Doctors Have Been Working Hard In This Pandemic And Do Not Appreciate Being Slandered: A Thread

First, @ACEPNow, which represents my specialty of emergency medicine:

“ACEP is appalled by President Trump's reckless and false assertions that physicians are overcounting deaths related to COVID-19. Emergency physicians and other health care workers have risked their lives...

“...day in and day out... battling the greatest public health crisis in a generation—all while watching countless patients die alone, going to work without sufficient protection equipment, and struggling with crushing anxiety about getting sick or spreading the virus...”

(I had to take a break reading this before finishing it. These are my career-long friends, my work family; we’ve had a rough year, to say the least. And still... we’re there for you.)

Next, @ACPinternists, the largest medical specialty organization, representing internal medicine.

“To suggest that physicians would misstate the cause of death for financial gain is false, and represents a reprehensible attack on our profession and ethics.”

“...several recent studies suggest that the actual number of people who have died from COVID-19 is much higher than the terrible toll of 220,000 deaths officially attributed to the virus. Alleging that COVID-19 deaths instead are overcounted...

“...undermines the work by physicians and public health authorities to remind the public of the seriousness of the pandemic and to recommend steps to reduce transmission of the virus, cases, and deaths.”

Now @CMSSmed, an umbrella organization representing 45 medical specialties:

“These baseless claims do a disservice to all health professionals and promulgate misinformation that hinders our nation’s efforts to get the Covid-19 pandemic under control.”

“Every American deserves a strong public health response to the pandemic.”

A simple, strong statement from the @AmerMedicalAssn, the largest physician organization in the US:

“Let’s be clear: physicians are not inflating the number of COVID-19 patients...”

“Physicians and patients are making remarkable sacrifices and we continue urging all to wear a mask, physical distance, and wash your hands to reduce suffering, illness, and death.”

It’s not just physicians - it’s all healthcare workers and scientists who daily watch their hard work, data, and messaging dismissed and integrity questioned. Let’s support each other in every way possible as we continue the fight.

Oop, here come the ob/gyns! @acog- https://twitter.com/acog/status/1320510160817840129?s=21 https://twitter.com/acog/status/1320510160817840129