lizwhatsherface Profile picture
Apr 1 5 tweets 1 min read
'I can't access healthcare, that's more important than clean air at a concert or a poetry reading right now.'
Are you listening to music or watching movies or reading books to get through this? Do you know that artists make those things and they have to tour and make a living? + Do you not care that people are bringing their unmasked children to poetry readings and concerts and that those kids deserve clean air? Because their parents aren't masking them? Do you not realize that every single space has children and workers in it, who also deserve clean air
Feb 21 9 tweets 3 min read
The belief that knowledge is bad for you is a fascistic one. The medical establishment is (unsurprisingly) a big proponent of this idea right now. Doctors and therapists are straight up saying that too much thinking is unhealthy. Negative thoughts (which are both part of being alive and a rational response to living in our current society) are increasingly being pathologized. If you’re not happy, maybe you should try thinking less about everything.
Feb 13 4 tweets 2 min read
Someone shared this story with me and gave me permission to share it here. Most people don't know what's going on, and it's not true that everyone is irredeemable or unwilling to listen or willfully ignorant. The T cell info is crucial and most people have never heard about it.


I will tell you this story in a more concise way when I can got my thoughts together but someone called me paranoid about COVID, I explained COVID's impact on t-cells as best I could and why COVID is serious, they started CRYING and apologized
But yes so it was my coworker who has like been more cautious than most but I think has a lot of pressure from their family to "get out there and live her life." And she was giving me that line and what not, and I just told her to do what she wanted but wear a mask when she goes and she'll be much safer.   Then yeah she said that she thought at this point I was being paranoid about COVID because getting it once "wasn't going to kill me."
 So I said that paranoid was not a fair word at all and I explained that I just know a lot more about COVID than most people that I am already chronically ill. And I struggle with my mobility and if it got much worse I'm not sure how I would support myself and how I got very sick from EBV just a few years ago, etc. And that I wasn't worried that COVID would kill me but that it would take away my quality of life. And then I explained that it is looking like COVID is a lot like HIV/AIDS. And explained what
And then I explained that it is looking like COVID is a lot like HIV/AIDS. And explained what t cells are, and how COVID damages them and that's really concerning. Then I compared the AIDS peak death rate to COVID and explained how way past peak deaths it's still almost 3 times higher as recently as last year (because RIP data).   Then she started crying and said she felt terrible for talking to me like that and explained that her dad died of AIDS and those numbers were staggering at the time so to think that they're even higher is really fucked.
I forgave her and tried to come back to the "what we can do" because I felt like I just completely unraveled her world view and she had to get back to taking phone calls in 5 mins (i fucking hate capitalism sm). And yeah so I talked ab how shit has to change and that's why I spend time advocating, and she actually said "shit I'm ab to be an activist now" lmaoo. So yeah it was wild and the last way I expected that to go.
Jan 29 10 tweets 2 min read
A lot of people's plan is to just do whatever the fuck they want now because they know they're going to end up with Long Covid eventually. But then they'll claim they didn't know any of the stuff they scrolled past and hit me up again. I've made it clear I won't be helping. But they think: someone else will!
It's not a plan.
Jan 2 7 tweets 1 min read
I'm thinking a lot about what sort of life I want to build/how to make something out of my time on earth even if things stay this bad. I'm realizing I cannot let myself be consumed by how people living in unreality are behaving. What I mean by this is I can't keep dwelling on all the places and things they've made unsafe for me, maybe forever.
Nov 14, 2023 21 tweets 12 min read
Here's some people you're sharing air with when you walk around unmasked in public:
reddit.com/r/RedditForGro…

Parents ignoring Covid quarantine  My mother and stepfather, both in their 80s, have tested positive for covid. This is his 4th day sick and he's been coughing all over and touching everything in the house. Neither have been masking. My mother tested positive today.   They're about to go out to the bank and grocery store. My mother wanted me to take her and I refused, said I didn't feel safe in the confined area of a car with her. I offered to run both errands *for* her but, no, she wants to go herself. So now my stepfather is taking her.  I've explained over and over how contagious covid i...
I even got their doctor on speakerphone to back me up. He told them how easily it could spread, even if they wear masks. How even them touching things could spread it to someone else. My mom just talked over him and said she feels fine.  I'm beyond frustrated and feel awful for anyone who might be impacted by their stubborness. How can I get through to them?
"My friends wedding is on Saturday and the MOH tested positive for COVID…and is still GOING."
reddit.com/r/wedding/comm…

