Saturday, July 18, 2020

What Do You Make of This? Fauci or Not-Fauci? Maybe It Doesn't Really Matter.

Full disclosure. This is an item attributed to Dr. Anthony Fauci that has appeared on social media, notably FaceBook. Did he actually write it or deliver this commentary? I don't know. There are some parts, the "how dare you" passages, that do not sound like something Fauci would say in public. I've tried a bit to source it but without success.

That said, Dr. Fauci or not, I've chosen to post it here because it's an important message and it is consistent with medical opinion. Make of it what you like.
“Chickenpox is a virus. Lots of people have had it, and probably don't think about it much once the initial illness has passed. But it stays in your body and lives there forever, and maybe when you're older, you have debilitatingly painful outbreaks of shingles. You don't just get over this virus in a few weeks, never to have another health effect. We know this because it's been around for years, and has been studied medically for years. 
Herpes is also a virus. And once someone has it, it stays in your body and lives there forever, and anytime they get a little run down or stressed-out they're going to have an outbreak. Maybe every time you have a big event coming up (school pictures, job interview, big date) you're going to get a cold sore. For the rest of your life. You don't just get over it in a few weeks. We know this because it's been around for years, and been studied medically for years. 
HIV is a virus. It attacks the immune system and makes the carrier far more vulnerable to other illnesses. It has a list of symptoms and negative health impacts that goes on and on. It was decades before viable treatments were developed that allowed people to live with a reasonable quality of life. Once you have it, it lives in your body forever and there is no cure. Over time, that takes a toll on the body, putting people living with HIV at greater risk for health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, diabetes, bone disease, liver disease, cognitive disorders, and some types of cancer. We know this because it has been around for years, and had been studied medically for years. 
Now with COVID-19, we have a novel virus that spreads rapidly and easily. The full spectrum of symptoms and health effects is only just beginning to be cataloged, much less understood. 
So far the symptoms may include: 
Fever
Fatigue
Coughing
Pneumonia
Chills/Trembling
Acute respiratory distress
Lung damage (potentially permanent)
Loss of taste (a neurological symptom)
Sore throat
Headaches
Difficulty breathing
Mental confusion
Diarrhea
Nausea or vomiting
Loss of appetite
Strokes have also been reported in some people who have COVID-19 (even in the relatively young)
Swollen eyes
Blood clots
Seizures
Liver damage
Kidney damage
Rash
COVID toes (weird, right?) 
People testing positive for COVID-19 have been documented to be sick even after 60 days. Many people are sick for weeks, get better, and then experience a rapid and sudden flare up and get sick all over again. A man in Seattle was hospitalized for 62 days, and while well enough to be released, still has a long road of recovery ahead of him. Not to mention a $1.1 million medical bill. 
Then there is MIS-C. Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children is a condition where different body parts can become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs. Children with MIS-C may have a fever and various symptoms, including abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, neck pain, rash, bloodshot eyes, or feeling extra tired. While rare, it has caused deaths. 
This disease has not been around for years. It has basically been 6 months. No one knows yet the long-term health effects, or how it may present itself years down the road for people who have been exposed. We literally *do not know* what we do not know.
For those in our society who suggest that people being cautious are cowards, for people who refuse to take even the simplest of precautions to protect themselves and those around them, I want to ask, without hyperbole and in all sincerity: 
How dare you? 
How dare you risk the lives of others so cavalierly. How dare you decide for others that they should welcome exposure as "getting it over with", when literally no one knows who will be the lucky "mild symptoms" case, and who may fall ill and die. Because while we know that some people are more susceptible to suffering a more serious case, we also know that 20 and 30-year-olds have died, marathon runners and fitness nuts have died, children and infants have died. 
How dare you behave as though you know more than medical experts, when those same experts acknowledge that there is so much we don't yet know, but with what we DO know, are smart enough to be scared of how easily this is spread, and recommend baseline precautions such as: 
Frequent hand-washing
Physical distancing
Reduced social/public contact or interaction
Mask wearing
Covering your cough or sneeze
Avoiding touching your face
Sanitizing frequently touched surfaces 
The more things we can all do to mitigate our risk of exposure, the better off we all are, in my opinion. Not only does it flatten the curve and allow health care providers to maintain levels of service that aren't immediately and catastrophically overwhelmed; it also reduces unnecessary suffering and deaths, and buys time for the scientific community to study the virus in order to come to a more full understanding of the breadth of its impacts in both the short and long term. 
I reject the notion that it's "just a virus" and we'll all get it eventually. What a careless, lazy, heartless stance.”

29 comments:

Anonymous said...

Original was here: https://www.facebook.com/drew.sandy/posts/10214694535591837

Phoenix said...

I was too trying to find the source, from this quote. I only want to post what is quoted and sourced, if you do find out the source please post it. Thank you.

Anonymous said...

I too have been trying to find it's source.

Jim said...

Interesting piece, but in my opinion Dr Fauci would never say "How dare you." Not his style. He certainly has never done that in any other public quotes.

Anonymous said...

