Pandemic Denial Destroys Lives
Abandonment free fall
We expect government to champion three responsibilities most every democracy carries for their citizens: to protect, provide and to invest in them. We expect our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness to include honest, equitable protection from a pandemic.
Because our government has refused to address the COVID pandemic reasonably and humanely, we all have been left on our own. We face a deluge of offensive disinformation coming from all sides of the political spectrum. This abandonment of honesty and integrity from our political leaders has resulted in an uninformed, underinformed, malinformed public. We have few inadequately working "tools" and as the emergency declaration ends, those are only available to those who can afford them. Unaffordable insurance plans and the fact most plans require we meet high deductibles have take care of that.
What happens when The Government Abandons Pandemic public health Response?
Monoclonal antibodies wiped out ✔️
No updated RATS or PCR’s ✔️
No updated vaccines ✔️
No accurate data on cases ✔️
No protections in place ✔️
No improvement in air quality ✔️
No treatments/relief for those suffering from LC ✔️
@MeetJess
We have no obligation to keep these people healthy and alive?
The Economically Marginalized.
BIPOC Communities.
Children.
Our Elders.
The Medically Vulnerable.
The Disabled.
Front Line Workers.
Health Care Workers.
Teachers.
Everyone of us is Vulnerable.
Access Denied: How Race Shapes the Impacts of Long-Haul COVID:
"But nobody wanted to listen to me. And so, it was infuriating. I felt powerless. The way that some of those doctors talk to me, I can tell they were talking to me that way because I was a Black female patient, who they assumed did not know anything about what was happening to her body." -Chimére Smith
Throughout the pandemic, Black Americans have made up a disproportionate share of cases, hospitalizations and deaths compared to any other racial or ethnic group.
Inequities Impacting BIPOC Communities & Economically Marginalized
Inequities created and revealed by the pandemic:
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Access to tests
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Test costs
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Access to insurance
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Time off to go to doctor
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A day missed at to work is a day of lost income
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Paid medical leave
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Maternal health disparities
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Mask access (people who cant afford food can’t afford masks (food first!)
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Access to accurate testing
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How far one has to travel to test, to get masks and tp get medical care
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Reliance on mass transit
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Lack of fresh food and nutrients
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Funds to go to a doctor
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No insurance or no quality insurance with high deductables
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34% of Black adults in the U.S. do not have home broadband
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No access to clean air through ventilation and filtration
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No access to untainted information and education about the COVID virus, the damage it does to our bodies, Long COVID, how and why to protect ourselves
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28.7% of Black respondents have or have had Long COVID
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31.7% of Hispanic respondents reported having Long COVID
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34.6% of Black Americans with Long COVID reported severe limitations
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30% of Hispanics reported severe limitations
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30.5% of those reporting other races or multiple races reported severe limitations
The Most Vulnerable
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ALL OF US. 1st Infection can result In Long COVID or multisystemic COVID damage.
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Previous COVID Infection
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Long COVID
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Essential Workers
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BIPOC Populations
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Children
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Elderly
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Immunocompromised
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Cancer
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MECFS
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Long Sars-1
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Myasthenia Gravis
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Autoimmune Diseases
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Cystic Fibrosis
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Diabetes
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Crohn’s Disease
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Kidney Disease
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Obesity
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Asthma
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Pulmonary disorders
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Dysautonomia
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Mast Cell Disorders
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Cerebral Palsy
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Coronary Heart Disease
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Multiple Sclerosis
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Medically Fragile Children
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Chronic Liver Disease
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HIV
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Pregnancy
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Sickle Cell Disease
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Smoking
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Solid organ or blood stem cell transplant
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Stroke or Cerebrovascular Disease
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Substance Abuse
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Tuberculosis
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Mental Health Disorders such as ADHD,
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ASD, Depression, Anxiety, Bipolar Disorder,
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Schizophrenia, Dementia
Reckless Endangerment of the Medically Vulnerable
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Medical facilities not safe.
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Hospitals not safe.
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Pharmacies not safe.
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Dentist office not safe.
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Working conditions not safe.
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Grocery stores not safe.
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Necessary health screenings not safe.
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Travel unsafe adding to isolation.
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Socializing unsafe unless others wear N95 respirators.
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Financially burdened by cost to have groceries and essentials delivered.
Many medically vulnerable have been in shelter in place for almost 4 years because COVID infections can be even more dangerous for them.
20-30% of patients in hospital with COVID catch it in hospital and 7% of patients who catch COVID in hospital die – that’s 50 times the rate of the general.
Stay home or wear a mask, any mask and stop talking about it. One way masking in a sea of smoke like viral particles is not enough protection for anyone.
The Cost of Sheltering in Place for Over Three Years
Financially
"Everything costs about 30%-40% more due to delivery etc. It is a fiscal hardship. Psychologically it is very stressful as income opportunities for vulnerable keeps shrinking making need for added costs even harsher."
Medically
"It harmed my ongoing MD care especially preventative. Vulnerable as a result have to forgo or do with restrictions their other med appts. As a whole we gotten much sicker or endure more disability/pain. So few MDs or PT remain accessible. Lack of access shortened my life expectancy."
Socially
"Socially it costs me friendships as well as career opportunities which rely on mingling. Employers rate us less sociable and assign personality or commitment issues to our need to shelter no matter how dedicated to the job. It costs me advancement, acceptance & respect at work."
"The vulnerable often are already isolated but w/ so much gaslighting in media, family/friends/colleagues assign medical need to remain careful to some psychological defect. It’s incredibly harmful to self esteem, connection & quite frankly has harmed all my interpersonal interactions."
No Travel to See Family
"Because there are no precautions on travel, I am unable to see my family as my disability has me unable to make the trip on my own w/o flight or train neither which are accessible to vulnerable due to lack of masks & air filtration implementation, or sick staff required to work."
Sheltering requires:
- capacity (safe home, enough $$)
- knowledge (understanding how dangerous Covid is)
- hope that there’s reason to shelter, that things will improve, that individual has enough time left to make sheltering worthwhile
"High-risk means: Being over 50. Being an infant. Being overweight or obese. Having asthma. Having high blood pressure. Having Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. Having chronic lung, kidney or liver disease. Having heart disease. Having cancer. Having a transplanted organ. Having Down syndrome. Having mental health conditions. Having dementia. Being physically inactive. Being a smoker. Having an immunodeficiency. Being on steroids or other medications that suppress your immune system.
Around 75% of adults in our country have at least one condition that makes them high-risk."
What about Third World countries?
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We can't stop unchecked mutation of variants if we don't help others.
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We could be the kind of people who help others no matter how we are impacted.
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Since we are very much impacted by unchecked variant spread, if we want to STOP THE SPREAD thus STOP THE VARIANTS, thus STOP MASS DEATH and DISABILITY, we must help our fellow humans who do need our help.
