Massachusetts Scientist Writes Marash Girl Concerning COVID

Massachusetts Scientist Writes To Marash Girl Concerning COVID. "I've seen some concerning thoughts and opinions expressed recently by people I know personally, regarding the idea that the risk of COVID in the community is exaggerated and/or that the measures recommended by public health professionals are excessive. Forwarding things like this and/or presenting them as authoritative is extremely irresponsible, self-centered and shortsighted. "I have spoken extensively to many friends and colleagues who are physicians and have worked directly in the ICU with the patients who are stuck on ventilators for weeks or months due to COVID. I have read the data in the New England Journal of Medicine and other reputable journals. "People who are sick and dying from COVID are NOT only old or immunocompromised individuals - there are statistical probabilities to predict risk, but there is NO way to tell for sure which individuals are going to get struck more severely or have more long-term consequences. As a community, we have to take precautions to help others - I can’t fathom why this is difficult for people to grasp just because they themselves don’t know people who have gotten sick or died. What if you did know someone who died from COVID? Would that make you feel better about wearing a mask or having a quiet Christmas? "I have personal knowledge (people I know, who are not old, weak or vulnerable) - who have had prolonged effects of COVID after either going to the hospital and recovering or being sick at home for several weeks because they felt they could manage this at home and didn’t want to go to the hospital. "We have hundreds, thousands of physicians and public health professionals who are telling us how to very simply handle this virus - wear a mask, social distance etc. These recommendations are based on medicine, science and data. Reports are rigorously analyzed and peer-reviewed prior to its presentation to the public. "As an additional note, some of the comments I have seen have included the idea that we can protect ourselves from COVID by taking high doses of vitamin D. Please note that it is medically dangerous to take high levels of vitamin D in a pill- (more than 2,000 IU per day) - this should only be done by prescription under the supervision of your physician. Because vitamin D can be stored in your body, you can end up with a condition called “vitamin D toxicity” if you take too much. "If you do happen to be a person who thinks that our public health measures for COVID are a hoax, please stop and think about this a bit. Who would this hoax benefit? Does the government or any private industry (beyond a very few) benefit from some extensive hoax about a pandemic? As a scientist, I can tell you that scientists are not benefiting. We are trying to redirect resources as a whole community to address this huge public health problem. We have had nationwide and worldwide shortages of certain supplies and equipment as we direct them towards necessary research & development. My medical friends and colleagues have been pulled in numerous directions, working extended shifts with insufficient resources because everyone and everything is spread too thin. "Please, please do not spread information that is not based on peer reviewed science. I don’t know when the scientists became the enemy for part of our society, but that was a very sad day." Nisha Charkoudian [Ph.D., Physiology]