Facts Not Fear: All you need to know about Covid-19
A Twitter thread by Abir Ballan that separates the Covid-19 facts from the fiction. Its time to stop existing and time to choose life.
By PANDA
08 June 2021
By Abir Ballan
In this popular Twitter thread, Abir Ballan lays out all the information about Covid-19 so you can tell facts from fiction.
The pandemic is real. Excess deaths were observed in many countries. Not all countries were affected in the same way due to pre-existing immunity, the health status of the population and demographics (the proportion of elderly in the population) pic.twitter.com/2mtNX6GAqF
COVID 19 presents a high risk for the very few and negligible risk for the many. The infection fatality rate in different age groups: <19 y, IFR= 0.003% 20-49 y: IFR= 0.02% 50-69 y: 0.5% >70y, IFR= 5.4%
COVID 19 is less serious than the flu for kids and more serious than the flu for the elderly with comorbidities. “our data indicate that children are at far greater risk of critical illness from influenza than from COVID-19” 6/n https://t.co/pHnVUzFBLR
During the incubation period for SARS-CoV-2, individuals are pre-symptomatic. They may transmit the virus. When it occurs, it is likely to lead to a milder presentation of the disease due to the low viral load. The infectivity of cases lasts 8 days from the onset of symptoms. After that people are no longer infectious. https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.08.04.20167932v4
Asymptomatic are not the main drivers of disease. Assuming that the test is a true (+), they might be infected but they present no symptoms most likely due to built up immunity from prior viruses. Secondary transmission is minimal with a low viral load.9/nhttps://t.co/0pkCNBhLaX
“In all the history of respiratory-born viruses of any type, asymptomatic transmission has never been the driver of outbreaks. The driver of outbreaks is always a symptomatic person.”- Fauci
COVID 19, like many other viral infections, may rarely be followed by long-term effects, however, for the vast majority of patients, COVID 19 is a mild self-limiting illness with no long-term sequelae. See sequelae of influenza here.
Long-lasting immunity to SARS-CoV-2 exists. Following infection with SARS-Cov-2 people are protected. If exposed again to the virus, they will not get seriously sick. No need to be concerned about reinfection. Relax!
Viral mutations are common to all viruses. Viruses tend to become less virulent and more transmissible over time until herd immunity is reached after which the virus is less transmissible as it becomes an endemic virus. 13/n https://t.co/WsfQjQyla0
Once we stop locking down and messing up nature, COVID 19 will settle into an endemic state where it becomes part of a cocktail of respiratory viruses that live with us. We must learn to live with it. Our species has done this before. We can do it once again.
More on children
Closing down schools harms children educational progress, psychosocial wellbeing and development. 15/n https://t.co/nwGwodCmW4
“If the COVID-19 hazard sets the new standard for health safety, the country will need to close its schools each year from November until April to guard against influenza.” – Scott Atlas
About the mitigation measures
PCR test can not diagnose infectiousness. It can detect chunks of the virus but does not tell if the virus can replicate. Diagnosing a person with COVID 19 based on a (+) test without clinical symptoms is not in line with pre-covid medical practice. Review report Corman-Drosten et al. Eurosurveillance 2020
The science behind social distancing rules (the 2 m rule) is absent. For high-risk individuals: Avoid closed places and crowded indoor spaces. Go to the beach, the park or to open markets. Get some Vit D.
Masks are ‘safety blankets’. There is no scientific evidence to support their use in the community. Feel free to wear them if they make you feel safe.
“At present, there is no direct evidence (from studies on COVID19 and in healthy people in the community) on the effectiveness of universal masking of healthy people in the community to prevent infection with respiratory viruses, including COVID-19.” World Health Organisation
Enforcing masks on children hampers their social development and reading social cues and non-verbal facial expression. It stunts oral expression. It creates a subservient generation who follows stupid rules that adults cannot justify logically.
Transmission from contact with surfaces is not a big deal. Hypersanitization is not necessary and even counterproductive. Washing hands is a good hygiene practice. Excessive use of sanitizing gels leads to skin irritations.
Health is not about the absence of disease or infirmity. Health consists of physical, mental and social well-being. Health is about the subjective quality of life and not just the prolongation of life. Life is about living and not just existing. It’s time to chose life.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Abir Ballan, MPH Abir has a background in public health, psychology, and education. She’s been a passionate advocate for the inclusion of students with learning difficulties in schools. She has also published 27 children’s books in Arabic. Abir is particularly concerned for the wellbeing of the young, the elderly and people in the developing world.
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