Last week I was supervising EMTs on a home visit service & a woman called to request her father be seen. He was in his 90s, confused, no other symptoms. Only when I called to confirm the address she mentioned she had COVID, but she "didn't think that was it."
When the EMT got there, the patient had a heart rate in the 120s. He had spent the day in bed. He was #COVID positive. We sent him straight to the emergency room.
He was admitted to ICU and passed away 72 hours later.
He was admitted to ICU and passed away 72 hours later.
It isn't the family's fault that they couldn't protect him. @CDCgov @ashishkjha, @CDCdirector, health pundits, and elected officials are all responsible for propagating misinformation downplaying COVID. The effect: we throw older adults, like my patient, under the bus.
1⃣ In older adults especially, weakness can be the main symptom of COVID. The weakness could be due to a low oxygen level, even without apparent shortness of breath.
2⃣ Please, disclose ALL cold symptoms or recent COVID infections to health workers so we can wear appropriate PPE
2⃣ Please, disclose ALL cold symptoms or recent COVID infections to health workers so we can wear appropriate PPE
COVID is very serious for older adults, who increasingly suffer the majority of COVID deaths. We need a society which keeps them safe, and one-way masking isn't enough. 
Burdening people with weakened immune systems and household members to "protect themselves" is patently inadequate. Most people can't meet their basic needs without being repeatedly exposed to COVID, which is airborne and transmitted in the air we share.
https://twitter.com/CDCgov/status/1619035045225717760
We should make essential spaces safe for all by wearing masks to protect each other. If a masked person spends a prolonged period in a crowded, poorly-ventilated, indoor setting with many unmasked people, they can still catch COVID-19, even in an N95 mask
Masks work to prevent transmission of airborne and respiratory pathogens like COVID-19. Universal masking works better than one way masking to decrease transmission. Also not everyone can mask (like children/babies), so others should mask to protect them. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33431650/
We should all be so blessed to have older adults in our lives. We as a society should do better to prevent COVID transmission & protect them. Recent deaths in nursing home outbreaks show we aren't taking COVID seriously enough. cbsnews.com/boston/news/4-… @maura_healey @KateWalshHHS
And don't forget that #LongCOVID, which can follow even mild infections, and can include brain fog, heart attacks, blood clots and other potentially disabling symptoms which can affect even young, healthy adults and children. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36639608/
We need urgent action to improve indoor air quality in all essential spaces, and especially in nursing homes. Not to mention that we should be requiring N95 respirators for workers and visitors in nursing homes to protect the residents. @maura_healey @KateWalshHHS
While it's nice to see efforts to prevent nosocomial infection on @BostonGlobe front page, why the focus on rare Mycobacterium abscessus, while much more deadly, hospital-acquired #COVID19 infections occur in US academic medical centers? academic.oup.com/cid/article/74… @ByJessBartlett
Especially in healthcare settings, which are the most likely place to encounter a COVID-positive person, and a person at risk of developing severe illness from COVID, we should keep masks. @peoplescdc #KeepMasksinHealthcare #KeepMasksinHealthcareMA actionnetwork.org/letters/keep-m…
A December 2022 poll showed the U.S. public still supports masks to prevent surges
https://twitter.com/mattbc/status/1604954432944365569?s=20
And a YouGov/Economist poll in November 2022 showed that Americans also support wearing masks in airports... so why is anyone trying to remove masks in healthcare, where they should be part of standard precautions? #KeepMasksInHealthcare
COVID is still the #3 cause of death in the US and in the top 10 causes of death for kids. In 2022, it caused over 250,000 deaths, and continues to kill about 2000 people in the U.S. each week. covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tra…
If @POTUS & electeds want to end the pandemic, they should ensure public spaces are safe for all & everyone has access to healthcare, paid sick leave, clean indoor air, N95 respirators, COVID vaccines, tests and treatments. Until then we should #KeepthePHE peoplescdc.substack.com/p/keepthephe?p…
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