Social Death By Covid
CW: significant isolation, abandonment & health issues; ableism; eugenics; abuse; suicidal ideation; death

https://healthselfdefense.substack.com/p/social-death-by-covid

Transcript of Jen’s post

I haven’t had a hug since getting diagnosed with MS & it’s been well over a year since the last time I hung out with a friend in person. I have a much easier time talking about physically dying than talking about the social death I’ve undergone the past few years which is actually why I think it’s so important to talk about.

“Social death” is a concept that’s used to describe the severe isolation of individuals & groups where they’re seen as “not fully human”, “not fully alive”, or “as good as dead” by society at large. Loss of meaningful social roles, loss of social connectedness, and physical/bodily losses tend to be seen as the main components of social death in sociology.

With how common it is for people to say things like “just stay home if you’re that high risk, you can’t expect society to change for you”, it’s no surprise that people who become debilitated by COVID, as well as disabled & particularly high risk people who continue to protect themselves from COVID, are at a high risk for experiencing social death.

Coupled with growing support for medically assisted dying laws & widening eligibility criteria, society’s ideas about whose lives “aren’t worth living” continues to expand in this era of rising eugenics & fascism.

In my own life, it’s easy to see how losses have compounded quickly. My MS symptoms have made me unable to work & significantly limit my capacity for socializing, and as I’ve lost connections & support while continuing to get sicker, my capacity to try to replace them has gotten even smaller, which is further complicated by the fact that the vast majority of community spaces are inaccessible for a multitude of reasons.

It’s a vicious cycle that’s extremely difficult to see a way out of, so I usually try to not think about it too much big emotional upsets & dysregulation massively flare my symptoms and take a frustratingly long time to recover from, and I’ve never felt as much despair & hopelessness as I do about how isolated I’ve become these days.

Every so often I’ll have a breakdown & think “I cannot do this for another month, 3 months, 6 months. Humans are not built to be so isolated, I cannot keep doing this.” But then I do, and the days turn into weeks & weeks turn into months & I keep going.

I’m one of the very privileged & lucky ones particularly since I have stable housing, the ability to participate in stuff online sometimes, and a very minor social media platform so it feels selfish to not keep fighting for us as much as I can. My survivor’s guilt runs deep & is continually reinforced by the ongoing losses in our online spaces.

I have a hard time talking about how isolated I am for a few reasons. For one, the last thing I want is pity or for strangers to offer to give me a hug. I’m autistic & hugging strangers has always been a level of purgatory for me, so I’m not particularly interested in visiting it at this time.

Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, I also worry about my vulnerability being taken advantage of. Alongside the losses & growing isolation the past few years, I’ve been on the receiving end of offers of support that were either inauthentic or had ulterior motives and created even more upheaval & challenges in my life, so it’s hard to not be fearful of that happening again.

Then there’s the feelings of shame, embarrassment, and fear of being judged that are tough to overcome. I’ve been trying to write a post about this for over a year now, and when I first started, I felt so compelled to prove & justify that I used to have deep & longstanding friendships, that I used to be very involved in communities, and that I’m not some awful person who deserves to be isolated & abandoned.

There are relationships I’ve chosen to walk away from because of ableism & abuse, so it’s challenging to not internalize the idea that I ought to just “tough it out” & “get over it” so that I’m not alone, or that I put myself in this position by refusing to accept “care” & “connection” laced with mistreatment.

I think a lot about how in the early days of AIDS activism, activism by and for people with AIDS which was distinct from activism on behalf of the gay community as a whole started as a way of resisting social death. I know that I’m far from the only one experiencing social death from COVID, so I often wonder about how the future of COVID activism could expand to resist our isolation & social deaths while also addressing the material realities of those who are very sick & isolated in non-exploitative ways.

Although I don’t have the answers since there will obviously be many & they need to be created collectively I feel like it’s an important question to sit with.

Shame thrives & grows when it’s hidden away in the shadows, so if nothing else, I hope that opening up about this a bit more can serve as a reminder for anyone else experiencing social death that we don’t actually deserve this.

It’s so fucking hard, and I promise that you aren’t alone in seriously struggling through it. Although I can’t honestly say “it’ll get better”, I have to believe that it’s possible somehow.

#MaskUp #WearAMask #CovidRealist #CovidIsAirbone #LongCovid #YallMasking #DisabledLiberation #DisabilityJustice

Ask yourself. . . Even if you stopped masking, you can always decide to start masking again! Would you rather live in ignorance and denial, or in reality? Are you willing to sacrifice your long-term health, and the health and lives of others, just to eat indoors at restaurants? What is holding you back from wearing a mask on the bus, at work, at the grocery store, to the doctor’s, or to a friend’s house? How can you unlearn internalized ableism? How does the way we allow covid to spread and mutate unmitigated in the U.S. Impact people in the global south? In places like Palestine, where disease is used as a tool of genocidal empires? What does it look like to truly make queer / black / trans / disabled liberation a central motivating force in your daily life?

https://maskupactup.substack.com/p/why-you-should-still-wear-a-mask

COVID MITHS
“MYTH #1: “No one is masking anymore”

People are still masking! A 2023 poll found 21% of Americans still mask most or all of the time, and 48% are continuing to mask in public on at least some occasions.

If you are thinking: “well, I don’t see anyone masking!”, remember that those with COVID cautious practices often visit public spaces at calculated times in order to avoid crowds. For example, individuals might avoid peak busy hours at the grocery by going right when it opens, or they might not be going to stores altogether due to the high risk nature if they have pre-existing health conditions.

Wearing a medical-grade mask (i.e. KN 95) continues to provide substantial protection, even if those around you are unmasked. Spaces without mandated indoor masking put everyone at risk, but particularly folks who are at higher risk.

MYTH #2: “COVID deaths and cases are low”

In 2020, people were very accurately criticizing Trump for saying, "If we stop testing right now, we'd have very few cases". So, unsurprisingly, the dismantling of public testing infrastructure under Biden and the shift to at-home rapid testing has resulted in a significant undercounting and underreporting of positive COVID cases and related deaths (including those from Long Covid complications).

While mainstream media has reported on the latest surge (Summer 2023), they aren't typically a reliable source and there have been multiple surges that they haven’t reported on. Testing COVID levels in wastewater is now the best remaining measure for assessing COVID risk, and it continues to show high levels of the virus are widespread. Staying informed about wastewater data outside of media coverage is one of the best ways to prepare for surges.

MYTH #3: “Only the elderly and immunocompromised are affected by COVID / I’ve already gotten COVID and I was fine”

Firstly, even if this was true our elderly, high-risk, disabled community members are not disposable– their lives are worth protecting and claiming otherwise is a eugenicist stance. It is a myth perpetuated by capitalism which would have us believe a person’s worth and relatedly their expendability is predicated on their ability to engage in labor. People currently in excellent health or younger in age are closer to being disabled or high-risk than we have been told to believe.
Secondly, anyone who has had COVID should consider themselves immunocompromised. Fighting off COVID does not strengthen our immune response, because COVID attacks the immune system and impacts its ability to fight off future infections. Our immune systems are weakened every time we are infected.
The truth is that many who have died or been disabled by (long) COVID had no previous health concerns. You may be at low risk before your first infection, but repeated re-infection exponentially increases the risk of damage to your body. COVID complications include serious harm to the functioning of every organ, including the heart, brain, and GI system.
MYTH #4: “I’m vaccinated plus COVID is milder now, so I’m safe!”

Officials claiming that we are completely COVID safe with a vaccine-only strategy displays a total lack of understanding of how the vaccine works and the conditions under which vaccine efficacies were initially determined. The high efficacies pharmaceutical companies were initially claiming were determined when there were several public health measures in place, including masking, limited occupancy, and other restrictions on indoor gatherings. COVID strains keep evolving and changing, and vaccines become less effective as new variants emerge. Newer COVID strains are just as severe as older variants. Even if a newer strain is considered less deadly, it can be more transmissible which can ultimately lead to more deaths overall.

