Authors Abir Ballan š
They used this against us.
They convinced us that it was an act of solidarity to flatten the curve, to wear a mask for others, to take the vaccines for others,
If there was ever a time in our lifetime to be non-partisan and for citizens of all walks of life globally to unite behind the basic fundamentals of humanity, freedoms, liberties, human rights, sovereignty, autonomy, dignity, empathy and compassion: it is now. https://t.co/Fa3ieEq51x
— Kulvinder Kaur MD (@dockaurG) January 9, 2021
and to reach #covidzero for others. They convinced us that this was for the greater good of society.
In reality, this couldn't be further away from the truth. They have divided us and broken the core structure of our society. They have dehumanized us with their masks.
They set us against each other into clans on opposite sides of a spectrum. They have turned us into aggressive beings fighting for our survival. Some of us fear harm from the virus, others fear harm from the vaccine, and yet others fear harm from the attack on our civilization.
We are all on a flight or fight mode. We are all operating under the influence of fear. We must collect ourselves and reflect on what has happened over the last year.
How is this for the greater good of society?
They used a tactical warfare strategy against us.
'Divide and conquer'.
We fell for it.
Now we must become aware of it and fight back.
We must reunite. We must find true solidarity to save our world. To free ourselves. To regain our autonomy.
FACTS NOT FEAR
Covid 19 is a disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. SARS-CoV-2 is one of 7 coronaviruses known to man. 1/n
The pandemic is real. Excess deaths were observed in many countries. Not all countries were affected in the same way due to pre-existing immunity, the health status of the population and demographics (the proportion of elderly in the population) 2/n
https://t.co/65elPq3gp5

COVID 19 presents a high risk for the very few and negligible risk for the many.
The infection fatality rate in different age groups:
<19 y, IFR= 0.003%
20-49 y: IFR= 0.02%
50-69 y: 0.5%
>70y, IFR=
Not everybody is susceptible to the virus. If reinfected, pre-existing immunity from related viruses gives protection from developing the disease or from developing serious symptoms.
4/n
āThe evidence that a subset of people has a cross-reactive T cell repertoire through exposure to related coronaviruses is
Are you ready to explore? 1/n
The Health Belief Model (HBM) consists of 5 components: perceived threat (lethality + Susceptibility),
perceived benefits,
perceived barriers and
cues to action.
Familiarise yourself with the definition of each concept in this table. 2/n
https://t.co/1tOz1cJFvc

Study this diagram to understand how the components are interrelated. 3/n
https://t.co/iUoaqNkgyP

Now letās apply this to the COVID 19 pandemic.
Review this diagram to see how the HBM applies to the behaviour of mask-wearing.
āperceived susceptibility appeared to be the most signiļ¬cant factor determining complianceā 4/n
https://t.co/xF6uwUx12N

Part I: The HBM
Increase the perceived threat of a disease
1) increase perceived severity: Confusing the general public with CFR & IFR- 2 indicators that are an order of magnitude apart.
People understood wrongly that the fatality rate of C19 is
"Globally, about 3.4% of reported #COVID19 cases have died. By comparison, seasonal flu generally kills far fewer than 1% of those infected"-@DrTedros #coronavirus
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) March 3, 2020
How can you untangle yourself from the tentacles of fear?
How can you regain freedom over your life and your mind?
1/n

āIn the totalitarian regime,...the doubting, inquisitive, and imaginative mind has to be suppressed. The totalitarian slave is only allowed to memorise, to salivate when the bell rings.ā 2/n
Source 1: https://t.co/gTVyiQfKaB
(Pavlov's dog- classical conditioning experiment)

"human beings, already being quite smart, need to be dumbed down. You wonāt disobey an order if you lack the cognitive ability to question it." 3/n
(Source 1)
How do you dumb down humans?
"the common denominator for increasing suggestibility is switching off executive function in the prefrontal cortex ā disabling the superego, the conscience, the internal monologue." (Source 1) 4/n

How can you switch off the frontal cortex?
By activating the amygdala: the fear centre. This tiny little red dot, part of the limbic system. 5/n

It\u2019s disappointing that you would join an organization comprised of non-experts, spreading harmful misinformation about a pandemic.
— Alastair \u2018Wear a Mask\u2019 McAlpine (@AlastairMcA30) December 11, 2020
I would urge you to reconsider.
Hereās how @PanData19 is approaching this crisis differently from governments:
We believe that "health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."- @WHO 2/n
To tackle the problem holistically, we have formed a multidisciplinary team made up of immunologist, microbiologist, geneticists, data scientists, physicians, economist, psychologists, educators, public health professionals and business owners. 3/n
We have also backed ourselves with a scientific advisory board made up of prominent experts in their fields.
@MartinKulldorff
@SunetraGupta
@MLevitt_NP2013
@MichaelYeadon3
#JayBhattacharya
#SucharitBhakdi
They are supporting us every step of the way. 4/n
We believe that "the right to health is one of a set of internationally agreed human rights standards, and is inseparable or āindivisibleā from these other rights.ā @WHO 5/n
In ten days, the case fatality rate from #Covid19 in Lebanon has increased from 0.75% to 0.84%. This rise was expected as patients continue to face delayed access to care. pic.twitter.com/MV5YUTBie5
— Firass Abiad (@firassabiad) January 24, 2021
Hereās what would reduce mortality in #Lebanon:
1) protecting the vulnerable
2) increasing healthcare capacity
3) supporting healthcare workers
All impossible to do in a country that is gasping for dear life. 2/n
And yet the #Lebanese people are being blamed for not following guidelines and not following the rules.
The Lebanese people are not to blame. Wearing masks, social distancing, lockdowns and stupid curfews donāt do anything. 3/n
It is those politicians who transferred their money to Swiss accounts, while #Lebanese citizens can no longer transfer university fees for their children studying abroad, who are to blame.
Stop shifting the blame to the people. 4/n
Public health practitioners like @firassabiad and @petra who have bought blindly into the narrative are reinforcing this displaced scapegoating.
Please be aware of the harm of supporting the governmentās narrative. 5/n