My friends wedding is on Saturday and the MOH tested positive for COVID…and is still GOING.  I’m in my friends wedding this Saturday. It is an intimate wedding with just immediate family. The ceremony is outdoors and the reception is indoors. Tonight was the rehearsal and the maid of honor (MOH) didn’t show up. My friend (the bride) informed me that the MOH tested positive for COVID but is still coming to the wedding on Saturday. I was really taken back at the lack of consideration and irresponsibility.
I take care of my father in law, who is currently battling cancer, so I take COVID seriously. I explained to the bride that I felt super uncomfortable and that I wouldn’t be attending due to the risk factor. The bride started back pedaling stating that Saturday would be the MOH’s 10th day of COVID, she said that I was being dramatic, and that it’s her special day and she still wants me there. I asked multiple times if the MOH and her husband could go get a test done before the wedding and if it is negative then I would attend. The bride keeps changing the subject and apparently doesn’t agre...
Oct 6, 2023 6 tweets 3 min read
🚨WE MADE A BILLBOARD HAPPEN!!!🚨
...and YOU CAN TOO! Here's a guide to MAKING THIS HAPPEN IN YOUR CITY. 🧵 Photograph. A billboard in Georgia reads, "Long Covid stole my life from me" in large letters across a black background. Small text on the billboard says "BERLIN BUYERS CLUB" and "whn.global" Billboard artwork by Sophie Dimitriou. WHN url used with permission. With the help of @pickle_juice29, I made a guide to replicating this project in your city. Our toolkit
() has fundraising tips, vendor ideas, & more! And our artist, @sophsoph_psd, has made her design open source () so you can use itbit.ly/billboard_tool…
bit.ly/billboard_desi…
Oct 3, 2023 5 tweets 2 min read
If you have not gotten your Covid booster yet, GET THE NOVAVAX SHOT. It's going to be available really soon, it offers better protection than the mRNA shots (Pfizer, Moderna), and it has been updated to match the XBB strains. Find it in your area here:
novavax-finder.github.io/#/ why Novavax is better:
Oct 3, 2023 4 tweets 2 min read
Y'all do not understand just how many tools they have that we don't. Celebrities are literally using hospital-grade technology to photodisinfect their nostrils. Just because they're running around unmasked doesn't mean they're not taking invisible precautions! And they are! Nobody wants to accept that this stuff might actually work (it has been shown to work really well), because I guess it's just too upsetting to realize that we will never have access to these fancy expensive tools.
Sep 25, 2023 4 tweets 2 min read
Your Covid antibody levels provided by our vaccines "decrease substantially within 3 months."
Most people haven't had a Covid shot in a year or more. You are no longer meaningfully protected by the shot you got a year ago.
nih.gov/news-events/ne… Also, you should know that vaccines DO NOT offer substantial protection against Long Covid. A study of more than *13 million people* found that "vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 lowers the risk of long COVID after infection by only about 15%."
scientificamerican.com/article/long-c…
Sep 25, 2023 8 tweets 2 min read
The more I talk with people currently living in reality, the more I realize just how much we are actually being held hostage by the actions of the people around us. In order to have any shot at collective survival, it's become our unpaid job to try to get everyone else to realize what's happening & to act. And in order to do this, we can't be honest with other people about the extent of our anger & grief. We have to focus on their feelings.
Sep 15, 2023 20 tweets 6 min read
What would the world look like if the pandemic never ended, if Covid was causing widespread, long-term illness, and if all this was being covered up by the government? 🧵 You might expect to see record levels of sickness and disability.
Line graph. "Long-term sickness is highest on record. Economic inactivity due to long-term sickness." The line spikes upward in 2020. Source: Office of National Statistics, up to January-March 2023. Via BBC.  2.5+ million people are not looking for work due to illness.
Line graph showing the numbers of the population with a disability, ages 16 and older. The line spikes sharply upward in 2020.  Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, fred.stlouisfed.org
Sep 12, 2023 4 tweets 1 min read
I think we need to be posting about asymptomatic transmission every single day tbh. 60 percent of Covid transmission is asymptomatic. And I think we need to explain that asymptomatic means no symptoms at all. This is the biggest thing people cannot grasp. People do not believe it Asymptomatic is not a word most people heard before the pandemic and it needs to be explained. People really truly think they're going to be able to feel it if they have Covid, and it's not true. When I'm explaining this I am saying, "...which means you won't feel sick at all."
Sep 8, 2023 10 tweets 3 min read
Right-wing astroturfers are using tried and true propaganda tactics to hate and fear masks. And a ton of people are falling for it, because these methods are designed to prey on people's emotions. A thread, on *actual* fearmongering. First, you should know that a huge number of the people posting anti-mask content on this website are being paid to do so. Many of them aren't just trolls, they're astroturfers funded by Koch et al. Here's a must-read piece that breaks this down: levernews.com/how-the-koch-n…
Sep 7, 2023 6 tweets 3 min read
It is really hard to blame people for not wearing masks properly when public health has never given us actual guidance, and when even the companies advertising good masks don't model the products correctly.
Here's an ad I saw yesterday. This mask *does not fit* Screenshot of an online ad. A light skinned model wears a red KN95 that's too big for their face. Text says "Spring Clearance / 50% off sitewide" See how the nosewire is sitting far off the model's face, and how the mask gaps on her cheek? These gaps are dangerous, and the mask does not fit. Here's a thread on how to fix the nosewire crease issue:

