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Alan Garner

@garnalan.bsky.social
1K followers 427 following 730 posts

Clinical A/Professor, University of Sydney | Trauma Director, Nepean Hospital | Trauma Physician, Royal Hobart Hospital

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Reposted by Alan Garner
C.H. Romatowski @chromatowski.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Examples of researchers talking about how many people volunteering for studies as healthy controls turn out to have Long Covid:
Tweet from Putrino Lab @PutrinoLab

Of all the "COVID-recovered" people who are kindly emailing us to participate in our study (meaning they had COVID >12 weeks ago and feel recovered), only about 1 in 5 are actually passing our screening questionnaire. The rest actually have persistent symptoms. #LongCOVID

1:18 PM • 2/23/22 From EarthScreenshot from CNN Health

Putrino said they had the most difficult time, in some respects, recruiting people to their control groups. "We had all of these people saying, 'I had Covid, and I'm fully recovered. Can I be in your study?' "

Upon further questioning, however, Putrino says they'd tell him things that would suggest they weren't really back to normal. "They'd say, I'm fully recovered. I just don't go to the gym anymore.' " Why don't you go to the gym anymore? 'Well, when I exercise, I feel really terrible," he said. Disabling fatigue after exercise is a common symptom of long Covid called post-exertional malaise.

He says that ultimately, about 50% of participants who were screened to be part of the control group couldn't be included because of continuing symptoms.Tweet from Alba Azola, MD
@AzolaAlba

For those doing LC research... around you having trouble finding controls? We are experiencing that most of our "HC" volunteers, when further assessed, end up having post COVID symptoms

