I don't mind people asking me for medical advice or questioning me about the medical science backing certain fads/diets/supplements/medications/pandemics etc. The questions don't even have to be that intelligent: I understand that a) not all people have a medical background and so medical issues can be confusing and b) unfortunately some people are just LWB's (not their fault; they can probably blame it on their parents). I will also readily admit that the field of medicine is extensive and if I am not sure of an answer (which is very often the case) I will either go and research it or be honest and admit that I don't know the answer and refer on to someone who is more knowledgeable than me. What people seem to forget, though, is that it does take time and effort for me to answer questions: time that I could be working and earning money or time that I could be spending with my family. This becomes especially relevant when there is a huge unknown, such as the emergence of a novel coronavirus that threatens to overwhelm the world as we know it. Don't get me wrong: I don't mind answering questions. What really, really gets my goat, though, is when people start spreading fake or inaccurate news that I then have to waste hours of my time negating. This is not cool, guys. Don't do it. There is so much stress surrounding COVID already (and I'm talking a range of levels here, from people who are struggling to sleep to people who are completely unable to function in their daily lives because of paralysing anxiety) that we don't need bad or fake news fueling this generalised state of hyper-adrenalism.
I have a general classification for people who fall into the categories of charlatan or schadenfreude junkies. In no particular order of dislike:
1) Medical experts who a) have lost the plot and developed delusions of grandeur or b) are experts in one field, but believe that because of that they are automatically experts in every medical specialty or c) have their own agenda/diet/supplement/theory that they are pushing without consideration of the evidence or d) a combination of all of the above. These people (I will mention no names) sound very eloquent in interviews and to people who don't have medical training, they can sound knowledgeable when in fact they make quite basic mistakes (perhaps things like confusing an RNA virus with a DNA one). They throw in some valid scientific evidence that then gives false weight to their completely unvalidated personal theories. The danger here is that they sound professional enough to con a lot of people, who then ask me my opinion and I have to spend hours explaining why a significant proportion of what they have said is completely unsubstantiated.
2) Politicians who believe that they have a medical degree (obviously if they do have a bona fide medical degree from a real university this doesn't apply)
3) People who repost Facebook or Twitter posts without checking that said posts do, in fact, contain real and validated information. Really, this is just irresponsible and causes unnecessary anxiety and anger.
4) People who seem to derive some macabre joy from posting bad and/or sensational news, especially on WhatsApp groups (you know, those people who post the gruesome pictures of some tragic natural disaster that are actually photos of a disaster that happened years ago in a completely different part of the world). It the case of COVID it's often false stats or ridiculous claims about, I don't know, vaccines for example. Why would you do this? We are all stressed enough already!
5) Conspiracy theorists. Not gonna say more on this topic except maybe don't watch so many dodgy YouTube clips...
The pandemic that we are facing is scary and we are all worried about the effects that it will have on us personally and on our economy and way of life. It is also very unknown: we are still learning about the virus, about what it does to the immune system, about why it seems to elicit such different responses in different people, and about whether one can build immunity to it. We don't know how to treat it and many of the current treatments being punted are controversial at best. The last thing that we need in this atmosphere of uncertainty is more uncertainty. In an economically and politically unstable environment, we don't need unsubstantiated outrage fueling anger. What we need is calm, rational thought and facts. So please, people, stick to the facts.
*Low Watt Bulb
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