaccines and treatments for Ebola.

But we only have experimental therapeutics and vaccines for Marburg.

fda.gov/emergency-prep…
Read 15 tweets
May 22, 2024
I teach a class on the history of humanitarian response.

We talk about how a field full of dead soldiers in 1859 in Solferino led to the ICRC, Geneva Conventions, & international humanitarian law.

Every year, my students always ask “the ICC seems useless, why do we need it?” 🧵
In the aftermath of World War II, the Nuremberg Trials was the first international war crimes tribunal.

I think we can all agree that prosecuting those responsible for the atrocities of the Holocaust was an important endeavor.

There were calls for a more permanent tribunal…

cfr.org/backgrounder/r…
But the ICC wasn’t established until 2002.

In the last 22 years, it has indicted 40 people and convicted only 10.

Given that it seems like bad guys get away with doing bad things with impunity all the time, many will question the ICC’s role and impact.

icc-cpi.int/about/the-court
Read 13 tweets

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