Thread by @nb_covid_info

I had two interesting conversations today. Please feel welcome to read along! One with a physician I’d never met before and one with one of my oldest friends who happens to be a teacher in another province. First, the Dr. He kindly asked me why I was masked. /1

He seemed curious and it was a respectful and honest conversation, so while the words might be upsetting, our conversation was collegial.

So, he asked why I was masked. At first I didn’t know who he was, so I took my time in thinking through a reply. /2

I went with “I don’t want to get sick.” To which he said okay, he just always saw me in my mask and didn’t know if there was something going on 😅 I said, well nothing apart from the usual. I mentioned working with a lot of folks from SARS-1 and aerosol transmission. /3

Talked briefly about ventilation and offered him a respirator. He seemed pretty surprised by that and declined, saying he didn’t want to ”waste resources” - I reassured him I had bought the respirators. So hmm, maybe HCW still think there’s an N95 shortage. /4

Anyway, he pulled out a crumpled surgical mask from his pocket and said he would use a respirator when it was necessary. We chatted a few more minutes about other things and it really was a warm conversation.
It’s going to be a big job, leading docs to understand…/5

People don’t know what they don’t know. The sight of my actual N95 led him to think there was something *else* going on beyond the hellscape we’re already living and working in. Is he still operating under the non-evidence-based 2m/15 min exposure info? /6

Has he forgotten about asymptomatic transmission; about the fact that most people aren’t boosting or testing; many people around us every day are obviously sick and maskless and coughing everywhere at work? /7

Anyway. This whole thing won’t be a single conversation. We’ll talk again. I hope he remains curious and willing to listen to why a colleague would wear an N95 at this point in time. /8

Tonight I got a message from a dear and longtime friend. Friend is a classroom teacher in another province. She has never been so sick in her life as this winter. Repeated infections; chest infections; describes her immune system as trashed. Catching everything going. /9

One of the illnesses put a family member in the hospital. Just incredibly stressful stuff. Constant illness, trying to balance recovery and being at work. We talked about her classroom ventilation and some resources she could use. How the union should care. /10

I have the benefit of having grown into this. Of the dawning horrible realization that our institutions did not want to actually know; did not want accurate information; did not want to have to upgrade indoor air quality for all occupants. /11

It’s tough but at least I have been following the horrors and where we are today comes as no surprise. I can’t imagine being sick over and over and stressed about your family and now trying to add advocacy on top of that, starting from such a vulnerable point. /12

The Dr asks me why I’m wearing a mask.
The classroom teacher whose health is being sacrificed for fake normal and for politicians’ popularity asks about long-term effects of infection.

💔
/13

I’ll answer both of their questions. Gladly.

The vast majority of people I interact with every day are caring people who want to do good things.

/14

They want to come home safe and healthy at the end of their shifts so that they can enjoy all the rest of what life has to offer.

How do we get there? To safe and healthy workplaces and public places for all of us? Safe healthcare? How do we get there from here.

15/15