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Just a heads up to everyone who has very kindly supported me & been following me over the past year- I've been quite unwell for the past yr & it's been a struggle to get treatment in the midst of COVID-19. I'm focusing on my health & will likely be spending less time on media
I've continued to do as much public messaging through poor health but this has come at a personal cost. Apart from being time away from family, work, I've also been targeted extensively by fellow scientists - just for putting out information that challenges false narratives.
Unfortunately, my experience with much of the media has not been a lot better- where I've been labelled as promoting 'negativity', and been treated as someone who should be promoting optimism rather than providing information. I'm not an entertainer, I'm a scientist.
I've had to watch utter BS come out of outlets, even the BBC, where people like @NickTriggle have played a hugely damaging role in putting out misinformation repeatedly - rationalising governments hugely damaging policies that have impacted so many lives.
I'm exhausted- physically, mentally & emotionally, given even 16 months in, I'm still having the same conversations, & being challenged on the same information despite having been mostly right about much that I've warned about & not been listened to.
16 months in- we still don't have mitigations in place for aerosol transmission for health-care workers, children, or even just in most work-places. And many people have suffered as a result, many have died & many more will continue to in the future.
What I've woken to in the last year is that we don't live in a society that's run by people who value life, have compassion for the most vulnerable. Our media reflects these values. Testament to this is that Hancock was allowed to resign. Media covered everything except:
Why wasn't he sacked for policies that led to >150,000 people dying, >1 million people living with long COVID, & allowing a new variant that escapes vaccines to an extent and is causing a 3rd wave to enter the country?
Why wasn't he sacked for this? https://bylinetimes.com/2021/06/09/health-department-whistleblower-political-pressure-watered-down-public-health-england-care-home-guidance-over-covid-testing/
I fully believe we have a system in place that involves govt, and sadly some scientific advisors, PHE leadership that is essentially ok with exposing the most vulnerable in our society to a virus that we know persists in the body, causes long term changes in our brain, & organs
Vested interests, lobby groups & disinformation groups are in charge. They have direct access to no. 10, in a way most scientists, parent groups, long COVID groups just don't. And they have an ideological agenda that we as individuals have little power to challenge.
As the public there is very little we can do, because the media is complicit in this machine, spreading hopium, talking about summer holidays, while millions are exposed, suffer from long term impacts with some with chronic disability that may be permanent. Including children.
So, I'm going to take a step back, and limit media to essential messaging while I focus on my recovery, because I, like most people, have zero power in this system. And I don't believe I can make much of a difference.
And those who can, won't speak up, & challenge.
By design.
And those who can, won't speak up, & challenge.
By design.
I just want to say I'm not retiring from media - will just be less active than before. Hopefully focusing on messaging that I feel might be most impactful or essential. And also hopefully only temporarily until things get better with health 
