Eniko (moved ➡ gamedev.place)Oct 19, 2023

articles are like "the economic cost of long covid is too high, we need a cure!!!"

i mean a cure would be rad but we already know how to prevent long covid:

1. vaccination
2. ventilation & filtration
3. masking

society is currently so disinterested in the ramifications of long covid we can't even be bothered to prevent it using cheap and effective methods

Show threadApple Annie Oct 19, 2023
@eniko a whole shitload of us folks with ME/CFS have been waiting a lifetime on the edge of our seats for a cure too…any day now 🙄 but sure, 3 years of Long Covid research should do it
Show threadEniko (moved ➡ gamedev.place)Oct 19, 2023
@anniegreens yeah like, i would love my friends with LC/ME/CFS to be cured but i'm not convinced that a society that won't even do any prevention is gonna be the society that finds a cure
Show threadApple Annie Oct 19, 2023
@eniko and let’s suppose they do, what would that look like? Pfizer is about to jack up the antiviral Paxlovid to a cost that most people will be unable to access. Knowing the devastation that LC/ME/CFS has on people’s lives and livelihoods, how would a treatment that a pharmaceutical company develops be within any of their reach?
Show threadLisPiOct 20, 2023
@anniegreens @eniko Didn't they already? >1k isn't exactly pocket change for most Canadians.
Show threadAlexander The 1st
@lispi314 @anniegreens @eniko My immediate thought is have it covered under universal healthcare, though I guess we're talking about the treatment options/cures outside of vaccinations, where it would be universal pharmacare instead.
Oct 20, 2023 at 11:04amWeb
Show threadLisPiOct 20, 2023

@AT1ST @anniegreens @eniko In Canada I think the term is still just public/universal healthcare.

The issue is that they're only covering the costs if you're already immunosuppressed or "at risk" in some very specific categories that completely ignore that as far as the science is concerned, *everyone* is at risk.

Show threadAlexander The 1stOct 20, 2023

@lispi314 @anniegreens @eniko In B.C. here, it usually is considered universal/public healthcare, you're not wrong; I mainly make the distinctions between healthcare and pharmacare because pharmacare would cover the cost of prescription medications (And as I understand, dental costs too - although that may be different too.).

Though yeah - the "At risk" category seems like it should be larger for this to include everyone.