Vidya Szymkowiak, MD
@VidyaSzym
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grateful and proud to be called doctor and mom. my opinions are my own. “Courage with a good attitude goes a long, long way”
Sewickley, PA
Joined December 2021
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@denHolisticmama
This horrendous behavior and these unimaginably cruel actions were actively encouraged by leaders in society, in government, and in healthcare. Many families suffered as yours did and these wounds will run deep.
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@DrJenGunter
We generally do not encourage testing for any health condition unless the result is likely to change the management plan for the individual being tested. Why would we routinely test for specific viral infections for individuals who are unlikely to be candidates for specific…
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It’s not just learning loss. Bad pandemic policies have seriously, and possibly irreparably, undermined the health, safety, and nutrition of a generation of children worldwide. We must have accountability and effective action to help correct our errors.
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@DrJenGunter
When you are in public, assume that you are always surrounded by individuals with various highly infectious viral ailments. And take the steps that you feel are necessary to minimize your own risk of contracting said infections. It is highly unrealistic to demand that others…
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In March, 2020, the consensus for COVID 19 treatment promoted early intubation and avoidance of steroids. This protocol had disastrous results. Doctors who questioned the status quo and changed treatment protocols saved countless lives. Groupthink in medicine is dangerous.
If passed, CA Bill 2098 would punish docs who deviate from forced scientific group think. Physicians giving uncensored advice to patients may face career ending punishment. Doctors, use your free speech rights to oppose the bill while you still have them!
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@Surgeon_General
This is alarming. Healthy skepticism in science and in medicine keeps patients safe. In the early 2000s, it would have been “misinformation” to suggest that pain should not be the “fifth vital sign” and that long acting opiates such as OxyContin were addictive.
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@AmerAcadPeds
@AAPexperience
What of the child who, after being deprived of the structure and socialization of school and sports, spiraled into depression and drug use? He will NEVER recover from your politically motivated interventions to keep schools closed and activities inaccessible for months on end.
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@NYC_stateofmind
@SecCardona
It amazes me that the response of many schools to perceptible and measurable learning loss is to emphasize social emotional learning. In any other industry, a decline in a specific quality metric would result in interventions targeted toward that specific deficit.
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@anish_koka
The idea that our bodies develop the capacity to defend against pathogens after the first exposure is, quite literally, the fundamental premise of the entire field of immunology. The fact that doctors argued against this truth to the end of 2021 is truly a “1984” moment. 2+2=5
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@SecCardona
My first name (Vidya) and my last name (Sundararaman) were routinely mispronounced when I was in school. The inevitable mispronunciation of my name by people who did not speak my native language was not of concern to me. I did not consider it a sign of deep-rooted systemic racism…
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It was a preposterous bit of gaslighting that physicians and public health professionals demanded that members of the public demonstrate proof of ineffectiveness of and harm inherent to COVID mitigation strategies rather than uphold their responsibility to rigorously prove the…
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@gummibear737
The fact that many people feel coerced into accepting this medical intervention will have serious negative consequences for healthcare for decades. The shame should be felt by the medical professionals and the public health agencies that put you in this position, not by you.
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@DrNicoleC
This statement demonstrates a lack of scientific curiosity. Any true scientist would look at the anecdotal evidence and acknowledge that it deserves formal study. It is concerning that the person making the statement is an academic doc who likely will be a teacher and leader.
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@VPrasadMDMPH
This is evidence-based medicine 101. It always bothered me that academic docs and public health professionals (who had the expertise to make the same analysis) were so rabid in their support of masking in schools when they had access to this exact data over a year ago.
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It is fascinating that the same docs and scientists who accepted the findings of the (frankly embarrassing) masked hairdresser “study” without question are now doing whatever they can to undermine the recent Cochrane review that found no benefit to community mask mandates.
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@DrJBhattacharya
Even in March, 2020, I went in to my office everyday. I saw most patients via telehealth, but I felt it was important to be available to patients who simply needed in person evaluation. In order to drive to my office location, I had to carry “papers” issued by my health system.
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@ajlamesa
@nycexpatmom
@AmerAcadPeds
As a doctor, I can assure you it has been nerve-wracking to speak out against the detestable statements and actions of
@AmerAcadPeds
, especially with respect to SCoV mitigation in schools. But more of us are finding the courage. For the sake of our kids - we have no choice.
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@Saikmedi
I will never forget (or forgive) the prominent academic ped psychiatrist who had the unmitigated gall to insist that there would be no negative emotional, cognitive, or developmental impact on children when she testified passionately in favor of mask mandates in our district.
