Thread by @denise_dewald

"Survival of the fittest"

What does that mean?

For humans, it has always meant using tools to adapt for survival.

Lessons for handling #Covid. #SundayThoughts
A brief thread🧵 1/8

We didn't develop sharp teeth to process meat.

We developed stone and then metal tools to cut it, and learned to harness fire to cook it. 2/8

We didn't develop a thick coat of fur to live in cold climates.

We appropriated other animals' cold weather protection, and then developed our own synthetic materials. 3/8

We didn't limit ourselves to a hunter-gatherer lifestyle, eating only what was around us.

We developed animal husbandry and agriculture. 4/8
foodsystemprimer.org/food-productio…

The way to survive this pandemic is to not force ourselves to rely on our "natural immunity." It's to use tools.

Refusing to use the tools that we have at our disposal is as nonsensical as going out in the snow naked or trying to gnaw on an animal carcass. 5/8

We have the tools to seriously mitigate the harm this virus can cause right now:
▶️High quality masking (N95 or equivalent)
▶️ventilation
▶️air filtration
▶️vaccination
▶️testing
▶️quarantine/isolation

Taiwan shows that these work, and without any lockdowns. 6/8

We should continue to use these tools until we have developed the tools that can effectively treat acute infection and prevent or treat #LongCovid, through more effective treatments and vaccinations

We ignore the long term risks at our peril:

https://twitter.com/math_rachel/status/1453146704639709188?s=20&t=BnQY6eXPjp-WjCBco8NFRQ

7/8

Additionally, improving air quality will help our health in many ways, leading to improved mental health, higher productivity in the workplace, and overall quality of life.
green.harvard.edu/tools-resource… End/

Addendum: my husband wanted me to point out that without tools, humans would be scavenging carrion if they wanted to eat meat, because they can’t catch hardly anything with their bare hands.