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Nina Wildflower

@ninawildflower.bsky.social

8.1K followers 8.1K following 1.8K posts

Music fan. UK science teacher in an FFP3 mask. The right mask makes it easy to sing, perform, teach, or speak in public. #N95 #FFP2 #FFP3 #YallMasking He/him

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Nina Wildflower @ninawildflower.bsky.social · Jan 2

The silence is deafening on COVID.

The plan is to keep people in the dark.

If you still wear a mask. If you still protect yourself and others. If you test. If you stay home when you are sick. If you still acknowledge that #CovidIsNotOver - you are a candle.

Candle (original)

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Nina Wildflower @ninawildflower.bsky.social · 46m

There are around 17'000 visitors per day, including lots of visitors to the UK.

There's a much higher chance of seeing masks.

Nina Wildflower @ninawildflower.bsky.social · 47m

I'm sure they can. But I'm happy using "social distancing" when it comes to big cars.

a woman petting a lion in a cage with a fence in the background

ALT: a woman petting a lion in a cage with a fence in the background

media.tenor.com

Nina Wildflower @ninawildflower.bsky.social · 1h

The lion may not concern himself, but I saw four people today, in and around the British Museum, who do show concern for themselves and others.

4 top quality masks
Plus LOTS of visiting school students in reasonable masks.

Plus ours.

Man wearing FFP3 mask in the British Museum.

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Nina Wildflower @ninawildflower.bsky.social · 2d

I didn't know that world. My wife did.

Nina Wildflower @ninawildflower.bsky.social · 2d

Thank you for masking.

Hopefully they are familiar with PPE if they repair cars I presume they are.

People assume we just take masks off to eat or drink!

All the best.

Nina Wildflower @ninawildflower.bsky.social · 2d

So, before this paper was published, it was less easy for me to talk about the impact of COVID on the immune system.

Because I don't know very much about the immune system.

But now there's a possible alternative.

“But you are going to have to read the whole paper.”

Nina Wildflower @ninawildflower.bsky.social · 2d

Providing widespread, global testing & treatment for HIV is in the interest of those of us who focus on COVID.

There are leaders who are publicly living with HIV.

Many people work to tackle the stigma associated with HIV.

We can help.

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Nina Wildflower @ninawildflower.bsky.social · 2d

There are other connections between COVID & HIV.

Whatever COVID does, untreated HIV definitely damages the immune system, so someone infected with COVID and HIV may not clear their COVID infection quickly.

Not great for them.

But that's a potential source of new mutations.

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Nina Wildflower @ninawildflower.bsky.social · 2d

In the past, I've made comparisons with measles when talking to people in-person.

“Yes, there are several diseases that can reduce the function of the immune system. Measles does this. EBV.”

But that conversation doesn't go anywhere.

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Nina Wildflower @ninawildflower.bsky.social · 2d

They also know that COVID is NOT like AIDS in an important way - there's not a set of hard-fought-for treatments.

Bear in mind this whole conversation is carried out very quickly, without anything being formally acknowledged.

People REALLY don't want to talk to me about COVID!

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Nina Wildflower @ninawildflower.bsky.social · 2d

“There's no point wearing a mask like you do - it's too late.”

“There's no point trying to avoid it - the worst has already happened.”

“You should stop.”

Having a detailed comparison with HIV could make it easier to talk about the risk of reinfection.

Parallels. Differences.

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Nina Wildflower @ninawildflower.bsky.social · 2d

If I had said “COVID is like AIDS”, it could reinforce the idea “too late now - might as well give up”.

They might think “If COVID is like AIDS, reinfection doesn't matter. It's one-and-done. And I'm done.”

“I might as well live my best life and take my chances.”

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Nina Wildflower @ninawildflower.bsky.social · 2d

Secondly, and this is the big one.

They know that AIDS is something you get once, and then you can't “un-get” it.

Yes, there are treatments. Good ones.

But their thoughts are “once you get it, it's too late.”

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Nina Wildflower @ninawildflower.bsky.social · 2d

People I work with know that I might be “some sort of expert on COVID”, but they know I'm definitely not an expert on AIDS.

And any extended conversation with me on the immune system reveals that my expertise is not immunology.

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Nina Wildflower @ninawildflower.bsky.social · 2d

This book is excellent

It tells you AIDS activists fought bitterly about the best approach to get people to take the disease seriously.

Activists don't often have the power to fight the people with the power, so they argue about who has, and who hasn't done x, y & z instead.

"How to survive a plague" by David France

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Nina Wildflower @ninawildflower.bsky.social · 2d

I don't know anything about AIDS. I've read a book. That's it.

I was once on a team that came last in a pub quiz on “safe sex for gay men”.

I didn't know anyone who died.

My wife DID care for people who died. But that's not why we acknowledge COVID.

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Nina Wildflower @ninawildflower.bsky.social · 2d

“I run a music group for people who are still avoiding COVID.” doesn't threaten anyone.

My son is playing something familiar on the CD player. "Who is this?"

"It's FKA Twigs. I bought it for you for your birthday."

"But you stole it off me."

Happy (Pharrell Williams cover)

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Nina Wildflower @ninawildflower.bsky.social · 2d

There are two big reasons why I couldn’t say “Find out about AA”

Firstly, I'd lose credibility. Those who know me in person know that I know SOMETHING they don't. I have to make sure they think the people I associate with are moderate, reasonable people.

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Nina Wildflower @ninawildflower.bsky.social · 2d

Everybody knows that AIDS damages your immune system.

I know this. They know this. They know that I know that they know.

AIDS is an unspoken threat when conversation turns to “colds hit me harder”.

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Nina Wildflower @ninawildflower.bsky.social · 2d

I couldn't say this to my kids.

(Dear reader, I have to work on the assumption that my own children might see my social media. Would they give up masking if they did?)

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Nina Wildflower @ninawildflower.bsky.social · 2d

Sometimes they tell me “I've heard COVID can affect the immune system.”

What might I say next?

One thing I couldn’t say is:

“Why don't you jump onto X and search for accounts discussing AA?”

www.ajpmfocus.org/article/S277...

COVID-19 is “Airborne AIDS”: provocative oversimplification, emerging science, or something in between?

COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 is often compared to other pandemics for its societal and global health impact, with some commentators drawing parallels to HIV/AIDS due to the immune dysfunction caused ...

www.ajpmfocus.org

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Nina Wildflower @ninawildflower.bsky.social · 2d

People don't want to talk to me about COVID.

Perhaps something puts them off.

But when they do, what they tell me is “I'm sick more often”, & “Colds hit me harder - I'm in bed. Before, I could come to work.”

What do I say next?🧵

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Nina Wildflower @ninawildflower.bsky.social · 3d

Done. Hope the protest went well.

Nina Wildflower @ninawildflower.bsky.social · 3d

I teach, and although I use a nom de plume, I'm very easy to identify - very linkable - so I can't make inappropriate comments online.

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Nina Wildflower @ninawildflower.bsky.social · 3d

First, they came for
And I posted art, and music & poetry.

The more you post about art,
and music and poetry, the more
chance there is that people might
Come across the original poem.

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