This facebook post is 5 days older, and the comments contain a direct claim of authorship.

https://www.facebook.com/wncamy/posts/10221028229648392

Paul Keister said...

Did some googling on this and I believe I found the original author. It's not Dr. Fauci, but that does nothing in my opinion to diminish the power of these words: https://www.facebook.com/stephen.a.merritt/posts/10207625233704170

Unknown said...

Here's the source post:
https://www.facebook.com/wncamy/posts/10221028229648392

Unknown said...

Afraid the Anonymous "Original is here" post above is incorrect. Post from Amy Wright predates Sandy Long's by 5 days - shame Sandy didn't feel like honouring the original author from whom they plagiarised...

Anonymous said...

Amy Wright wrote this and posted it on Facebook in June. She confirms that she wrote it in the comments on the original post, https://www.facebook.com/wncamy/posts/10221028229648392: Amy Wright
thank you. Yes, I wrote out some thoughts. There are a few small edits I thought of after the fact, but it doesn't seem appropriate to edit it now, after it has been shared so widely. Nothing that would change the intent of what I shared, or the content really. Maybe just the tone. A few people have pushed back on the "how dare you" question. And I get that. At the same time, this pandemic is literally Life and Death stakes. People are suffering. Many are dying. So the wording will stay in. We all need to be doing our best right now.

Please stay safe.

Womankind said...

I also copy/pasted this. The only thing I find questionable is the "I dare you" part? He is far too smooth to be that off the cuff, otherwise, everything else is correct.

D. said...

I would like to find the source too. I cannot find where dr Fauci said this. I suspect that’s why the article wants you to copy and paste so that it cannot be traced. I agree that it does not sound like him.

D. said...

I would like to find the source too. I cannot find where dr Fauci said this. I suspect that’s why the article wants you to copy and paste so that it cannot be traced. I agree that it does not sound like him.

SamuraiArtGuy said...

Possibly here - Amy Wright, June 14? https://www.facebook.com/wncamy/posts/10221028229648392

Unknown said...

I can't guarantee this, but I think this is the author, at least she says she is (don't know her) and the timing seems to be about right. https://www.facebook.com/wncamy/posts/10221028229648392?hc_location=ufi

Adrienne Cruise said...

Original here, from an Amy Wright on Facebook - along with long comment thread!

https://www.facebook.com/1622032224/posts/10221028229648392/?d=n

Anonymous said...

I don't believe he said this. It carries a tone I gave never heard him use.

AshW said...

Amy Wright: https://m.facebook.com/wncamy/posts/10221028229648392?__tn__=R

The Disaffected Lib said...

Well the mystery seems resolved. It was Amy Wright and, to her, well done. That someone else added Fauci's name is regrettable but, hey, this sort of thing is routine on social media.

Anonymous said...

I too tried unsuccessfully to corroborate that this came from Dr. Fauci, and could find no other citation. But like you, thought the content itself factual, and on target. (I also agree with you, that "How dare you?" doesn't sound like the Dr. Fauci we've seen, but who knows.)

deb said...

Thank you for having this forum available. I like to check things out to confirm authenticity before sharing. When I read "How Dare You" I suspected it might not be Fauci. He is a highly disciplined professional and I don't think he would write this phrase. However, sharing as "Author Unknown" is an option as it is well written and raises some very good points.

wudzee said...

I agree - not Fauci - kudos to those posting the Amy Wight June 14 date: https://www.facebook.com/wncamy/posts/10221028229648392

TJE said...

Any ideas who Amy Wright is and what her qualifications are? It's a good piece, but I'd like to have her professional background.

Catinka Knoth said...

I recently read this elsewhere but without all the ‘how dare you..’ I don’t know where I read it though. My response is that in light of all that, we cannot continue in this unsustainable manner. Masks and physical distancing is just not an option for many people...it’s one thing to follow this when you expect the crisis to end soon, but another thing when there is no end in sight.

Anonymous said...

The original author is actually Amy Wright and that's confirmed with her: https://www.facebook.com/wncamy/posts/10221028229648392?hc_location=ufi

Pilly said...

This is definitely the orignal, with great comments within. Please share the original if you plan to share:

https://www.facebook.com/wncamy/posts/10221028229648392

JD said...

She has an accounting background with zero medical experience.

Abecca said...

https://www.wisconsingazette.com/views/fauci-much-is-unknown-about-covid-19-except-it-spreads-easily-kills-many-might-cause/article_05aae3b8-c9df-11ea-831e-9ff56d9f1ea5.html

Larry said...

I just read a post by Amy Wright dated June 14, 2020...she makes no mention of someone else's authorship so I might assume she wrote it..I do agree with the sentiment but like many others think proper attribution is the best approach...False attribution tends to lead to discounting the entire message. In this case that would be a shame...

Pilly said...

Snopes covered it today:
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/fauci-chickenpox-covid-19/?fbclid=IwAR3SqblaTrR8p43wmdRBi-hXrGY0EbR4ASAImcFZoEEhreexVFQENLPxJmw