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On call this weekend for @teamaccu @RoyalLondonHosp looking after our COVID patients in ICU. Reflecting on the new low that a small minority of doctors/scientists have reached in using their professional credentials to promote a bogus political agenda on public lockdown. 1/7
This very grandly named & #39;Great Barrington Declaration& #39; is not, in my view, science or anything close to it. Once again we see doctors and scientists with low level leadership roles within our profession using their voice to pursue a political agenda. 2/7
This has happened repeatedly during the pandemic. Back in March I commented on the vast array of doctors and scientists writing letters and giving interviews on a subject far outside their fields. 3/7 https://twitter.com/rupert_pearse/status/1239169891342696448?s=20">https://twitter.com/rupert_pe...
This statement from the president of @acmedsci nicely explains explains the concerns that many doctors have with the over-reporting of this minority opinion within the scientific community: https://acmedsci.ac.uk/more/news/navigating-covid-19-through-the-volume-of-competing-voices">https://acmedsci.ac.uk/more/news... 4/7
Medicine and science are extremely broad professions. Even within disciplines, individual fields are highly specialist. It& #39;s easy for doctors and scientists to misrepresent their expertise to project credibility for arguments which sound like science but are in fact politics. 5/7
Perhaps surprisingly, this doesn& #39;t often happen in normal times. But things have gone a bit crazy during the pandemic. A small minority of highly vocal doctors have repeatedly used their professional influence to promote political policies and minority scientific views 6/7
I am an expert in intensive care medicine. I can explain what I know, and will highlight the ideas of other experts who I trust. My private views will remain just that. I will never use my professional credentials to promote bogus ideas for personal gain. 7/7