9:56 AM • 8/8/24 From Earth • 6.2K Views
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Here's today's column on the astonishing, ongoing mistreatment of people with #ME/CFS. Please spread it far and wide: the only thing which can break the media's wall of indifference is seeing an article about the issue go viral. Thank you. 1/2 www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Abandoned, dismissed and gaslighted: there is no excuse for the way ME sufferers have been betrayed | George Monbiot
Changes in guidance and science seem to have little impact on millions of devastated lives. It’s a social crisis playing out behind closed doors, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
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Kristin Meekes @kmeekes.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
OMFG if I see one more person suggest that people talking about Covid in 2026 want permanent lockdowns I’m going to lose it The asks are clean air in public places, treatments for long covid, masks in places like healthcare + normalization of masking elsewhere, expanded vaccine access, sick leave
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Conor Browne @brownecfm.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Articles like these are emblematic of the institutional amnesia surrounding Covid-19. A pathogen that emerged less than seven years ago, which can cause fatigue during the acute infection and as a common long-term effect, not even mentioned. Conspicuously absent. www.nbcnews.com/health/menta...
nbcnews.com
Why are Americans so tired? CDC report highlights who’s feeling it most
Fatigue is one of the most common concerns reported in primary care visits, yet not much attention is given to how often adults in the U.S. are coping with it.
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Prof Deborah Lupton, MPH PhD @dalupton.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
www.sbs.com.au/news/article... Not only does Australia not get updated vaccines in good time, the government has now limited free access. Based on the notion that we all have strong immunity due to infections and previous vax. So it’s basically relying on infections to protect people 😣 - huh?
sbs.com.au
This virus has evolved. Australia doesn't have a new vaccine
Australia is lagging behind the latest formulations being developed overseas.
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Denis - The COVID Info Guy @thecovidinfoguy.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Scientists and experts warned COVID could spread through airborne aerosols, but infection-control leaders relied on outdated views of aerosol transmission. The assumption that COVID couldn’t be airborne was a mistake, based on thinking already described as illogical in a 2006 SARS Commission report.
A screenshot of a CTV News online article headline reads, "'Outdated' health policies surrounding Covid still pose a danger today, says U of C researcher." The byline attributes the piece to Tommy Osborne, published September 18, 2026, at 6:23 p.m. EDT.
Below the headline is a photograph of a male researcher, identified in the caption as Dr. Mark Ungin. He is wearing a white lab coat and a white face mask while walking through a brightly lit laboratory room. The lab environment is crowded with scientific instruments, including a complex robotic testing assembly with a Formlabs 3D printer sitting on a foreground workbench, storage shelving filled with cardboard boxes, and various desktop laboratory tools stretching into the background.
The caption text underneath the photograph reads: "Dr. Mark Ungin is raising concerns surrounding health policy and Canada’s COVID response."
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🇨🇦Joe Vipond🇨🇦 @jvipondmd.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
"The study found that most aerosol-generating procedures considered high risk produced fewer emissions than coughing or talking...This has effectively ended the use of the term "aerosol-generating procedure" in risk assessments, leading to a major change in how PPE is deployed in health care."
medicalxpress.com
Scottish infection control guidelines informed by evidence on aerosol-generating procedures
Scotland is the first country in the world to use evidence gathered during the pandemic to transform its guidelines on reducing the spread of respiratory disease in health care settings. The new appro...
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Join the Mass Infection Resistance @spiritsofland.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
"Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing revealed SARS-CoV-2 in 98.3% of 463 air samples and influenza A in 17.2%." Wear a respirator, FFS. #MaskUp #CleanTheAir #CovidIsAirborne #FluIsAirborne
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Africanyak @tess45au.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
No ambulances immediately available almost 17,000 times in Tasmania in 2025-26 #auspol www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09...
abc.net.au
No ambulances immediately available almost 17,000 times in Tasmania in 2025-26
There were no immediately available ambulances for nearly 17,000 Triple Zero callers in 2025-26, new figures have revealed — around 46 times per day.
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Alan Garner @garnalan.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The rostering stars aligned today and all the medical staff on the ward round this morning were male, including the student. Am pleased to report that it felt distinctly odd.
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Twang 🍉 @twangmaker.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
👇This is corruption. The transport minister accepts a gift from Qantas of free platinum status rewards membership for her lifetime. This is the company she's supposed to be regulating. www.afr.com/rear-window/... #auspol
afr.com
Transport minister given free Qantas platinum status for life
Catherine King accepted the airline’s top-tier membership, which gives the federal cabinet minister privileges and freebies until the day she dies.
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Dr Noor Bari @njbbari3.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Good grief. Apparently infection prevention is possible. We just have to teach people how to do it, and then do it. I need to lie down.
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Dr Noor Bari @njbbari3.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Um… 😶
Staffan
X.com
@kalvfond
@ Translated from Swedish by Grok
Norwegian data: 98% more doctor visits for memory problems and 150% more for concentration problems than the trend before the pandemic.
At the same time, an enormous increase in prescribed heart medications. Even in Sweden.
Precisely the things we know COVID infections cause. Why don't we want to see the connection?
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Mike Honey @mikehoney.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Many children of a certain age band (too young to be vaccinated before 2023) will now go through their entire adult life unvaccinated. Plenty of scientific evidence pointing to that being a truly dumb approach, likely costing more in poor health than the federal department’s “savings” ffs …
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World Health Network @thewhn.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
For airborne infections, fit and filtration matter. A well-fitting N95 or better respirator is designed to filter airborne particles and provide stronger protection for the person wearing it. Better respiratory protection should be the standard. #COVID #COVID19 #PublicHealth #Masking #MaskUp
Graphic on a dark background with the World Health Network logo and the text: “Respirators should be the standard.” Below, an illustrated white respirator is marked with a green check, while a blue medical mask is marked with a red X. Additional text reads: “Medical masks are not designed to protect against airborne infectious particles. N95s or better should be the standard.”
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Greg Jericho @grogsgamut.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Just remember, the Reserve Bank is worried that wages might grow too fast and cause inflation
Chart showing growth of wages, inflation and Coles and Woolworths profits