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@DrJBhattacharya
@AlexBerenson
The dehumanization of people who chose not to be vaccinated was not just by prominent media figures. I was appalled to see some of the comments made by DOCTORS on private social media groups vilifying their patients who decided against vaccination. Shameful.
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This is not at all a surprising result.
But the question remains: Why did we have to DISPROVE the efficacy of masking? Why was the onus not on the doctors and public health professionals who were promoting community and school mask mandates to PROVE the efficacy of said…
Child mask mandates for COVID-19: a systematic review -"current body of scientific data does not support masking children for protection against COVID". Hope MDs and public health officials will always be willing to change minds with evidence & data
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@AmerAcadPeds
@AAPexperience
“Kids are recovering from their suffering so NBD that our lack of advocacy on their behalf contributed to their suffering” is a really terrible take. And many kids will not “improve” as you nonchalantly suggest.
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@NYC_stateofmind
My patient with severe disabilities is still being barred from specialists’ offices as this person simply cannot comply with properly wearing a mask. I have had to personally call specialists to beg them to accommodate my patient. This is wrong.
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@nilikm
It’s 11:00 pm. I spent my day caring for patients with complex health issues, many of whom have upper respiratory infections which are common this time of year. But as a member of my local school board, I will NEVER
#BringBackMasks
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@JLimHospMD
Private online physician groups may have been the most terrifying places to be over the last two years. Every fundamental tenet of responsible and compassionate medicine: rigorous scientific inquiry, patient autonomy, and informed consent was universally trampled upon.
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@JeromeAdamsMD
Parents and families who were traumatically removed from flights because their young children could not comply with proper mask-wearing may disagree with your statement that “masking while traveling isn’t hard” sir.
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@VPrasadMDMPH
Most HCWs displayed compassion and grace during this tough time, but I am absolutely haunted by the cruelty displayed by some docs toward patients who decided against vaccination. An ICU doctor bragged on FB about mocking a suffering patient for his choices before intubation 1/
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@sarahbeth345
In a similar vein: a white woman from a wealthy suburb tried to explain to me just last week that I may have been harmed by a lack of “representation” when I was a student. I advised her that the BEST teachers - not necessarily the ones that shared my skin color or…
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@TracyBethHoeg
@Kelly_Kries
This is exactly the type of weak data upon which the original community mask mandates were based. One of the main data points was an anecdote about a couple of hairdressers with COVID who did not transmit it to their clients. It was appalling from a scientific standpoint.
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@nursekelsey
This is not even remotely true. Patients with viral syndromes (including RSV, flu, COVID, rhinovirus, etc) are presenting with the same overall level of severity that we observed prior to 2020.
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@anish_koka
As a PCP, I saw firsthand that these vaccines saved the lives of my patients, many of whom are elderly or have comorbidities. As a mom, I feel betrayed that my teen sons may be forced into addl doses of a vaccine that may put them at risk. Thank you for this thoughtful discussion
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@DrJBhattacharya
Every single one of these colleges has a medical professional advising them regarding mitigation strategies. Why are these docs not reassessing policy based on current data?
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@JeromeAdamsMD
Was it ever “settled science” that masking was beneficial to children? It is the responsibility of the people proposing a population wide intervention to demonstrate the benefits but also to be honest about the potential risks.
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@WFKARS
I am a South Asian immigrant. I am a mom and a physician. I am a proud American. And I am a Republican. I recognize that this may not be a popular statement on this thread, but many of these unkind comments do not apply to me or the other Republican women I know.
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@jonlevyBU
I have been personally caring for patients with COVID and also addressing all of their other health concerns many of which have been exacerbated by bad pandemic policy. I have great respect for the work that
@VPrasadMDMPH
has done to fight for rational evidence-based medicine.
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Physicians should not speak in this dismissive and disrespectful manner about people who are not in medicine. Some of the most thoughtful commentary and insight into public health over the last few years has been from folks without formal medical training. And physicians should…
@charfang
@DrJenGunter
@flindall_steve
@VidyaSzym
LMAO. You are an unqualified layperson and would shit your pants if you did my job or even the work it took to get here. Yet you think you know more than actual experts who are smarter than you. But yeah, I’m the arrogant one because I won’t pretend I’m not smarter than you. 😂😂
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@LauraPowellEsq
Do my credentials as a doctor negate my patient’s rights to advocate for him or herself during an office visit? If a contractor comes to your home with a proposal, do you not have the right to modify or refuse it since you are not the “professional”?
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@Saikmedi
I have historically had zero interest in running for office, but my horror at irrational and counterproductive COVID policies in our schools (many of which were being aggressively pushed by docs) inspired me to seek a spot on school board. Local elections matter!