Vaccines also do not prevent you from getting sick or spreading COVID: they reduce your chances of ending up dead or in the hospital. We must continue to employ other methods of protection to keep ourselves and our communities safe. The newer COVID strains may appear to be milder because fewer people are dying compared to the start of the pandemic, but this can be attributed to the sheer number of people with comorbidities that lost their lives during the early COVID waves. Fewer people are dying presently because so many of our most at-risk members of society have already died from COVID. Our government has subsequently abandoned remaining at-risk individuals, who have been forced to take their safety into their own hands as the world prematurely “moves on” from the ongoing pandemic.

MYTH #5: “We have reached herd immunity / Everyone is going to get COVID eventually”

You have likely heard the phrase, “We just need to reach herd immunity and things can go back to normal.” For the first two years of the pandemic, it seemed that reaching herd immunity was the objective. The problem, however, was herd immunity was never going to be possible with the nature of this virus. Unlike polio or measles, SARS-CoV-2 turned out to be more reactive to selective pressure which meant that the high levels of infection ironically served to give rise to many more variants that were even better at evading immune response.

A virus is under constant pressure to mutate to evade immune detection, but it doesn't do it in a vacuum, it needs a host. Once in a host, the virus will replicate until it is neutralized by the immune system. The longer it can reproduce unchecked, the higher the chances of it acquiring mutations. If any of those mutations, or combination of mutations is advantageous to the virus, then that mutant will end up in circulation. That's IF we continue to serve as hosts, something we can try to prevent by masking. And if we do get infected, we can at least try to stop that chain of transmission with us by isolating while sick (if possible), testing frequently, and, yes, masking.

The reason why we have so many COVID variants is because we have allowed for the virus to spread rampantly because our government repealed mask mandates, dismantled COVID testing infrastructure, and repealed all other protective measures early on. We do not have to give in to the defeatist stance that COVID will eventually infect every person on the planet. We can keep our communities safe by maintaining COVID practices. Wearing a mask, testing regularly, and staying informed can help save lives.” People’s Health Education Program

“The cold truth of the matter is that the motive behind COVID minimization is greed and social control. (…) Solving the pandemic was never in the cards for the capitalist world. Instead, the explicit goal of the ruling class has been to make the pandemic simply disappear from public perception.” Let Them Eat Plague! http://clarion.unity-struggle-unity.org/

#MaskUp #WearAMask #CovidRealist #CovidIsAirbone #LongCovid #YallMasking #DisabledLiberation #DisabilityJustice

.

DISABILITY, GENDER, RACE & QUEERNESS: OUR LIBERATION IS CONNECTED Consider... Who has the privilege of working from home? Who can afford tools such as masks and rapid tests? Who can afford to take time off from work? Who is more likely to be believed and given proper treatment by medical providers? Who is more likely to live or work in high-risk, crowded environments? In a Nov. 2023 poll, 72% of Black respondents said they were taking COVID precautions (avoiding large gatherings, travel, or indoor dining; masking in crowded places; taking a COVID test), while only 39% of white respondents said they were taking any of these same precautions. Data also shows that “white people feared COVID less after learning other races were hit hardest.”

Bisexual, trans, disabled, Black and Hispanic adults are the groups experiencing the highest rates of Long COVID. Women are significantly more likely than men to experience Long COVID. And infants (<1 yr) often have the highest COVID ICU rates among all age groups. ALL of us suffer because our healthcare system has abandoned masking/protecting its patients altogether. The government has shown its disregard for queer lives during the (ongoing) AIDS epidemic, and history is repeating itself. Queer, trans, Black, disabled lives are lives worth living and worth protecting! Mask up! Tldr: public health is a collective responsibility. Wearing a mask is an act of community care & resistance against the fascist forces of eugenics, ableism, racism, misogyny, homophobia, biphobia & transphobia.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT It’s okay if reading this information makes you feel scared, angry, confused, or defensive. It can be difficult to examine our complicity, and we have all been subjected to constant messages aimed to convince us that “COVID is over,” that we should simply resume our “normal” lives of unrestrained consumption. Remind yourself: each new day is an opportunity to make new, better-informed decisions. EVEN IF YOU STOPPED MASKING, YOU CAN ALWAYS DECIDE TO START MASKING AGAIN!

Ask yourself. . . Even if you stopped masking, you can always decide to start masking again! Would you rather live in ignorance and denial, or in reality? Are you willing to sacrifice your long-term health, and the health and lives of others, just to eat indoors at restaurants? What is holding you back from wearing a mask on the bus, at work, at the grocery store, to the doctor’s, or to a friend’s house? How can you unlearn internalized ableism? How does the way we allow covid to spread and mutate unmitigated in the U.S. Impact people in the global south? In places like Palestine, where disease is used as a tool of genocidal empires? What does it look like to truly make queer / black / trans / disabled liberation a central motivating force in your daily life?

“The mass unmasking wave has caused irreparable harm, and we cannot allow that to continue.
How can we say we prioritize community care if that care doesn’t include the health and safety of vulnerable communities? How do we intend to wage war on capitalist elites if we all grow weak and fatigued from never-ending re-infections?

The eleventh and final principle type of liberalism Mao Tse-tung concluded was “To be aware of one's own mistakes and yet make no attempt to correct them, taking a liberal attitude towards oneself.” To allow liberalism to win is easy. It demands no accountability for the ways those have rejected fact and reason. Yet there are people in your lives who have never stopped following safety guidelines, wearing a mask, and protecting their health and your health.

We want to see you alive in 30 years. We want to see you persist in the struggle. We want to see you resist the nihilistic acceptance of illness, death and constant grief as the standard of life. We can only live on to fight another day if we’re able to protect the health and safety of oppressed people everywhere.

Combating liberalism can look like taking a breath and recognizing the ways you’ve allowed state-sanctioned violence to pervade into your communities. The people will thank you, even if they don’t all understand just yet. Solidarity with community can start with putting on a mask in the presence of your loved ones and guide them as to why you have started to care again. And with that first step, we will welcome you back without shame, fold you in, if you’ll have us.” People’s Health Education Program

https://maskupactup.substack.com/p/why-you-should-still-wear-a-mask

“The cold truth of the matter is that the motive behind COVID minimization is greed and social control. (…) Solving the pandemic was never in the cards for the capitalist world. Instead, the explicit goal of the ruling class has been to make the pandemic simply disappear from public perception.” Let Them Eat Plague! http://clarion.unity-struggle-unity.org/

#MaskUp #WearAMask #CovidRealist #CovidIsAirbone #LongCovid #YallMasking #DisabledLiberation #DisabilityJustice

.

WHY YOU SHOULD STILL WEAR A MASK: a comprehensive guide to (Long) COVID, masking, disability justice, and more!

https://maskupactup.substack.com/p/why-you-should-still-wear-a-mask

Author of this fanzine:
https://linktr.ee/act_up_mask_up

WHY YOU SHOULD STILL WEAR A MASK pamphlet - Google Drive
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1naJYShqXRTnRr5DP_HfeqOsU8g4LA1c5

DISABILITY, GENDER, RACE & QUEERNESS: OUR LIBERATION IS CONNECTED Consider... Who has the privilege of working from home? Who can afford tools such as masks and rapid tests? Who can afford to take time off from work? Who is more likely to be believed and given proper treatment by medical providers? Who is more likely to live or work in high-risk, crowded environments? In a Nov. 2023 poll, 72% of Black respondents said they were taking COVID precautions (avoiding large gatherings, travel, or indoor dining; masking in crowded places; taking a COVID test), while only 39% of white respondents said they were taking any of these same precautions. Data also shows that “white people feared COVID less after learning other races were hit hardest.”

Bisexual, trans, disabled, Black and Hispanic adults are the groups experiencing the highest rates of Long COVID. Women are significantly more likely than men to experience Long COVID. And infants (<1 yr) often have the highest COVID ICU rates among all age groups. ALL of us suffer because our healthcare system has abandoned masking/protecting its patients altogether. The government has shown its disregard for queer lives during the (ongoing) AIDS epidemic, and history is repeating itself. Queer, trans, Black, disabled lives are lives worth living and worth protecting! Mask up! Tldr: public health is a collective responsibility. Wearing a mask is an act of community care & resistance against the fascist forces of eugenics, ableism, racism, misogyny, homophobia, biphobia & transphobia.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT It’s okay if reading this information makes you feel scared, angry, confused, or defensive. It can be difficult to examine our complicity, and we have all been subjected to constant messages aimed to convince us that “COVID is over,” that we should simply resume our “normal” lives of unrestrained consumption. Remind yourself: each new day is an opportunity to make new, better-informed decisions. EVEN IF YOU STOPPED MASKING, YOU CAN ALWAYS DECIDE TO START MASKING AGAIN!

