Covid kills. Covid misinformation kills.

Covid also shows us that most people are pretty incredible.

A thread ...
I'm pulling my way out of Covid. It was horrible. It is horrible. I was 'lucky' in that my initial viral load seems to have been low so my symptoms were middling. My partner had it worse. Someone in our immediate family is dead.
It seems we got Covid into our bubble from someone who had it and refused to treat it as real. They didn't wear a mask. Didn't take precautions. At least three people are dead as a result.

Covid is a shared public health crisis; we need to look after each other. After everyone.
Over six hundred people died yesterday in South Africa from covid. We're nearing 40,000 dead. Two million have died globally. Tens of millions more will have lifelong problems as a result.

Families and economies are being torn apart.
Why don't we take Covid seriously? There are the human things of not believing it will affect us. Or that it isn't that bad. Or that you'll get it whatever you do.

The false narratives about it being 'just the flu' have also done immense damage.
Because we're scared of the unknown, and good science means Covid research will lag disinformation, it's easy to fall for the deliberate lies - seemingly wrapped in legitimate data. Those lies mean people don't take Covid as seriously.

Those lies kill.
What's sickening is that this deliberate misinformation is so often peddled by people seeking relevance. People building brands (hello streaming income), happy to have likes or those who think there is a giant global conspiracy (QAnon) that they are courageously exposing.
These people do not correct their misinformation (there will be no second wave). There are no consequences for them.

As a climate reporter, it's chilling to watch them deploy the same tactics as climate deniers. There is a playbook that works.
I don't believe in giving these people direct attention. They thrive on the conflict that drives algorithms to give them relevance. But what they do is deadly.

And, to be very clear, they aren't trying to reveal some 'truth' that Covid is a hoax or some sort of conspiracy.
They are systematically destroying the ideas of truth, reality and facts.

This is a long-term programme: Destroy our shared base and you do real damage. Action like this is why we waited decades to deal with climate change. It's how people believe Trump won this last election.
Their power comes from us. It is in our hands. When we share untested posts or say that journalism is 'fake news' (yes, journalism has to be better) we legitimise their attacks on reality.

Forwarding on an untruthful WhatsApp has real-world consequences.
But. Let's remember that (most) people are pretty incredible. Covid has once again shown that people look out for each other. Healthcare workers are doing unbelievable things to keep us alive. Most people wear masks. We sanitise. We care for each other and want life to be better.
Don't play into the hands of the liars.

Covid is a shared crisis. When we wear a mask and take precautions, we look out for each other. And that's a beautiful thing.

Caring is at the core of what it is to be human. Showing love for each other is at the core of our being.
You can follow @SiphoKings.
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