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@st06521934
@TheEliKlein
Interestingly,
@PublicHealth
was not originally requiring face coverings at the national conference. The policy was revised after pressure from a few high profile attendees.
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@jakescottMD
@BenMazer
Primary care here but I care for my own hospitalized patients. 2 patients admitted primarily for COVID. One over the age of 90 and immunocompromised. One age 60 with neurodegenerative dz. Both admitted for weakness. No pneumonia, no new O2 requirement. Both discharged in < 3 days
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@ZeekArkham
Both my first name and my maiden last name (Sundararaman) were frequently mispronounced or “Americanized” to a nickname in some manner. That never bothered me as, generally, people were just doing the best they could with a challenging name. But Donna Brazile’s intentional,…
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@DrJBhattacharya
As a physician, I have had to admit to patients that - based on new information - a recommendation I had made was incorrect. Patients have always forgiven me for this as they know that my sole objective is to take the best possible care of them in a changing environment. 1/
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@luckytran
Since then, community mask mandates have been repeatedly demonstrated to be ineffective and - in addition - face coverings have been shown to have a negative impact especially on the development of young children. 2/2
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@schmangee
It is counterproductive to dismiss a real emotional response to lived experience as being rooted in misogyny and hate. People were legitimately harmed by bad pandemic policy instituted by those who stood to gain personally and politically. Do not blame and shame the victims.
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@GallaherCaren
Until the pandemic began, many physicians did not appreciate that the
@CDCgov
is, by design, an overtly political organization led by a rotating cast of political appointees. It does not always act as a noble and nonpartisan source for the highest quality medical info and recs.
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@JReinerMD
have no qualms about gathering in crowded settings maskless when it suits them to do so. Medical conferences, self-congratulatory awards banquets, concerts and sports events, airline travel, restaurants, and the list goes on. 2/2
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@ajlamesa
Physician parents at my wealthy suburban district demanded that the school institute a policy barring unvaccinated students from eating lunch indoors as they would have to lower their face coverings. These parents insisted that the parents/guardians of unvaccinated students drive…
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@EbonyJHilton_MD
The human upper airway is specifically designed to filter and protect against many aerosolized and airborne infectious organisms. Masks and face coverings add little (if any) protection in community settings. In a crowded setting during periods of high infection spread, I would…
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@JReinerMD
I have observed that the same doctors and healthcare workers who stand in the doorway of a patient’s room and primly insist that a patient cover their face with the often filthy and crumpled mask on the bedside table before they will provide lifesaving care 1/
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@FLSurgeonGen
@pfizer
@moderna_tx
Perhaps It is not so much that doctors are following Big Pharma, per se, but rather they are following “the guidelines“. Unfortunately, Big Pharma has firmly inserted itself into the development of the guidelines which doctors use in clinical practice.
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@DrJBhattacharya
But I would not be entitled to forgiveness nor should I demand it if my patients were harmed because I took advantage of my role for personal gain or to further a political objective. Unfortunately, many in positions of power and influence did not behave as honest brokers. 2/2
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@HemlockHouse
Your partners are proceeding in a medically appropriate and reasonable manner. It is simply silly at this point to cling to unnecessary and unhelpful COVID restrictions in most medical settings. Best wishes on your retirement.
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@dksdata
My 80 year old father contracted a respiratory illness in January of 2020. He was fatigued and had a cough that persisted for weeks, eventually prompting a CT of the chest. The CT showed ground glass opacities that we eventually realized were typical of SARS CoV 2 infection.…
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@luckytran
As a school board member, I voted to strike down mandatory masking months ago as I could see no reason that our students/staff were at any greater risk than the surrounding community, which did not have a mandate in place. 1/
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@BrentAWilliams2
I recall feeling particularly betrayed by the academic pediatricians who shamelessly presented data in support of masking from what they had to have known were poorly designed studies designed to promote a preordained conclusion 2/
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@PhilHollowayEsq
2) Anthony Fauci - he brazenly ignored an established pandemic playbook and obfuscated his role in promoting gain of function research. By the careful wording of his statements, it is perfectly apparent that he was deliberately attempting to mislead the public.
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@JamesSurowiecki
Immigrants to America from Ireland and other countries in the 1800s arrived with no guarantee of any type of financial or social support from the American government or populace. It was either assimilate and find a way to be productive or starve.
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@AmerAcadPeds
Just weeks ago
@AmerAcadPeds
participated in a lawsuit to keep kids masked in our district. And they shamelessly caved under political pressure and promoted school closures.
