Thread by @1goodtern

Chatting with a colleague who runs a large summer event...
Her: "The behaviour of the kids this year was a nightmare, it's getting worse and worse, it's because this age group missed out on three years introduction to school."

Me: "Schools were only closed for 12 weeks..."

Me: "... in 2020 and 9 weeks in 2021. They were open the whole of the rest of those years!"

Her: "But the pandemic disruption affected the 2019/2020 school year, then the 2020/2021 school year, then the 2021/2022 school year. It disrupted three school years of learning."

Me: "But freedom day was before the 2021/2022 school year started?"

Her: "Yes, but then the flu and all the other bugs came bouncing back and everyone had to catch up on their infections."

Me: "Has that finished yet?"

Her: "I don't think so, I think we're going to be suffering from the effects of the lockdowns for a long time."

Me: "Do you know that Covid infection can cause damage to the brain?"

Her: "I'm sorry, are you saying that millions of children have brain damage from covid infections? That's a horrible thing to say."

Me: "You're saying that these children have been permanently harmed by being at home for 21 weeks, spread out over two school years. That's an even more horrible thing to say. You're saying that being in their family unit for 12 weeks has broken them forever."

Her: "No, it's just the disruption at school."

Me: "Look. We're both agreed that there's something wrong with kids at the moment. Yes?"

Her: "Yes."

Me: "Good. I'm glad you're not in denial about that too."

Me: "Do you think kids are sick now more than they were six years ago?"

Her: "Yes."

Me: "Good. We're agreed on that too."

Me: "And you probably blame the period *five years ago* when they didn't get sick enough."

Her: "Yes, I do think that actually."

Me: "You think that kids are off sick more because something like they need to encounter viruses when their immune systems are developing, right?"

Her: "Yes."

Me: "So why are all the teachers off sick more now? They're adults. They've been catching these viruses for decades. Are you telling me that *not being sick one year* is going to make those adults more sick forever?"

Me: "And please, just please don't say the vaccines."

Her: "It's the kids bringing all the viruses into school. The teachers missed out on them in 2020 and now they're catching up."

Me: "FOR FIVE YEARS!"

Me: "Here's a simpler and proven reason: Covid infections make you more vulnerable to other infections. It's scientifically proven. It's not controversial. It's true. It's just the way it is...

Me: "It doesn't matter if you've been vaccinated, if you get a covid infection, you are then more likely to catch other infections....

Me: "And the same goes double for all these kids who have *never been vaccinated*. Each Covid infection makes them more vulnerable to other viruses, bacteria, fungi, everything."

Me: "And covid infections affect the brain. This is not controversial science. It's proven and true."

Me: "If you want a simple explanation for why kids' behaviour is worsening and worsening, and why they're off sick more, and why adults are off sick more... it's because of Covid infections."

Her: "Well, what do you propose we do about it. All go back into lockdown?"

Me: "No. I advocate for the same thing I've been advocating for for five years.
Ventilation and air filtration in schools, hospitals, prisons, shops, nurseries, etc.
Effective testing and tracing.
The right kind of masks when necessary....

Me: "... Paid leave for isolation and sickness.
Health education that informs people about how transmission and infection work, and what infection causes."

Me: "But in the meantime, I just want some acknowledgement that covid infections are making all this stuff worse, and not all of the lies and denial and misdirection."

Me: "And for people not to gaslight me to my face about things that are obvious."

And she said she'd think about it.