Bridging a false dichotomy in the COVID-19 response: a public health approach to the ‘lockdown’ debate

For the Greater Good? The Devastating Ripple Effects of the Covid-19 Crisis

“…Governments and governmental institutions have been involved in making sure information is presented in a certain way, probably in an effort to ensure public commitment to the measures taken ( Betsch et al, 2020 ). Moreover, this was often done in terms of false dilemma’s presenting the problem as a choice between for instance lives and livelihood ( Prasad et al, 2020 ) and ignoring the fact that the costs of the measures fall on the global poor ( Broadbent et al, 2020 ). In spite of this, the measures and framing have led not only to commitment to the measures, but also to agnotology by means of censorship, putting weight of facts differently as well as being inattentive to the severe side effects of the measures ( Zhong et al, 2020 ).…”

Medicine is a social science: COVID-19 and the tragedy of residential care facilities in high-income countries

“…An infectious 'enemy' does not primarily reside in 'foreigners' or 'others' (social or religious groups, migrants, visitors, a 'they'), carrying infections to a whatsoever 'inside' (countries, institutions, families, a 'we'). BMJ Global Health built their responses informed by natural science and epidemiology, 4 focusing the acute setting, personal protective equipment and testing, and establishing ethics guidelines for the expected 'tough' triage of lifesaving resources like ventilators or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in acute hospitals. 15 In large longterm care facilities, crowded with a vulnerable high-risk population, healthcare workers or (before the total isolation) next-of-kin meanwhile infected an 'individual zero'.…”

“…http://gh.bmj.com/ BMJ Glob Health: first published as 10.1136/bmjgh-2020-003172 on 11 August 2020. Downloaded from variety of contextual and local vulnerabilities and populations needing specific protection, 4 like people living in refugee camps, undocumented working migrants in agriculture or the meat industry, often accommodated in large lodgings, as well as those living in poor neighbourhoods, we might finally again refer to Dr Virchow, calling for more social justice, as 'politics is nothing but medicine at a larger scale'.…”

“…At a global level-as excellently elaborated by Prasad et al- 4 COVID-19 both unveiled and exacerbated existing inequalities and injustices within a country, making different populations particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 and its sequelae, among them people living in poverty, without shelter, without regular residence, without employment or people living in residential care facilities. 5 In many highincome countries, the reaction of politics, scientists and clinicians, although differing in detail, followed a common pattern: it…”

Patient and public involvement in covid-19 policy making

“…They have lobbied for a voice in policy making,4 for a focus on inequalities,5 and for policies to take account of the reality of people’s lives 6. They have also accumulated a wealth of information from the patient community on the physical, mental, social, and economic effects of the pandemic,78 effects that highlight the urgency of restoring essential medical services9 and the need for a comprehensive public health response 10…”