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17 May, Lord Sumption told the BBC, 'this is – for the overwhelming majority of people with no serious underlying conditions – a very mild epidemic' #mild #Covid19 https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/jonathan-sumption-you-cannot-imprison-an-entire-population-
There are tens of thousands of us with 'mild #Covid19' still unwell weeks in 1/
There are tens of thousands of us with 'mild #Covid19' still unwell weeks in 1/
I'm likely one of the 1.2 million in the UK estimated to have been infected in the 7 days between 16 and 23 March when Johnson resisted calls to lockdown on Monday March 16 (I fell ill 19 March) https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/three-weeks-of-dither-and-delay-on-coronavirus-that-cost-thousands-of-british-lives-05sjvwv7g 2/
The Sunday Times article argues that the '20 days of government delay are the single most important reason why the UK has the 2nd highest number of deaths from the coronavirus in the world' 3/
In addition to horrific number of deaths, UK now grappling w tens of thousands suffering long-term symptoms. @timspector estimates 'abt 1 in 20 patients experience long-term on-off symptoms. It’s unclear whether long-term means 2 mnths, or 3 or longer' https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/15/weird-hell-professor-advent-calendar-covid-19-symptoms-paul-garner 4/
In those 7 days, 16–23 March, as Johnson resisted calls to lock down, an estimated 1.2 million addition infections points to potentially 60,000 more people grappling with 'long-term on-off symptoms'. Potential longer-term effects on health beyond 3 months remain unknown 5/
I'm still off work 66 days in. I've spent nearly 20% of the year 2020 unwell and recuperating.
And my employer has lost nearly 20% of my anticipated labour.
We don't yet know how many are in this or similar positions because so much of this is currently invisible 6/
And my employer has lost nearly 20% of my anticipated labour.
We don't yet know how many are in this or similar positions because so much of this is currently invisible 6/
One of the last things I contributed to before falling ill was #USSbriefs92, led by @warrenpearce, published 12 March. We urged unis to take greater social responsibility in relation to the #Covid19 crisis, and included the following paragraph https://medium.com/ussbriefs/reputation-over-responsibility-uk-he-and-the-covid-19-crisis-dc0b5745e429 7/
12 March, the day we published the brief, was the day after Anthony Costello @globalhlthtwit made clear that 'Every day of delay will kill', and urged for the closure of schools/colleges' 8/ https://twitter.com/globalhlthtwit/status/1237834951510409217?s=20
12 March was the day that Boris Johnson intoned: 'I must level with you, level with the British public - more families, many more families are going to lose loved ones before their time' https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/12/uk-moves-to-delay-phase-of-coronavirus-plan 9/
In May, a week before Lord Sumption claimed 'this is – for the overwhelming majority of people w no serious underlying conditions – a very mild epidemic', in the midst of recovering from #Covid19, I reflected on use of term mild, finishing my short piece with the sentence: 10/
'In the context of UK’s current governmental and political-economic regime, citizens are likely to be encouraged to manifest an appropriately low level of concern in relation to a form of illness that is to be lived as the mild' 11/ http://somatosphere.net/2020/mild-covid.html/
What would it mean for uni employers really to take seriously their commitment to staff & student wellbeing in relation to #Covid19 in the coming months and years? Many staff and students are far more deleteriously positioned than others; #Covid19 effects are unequally spread 12/
At very least, it will require universities acknowledging, and adequately responding to, not only the grief and devastation that so many are experiencing on account of those who have died, but forms of illness and debility that are not able to be lived as the mild 13/13