Ask yourself. . . Even if you stopped masking, you can always decide to start masking again! Would you rather live in ignorance and denial, or in reality? Are you willing to sacrifice your long-term health, and the health and lives of others, just to eat indoors at restaurants? What is holding you back from wearing a mask on the bus, at work, at the grocery store, to the doctor’s, or to a friend’s house? How can you unlearn internalized ableism? How does the way we allow covid to spread and mutate unmitigated in the U.S. Impact people in the global south? In places like Palestine, where disease is used as a tool of genocidal empires? What does it look like to truly make queer / black / trans / disabled liberation a central motivating force in your daily life?

QUICK FACTS: [ 1 ] WE ARE STILL IN A PANDEMIC. COVID IS THE FOURTH LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN THE US. Over 3.3 million US COVID cases have been reported in 2024, leading to 280,000+ hospitalizations and 30,000+ deaths. The Economist cites US excess deaths so far in 2024 as closer to 100,000, noting that “COVID-19 has led to the deaths of far more people than official statistics suggest,” especially given that many official tracking and testing measures have been silently shut down.
[ 2 ] COVID = AIRBORNE, VASCULAR DISEASE THAT CAUSES LONG COVID. COVID can spread outdoors — it travels and lingers in the air like cigarette smoke. And, even a "mild" COVID infection can cause lasting brain, lung, heart, and/or immune damage. Associated post-infection symptoms (e.g., fatigue, brain fog, difficulty breathing) are labeled “Long COVID.” Each COVID infection brings a 10-20% chance of developing Long COVID, and this risk increases with every new infection. In the US, over 17 million adults and nearly 6 million children have been disabled by Long COVID. There is no known, safe, universal cure or treatment for Long COVID.
[ 3 ] RESPIRATORS (MASKS) WORK. Vaccines are a necessary, useful tool (we should all stay up-to-date with Flu and COVID boosters!) but we do not yet have a sterilizing COVID vaccine. Widespread masking is one of the BEST tools we have to prevent the spread of airborne diseases like COVID. KN95 & N95 masks are >95% effective at filtering out viruses & small particles like dust & allergens. Cloth or surgical masks are significantly less effective, but still better than wearing no mask at all, if you don’t have access to more protective options.

BEST MASKING PRACTICES
NEITHER VACCINES NOR PREVIOUS COVID INFECTIONS GIVE 100% IMMUNITY. VACCINES ARE ONE LAYER OF PROTECTION. AND, IN FACT, PREVIOUS COVID INFECTIONS CAN WEAKEN YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM, MAKING YOU MORE VULNERABLE TO ADDITIONAL INFECTIONS! WEARING A MASK ISN’T A GUARANTEE YOU WON’T GET SICK, BUT IT IS AN IMPORTANT TOOL TO HELP PROTECT YOURSELF AND OTHERS.

[ 1 ] CHOOSE A HIGH-QUALITY RESPIRATOR (KN95, N95, ETC.) Cloth & surgical masks are not nearly as protective as respirators. Try to find a “NIOSH-approved” respirator.

[ 2 ] FIND A STYLE THAT FITS YOU Unfortunately, many masks have been designed and tested assuming a white male adult user. Some respirators’ head straps may be challenging to use if you have curly or thick hair, if you wear your hair in locs, braids, or an Afro, if you wear a hijab, etc. A well- fitting mask covers your nose & mouth, & should have NO gaps for air to escape on the sides, top or bottom. Test a few different styles of masks until you find one that seals well on your face and feels comfortable!

[ 3 ] WEAR IT! A mask is only effective if you wear it — anytime you are in public or around other people. Keep the mask ON while you speak, cough, and sneeze. Make it a habit to grab your mask every time you leave home.

https://maskupactup.substack.com/p/why-you-should-still-wear-a-mask

Relationship between the management of the COVID pandemic and eugenics

Let's first define eugenics:

It is an ideology that seeks to "improve" the hereditary traits of the human species. It was proposed in 1883 by Francis Galton and, under racist, classist, and ableist logic, seeks to increase the number of supposedly strong, healthy, intelligent, and white people (*hint: no oppressed person can fall into this category, among other reasons because capitalism disables you).

Although eugenics already had antecedents dating back to Ancient Greece, the first theoretical definitions took place in England in the 19th century, driven by nationalism and scientific racism, based on Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection. The movement gained popularity in scientific circles, especially at the beginning of the 20th century with the participation of Darwin's descendants, who by 1912 spoke of eugenics as a "primary duty."

By this time, practices such as the forced sterilization of chronically ill people, the disabled, and those categorized as criminals, among others, were already being carried out. This practice quickly spread to racialized and oppressed groups.

Within systems of oppression, forced sterilizations have been and continue to be carried out on Indigenous, racialized, intersex, communist and anarchist populations, and people with disabilities.

Eugenics continues to be present in many aspects of our lives, and we see it in ableism, sanity, genetic engineering, the health industry, and the idea that some people are "disposable."

Why do we talk about eugenics when we talk about COVID denialism?
Since the pandemic began, and we began to have more information about the virus, it has been constantly repeated that it only affects the "vulnerable" population. This discourse seeks to divide the oppressed in an attempt to spread anti-solidarity and justify the state's negligence in dealing with infections. If we believe that some people are "biologically weak," and we also add continuous misinformation about COVID and how it spreads, it creates a breeding ground for the belief that infections are inevitable and that "we will all end up with COVID."

Since before the pandemic, the individualization of care that should be collective has been spreading, along with the normalization of the deaths of disabled and chronically ill people, and COVID was no exception.

A hierarchy was established that excluded sick, disabled, or older people, and, in general, people aware of the risks, from public spaces. This population became “collateral damage” so that others could “return to normal,” and many of them have had to adopt completely isolated lives in order to survive.

Many of today's social struggles claim to want liberation for all oppressed people, while continuing to ignore disabled/immunocompromised people and the need to continue taking precautionary measures against COVID. Pandemics, genocides, wars, and all types of oppression lead to the disabling of their victims.

“The solution cannot be that everyone has to get COVID. That is eugenics because many disabled high risk people will die and those who do not die will have serious complications and lifelong impacts to their health and wellbeing via COVID and the possibility of long COVID. Do not buy into this eugenic thinking that expects the most vulnerable to be sacrificed. Long Covid is real and it can happen to anyone”. You Are Not Entitled To Our Deaths: COVID, Abled Supremacy & Interdependence | Leaving Evidence

#MaskUp #WearAMask #CovidRealist #CovidIsAirbone #LongCovid #YallMasking #DisabledLiberation #DisabilityJustice

.

WHY YOU SHOULD STILL WEAR A MASK: a comprehensive guide to (Long) COVID, masking, disability justice, and more!

https://maskupactup.substack.com/p/why-you-should-still-wear-a-mask

Author of this fanzine:
https://linktr.ee/act_up_mask_up

WHY YOU SHOULD STILL WEAR A MASK pamphlet - Google Drive
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1naJYShqXRTnRr5DP_HfeqOsU8g4LA1c5

DISABILITY, GENDER, RACE & QUEERNESS: OUR LIBERATION IS CONNECTED Consider... Who has the privilege of working from home? Who can afford tools such as masks and rapid tests? Who can afford to take time off from work? Who is more likely to be believed and given proper treatment by medical providers? Who is more likely to live or work in high-risk, crowded environments? In a Nov. 2023 poll, 72% of Black respondents said they were taking COVID precautions (avoiding large gatherings, travel, or indoor dining; masking in crowded places; taking a COVID test), while only 39% of white respondents said they were taking any of these same precautions. Data also shows that “white people feared COVID less after learning other races were hit hardest.”

