Thread by @fitterhappierAJ

I am a T cell immunologist by training
Early in the pandemic I saw warning signs of immune damage caused by infection
I wrote a letter to the superintendents of schools in California, warning of some of the harms children might experience from infection
1/

https://twitter.com/fitterhappierAJ/status/1327406469252313094?s=20&t=aKwqjjCXOOTxyBs9g_fUaA

I authored a number of papers explaining why we were likely to see damage to the immune system. This paper, published in 2020, explained why we were likely to see harm to naive T cells
2/23
frontiersin.org/articles/10.33…

This paper we wrote in 11/2020 and published in 2021, set out some of the long-term risks of mass infection strategies. Key to the harms anticipated was immune dysfunction
3/23
mdpi.com/2076-0817/10/1…

And this paper, published in early 2022, further explained some of those harms to the immune system.
4/23
frontiersin.org/articles/10.33…

For nearly 3 years, I have tried to educate people in my specialty and warn about the harms likely to befall those who are being repeatedly infected by SARS-CoV-2. I have been attacked and ridiculed by those who don't understand my field.
5/23

And also by those who want to pretend SARS-CoV-2 is no longer a serious challenge for public health and who are eager to mislead the general public into abandoning precaution.

https://twitter.com/mugecevik/status/1442747647132114944

6/23

We have already had warning signs of the adverse consequences of reinfection, with an increase in risk of post-COVID-19 complications.
7/23

https://twitter.com/uche_blackstock/status/1590871286515109889?s=20&t=REcpWL09-erI4sD1hGGQwg

And in particular, we are seeing immune dysfunction and deficiency post-COVID-19 infection. This study shows immune dysfunction persists months after infection.
8/23

https://twitter.com/C_A_Gustave/status/1599362275751522305?s=20&t=REcpWL09-erI4sD1hGGQwg

This study shows infection by SARS-CoV-2 can impair our immunity to fight fungal infection.

9/23

https://twitter.com/jeffgilchrist/status/1599756740945641475?s=20&t=REcpWL09-erI4sD1hGGQwg

And the same phenomenon is evidenced in this study.

10/23

https://twitter.com/RolandBakerIII/status/1599131511844122625?s=20&t=REcpWL09-erI4sD1hGGQwg

As well as the same demonstrating impaired function against other pathogens
11/23
insight.jci.org/articles/view/…

We now have strong evidence of viral or RNA persistence in some people following infection, including in children. This study found evidence of asymptomatic persistence, and also found evidence of infection of immune cells.

12/23

https://twitter.com/Aguirre1Gustavo/status/1594666057150644224?s=20&t=REcpWL09-erI4sD1hGGQwg

We have seen strange manifestations of RSV, monkeypox, polio, and now strep A, and people are beginning to think along the same lines as me, wondering whether SARS-CoV-2 has changed our immune systems. @Daltmann10 spoke about it in today's Sunday Times.
13/23

Others are noting the phenomenon I tried to warn people about from the very beginning. As someone who has studied the mechanisms of immune dysfunction, it was obvious to me what was likely to happen.
14/23

https://twitter.com/MackayIM/status/1601184757962149890?s=20&t=REcpWL09-erI4sD1hGGQwg

My great regret is that people did not take me seriously and sought to downplay my experience in the field. Once the virus establishes a persistent reservoir, the evidence suggests we see chronic activation of a dysfunctional immune response.
15/23

As @trishgreenhalgh suggests, the prospect of such immune damage may be concerning, but to continue to ignore the possibility is a dangerous. If this is happening, we cannot leave it too late to act.
16/23

https://twitter.com/trishgreenhalgh/status/1601846479668367360?s=20&t=REcpWL09-erI4sD1hGGQwg

Others who claimed SARS-CoV-2 infection was of little worry other than a sore throat are now trying to convince us the rise in ill-heath is the result of a manufactured contrivance known as immunity debt.
17/23

https://twitter.com/apsmunro/status/1599462815299166209?s=20&t=REcpWL09-erI4sD1hGGQwg

I have tried to suggest precaution and humility against SARS Cov 2, an exceptional virus, but hubris always seems to stand in the way.
18/ 23

https://twitter.com/fitterhappierAJ/status/1338114265153232897

These people have vested interests in not delving into the science of what's happening and instead positing convenient theories as fact. The evidence very much suggests they are wrong. As they have been wrong on much to do with COVID-19.
19/23

The general public is being badly served by such supposition masquerading as science. Public health bodies such as the NHS and WHO recommend the continued use of masks when breathing shared air.
20/23

https://twitter.com/1goodtern/status/1595093689147211776?s=20&t=REcpWL09-erI4sD1hGGQwg

And @DrMikeRyan recommends avoiding being infected by SARS-CoV-2 once if we can, and certainly not being infected multiple times, because the evidence points to cumulative harm.
21/23

I've spent years trying to warn people about predictable outcomes. As we start to see immune dysfunction manifest in the population, everyone should do whatever possible to keep themselves and others safe.

I will continue to take abuse for my position
22

https://twitter.com/fitterhappierAJ/status/1292961295084531713

But I'm not after the approval of people who have been wrong about so much. My only concern is to try to help people understand why they should reduce their number of infections until we can develop more effective vaccines and therapeutics to tackle this unique virus.
23/23