@AmerAcadPeds
is culpable in the child mental health crisis.
#gaslighting
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@BrentAWilliams2
At that meeting, one pediatrician after another insisted that there would be no negative effects on children's academic and emotional development. And I remember thinking: "how could you possibly know?" And now we know that they did not know. And they were tragically wrong. 3/
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@KelleyKga
I can forgive those who reacted out of fear in spring, 2020. But I will continue to be vigilant and to hold accountable those who shamelessly manipulated the pandemic to cement social and political control. If we all forget and forgive, history will no doubt repeat itself.
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@VPrasadMDMPH
Other docs self-righteously barred unvaccinated patients from their offices, insisting that they be examined in parking lots. Docs were condescending and dismissive of patients who expressed legitimate concerns about these relatively new interventions. 2/
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@BrentAWilliams2
Exactly a year ago, I sat through a school board meeting in which multiple docs publicly demanded universal masking of children with NO exceptions whatsoever. And many docs worked quietly behind the scenes to promote restrictions on children. 1/
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@Jusrangers
The
@AmerAcadPeds
Is shamelessly using our children to further their political objectives. This organization’s primary mission is clearly NOT to promote the safety and well-being of children and to protect the interests of our vulnerable young.
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@KevinBardosh
As a society and as individuals, we callously discarded and victimized the poorest and most vulnerable of all in the name of “safety”. 2/2
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@PhilHollowayEsq
1) Randi Weingarten - it was never about protecting kids or even teachers. She leveraged the pandemic to increase her personal influence and that of her union at the expense of our kids. I am hopeful that her overreach may have undermined her position long-term.
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@wesyang
There is really no med or intervention (including bariatric surgery) that will result in sustained weight loss unless individuals also commit to significant lifestyle changes, including diet and exercise. I am frequently asked for meds to use in the short term - “to get started”…
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@KevinBardosh
Early in the pandemic, I recall seeing heart wrenching photos of migrant workers in India who - along with their families - were unceremoniously displaced from their jobs. They were sprayed with “disinfectant” as they made the hot dangerous trek to their villages 1/
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@TheBlackLayers
@TaylorLorenz
In the United States, one does not need any of these not just to survive but to attain a quality of life substantially higher than that of most people around the world.
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@statomattic
@ashishkjha
Previously, I would read articles such as this one and I would develop a deep anxiety that forced masking would continue in schools and other public places. Now I realize that most Americans have moved on and these articles are written by grifters striving for relevancy.
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@rwidome
We must stop seeing ourselves as nothing more than vectors of infection. Our emotional, physical, and spiritual connection to people, participation in society, and contribution to the economic engine that keeps our communities functioning is vital.
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@educator4ever88
Many hospital systems do these “phishing tests” with doctors and staff. It is really not meant to be insulting. A cyberattack related to an employee being fooled into clicking on a phishing email can be disastrous for the organization.
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@KristinCollie20
@UMichMedAdmiss
I sincerely appreciate you demonstrating tolerance and grace to these young doctors that they - in trying to cancel your speech - did not extend to you. Hopefully they will learn from this experience and it will make them better doctors to their patients.
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@olsonplanner
If one starts a restaurant or a company and puts their heart and soul, their time, and their money into the business, there is no guarantee of profit/success unless the public values that business enough to pay a premium for the product. Likewise, doctors should not assume they…
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@sloeginpsyop
I have not had a patient with COVID pneumonia since Dec 2021. A steady stream of outpatients with positive COVID tests in the last few months but most of them are minimally symptomatic and comment that - in previous years - they would not even have called me for their symptoms.
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@Hold2LLC
@KelleyKga
A NEJM article published early in the pandemic correctly described the wearing of masks in many situations as “talismanic”. Doctors enthusiastically volunteered to become the high priests of this new religion, imbuing masking with a facade of “Scientism” and morality.
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@DACDAC4DAC
There are very few things that bother me more than observing workers in healthcare facilities use the same unwashed hands that have touched every filthy surface of said facility to don, doff, and continuously readjust their face coverings.
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@walidgellad
On multiple occasions, I have had to discontinue a med or intervention I had previously recommended based on new scientific understanding (e.g. HRT). My patients understood because they trusted that docs were acting in good faith. I am concerned that is no longer the case.
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@BrentAWilliams2
Desperate parents begged their pediatricians for exemptions from face coverings because they saw their children suffering physically and emotionally. And - almost universally - they were coldly denied. 4/
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In preventive care, we have known for decades that there is no population-wide intervention that comes without cost. By keeping schools closed, we have further victimized the most vulnerable among us. We each have a role in correcting this grievous wrong.