Bisexual, trans, disabled, Black and Hispanic adults are the groups experiencing the highest rates of Long COVID. Women are significantly more likely than men to experience Long COVID. And infants (<1 yr) often have the highest COVID ICU rates among all age groups. ALL of us suffer because our healthcare system has abandoned masking/protecting its patients altogether. The government has shown its disregard for queer lives during the (ongoing) AIDS epidemic, and history is repeating itself. Queer, trans, Black, disabled lives are lives worth living and worth protecting! Mask up! Tldr: public health is a collective responsibility. Wearing a mask is an act of community care & resistance against the fascist forces of eugenics, ableism, racism, misogyny, homophobia, biphobia & transphobia.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT It’s okay if reading this information makes you feel scared, angry, confused, or defensive. It can be difficult to examine our complicity, and we have all been subjected to constant messages aimed to convince us that “COVID is over,” that we should simply resume our “normal” lives of unrestrained consumption. Remind yourself: each new day is an opportunity to make new, better-informed decisions. EVEN IF YOU STOPPED MASKING, YOU CAN ALWAYS DECIDE TO START MASKING AGAIN!

Ask yourself. . . Even if you stopped masking, you can always decide to start masking again! Would you rather live in ignorance and denial, or in reality? Are you willing to sacrifice your long-term health, and the health and lives of others, just to eat indoors at restaurants? What is holding you back from wearing a mask on the bus, at work, at the grocery store, to the doctor’s, or to a friend’s house? How can you unlearn internalized ableism? How does the way we allow covid to spread and mutate unmitigated in the U.S. Impact people in the global south? In places like Palestine, where disease is used as a tool of genocidal empires? What does it look like to truly make queer / black / trans / disabled liberation a central motivating force in your daily life?

QUICK FACTS: [ 1 ] WE ARE STILL IN A PANDEMIC. COVID IS THE FOURTH LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN THE US. Over 3.3 million US COVID cases have been reported in 2024, leading to 280,000+ hospitalizations and 30,000+ deaths. The Economist cites US excess deaths so far in 2024 as closer to 100,000, noting that “COVID-19 has led to the deaths of far more people than official statistics suggest,” especially given that many official tracking and testing measures have been silently shut down.
[ 2 ] COVID = AIRBORNE, VASCULAR DISEASE THAT CAUSES LONG COVID. COVID can spread outdoors — it travels and lingers in the air like cigarette smoke. And, even a "mild" COVID infection can cause lasting brain, lung, heart, and/or immune damage. Associated post-infection symptoms (e.g., fatigue, brain fog, difficulty breathing) are labeled “Long COVID.” Each COVID infection brings a 10-20% chance of developing Long COVID, and this risk increases with every new infection. In the US, over 17 million adults and nearly 6 million children have been disabled by Long COVID. There is no known, safe, universal cure or treatment for Long COVID.
[ 3 ] RESPIRATORS (MASKS) WORK. Vaccines are a necessary, useful tool (we should all stay up-to-date with Flu and COVID boosters!) but we do not yet have a sterilizing COVID vaccine. Widespread masking is one of the BEST tools we have to prevent the spread of airborne diseases like COVID. KN95 & N95 masks are >95% effective at filtering out viruses & small particles like dust & allergens. Cloth or surgical masks are significantly less effective, but still better than wearing no mask at all, if you don’t have access to more protective options.

BEST MASKING PRACTICES
NEITHER VACCINES NOR PREVIOUS COVID INFECTIONS GIVE 100% IMMUNITY. VACCINES ARE ONE LAYER OF PROTECTION. AND, IN FACT, PREVIOUS COVID INFECTIONS CAN WEAKEN YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM, MAKING YOU MORE VULNERABLE TO ADDITIONAL INFECTIONS! WEARING A MASK ISN’T A GUARANTEE YOU WON’T GET SICK, BUT IT IS AN IMPORTANT TOOL TO HELP PROTECT YOURSELF AND OTHERS.

[ 1 ] CHOOSE A HIGH-QUALITY RESPIRATOR (KN95, N95, ETC.) Cloth & surgical masks are not nearly as protective as respirators. Try to find a “NIOSH-approved” respirator.

[ 2 ] FIND A STYLE THAT FITS YOU Unfortunately, many masks have been designed and tested assuming a white male adult user. Some respirators’ head straps may be challenging to use if you have curly or thick hair, if you wear your hair in locs, braids, or an Afro, if you wear a hijab, etc. A well- fitting mask covers your nose & mouth, & should have NO gaps for air to escape on the sides, top or bottom. Test a few different styles of masks until you find one that seals well on your face and feels comfortable!

[ 3 ] WEAR IT! A mask is only effective if you wear it — anytime you are in public or around other people. Keep the mask ON while you speak, cough, and sneeze. Make it a habit to grab your mask every time you leave home.

https://maskupactup.substack.com/p/why-you-should-still-wear-a-mask

Relationship between the management of the COVID pandemic and eugenics

Let's first define eugenics:

It is an ideology that seeks to "improve" the hereditary traits of the human species. It was proposed in 1883 by Francis Galton and, under racist, classist, and ableist logic, seeks to increase the number of supposedly strong, healthy, intelligent, and white people (*hint: no oppressed person can fall into this category, among other reasons because capitalism disables you).

Although eugenics already had antecedents dating back to Ancient Greece, the first theoretical definitions took place in England in the 19th century, driven by nationalism and scientific racism, based on Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection. The movement gained popularity in scientific circles, especially at the beginning of the 20th century with the participation of Darwin's descendants, who by 1912 spoke of eugenics as a "primary duty."

By this time, practices such as the forced sterilization of chronically ill people, the disabled, and those categorized as criminals, among others, were already being carried out. This practice quickly spread to racialized and oppressed groups.

Within systems of oppression, forced sterilizations have been and continue to be carried out on Indigenous, racialized, intersex, communist and anarchist populations, and people with disabilities.

Eugenics continues to be present in many aspects of our lives, and we see it in ableism, sanity, genetic engineering, the health industry, and the idea that some people are "disposable."

Why do we talk about eugenics when we talk about COVID denialism?
Since the pandemic began, and we began to have more information about the virus, it has been constantly repeated that it only affects the "vulnerable" population. This discourse seeks to divide the oppressed in an attempt to spread anti-solidarity and justify the state's negligence in dealing with infections. If we believe that some people are "biologically weak," and we also add continuous misinformation about COVID and how it spreads, it creates a breeding ground for the belief that infections are inevitable and that "we will all end up with COVID."

Since before the pandemic, the individualization of care that should be collective has been spreading, along with the normalization of the deaths of disabled and chronically ill people, and COVID was no exception.

A hierarchy was established that excluded sick, disabled, or older people, and, in general, people aware of the risks, from public spaces. This population became “collateral damage” so that others could “return to normal,” and many of them have had to adopt completely isolated lives in order to survive.

Many of today's social struggles claim to want liberation for all oppressed people, while continuing to ignore disabled/immunocompromised people and the need to continue taking precautionary measures against COVID. Pandemics, genocides, wars, and all types of oppression lead to the disabling of their victims.

“The solution cannot be that everyone has to get COVID. That is eugenics because many disabled high risk people will die and those who do not die will have serious complications and lifelong impacts to their health and wellbeing via COVID and the possibility of long COVID. Do not buy into this eugenic thinking that expects the most vulnerable to be sacrificed. Long Covid is real and it can happen to anyone”. You Are Not Entitled To Our Deaths: COVID, Abled Supremacy & Interdependence | Leaving Evidence

#MaskUp #WearAMask #CovidRealist #CovidIsAirbone #LongCovid #YallMasking #DisabledLiberation #DisabilityJustice

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DISABILITY, GENDER, RACE & QUEERNESS: OUR LIBERATION IS CONNECTED Consider... Who has the privilege of working from home? Who can afford tools such as masks and rapid tests? Who can afford to take time off from work? Who is more likely to be believed and given proper treatment by medical providers? Who is more likely to live or work in high-risk, crowded environments? In a Nov. 2023 poll, 72% of Black respondents said they were taking COVID precautions (avoiding large gatherings, travel, or indoor dining; masking in crowded places; taking a COVID test), while only 39% of white respondents said they were taking any of these same precautions. Data also shows that “white people feared COVID less after learning other races were hit hardest.”

