Thread by @broadwaybabyto

I’m seeing more people with Long Covid who got sick after dropping mitigations because the government told them Covid was “only” a risk to the vulnerable. I want to thank them for sharing their stories. This narrative that only certain people are at risk is dangerous. A 🧵 /1

There’s been a lot of failures throughout the pandemic. Failure to acknowledge Covid is airborne, failure to address the reasons masks work, failure to adopt clean air strategies & failure to admit long term risks. /2

But the biggest failure in my mind is the never ending false narrative that “only the vulnerable & elderly” are at risk. If you’re young & healthy you don’t have to worry about Covid. You can go right back to your life (ie get back to work & grow the economy). /3

It’s this “othering” of people that has bothered me throughout the pandemic. The powers that be have created an “us versus them” mentality whereby people who view themselves as healthy & not at risk can get on with their lives while the rest of us are deemed expendable /4

Those of us who were disabled before Covid always knew that many people SAW us as expendable - but it was never so blatantly rubbed in our faces as it’s been since the rush back to normal. It hurts. We are told to shut up, stay home, let the “strong” get on with life. /5

It’s an unacceptable narrative because EVERYONE has a right to life & safety in public spaces. But it’s also false. Covid is NOT just a threat to the vulnerable & elderly. This has been proven time & time again. Do you breathe the air? Do you have a pulse? You’re vulnerable /6

In fact many Long Covid patients were young and incredibly fit when they became sick. Sometimes the healthier you are - the harder certain viruses will hit you. No one is guaranteed a good outcome & especially not with rampant reinfections. /7

People who were disabled before Covid have been screaming this since the beginning - desperately trying to warn ppl that their health is not something to gamble with. We know how little help is available once you’re chronically ill & we saw potential for large scale disability /8

The problem is that the government and media have done such a good job convincing the general public that disabled and vulnerable people no longer matter - that no one will listen to us. We are outcasts who’ve already been branded as “acceptable losses.” /9

It hasn’t stopped us from trying - but many disabled activists have burned out after being told for years that they don’t matter, aren’t important and should just accept their fate for the good of the rest of society. /10

This is where the newly disabled Long Covid patients come in. Those of you who are speaking out about how you were young & healthy and believed that Covid posed no risk to you. So you rushed back to normal … and it ended up disabling you. /11

It takes a lot of courage and honesty to speak up and tell your story… especially when people are chomping at the bit to lay blame that you either must have “had an underlying condition” or “didn’t try hard enough to avoid it.” /12

It’s terrible that you have to contend with such hateful messages but here’s the thing … people NEED to try and blame you because your stories scare them. They see themselves in you far more than they can ever see themselves in someone like me. It shakes their denial bubble /13

I firmly believe that the more people share these stories the better chance we have of convincing the general public that they should be taking Covid seriously and trying to mitigate their personal risk. /14

They need to see and hear from people who they can relate to - who are willing to admit that their desire to rush back to normal left them with a severe chronic illness. /15

So thank you for standing up, speaking out and being willing to admit that you wished you had taken more precautions. I think those of you speaking out are incredibly brave. /16

I also want to say I’m sorry society failed you. I’m sorry that the messaging was so effective that you genuinely believed you weren’t at risk. I’m sorry that the “othering” convinced people that they should risk their lives to prop up a facade of “normal”. It’s devastating. /17

All our voices matter and the more of us sharing stories the stronger we become. We need to stop “othering” each other and admit once and for all that Covid poses a serious threat to everyone. Young & old, healthy & not. No one is immune. /18

Every step you take to mitigate your personal risk is an important step towards breaking chains of transmission. But if we were to approach it collectively as a society - looking out for EVERYONE- we could break it much faster. /end

Epilogue: we are stronger together. Whether already disabled or newly disabled - I hope we can all find & foster community. Once we become a unified voice I think we will be impossible to silence. We can fight for Covid precautions & disability rights & show we AREN’T expendable