I have had a change of heart.

Sorry Dr Giesecke but you’re going to have to show me what you are doing with WHO in order for me to reconsider.

My new favorite Swedish person is @MartinKulldorff . Where have you been and how did I not spot you before?
Must read article 1/n https://twitter.com/mihaylov_kiril/status/1307904578470309888

« What makes it [C19] more challenging and different from MERS & SARS is its contagiousness in combination with its spread through mildly symptomatic, presymptomatic, and asymptomatic individuals, which makes it impossible to contain in the same way. »
2/n

So it’s impossible to contain COVID19? 3/n

But, Tedros told us in March 2020:
“we don’t even talk about containment for seasonal flu – it’s just not possible. But it is possible for COVID-19... » 4/n

« ..We don’t do contact tracing for seasonal flu – but countries should do it for COVID-19 because it will prevent infections and save lives. Containment is possible.” 5/n https://www.who.int/dg/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19---3-march-2020

I am confused.
Why did WHO tell us differently?

When we start with the wrong premise, won’t all the strategies that ensue from it be wrong?

So we shouldn’t have contained and we shouldn’t have done “Test, test, test…, isolate and treat every case & trace every contact”? 6/n

“… mass gatherings,… until you’re widely vaccinated, those may not come back at all”, we were told.
‘7.7 billion of us would need to be vaccinated... immunity passports would become the norm’, we were made to believe. 7/n

But @MartinKulldorff is saying:

” We will have a vaccine sometime between three months from now and never... ”

“if and when a safe vaccine is approved, it may not be able to protect us on its own, without the help of some immunity from natural infections.”
8/n

Dr. Katherine Yih says in the same article:
« I don’t think it’s wise or warranted to keep society locked down until vaccines become available. ...
So we can hope but we certainly can’t count on a vaccine saving us either as individuals or as a population in the short term.»
9/n

Dr Yih adds:
« Instead of a medically oriented approach that focuses on the individual patient and seeks (unrealistically) to prevent new infections across the board, we need a public health–oriented approach that focuses on the population... » 10/n

« ...and seeks to use patterns, or epidemiologic features, of the disease to minimize the number of cases of severe disease and death over the long run, as herd immunity builds up. » 11/n

@MartinKulldorff proposes “the age-targeted approach is a win-win strategy.”
The young can go back to life and more of the elderly will survive. 12/n

“Good education is not only important for academic achievement and financial well-being; it is also critical for the mental and physical health of children and into their subsequent adulthood...” 13/n

..Kids have minimal risk from this virus, and it is sad that we are sacrificing our children instead of properly protecting the elderly and other high-risk groups.” 14/n

“The dilemma is for the managerial class. Many of us pay lip service to equality and anti-racism, but we have chosen lockdowns to protect ourselves while throwing the working class under the bus.” 15/n

Was the lockdown a selfish act driven mainly by thanatophobia?
16/n

When the premise is right, then the strategies that ensue from it are right, fair, equitable, based on needs, empowering, allow for personal responsibility and agency, while not infringing on freedoms & personal liberties. 17/n

Here’s @MartinKulldorff ‘s age-targeted strategy:

1. allow transmission among the young & healthy

2. protect the high-risk group (above 60)
a) let them work from home
b) if not possible, take a sabbatical (use social security)
c) online grocery shopping
18/n

d) temporarily housing older people from multigenerational households in empty hotel rooms
In nursing homes:
e) utilize staff with acquired immunity
f) frequently testing of staff & visitors
g) minimize the number of staff that each nursing home resident is exposed to
19/n

Shall we brainstorm more ideas about how the young could go about their lives as normal while protecting those at risk?
Let’s show them we care!!
20/n

Here are some ideas to get us started:
Community-based initiatives:
1. neighbours doing grocery shopping for their elderly neighbours
2. In multigenerational homes, if the virus enters the house, remove elderly & place them with a ‘safe’ neighbour until the family recovers
21/n

3. scheduling specific time for the high-risk group to use public parks or libraries (early bird hours)
4. Early bird caffe hours after proper overnight disinfecting
for the high-risk group
22/n

5. Street music or art performances brought to residential communities where the young can be on the street and those at high-risk can watch from their balconies
6. ...
23/n

Now get creative! It’s your turn!
Let’s show them how human creativity can be used for good and not for bad!
24/n