Bisexual, trans, disabled, Black and Hispanic adults are the groups experiencing the highest rates of Long COVID. Women are significantly more likely than men to experience Long COVID. And infants (<1 yr) often have the highest COVID ICU rates among all age groups. ALL of us suffer because our healthcare system has abandoned masking/protecting its patients altogether. The government has shown its disregard for queer lives during the (ongoing) AIDS epidemic, and history is repeating itself. Queer, trans, Black, disabled lives are lives worth living and worth protecting! Mask up! Tldr: public health is a collective responsibility. Wearing a mask is an act of community care & resistance against the fascist forces of eugenics, ableism, racism, misogyny, homophobia, biphobia & transphobia.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT It’s okay if reading this information makes you feel scared, angry, confused, or defensive. It can be difficult to examine our complicity, and we have all been subjected to constant messages aimed to convince us that “COVID is over,” that we should simply resume our “normal” lives of unrestrained consumption. Remind yourself: each new day is an opportunity to make new, better-informed decisions. EVEN IF YOU STOPPED MASKING, YOU CAN ALWAYS DECIDE TO START MASKING AGAIN!

Ask yourself. . . Even if you stopped masking, you can always decide to start masking again! Would you rather live in ignorance and denial, or in reality? Are you willing to sacrifice your long-term health, and the health and lives of others, just to eat indoors at restaurants? What is holding you back from wearing a mask on the bus, at work, at the grocery store, to the doctor’s, or to a friend’s house? How can you unlearn internalized ableism? How does the way we allow covid to spread and mutate unmitigated in the U.S. Impact people in the global south? In places like Palestine, where disease is used as a tool of genocidal empires? What does it look like to truly make queer / black / trans / disabled liberation a central motivating force in your daily life?

“The mass unmasking wave has caused irreparable harm, and we cannot allow that to continue.
How can we say we prioritize community care if that care doesn’t include the health and safety of vulnerable communities? How do we intend to wage war on capitalist elites if we all grow weak and fatigued from never-ending re-infections?

The eleventh and final principle type of liberalism Mao Tse-tung concluded was “To be aware of one's own mistakes and yet make no attempt to correct them, taking a liberal attitude towards oneself.” To allow liberalism to win is easy. It demands no accountability for the ways those have rejected fact and reason. Yet there are people in your lives who have never stopped following safety guidelines, wearing a mask, and protecting their health and your health.

We want to see you alive in 30 years. We want to see you persist in the struggle. We want to see you resist the nihilistic acceptance of illness, death and constant grief as the standard of life. We can only live on to fight another day if we’re able to protect the health and safety of oppressed people everywhere.

Combating liberalism can look like taking a breath and recognizing the ways you’ve allowed state-sanctioned violence to pervade into your communities. The people will thank you, even if they don’t all understand just yet. Solidarity with community can start with putting on a mask in the presence of your loved ones and guide them as to why you have started to care again. And with that first step, we will welcome you back without shame, fold you in, if you’ll have us.” People’s Health Education Program

https://maskupactup.substack.com/p/why-you-should-still-wear-a-mask

“The cold truth of the matter is that the motive behind COVID minimization is greed and social control. (…) Solving the pandemic was never in the cards for the capitalist world. Instead, the explicit goal of the ruling class has been to make the pandemic simply disappear from public perception.” Let Them Eat Plague! http://clarion.unity-struggle-unity.org/

#MaskUp #WearAMask #CovidRealist #CovidIsAirbone #LongCovid #YallMasking #DisabledLiberation #DisabilityJustice

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Ask yourself. . . Even if you stopped masking, you can always decide to start masking again! Would you rather live in ignorance and denial, or in reality? Are you willing to sacrifice your long-term health, and the health and lives of others, just to eat indoors at restaurants? What is holding you back from wearing a mask on the bus, at work, at the grocery store, to the doctor’s, or to a friend’s house? How can you unlearn internalized ableism? How does the way we allow covid to spread and mutate unmitigated in the U.S. Impact people in the global south? In places like Palestine, where disease is used as a tool of genocidal empires? What does it look like to truly make queer / black / trans / disabled liberation a central motivating force in your daily life?

https://maskupactup.substack.com/p/why-you-should-still-wear-a-mask

COVID MITHS
“MYTH #1: “No one is masking anymore”

People are still masking! A 2023 poll found 21% of Americans still mask most or all of the time, and 48% are continuing to mask in public on at least some occasions.

If you are thinking: “well, I don’t see anyone masking!”, remember that those with COVID cautious practices often visit public spaces at calculated times in order to avoid crowds. For example, individuals might avoid peak busy hours at the grocery by going right when it opens, or they might not be going to stores altogether due to the high risk nature if they have pre-existing health conditions.

Wearing a medical-grade mask (i.e. KN 95) continues to provide substantial protection, even if those around you are unmasked. Spaces without mandated indoor masking put everyone at risk, but particularly folks who are at higher risk.

MYTH #2: “COVID deaths and cases are low”

In 2020, people were very accurately criticizing Trump for saying, "If we stop testing right now, we'd have very few cases". So, unsurprisingly, the dismantling of public testing infrastructure under Biden and the shift to at-home rapid testing has resulted in a significant undercounting and underreporting of positive COVID cases and related deaths (including those from Long Covid complications).

While mainstream media has reported on the latest surge (Summer 2023), they aren't typically a reliable source and there have been multiple surges that they haven’t reported on. Testing COVID levels in wastewater is now the best remaining measure for assessing COVID risk, and it continues to show high levels of the virus are widespread. Staying informed about wastewater data outside of media coverage is one of the best ways to prepare for surges.

MYTH #3: “Only the elderly and immunocompromised are affected by COVID / I’ve already gotten COVID and I was fine”

Firstly, even if this was true our elderly, high-risk, disabled community members are not disposable– their lives are worth protecting and claiming otherwise is a eugenicist stance. It is a myth perpetuated by capitalism which would have us believe a person’s worth and relatedly their expendability is predicated on their ability to engage in labor. People currently in excellent health or younger in age are closer to being disabled or high-risk than we have been told to believe.
Secondly, anyone who has had COVID should consider themselves immunocompromised. Fighting off COVID does not strengthen our immune response, because COVID attacks the immune system and impacts its ability to fight off future infections. Our immune systems are weakened every time we are infected.
The truth is that many who have died or been disabled by (long) COVID had no previous health concerns. You may be at low risk before your first infection, but repeated re-infection exponentially increases the risk of damage to your body. COVID complications include serious harm to the functioning of every organ, including the heart, brain, and GI system.
MYTH #4: “I’m vaccinated plus COVID is milder now, so I’m safe!”

Officials claiming that we are completely COVID safe with a vaccine-only strategy displays a total lack of understanding of how the vaccine works and the conditions under which vaccine efficacies were initially determined. The high efficacies pharmaceutical companies were initially claiming were determined when there were several public health measures in place, including masking, limited occupancy, and other restrictions on indoor gatherings. COVID strains keep evolving and changing, and vaccines become less effective as new variants emerge. Newer COVID strains are just as severe as older variants. Even if a newer strain is considered less deadly, it can be more transmissible which can ultimately lead to more deaths overall.

Vaccines also do not prevent you from getting sick or spreading COVID: they reduce your chances of ending up dead or in the hospital. We must continue to employ other methods of protection to keep ourselves and our communities safe. The newer COVID strains may appear to be milder because fewer people are dying compared to the start of the pandemic, but this can be attributed to the sheer number of people with comorbidities that lost their lives during the early COVID waves. Fewer people are dying presently because so many of our most at-risk members of society have already died from COVID. Our government has subsequently abandoned remaining at-risk individuals, who have been forced to take their safety into their own hands as the world prematurely “moves on” from the ongoing pandemic.

