Message to my research team
April 9, 2022 by ferniglab
So today I sent this email as a reminder to the members of my research team.
“I write this email because University management has abdicated all responsibility towards the wellbeing of their staff and students, and their families. Current University and UK government Covid ‘rules’ contradict the most simple evidence, which is based on exceptionally solid physics and biology/medicine. We are scientists capable of critical thinking, and we should carry these qualities into our daily lives.
Over the last few weeks our masking at work has become quite poor.
The masks we wear protect others – to protect yourself you need a FFP2 or N95.
Everyone in my group WILL wear a mask at all times except when they are eating. I established this rules before the 2020 lockdown and it has served us well, preventing a number of community acquired cases from spreading to other lab members.
That means wearing a mask properly, over the nose AND mouth.
Why this reminder?
Because
1. The pandemic remains is stronger than in the Spring of 2020, as variants are more transmissible.
2. Vaccines are imperfect, a number of us have children at school who may not be vaccinated (pediatric vaccination is now available and I would recommend it, for reasons explained below)/
3. There is a level of discomfort associated with wearing a mask and often after vaccination.
4. So why? Because Covid is a multi organ systemic disease. You do not have to have severe lung disease to have hits on other organs. ALL major organs are affect4d, brain, heart, liver, kidney, pancreas.
5. The consequence of multi organ systemic disease is long0-term disability. You are all young, you don’t want to spend decades with a major disability or two if you can avoid thi this.
6. Vaccinated people get covid.
7. Vaccinated people who have been infected get re-infected.]
8. Each time you get covid you have a 10% chance of developing Long Covid, that is the multi organ long-term disease that follows infection. This is true for me as it is for children. A simple calculation, take a family of 4, getting infected 2x a year, how long before one of them has Long Covid?
So masks on and properly, as we did in March 2020 before lockdown. Anyone not complying will be sent home.
Dave