Thread by @DrEricDing

‘Who could have foreseen this’ BULLSHIT—Whenever COVID inevitably surges again, I DO NOT WANT to hear @CDCDirector or state/local health official (who dropped masks & mitigations) try to claim—“Oh there was no way we could have seen it coming” EVER AGAIN DAMNIT. #CovidIsNotOver👇

https://twitter.com/drericding/status/1501241262317441032

2) Time & time again, countless idiotic health officials and self-proclaimed “experts” have claimed COVID is over because cases dropping, herd blah-blah, vaccines enough blah, no need for N95 blah blah, cases don’t matter blah blah, long COVID not real blah blah… I’m sick of it!

3) Whenever you see total cases dropping, it can actually hide a slower undergrowth of a new variant—which we are seeing now with #BA2. BA2 is causing havoc in Asia (Hong Kong, S Korea, Singapore) and in UK 🇬🇧 where hospitalizations also surging again.

Figure by @GosiaGasperoPhD

4) so how real is the rise in #BA2? Well it’s rising steadily. Now over 11% across US. But it’s 24% in New England region already. See detailed thread 🧵

https://twitter.com/drericding/status/1501232919683104776?s=21

5) I have legitimate suggestions too. We need to do:

Boosters (not enough have it)
N95 masks
Ditch plexiglass theater
HEPA filters for schools & work rooms
Corsi filter boxes
Upper room UV for larger conf rooms
Mass testing
Isolate cases + 2x testing to exit
Don’t gaslight

https://twitter.com/drericding/status/1471054758085632002

6) When the data is screaming at us what will likely come soon— why don’t we ever listen??? We have never dodged any wave that has hit 🇬🇧 first… let that sink in. It’s only a matter of time in the US.

https://twitter.com/drericding/status/1501532919894061057

7) Leadership failure by so many countries during the pandemic is among the most painful to watch as an epidemiologist. We are nearing 1 million confirmed Us #COVID19 deaths. So many failures, so little time…

https://twitter.com/vincentrk/status/1501662942303240195

8) Leadership is just part of it. SELFISH human nature and the lack of EMPATHY is a huge part of the problem behind pandemic as well… I walk folks through the empathy gap and why we need to rethink COVID framing… see thread 🧵 below 👇

https://twitter.com/drericding/status/1500638716460740609

9) don’t forget - it’s not just hospitalizations—it’s long COVID with infections too. And half of #LongCOVID in one study were in this with mild illness originally.

https://twitter.com/weselymd/status/1501717860942553089