MYTH #5: “We have reached herd immunity / Everyone is going to get COVID eventually”

You have likely heard the phrase, “We just need to reach herd immunity and things can go back to normal.” For the first two years of the pandemic, it seemed that reaching herd immunity was the objective. The problem, however, was herd immunity was never going to be possible with the nature of this virus. Unlike polio or measles, SARS-CoV-2 turned out to be more reactive to selective pressure which meant that the high levels of infection ironically served to give rise to many more variants that were even better at evading immune response.

A virus is under constant pressure to mutate to evade immune detection, but it doesn't do it in a vacuum, it needs a host. Once in a host, the virus will replicate until it is neutralized by the immune system. The longer it can reproduce unchecked, the higher the chances of it acquiring mutations. If any of those mutations, or combination of mutations is advantageous to the virus, then that mutant will end up in circulation. That's IF we continue to serve as hosts, something we can try to prevent by masking. And if we do get infected, we can at least try to stop that chain of transmission with us by isolating while sick (if possible), testing frequently, and, yes, masking.

The reason why we have so many COVID variants is because we have allowed for the virus to spread rampantly because our government repealed mask mandates, dismantled COVID testing infrastructure, and repealed all other protective measures early on. We do not have to give in to the defeatist stance that COVID will eventually infect every person on the planet. We can keep our communities safe by maintaining COVID practices. Wearing a mask, testing regularly, and staying informed can help save lives.” People’s Health Education Program

“The cold truth of the matter is that the motive behind COVID minimization is greed and social control. (…) Solving the pandemic was never in the cards for the capitalist world. Instead, the explicit goal of the ruling class has been to make the pandemic simply disappear from public perception.” Let Them Eat Plague! http://clarion.unity-struggle-unity.org/

#MaskUp #WearAMask #CovidRealist #CovidIsAirbone #LongCovid #YallMasking #DisabledLiberation #DisabilityJustice

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Social Death By Covid
CW: significant isolation, abandonment & health issues; ableism; eugenics; abuse; suicidal ideation; death

https://healthselfdefense.substack.com/p/social-death-by-covid

Transcript of Jen’s post

I haven’t had a hug since getting diagnosed with MS & it’s been well over a year since the last time I hung out with a friend in person. I have a much easier time talking about physically dying than talking about the social death I’ve undergone the past few years which is actually why I think it’s so important to talk about.

“Social death” is a concept that’s used to describe the severe isolation of individuals & groups where they’re seen as “not fully human”, “not fully alive”, or “as good as dead” by society at large. Loss of meaningful social roles, loss of social connectedness, and physical/bodily losses tend to be seen as the main components of social death in sociology.

With how common it is for people to say things like “just stay home if you’re that high risk, you can’t expect society to change for you”, it’s no surprise that people who become debilitated by COVID, as well as disabled & particularly high risk people who continue to protect themselves from COVID, are at a high risk for experiencing social death.

Coupled with growing support for medically assisted dying laws & widening eligibility criteria, society’s ideas about whose lives “aren’t worth living” continues to expand in this era of rising eugenics & fascism.

In my own life, it’s easy to see how losses have compounded quickly. My MS symptoms have made me unable to work & significantly limit my capacity for socializing, and as I’ve lost connections & support while continuing to get sicker, my capacity to try to replace them has gotten even smaller, which is further complicated by the fact that the vast majority of community spaces are inaccessible for a multitude of reasons.

It’s a vicious cycle that’s extremely difficult to see a way out of, so I usually try to not think about it too much big emotional upsets & dysregulation massively flare my symptoms and take a frustratingly long time to recover from, and I’ve never felt as much despair & hopelessness as I do about how isolated I’ve become these days.

Every so often I’ll have a breakdown & think “I cannot do this for another month, 3 months, 6 months. Humans are not built to be so isolated, I cannot keep doing this.” But then I do, and the days turn into weeks & weeks turn into months & I keep going.

I’m one of the very privileged & lucky ones particularly since I have stable housing, the ability to participate in stuff online sometimes, and a very minor social media platform so it feels selfish to not keep fighting for us as much as I can. My survivor’s guilt runs deep & is continually reinforced by the ongoing losses in our online spaces.

I have a hard time talking about how isolated I am for a few reasons. For one, the last thing I want is pity or for strangers to offer to give me a hug. I’m autistic & hugging strangers has always been a level of purgatory for me, so I’m not particularly interested in visiting it at this time.

Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, I also worry about my vulnerability being taken advantage of. Alongside the losses & growing isolation the past few years, I’ve been on the receiving end of offers of support that were either inauthentic or had ulterior motives and created even more upheaval & challenges in my life, so it’s hard to not be fearful of that happening again.

Then there’s the feelings of shame, embarrassment, and fear of being judged that are tough to overcome. I’ve been trying to write a post about this for over a year now, and when I first started, I felt so compelled to prove & justify that I used to have deep & longstanding friendships, that I used to be very involved in communities, and that I’m not some awful person who deserves to be isolated & abandoned.

There are relationships I’ve chosen to walk away from because of ableism & abuse, so it’s challenging to not internalize the idea that I ought to just “tough it out” & “get over it” so that I’m not alone, or that I put myself in this position by refusing to accept “care” & “connection” laced with mistreatment.

I think a lot about how in the early days of AIDS activism, activism by and for people with AIDS which was distinct from activism on behalf of the gay community as a whole started as a way of resisting social death. I know that I’m far from the only one experiencing social death from COVID, so I often wonder about how the future of COVID activism could expand to resist our isolation & social deaths while also addressing the material realities of those who are very sick & isolated in non-exploitative ways.

Although I don’t have the answers since there will obviously be many & they need to be created collectively I feel like it’s an important question to sit with.

Shame thrives & grows when it’s hidden away in the shadows, so if nothing else, I hope that opening up about this a bit more can serve as a reminder for anyone else experiencing social death that we don’t actually deserve this.

It’s so fucking hard, and I promise that you aren’t alone in seriously struggling through it. Although I can’t honestly say “it’ll get better”, I have to believe that it’s possible somehow.

#MaskUp #WearAMask #CovidRealist #CovidIsAirbone #LongCovid #YallMasking #DisabledLiberation #DisabilityJustice

I have COVID, now what?

You can still stop the spread of the virus

Reduce the likelihood of infecting others in your household by isolating yourself as soon as possible, improving air circulation, and encouraging everyone to wear masks. People who test positive for COVID are contagious for at least 10 days . After this period, another COVID test is recommended.

Avoid leaving home as much as possible. If you have an emergency or something that you cannot postpone, wear an N95/RN95/FPP2 mask.
(A PCR test may be required to obtain disability benefits or due to long-term persistent COVID )

Hydration
Dehydration is linked to developing long COVID so stay hydrated!

Rest
The risk of developing long COVID is higher in people who do not get adequate rest . Avoid exercise or physical activity during infection and in the weeks afterward. Rest and pacing yourself are essential to treating chronic fatigue syndrome, a common symptom of long COVID

Learn about Long COVID.
At least 50% of COVID infections are asymptomatic.
At least 10% of infections end in long COVID.

https://longcovidjustice.org/long-covid-essentials/

Long COVID is a set of health issues after someone has COVID-19. These could be: new health issues, ongoing issues, or worsening of previous symptoms or conditions. Long COVID is a biological disease that affects hundreds of millions of people around the world. It can cause significant disability and can be fatal. It is a continuing health crisis.

Learn about Long COVID.
Long COVID is an umbrella term that generally refers to symptoms which persist more than three months after a COVID infection.

It’s critical to note that Long COVID can affect any and all organ systems in the body. It can impact the heart, lungs, digestive system, pancreas, brain, kidneys, liver, and more. It can harm the immune system. For this reason, the damage SARS-COV-2 can leave behind in a body may seem random, strange, or hard to believe.

https://www.thegauntlet.news/p/what-is-long-covid

Learn about Long COVID.
• Fatigue and post-exertional malaise
• What is Myalgic Encephalomyeliitis (ME/CFS)?
• Dizziness, lightheadedness, racing heart after COVID-19? It could be dysautonomia
• “Brain fog,” memory problems, and other neurological issues after COVID-19
• Why you should be careful about activity & exercise after COVID
• Racing heart or chest pain? Heart problems after COVID-19
• New Allergies or Food Intolerance After COVID-19? Mast Cell and Histamine Issues
• What to do when your senses of taste and smell are changed by COVID-19
• Having Trouble Sleeping After COVID-19?
• How Does COVID-19 Affect Reproductive Health?

