Something I have heard WAY TOO OFTEN from otherwise smart/thoughtful people: "What about all the harm to mental and physical health by saying home/alone this much?" Y’all need to STOP with the notion that #PublicHealth scientists at the CDC/NIH/WHO are just forgetting... 1/11

…or ignoring the costs & dangers of all this sheltering-in-place. OF COURSE they know all that. The entire field of Public Health is about weighing multiple factors, balancing disparate health risks and benefits, calculating costs and dangers. THAT IS WHAT THE FIELD *IS* … 2/11

Yes, public health scientists actively monitor competing risks and they understand those risks WAY BETTER than the rest of us, especially better than all the newly minted amateur epidemiologists among us. Those various risks & benefits are in the models that they are using… 3/11

Don’t forget that CDC tracks depression, anxiety, suicide, obesity, stroke, heart attack, diabetes, malnutrition, and even domestic violence, just as actively as they track infectious disease. Those variables are in their calculations, and so is economic impact, because… 4/11

…they understand that economic downturn brings harm to mental & physical health. I’m not saying we shouldn’t question scientists, but it is ignorant & insulting to suggest that they haven’t considered these extremely obvious concepts. Folks, this is Public Health 101. 5/11

Would you tell a carpenter that some kinds of wood are harder than others? Would you remind a soccer player that she can’t use her hands? Would you lecture your electrician about GFCI outlets and safety? Would you remind a chef not to use a dull knife? 6/11

Yes, I’m ranting, but this is beyond frustrating. Imagine, if you can, someone with NO EXPERIENCE in your line of work asking you if you know something that you learned on your first day on the job. The utter contempt for expertise is not just annoying but DANGEROUS. 7/11

Sorry, but the vast majority I hear questioning the #CDC have no relevant knowledge or training and are COMPLETELY UNQUALIFIED to raise objections. I get it. You’re frustrated. We all are. This is hard on everyone, scientists included. We know that people are suffering… 8/11

…and it keeps us all up at night. And I get it – you have opinions on things. We all do. But please accept that without years of study, training, and experience, your opinion on matters as complex as public health ARE JUST NOT WORTH ANYTHING. Enough amateurism! 9/11

Would you let someone with no experience pull your tooth, work on your car, or fix your plumbing? Of course not! The stakes with #COVID19 are a bazillion times higher than that, so you should be just as insistent on credentials and expertise for decision-making authority. 10/11

We can question them later, and believe me, we will. Scientists will be studying the effectiveness of our countermeasures during this epidemic FOR YEARS. But for now, please LET THE EXPERTS DO THEIR JOBS. They are our best hope to minimize death and suffering. 11/11