Thread by @PeteUK7

The fact that proper messaging about the harms of covid infection, long covid & effective ways to protect yourself has been left to members of the public to advocate for is a massive frustration to me.
People are generally unaware because of a total Public Health failure.
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It isn't just a failure to provide the correct information; it's worse than that. It's a concerted effort to provide inaccurate info which is fed to the public through the media; the BBC for one who are entirely complicit in causing harm. Today's article is a prime example.
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I spoke to a contact I hadn't been in touch with for a while. It was clear that she was concerned about Covid and other infections for herself and her teenage kids. She told me one teen wears a neck gaitor over his mouth & nose and uses hand gel when travelling by train.
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I was surprised at her level of interest and that some actions had been taken to try to reduce risk.
However, these are not the most protective actions that could be taken and she was unaware of this through no fault of her own...but by design. Through negligence of Gov.
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I spoke about how CO2 monitors could help to assess risky situations. She had never heard of this and couldn't connect why this would help but after 5 minutes, she totally got it and said she'd look into it.
She said "you're making me want to go and open the windows".
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But it isn't me that is making her want to go and open the windows; it is purely that providing access to accurate information and mitigation measures made her want to adjust what she does.
I know there are many others who would change nothing even with the right info...
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...yet there are still many who would.
Let's face it, in all honesty, nobody really wants to be ill.
We need a return to basic Public Health.
It is illogical not to be honest about the harms, the prevalence and severity of Long Covid or how it transmits & what measures help.
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Sensible measures like testing, isolation, surveillance, sick pay etc could all help very significantly too.
Presenteeism is no solution; it is just piling on the misery and aiding the virus to infect as many people as possible.
Ignorance & misinformation aid transmission too.
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The idea that catching SARS-CoV-2 is in some way beneficial to anyone is bonkers.
Every single person is at risk from harm from infection. Some already know this as they are clinically vulnerable in some way but most think they are invulnerable when in reality, they are not.
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My advice would be to take measures to protect yourself.
The single most effective measure is to wear a well-fitting FFP2/3 respirator. That's just the truth, like it or not.
But great ventilation and/or high levels of air filtration really helps in shared spaces too.
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There are other options like FarUVC; a highly effective layer of protection.
If PH msging just listed some facts eg:
Covid is very harmful.
It is airborne spread.
People don't always display symptoms of infection & don't need to be coughing or sneezing to transmit it...
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It spreads easily in badly ventilated spaces.
Social distancing helps bc very high virus levels are more likely at close quarters.
Wearing a respirator is extremely protective.
Long Covid is a common & serious outcome for many people and no treatments are known / available.
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And so on. I've just scribbled this thread out and so it isn't exhaustive. It just shows that changing this starts with the right information. Just statements of fact.
It would dilute the authority of the fake commentators that the media turn to in order to downplay this.
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It's not difficult.
Nor is it difficult to start addressing indoor air quality in schools & healthcare.
We haven't even started this process - the benefits are HUGE both in terms of health but also financially.
I'll continue to fight for the truth & for change.
Stay safe 😷
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@threadreaderapp please unroll