“Every chain of transmission that is broken COUNTS. Every person who doesn’t get sick, who doesn’t lose THAT WEEK OF WORK, who doesn’t DIE or become DISABLED, from the smallest of inconveniences to the BIGGEST of losses – every single one of these things COUNTS.” - Becca on the Death Panel podcast

What to do if you have COVID by People's CDC
https://peoplescdc.org/what-to-do-if-you-have-covid/

What to do when I have COVID by Clean Air Club.
https://t.co/y3dppCwBQc

Masks are community care❤️‍🔥😷 free masks: maskbloc.org

• Remember: covid is not over, 50% of infections are asymptomatic, minimum 10% of infections end up in long COVID, re-infections wreck us, COVID spreads and moves like cigarette smoke, think of the people around you and you as people who are all day smoking, it becomes more visual to understand how COVID moves.
• There is no way to “train” the immune system because it is not a muscle. there is a common misconception that exposure to harmful germs strengthens the immune system. viral diseases like COVID, flu, measles weaken the immune system, leaving the possibility of lasting damage. The reality is that you don't build your immunity with repeated infections, vaccines strengthen the immune system by teaching it to recognize pathogens without all the risks. Focusing on infection prevention is key.
• Rapid antigen tests give many false negatives.
• Solving the pandemic was never in the cards for the capitalist world.
• Instead, the explicit goal of the ruling class has been to make the pandemic simply disappear from public perception. Any reminder of the existence of a highly-transmissible, highly-dangerous, mass-disabling disease could trigger panic, or worse: organized, militant labor action. Averting this crisis required a careful campaign of culture-crafting; the people themselves needed to become convinced that there was no reason to fight. Consent for protracted mass infection needed to be manufactured.

“The cold truth of the matter is that the motive behind COVID minimization is greed and social control. (…) Solving the pandemic was never in the cards for the capitalist world. Instead, the explicit goal of the ruling class has been to make the pandemic simply disappear from public perception.” Let Them Eat Plague! http://clarion.unity-struggle-unity.org/

#MaskUp #WearAMask #CovidRealist #CovidIsAirbone #LongCovid #YallMasking #DisabledLiberation #DisabilityJustice

.

I have COVID, now what?

You can still stop the spread of the virus

Reduce the likelihood of infecting others in your household by isolating yourself as soon as possible, improving air circulation, and encouraging everyone to wear masks. People who test positive for COVID are contagious for at least 10 days . After this period, another COVID test is recommended.

Avoid leaving home as much as possible. If you have an emergency or something that you cannot postpone, wear an N95/RN95/FPP2 mask.
(A PCR test may be required to obtain disability benefits or due to long-term persistent COVID )

Hydration
Dehydration is linked to developing long COVID so stay hydrated!

Rest
The risk of developing long COVID is higher in people who do not get adequate rest . Avoid exercise or physical activity during infection and in the weeks afterward. Rest and pacing yourself are essential to treating chronic fatigue syndrome, a common symptom of long COVID

Learn about Long COVID.
At least 50% of COVID infections are asymptomatic.
At least 10% of infections end in long COVID.

https://longcovidjustice.org/long-covid-essentials/

Long COVID is a set of health issues after someone has COVID-19. These could be: new health issues, ongoing issues, or worsening of previous symptoms or conditions. Long COVID is a biological disease that affects hundreds of millions of people around the world. It can cause significant disability and can be fatal. It is a continuing health crisis.

Learn about Long COVID.
Long COVID is an umbrella term that generally refers to symptoms which persist more than three months after a COVID infection.

It’s critical to note that Long COVID can affect any and all organ systems in the body. It can impact the heart, lungs, digestive system, pancreas, brain, kidneys, liver, and more. It can harm the immune system. For this reason, the damage SARS-COV-2 can leave behind in a body may seem random, strange, or hard to believe.

https://www.thegauntlet.news/p/what-is-long-covid

Learn about Long COVID.
• Fatigue and post-exertional malaise
• What is Myalgic Encephalomyeliitis (ME/CFS)?
• Dizziness, lightheadedness, racing heart after COVID-19? It could be dysautonomia
• “Brain fog,” memory problems, and other neurological issues after COVID-19
• Why you should be careful about activity & exercise after COVID
• Racing heart or chest pain? Heart problems after COVID-19
• New Allergies or Food Intolerance After COVID-19? Mast Cell and Histamine Issues
• What to do when your senses of taste and smell are changed by COVID-19
• Having Trouble Sleeping After COVID-19?
• How Does COVID-19 Affect Reproductive Health?

“Every chain of transmission that is broken COUNTS. Every person who doesn’t get sick, who doesn’t lose THAT WEEK OF WORK, who doesn’t DIE or become DISABLED, from the smallest of inconveniences to the BIGGEST of losses – every single one of these things COUNTS.” - Becca on the Death Panel podcast

What to do if you have COVID by People's CDC
https://peoplescdc.org/what-to-do-if-you-have-covid/

What to do when I have COVID by Clean Air Club.
https://t.co/y3dppCwBQc

Masks are community care❤️‍🔥😷 free masks: maskbloc.org

• Remember: covid is not over, 50% of infections are asymptomatic, minimum 10% of infections end up in long COVID, re-infections wreck us, COVID spreads and moves like cigarette smoke, think of the people around you and you as people who are all day smoking, it becomes more visual to understand how COVID moves.
• There is no way to “train” the immune system because it is not a muscle. there is a common misconception that exposure to harmful germs strengthens the immune system. viral diseases like COVID, flu, measles weaken the immune system, leaving the possibility of lasting damage. The reality is that you don't build your immunity with repeated infections, vaccines strengthen the immune system by teaching it to recognize pathogens without all the risks. Focusing on infection prevention is key.
• Rapid antigen tests give many false negatives.
• Solving the pandemic was never in the cards for the capitalist world.
• Instead, the explicit goal of the ruling class has been to make the pandemic simply disappear from public perception. Any reminder of the existence of a highly-transmissible, highly-dangerous, mass-disabling disease could trigger panic, or worse: organized, militant labor action. Averting this crisis required a careful campaign of culture-crafting; the people themselves needed to become convinced that there was no reason to fight. Consent for protracted mass infection needed to be manufactured.

“The cold truth of the matter is that the motive behind COVID minimization is greed and social control. (…) Solving the pandemic was never in the cards for the capitalist world. Instead, the explicit goal of the ruling class has been to make the pandemic simply disappear from public perception.” Let Them Eat Plague! http://clarion.unity-struggle-unity.org/

#MaskUp #WearAMask #CovidRealist #CovidIsAirbone #LongCovid #YallMasking #DisabledLiberation #DisabilityJustice

.

Weight Loss Is Not a Substitute for Healthcare: Part 1- The Basics

https://weightandhealthcare.substack.com/p/weight-loss-is-not-a-substitute-for

"The idea that higher-weight people can reach whatever weight healthcare wants them to in order to access care is questionable at best (and we’ll discuss that later,) but even if they could, the idea that people do or do not deserve care based on their body size is still horrifying and is still at the root of suffering and even death for higher-weight people.

This has been going on for a long-time - from holding healthcare hostage for a weight loss ransom, to recommending weight loss surgeries for type 2 diabetes in higher-weight patients (when thin patients with the same diagnosis and labs are not asked to take the major risks and life changes of those surgeries), to tools and equipment that aren’t properly rated for higher-weight patients, and more.

That said, with the advent of the new generation of GLP-1 weight loss drugs (and their relentless marketing as “miracle” weight loss drugs), I’ve been seeing and hearing about this even more, with providers, facilities, and insurance companies treating these drugs as a substitute for providing proper care to higher-weight people.