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@LisaWeaver98
@BrooketheOstomy
My awesome classmates helped me out and agreed to reschedule the exam. So I was able to show up for my wedding! But it is hard not to be angry and resentful at the course director who put me through additional anxiety and stress during a time that was already challenging.
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@JayGordonMDFAAP
The impact of drastic and damaging measures aggressively promoted by many doctors and public health officials was minimal in terms of mitigating COVID morbidity and mortality. At some point, these doctors must stop deluding themselves in regard to the harm they unleashed on…
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@yourheartdoc1
I do not see this as being a problem. The role of ACC president requires executive leadership training and skills. While physicians are the de facto heads of most clinical care teams, most of us do not have the training and temperament to be organizational leaders. Individuals…
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@VPrasadMDMPH
And I absolutely despise the use of the intentionally derogatory term “anti-vaxxer” 3/3
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Unfortunately, “herd thinking” was not a phenomenon seen only in political leaders. Leaders in medicine and healthcare displayed the same lack of true scientific curiosity. All to the detriment of individual and public health.
A shocking realization during the pandemic is the lack of political leaders capable of independent thinking with information from multiple sources. They talk and follow each other. Herd thinking at the highest level. That is dangerous.
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@drlucymcbride
@nytopinion
It is February, 2023 - almost 3 years after the ineffective community mask mandates were rolled out. And physicians are still chiding other docs in private online forums for suggesting that we are undermining our own credibility by continuing to champion this useless intervention
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@Neoavatara
@elonmusk
Our public discourse is controlled and manipulated by people with wealth, privilege, and connections who cravenly hide their wealth, privilege, and connections while victimizing people without wealth, privilege, or connections. This is disgraceful and un-American.
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@AmerAcadPeds
@US_FDA
In population health, we often use the metric Number Needed to Treat in order to determine the cost/benefit of an intervention. Would you mind sharing the NNT for the booster for ages 5-11 and 12-17 ? How many doses are needed to prevent one hospitalization or severe illness?
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@BrentAWilliams2
@AmerAcadPeds
My faith in my academic colleagues and in the doctors I trusted to care for my precious children has been irrevocably shaken. But this experience has also created in me and in other parents a new commitment to activism in the interest of protecting our kids. 6/6
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@KelleyKga
There are already so many parents who (understandably) are concerned about the manner in which the SCoV vaccines have been rolled out. Adding these vaccines to routine schedules will be devastating for overall uptake of all vaccines.
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@TheEliKlein
Students in Pittsburgh Public Schools are the only students in Allegheny County who are required to mask. In addition, PPS continues to betray its students by stubbornly clinging to school closure, remote learning, and quarantine guidelines that keep kids out of school.
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@AlbertBourla
It seems unlikely that you have COVID and are completely symptom free. You likely have persistent nasal carriage of SCoV2 from your infection last month. This is a well-known phenomenon. It is why we generally do not recommend repeat testing of patients who have recovered.
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@Jusrangers
The modelers who created these charts based on no actual data, should be ashamed of themselves for the devastating impact that they had on children. I hear no apologies, coming from them, however.
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@BrentAWilliams2
It was never because of the masks. It was astounding that so many docs believed this. Low rates of international travel and people not in school and at work probably contributed.
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@mominbayarea
In winter 2020/21, my office staff and I fought hard to ensure that our vulnerable elderly patients had expedited access to the SCoV2 vaccines. And my patient outcomes were better as a result. The mandates for people at lower risk has palpably decreased our credibility as doctors
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@BrentAWilliams2
And how much of that mortality in March, 2020 was iatrogenic? Caused by early and aggressive intubation/ventilation and avoidance of steroids?
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@poppanalytics
@anish_koka
accept a medical intervention even though the absolute benefit to them is low. This was poor use of medical resources and it most definitely undermined trust in medical institutions as people feel they have been misled by the cynical denigration of natural immunity. 2/2
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@Saikmedi
People have no idea how close to capacity healthcare was running even prior to the pandemic. It was inevitable that the smallest of disruptions would have a massive effect. How could we not have worked on hospital and healthcare capacity over two years?
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@SecCardona
are rooted in a desire to promote grievance culture in schoolchildren. And also a cynical ploy to undermine the authority of teachers and administrators. After all, if a student can make a teacher publicly apologize and submit to correction for a minor and probably unintentional…
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@shvetaraju
@TheEliKlein
I am not at all shocked. Docs have conducted themselves poorly throughout the pandemic, to the detriment of our entire profession. I am all for respectful disagreement and debate, but the vicious manner in which docs have treated colleagues, patients, and the public is despicable
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