The ongoing attacks on scientists, the medical community, and public health experts is so disheartening.

It’s not just fringe conspiracy followers, I’m alarmed by the number of my seemingly well educated personal and professional friends who downplay the virus...1/ https://twitter.com/drphillipsmd/status/1330302193837223936

These are people who, either from COVID fatigue or who simply are inherently selfish, discount experts and simply refuse to take personal responsibility in helping to control this virus. 2/

They fail to understand that right now any hope of “getting back to normal” rests on some continued (or for many a first time) effort to sacrifice and adapt, to follow public health experts recommendations, to think of more than their own risk of infection but for others, too. 3/

I’ve been stunned and disappointed in people I would describe as “should know better” embracing things like #GreatBarringtonDeclaration to wage battles in their community & schools to recklessly endanger others because they feel inconvenienced by the realities of a pandemic. 4/

Or those suggesting that I — as immunocompromised - should of course take precautions, but they feel fine “living their lives,” going out to eat in restaurants, traveling, etc. They don’t seem to understand that their actions to “live normally” but everyone at > risk. 5/

I want to get back to “normal,” too, but I am stunned by the degree to which selfishness is driving us toward horrific case numbers and deaths. 6/

For our health care workers, for your neighbor, for your co-worker, for your friend, for your extended family, do the right thing. Mask up, limit outings/gatherings, social distance, and heed the guidance offered by actual experts. /end

Quick post-script that sums up my response to those colleagues and friends who are so quick to demand a return to normal and that science and public health recs don’t apply to them because they’re “not at risk”...

Apologies for the typos in a few of the early tweets in this thread. Blame it on the late hour and the increasing anger and frustration I’m feeling from the actions of many of my fellow Americans.