I want to be clear that I take a firm view of bodily autonomy in general as well as specific to this situation, I would never shame or blame a patient who attempted to lose weight in order to access healthcare or for whatever their reasons or sincerely held beliefs about weight loss might be. I also take a firm view of what constitutes the ethical, evidence-based practice of healthcare, including informed consent, and that’s where we run into an issue with this substitution of weight loss for healthcare.

One clear and obvious example is BMI-based denials of care. This happens when a patient is told that they cannot have a procedure they need or want (for example joint surgeries, spinal surgeries, or gender affirming care) unless or until they reach a certain BMI or percentage of weight loss.

Rather than creating healthcare for the patients who exist, the suggestion is that higher-weight patients don’t deserve care unless and until they become thinner patients. This also quickly becomes a matter of privilege and resources - a patient’s access to care can determine their fate - some patients can get a procedure and/or accommodation at a BMI at which another patient will be denied. Those with better insurance, the resources and ability to travel etc. have a better chance of accessing care.

The other issue is with accommodation. This occurs when higher-weight patients don’t have access to the same things that thinner patients have. This includes everything from a chair they can sit in, imaging equipment, a bed in the emergency room or hospital, a table in the cath lab, an overbed and/or hoyer lift and/or appropriate staffing ratio to help providers move patients in ways that keep both safe, and more.

Higher-weight patients can face a healthcare system that was not built for them. This can also be life or death. I was advocating for a patient meeting with a cardiologist at a very highly-regarded cardiology center. The cardiologist told that patient that if she did have a heart attack, the table in the cath lab was not appropriately weight-rated for the patient and there would be “nothing to do” but medically manage and “watch.” (The facility has since acquired tables rated for higher weight.)

For those who can’t access appropriate, accommodating care, the recommendation is often to lose weight. And I’m using the term “recommendation” loosely here because at this point the patient's healthcare is being held hostage for a weight loss ransom. We have to start and keep asking questions about the ethics of this, the potential coercion (and the ramifications for patients and providers when, for example, a surgeons is being begged by a patient to give them a weight loss surgery that the surgeon knows the patient doesn’t want to have.

We have to ask questions about an attitude that the provider/facility/insurance will not treat the patient who exists and needs treatment, and will only treat a hypothetical patient that they believe/hope this patient might possibly become (after enduring difficult and sometimes risky interventions). And if the patient will not subject themselves to the risks of (trying) to become that (thinner) patient, healthcare will allow the patient to suffer and even die and blame the patient.

Certainly the paternalistic and coercive nature of this is a huge issue here, but even if someone believes that weight loss is an appropriate substitute for care or accommodation, there would be some questions they would need to answer around both the denial and delay of care."

#MaskUp #WearAMask #CovidRealist #CovidIsAirbone #LongCovid #YallMasking #DisabledLiberation #DisabilityJustice

Weight Loss Is Not a Substitute for Healthcare: Part 1- The Basics

https://weightandhealthcare.substack.com/p/weight-loss-is-not-a-substitute-for

"The idea that higher-weight people can reach whatever weight healthcare wants them to in order to access care is questionable at best (and we’ll discuss that later,) but even if they could, the idea that people do or do not deserve care based on their body size is still horrifying and is still at the root of suffering and even death for higher-weight people.

This has been going on for a long-time - from holding healthcare hostage for a weight loss ransom, to recommending weight loss surgeries for type 2 diabetes in higher-weight patients (when thin patients with the same diagnosis and labs are not asked to take the major risks and life changes of those surgeries), to tools and equipment that aren’t properly rated for higher-weight patients, and more.

That said, with the advent of the new generation of GLP-1 weight loss drugs (and their relentless marketing as “miracle” weight loss drugs), I’ve been seeing and hearing about this even more, with providers, facilities, and insurance companies treating these drugs as a substitute for providing proper care to higher-weight people.

I want to be clear that I take a firm view of bodily autonomy in general as well as specific to this situation, I would never shame or blame a patient who attempted to lose weight in order to access healthcare or for whatever their reasons or sincerely held beliefs about weight loss might be. I also take a firm view of what constitutes the ethical, evidence-based practice of healthcare, including informed consent, and that’s where we run into an issue with this substitution of weight loss for healthcare.

One clear and obvious example is BMI-based denials of care. This happens when a patient is told that they cannot have a procedure they need or want (for example joint surgeries, spinal surgeries, or gender affirming care) unless or until they reach a certain BMI or percentage of weight loss.

Rather than creating healthcare for the patients who exist, the suggestion is that higher-weight patients don’t deserve care unless and until they become thinner patients. This also quickly becomes a matter of privilege and resources - a patient’s access to care can determine their fate - some patients can get a procedure and/or accommodation at a BMI at which another patient will be denied. Those with better insurance, the resources and ability to travel etc. have a better chance of accessing care.

The other issue is with accommodation. This occurs when higher-weight patients don’t have access to the same things that thinner patients have. This includes everything from a chair they can sit in, imaging equipment, a bed in the emergency room or hospital, a table in the cath lab, an overbed and/or hoyer lift and/or appropriate staffing ratio to help providers move patients in ways that keep both safe, and more.

Higher-weight patients can face a healthcare system that was not built for them. This can also be life or death. I was advocating for a patient meeting with a cardiologist at a very highly-regarded cardiology center. The cardiologist told that patient that if she did have a heart attack, the table in the cath lab was not appropriately weight-rated for the patient and there would be “nothing to do” but medically manage and “watch.” (The facility has since acquired tables rated for higher weight.)

For those who can’t access appropriate, accommodating care, the recommendation is often to lose weight. And I’m using the term “recommendation” loosely here because at this point the patient's healthcare is being held hostage for a weight loss ransom. We have to start and keep asking questions about the ethics of this, the potential coercion (and the ramifications for patients and providers when, for example, a surgeons is being begged by a patient to give them a weight loss surgery that the surgeon knows the patient doesn’t want to have.

We have to ask questions about an attitude that the provider/facility/insurance will not treat the patient who exists and needs treatment, and will only treat a hypothetical patient that they believe/hope this patient might possibly become (after enduring difficult and sometimes risky interventions). And if the patient will not subject themselves to the risks of (trying) to become that (thinner) patient, healthcare will allow the patient to suffer and even die and blame the patient.

Certainly the paternalistic and coercive nature of this is a huge issue here, but even if someone believes that weight loss is an appropriate substitute for care or accommodation, there would be some questions they would need to answer around both the denial and delay of care."

#MaskUp #WearAMask #CovidRealist #CovidIsAirbone #LongCovid #YallMasking #DisabledLiberation #DisabilityJustice

WHY PROGRESSIVES AND LEFTISTS NEEDED TO WEAR A MASK SINCE YESTERDAY
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bl0DsT8khogQ_TOOYjBlor8TBj7N6A72dDwL2sLQRzs/edit?tab=t.0

I can now say, year four into the C19 pandemic, that I’ve had enough conversations with supposed progressives and revolutionaries about the importance of masking. Person after person, always the same talking points, always the same polite concern followed with dismissal and apathy. I am one of many who are tired of people not being honest with themselves and not committing to their claimed values. These conversations have become so repetitive, so artificial that I resort to typing my own automatic response to common talking points rather than wasting my time doing one-on-one. It should concern all anti-capitalists that, when confronted about masking and accessibility, visibly fall back on the same replies as right-wingers. While the latter may sound more crude and unapologetic, the premises are identical.

It is crucial to self-reflect on one’s own actions and whether they align with one’s values, because so many have tolerated cognitive dissonances and let them translate into material harm. Some have chosen it knowingly, which begs the question of how serious an individual is about the human rights and liberation of all peoples.

1. But we are social creatures, we have to see each other’s faces. Many essential settings don’t carry a social cost to wearing a mask, namely places like malls, grocery shops, public transit, pharmacies, movie theaters, concerts, conferences and clinics. A vast majority of activities can be carried out with a mask across the face. It makes sense to become a link in the chain to block transmission wherever possible, to protect the wellbeing of performers and workers. Any human being is vulnerable to Covid-19, some are simply more vulnerable, but this virus and its long-term effects don’t discriminate.

#MaskUp #WearAMask #CovidRealist #CovidIsAirbone #LongCovid #YallMasking #DisabledLiberation #DisabilityJustice

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