Close up photo of improperly worn KN95 mask
Close up photo of improperly worn KN95 mask.
Sep 5, 2023 5 tweets 1 min read
It is heartbreaking and terrifying to watch people trying to take Covid precautions again but still not grasping how serious this shit is. It's not enough to just mask indoors now. Most of us who know the extent of what Covid does are limiting our activities and doing way less. It's just not worth risking a neuroinvasive virus that's causing lymphocytopenia to go watch a movie indoors. It's not worth going to a concert where you are *guaranteed* to get exposed. People know it's bad, but they haven't seen it up close. And they don't understand the risks.
Aug 31, 2023 6 tweets 2 min read
It used to be possible to live a semi-"nOrMaL" life and take Covid seriously. You could maybe eat outdoors at a restaurant with spaced tables or meet up with friends outside. But now all mitigations are gone, it's disingenuous to pretend any semblance of 2019 living is possible. "Just wear a mask to the concert!" DOES. NOT. WORK. We should not be encouraging people to think they'll be safe masking in an indoor venue surrounded by hundreds or thousands of unmasked people. The concerts have to stop. Even if you don't get sick, you're aiding a superspreader
Aug 30, 2023 7 tweets 3 min read
Want to do more advocacy work around Covid but don't have the time (or desire) to join a group? Here's a thread of action items you can do easily, wherever you are 🧵 1. Stickering/flyering

Lots of artists have created sticker designs that you can use to order custom stickers (that you can put around your community to spread the word). Here's a thread on how to get started:
Aug 21, 2023 8 tweets 2 min read
It cannot be stressed enough how completely unusual our modern ways of living are, in the context of human history. Human beings did NOT always spend most of their lives in entirely enclosed, poorly ventilated spaces. Prior to the invention of air conditioning in the early 1900s, buildings were designed with ventilation in mind. People kept windows open to let in breezes. Older buildings had higher ceilings. People spent time on porches and often slept outside.
interestingengineering.com/culture/how-pe…
Aug 15, 2023 15 tweets 2 min read
In college, I took a class called "Human Response to Natural Disasters and Diseases" that focused heavily on pandemics. I dug up my final essay from this class not too long ago. Here's some of what I wrote (as a college freshman in 2009) about previous plagues: "Voltaire once said, 'History never repeats itself; man always does.' The societies we have discussed in this class have responded to different types of crises, but their responses often follow a similar pattern."
Jul 20, 2023 11 tweets 2 min read
I want you to stop what you're doing and take a look at this hospital sign. I want you to read it closely, and think about what these "health guidelines" are really saying. On the surface, this looks normal and legitimate. But it's total nonsense. A big, slick-looking sign stands in a hallway at the Mayo Clinic. The sign reads (in all caps): For your health & safety Wear a mask if coughing or immunocompromised Clean hands frequently  Visitors, do not enter if sick  There's a sticker on this sign, placed by someone offering a helpful clarification, that says MASK UP (with a picture of an N95 and a QR code) This is a sign, in a world-class hospital, telling people not to enter the *hospital* if they're *sick*.