Thread by @marijkebergkamp

The false dichotomy of #lockdown vs #economy still not understood by governments

Delaying, avoiding lockdown costs money AND lives

And then there’s this thing that healthy people make a healthy economy. Sick people don’t.

That is your starting point. #Health

#NotRocketScience

https://twitter.com/wtgowers/status/1397965667916300289

“The downside of being a bit more cautious is quite a lot smaller than the downside of getting it wrong.”

theguardian.com/world/2021/may…

The above warning comes as UK Covid cases rose by 4,184 on Friday – the highest increase since 1 April.

In NL cases reported today total 3914 in a population less than a third of the size of the UK.

And yet today PM Rutte announced almost everything opening in a week. Why?

“There's a lot more this virus might do, and we really shouldn't be pushing our luck. Suppressing transmission as much as possible while we vaccinate people as quickly as possible is the best approach.”

https://twitter.com/DrZoeHyde/status/1396382538281586688

Jacinda Ardern: “decisive action, going hard and going early, gave us the best chance of stamping out the virus”

In the UK & NL such control wasn’t even considered desirable let alone possible. May 2020

The subsequent toll in lives lost and lives broken is our legacy. May 2021

https://twitter.com/mikegalsworthy/status/1260568774329225217

No country that outlined a #ZeroCovid strategy failed its implementation, says Bonn University International Relations expert

When NL scientists say that #ZeroCovid is impossible their tunnel vision is apparent. That this has been allowed to fester is what’s morally repugnant

https://twitter.com/yolandahalm/status/1371080363552997377

#ZeroCovid

https://twitter.com/yaneerbaryam/status/1348272830467682304

“We all must look forward towards re-imagining health innovation as part of a new economic ecosystem that can deliver Health for All.”

#Health #HealthForAll #WHO

https://twitter.com/MayaPlentz/status/1402551818639613952

#ZeroCOVID makes sense for public and economic health

https://twitter.com/yaneerbaryam/status/1332328676550189057

#ZeroCovid = freedom

https://twitter.com/theAliceRoberts/status/1406378034588962824

The false dichotomy extends to the schools open or closed argument.

Brilliant thread by @dgurdasani1

https://twitter.com/dgurdasani1/status/1405953021750693891

“It isn’t too late to eliminate”

#ZeroCovid
#VoorWeinigCovid

https://twitter.com/JVLazarus/status/1405500094263304203

The benefit of earlier lockdowns.

#ZeroCovid saves lives.

https://twitter.com/MRC_Outbreak/status/1407341035198496772

The political choices in NL to not contain but mitigate the spread of #Covid to a level the health service could just about cope with, resulted in:
-excess deaths
-too much #LongCovid
-long lockdowns

AND a further cost to those for whom urgent medical care wasn’t available👇

https://twitter.com/m_nieuwenhuis/status/1406949640591790084

More evidence in recently released NL government documents of false health vs economy dichotomy narrative by NL Ministry of Economics based on total misunderstanding of how all groups together make a society.

Crazy cost benefit fundamentals led to much avoidable suffering. Sad.

https://twitter.com/Ammer_B/status/1407371248661897218

Plea by Prof Greenhalgh, whose personal commitment has been at the forefront of Covid research, to the new UK Health Secretary to not restrict public health policy to zero sum game thinking: economy OR health

No!

Health is foundation for vibrant economy

#ZeroCovid benefits all

https://twitter.com/trishgreenhalgh/status/1409448140537802753

At the root of the false dichotomy between health vs economy lies this most brilliant analysis:

#COVID19 pandemic is in all facets a socio political event rather than a biological one. It’s our political and social organisation that’s created the virus as well as sustained it.

https://twitter.com/RageSheen/status/1410703049174130688

#ZeroCovid most economical strategy says study by Economic Institute Molinari

https://twitter.com/yaneerbaryam/status/1411503264227545091

Great analysis of the latest variants of the UK political rhetoric to encourage ditching our naturally embraced precautionary principle to avoid getting sick:

PS going for #ZeroCovid does stay in line with natural instinct to avoid becoming ill & OECD thinks better for economy.

https://twitter.com/dgurdasani1/status/1412154137085624320

Lancet editor. It’s not about the data. It’s about ideology.

Calling out the ‘living with the virus’ variant of political rhetoric to persuade people to let go of natural instinct of #PrecautionaryPrinciple and innate desire to strive for #ZeroCovid

https://twitter.com/allthecitizens/status/1413599090680770566

“Infectious diseases are a matter of collective, rather than personal, responsibility.“

@chrischirp leading the way to minimising covid damage in terms of health and society as a whole

https://twitter.com/Wim_Schellekens/status/1414879944845545473