‘This isn’t about lockdowns or no lockdowns’: Boston doctor urges states to focus on ‘better’ public health in response to coronavirus
“Shaming individuals misses that this epidemic has been far more about a failing public health system.”
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A doctor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital is calling on state leaders to rethink their response to the coronavirus as not simply being about lockdowns.
Dr. Abraar Karan wrote about the issue Thursday after treating multiple people for COVID-19 at his hospital.
“Only when you hear actual stories of the struggles people are going through does it make it clear how problematic it is when we blame those who got sick because of what externally seems like ‘irresponsible’ behavior,” the doctor wrote.
Medical providers are still treating individuals who don’t have “the luxury to stay home,” either because of the job they hold or because of their family situations, he wrote.
“This isn’t about lockdowns or no lockdowns — this is about creating better public health,” Karan wrote.
The focus should be on creating systems that can provide protection during a public health crisis, the doctor said, stressing that politics — not public health — has been responsible for creating a “false choice” between lockdown and no lockdowns as a response.
Providing higher quality masks to better protect against transmission, better workplace protections, and keeping outdoor spaces open for public use but reopening indoor settings more slowly are all steps Karan wrote would be simple actions to take, yet seem not to be pursued by officials.
“Shaming individuals misses that this epidemic has been far more about a failing public health system,” he wrote. “Lost within that we have the false dichotomy of lockdowns versus no lockdowns— instead of focusing on creating an actual public health strategy.”
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Shaming individuals misses that this epidemic has been far more about a failing public health system. Lost within that we have the false dichotomy of lockdowns versus no lockdowns— instead of focusing on creating an actual public health strategy. #covid19 https://t.co/giyLJR3cAh
— Abraar Karan (@AbraarKaran) March 25, 2021
2/ Caregivers of disabled family members who did not have the luxury to stay home; those working in factories where outbreaks are prevalent; we are still seeing these cases and treating them. This isn’t about lockdowns or no lockdowns- this is about creating better public health.
— Abraar Karan (@AbraarKaran) March 24, 2021
4/ #Bettermasks and smarter workplace protections for those not yet vaccinated; leaving outdoor spaces open for public use while reopening indoor crowded settings more slowly—> these are simple ideas that states don’t seem to be entertaining
— Abraar Karan (@AbraarKaran) March 24, 2021
6/ We wrote about this almost one year ago when we were first reopening- no one *wants* society to remain closed; no one wants #covid19 resurgences either.
It doesn’t have to be an either/or.https://t.co/DRv1lZxsGB
— Abraar Karan (@AbraarKaran) March 24, 2021
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