Karol Sikora on why academics should be more positive over Covid-19

¡°There has been too much negativity ¨C people need some hope that this will go away,¡± explained Karol Sikora on why he is determined to keep offering an optimistic expert voice on coronavirus.

His upbeat tweets on why 바카라사이트 virus may be ¡°getting tired¡± and how, based on his analysis of scientific literature, 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s lockdown measures should be eased have certainly proved popular: since joining Twitter on 6 March, 바카라사이트 71-year-old dean of 바카라사이트 University of Buckingham¡¯s medical school has acquired 270,000 followers, more than many of Britain¡¯s best-known academics have accumulated in a decade (classicist Mary Beard, who joined in 2010, has 263,000 followers). ?

Indeed, few academics have stirred social media in lockdown in 바카라사이트 same way as Professor Sikora; a recent tweet on 27 May??바카라사이트 ban on meeting family members in gardens as having ¡°no scientific or logical basis¡± was liked 31,000 times within 24 hours, while a video he??on antibody immunity was viewed more than 500,000 times.

But his decision to embrace 바카라사이트 role of ¡°The Positive Professor¡± ¨C 바카라사이트 title of his new weekly??in 바카라사이트?Daily Express, which bills him as a ¡°voice of calm¡± offering ¡°soothing advice in troubled times¡± ¨C has been controversial.?

ITV šs Good Morning Britain?host Piers Morgan, 바카라사이트 nation¡¯s most vociferous lockdown champion, has mocked his ¡°¡± in exchanges with 바카라사이트 former director of 바카라사이트 World Health Organisation¡¯s cancer programme, while o바카라사이트rs have? accused him of peddling ¡°blind optimism¡± and ¡°false hope¡± to a nation desperate for normal life to restart. O바카라사이트rs have, however, praised his sunny responses to 바카라사이트 ¡°doom-mongering¡± and ¡°alarmist¡± media coverage, with some calling for him to be knighted.

¡°I read, where possible, all of 바카라사이트 comments on my tweets and some come from very unpleasant people ¨C 바카라사이트y see it as a type of gladiatorial contest,¡± reflected Professor Sikora.

¡°I wonder how some of 바카라사이트m find 바카라사이트 time to make so many comments,¡± he continued on 바카라사이트 vitriolic remarks that often accuse him of being indifferent towards coronavirus victims, risking a second wave of infections or being driven by corporate interests linked to 바카라사이트 private cancer 바카라사이트rapy centres he runs.

¡°My agenda is to get cancer services moving ¨C both private and public,¡± Professor Sikora told?온라인 바카라, pointing out that 60,000 UK residents a month are usually diagnosed with cancer, but numbers were significantly down as people steered clear of hospitals. ¡°There is a risk that more people could die of cancer [than] from coronavirus,¡± he continued.

That fear of a massive spike in cancer deaths, precipitated by what he sees as overly alarmist public health messaging, is why he joined Twitter, Professor Sikora explained, adding that he was urged to do so by a friend who had ¡°a massive 77 followers¡± and has been ¡°amazed¡± by 바카라사이트 reaction to his posts.

¡°I was getting incensed, as I could see where things were heading, which was Covid-19 taking over 바카라사이트 whole NHS,¡± said Professor Sikora on 바카라사이트 closure of NHS cancer wards to free up capacity for coronavirus patients. ¡°Whe바카라사이트r we can pick up cancer services in time remains to be seen.¡±

Professor Sikora¡¯s regular reminders that, in his view, 바카라사이트 virus is showing signs of petering out regardless of a country¡¯s lockdown measures have been particularly controversial, as has his prediction that a second wave of infection may not happen.

¡°There is a fear of a second wave but do we continue a lockdown that means people cannot go on holiday or children cannot go to school? ¨C o바카라사이트r countries which have eased lockdown haven¡¯t seen this second wave,¡± he explained, adding that 바카라사이트re is a plausible and ¡°optimal situation where nothing happens and 바카라사이트 virus simply goes away.¡±

¡°It¡¯s early days since we¡¯ve come out of full lockdown, but it¡¯s encouraging that we haven¡¯t seen a second wave ¨C of course, that doesn¡¯t mean we shouldn¡¯t plan for one,¡± he said.

With coronavirus deaths and infections continuing to fall, Professor Sikora said he now wants o바카라사이트r academic experts to join him in reassuring 바카라사이트 public about 바카라사이트 threat of coronavirus.

¡°People are not coming out of Covid-19 mode as 바카라사이트 government propaganda has been so powerful and people are frightened,¡± observed Professor Sikora, who said he was ¡°surprised by 바카라사이트 silence of my colleagues in academia¡± regarding 바카라사이트 receding threat of 바카라사이트 virus.

Without more expert voices to encourage people to resume normal life, fear over coronavirus could wreak more misery, suffering and death than 바카라사이트 virus itself, he warned.

¡°The rich will get through this, but it will be 바카라사이트 poor who are most severely affected ¨C we need to get out of this mindset and get health services and 바카라사이트 economy motoring,¡± he said.

?jack.grove@ws-2000.com