Wages: 3.2%
Inflation: 4.0%
Coles profits: 13.7%
Woolworths profits: 18.1%
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The BMJ @bmj.com · 18/07/2025
Among the range of symptoms experienced by those with long covid, cognitive and mental health concerns are especially common. This review provides an assessment of the nature, severity, and trajectory of neuropsychiatric long covid sequelae www.bmj.com/content/390/...
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Alan Garner @garnalan.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Can’t stop thinking about Lily Hooper. Her poor family.
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Alan Garner @garnalan.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Not a randomised controlled trial so the data is not valid.
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Dick Zoutman @dickzoutman.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
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Andrea Is Sick of Long Covid @andreastudiescovid.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
A virus that causes fetal brain bleeds is surely fine for babies and little kids to catch repeatedly. 😷 My 5 yo granddaughter starts Kindergarten on Wednesday. It should be an exciting, happy milestone, but it's not. 😢
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C. M. Alongi @cmalongi.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Heh. #vaccines #autism #autisticmeme
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Alan Garner @garnalan.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
"It cannot be discounted that excessive clinical workload, clinician fatigue & environmental challenges have impacted clinical assessment, timely investigations, & contributed to the risk for human error," ED workforce crisis is already here. Soon they will be unstaffable.
abc.net.au
Hospital missed critical signs before young dad's death, review finds
Fatigued clinicians, bed shortages and communication failures were factors in the death of Mena Tuibua, who left Mackay Base Hospital after hours in its emergency department waiting room, a review fin...
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Jessica Ellis @baddestmamajama.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
As usual, it is the other way around. Covid infection has been found to increase rates of miscarriages significantly, and yet pregnant people are given, as far as I’ve heard, zero guidance about avoiding it. www.parents.com/study-finds-...
parents.com
Study Finds Link Between COVID Infection and Miscarriage—Experts Weigh in on the Risks
Getting COVID before or during pregnancy may increase your risk of a miscarriage especially if you have other risk factors like advanced maternal age or having high blood pressure.
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Alan Garner @garnalan.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
The likely number of deaths is more than twice the Holocaust. And similarly driven by raw racism.
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Jørgen Heszlein @heszlein.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
New estimate of Elon Musk’s death toll just dropped www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
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Môr Leidr @bartiddu.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
… in this blog is mentioned the impact of covid infection on TB recrudescence. Studies early in 2921/22 noted this link in those recovering from severe covid. Given the impact of COVID on herpes CMV & EBV, it seems highly likely widespread Covid will have had a population impact on TB prevalence
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Bean & Sprout's Mom @beansproutsmom.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
"Where we have physical phenomena that can be directly measured, such as viral persistence in air, RCTs are unnecessary and can be misleading. We don’t rely on RCTs to justify whether we need to purify drinking water; we measure pathogen loads..." 🎯 letter to JAMA editor from Dr Nicola Boyd!
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Clinically Vulnerable Families 💙💜💗 @cvcev.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
. @lewisgoodall.com said school closures weren't "a price worth paying." But what if we have been asking the wrong question? The Covid Inquiry heard evidence there was a third option. Our latest:
substack.com
Why are the media still asking the wrong question about schools during the pandemic?
Reflecting last week on his years covering Covid for the BBC, Lewis Goodall told listeners of The News Agents that he was
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Pandemic 𓅃. Index @panaccindex.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Just roll the dice, what’s the worst that could happen? www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/1-5...
cidrap.umn.edu
1 in 5 men surveyed had erectile dysfunction up to 2 years after COVID
These men had higher rates of shortness of breath and fatigue than those without erectile dysfunction and had higher depression/anxiety and pain/discomfort scores than before infection.
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C.H. Romatowski @chromatowski.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
And the risk to kids is not behind us: A large study of children and adolescents found reinfection was associated with a more than doubled risk of Long Covid diagnosis (relative risk 2·08 [95% CI 1·68–2·59]).
thelancet.com
Long COVID associated with SARS-CoV-2 reinfection among children and adolescents in the omicron era (RECOVER-EHR): a retrospective cohort study
Children and adolescents face a significantly higher risk of various PASC outcomes after reinfection with SARS-CoV-2. These findings add to previous evidence linking paediatric long COVID to multisyst...
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The Haunted Bookshop @thehauntedbookshop.com · 04/08/2026
Guys, I'm breaking the thread for a moment. This should be a regular reminder: Make somebody feel seen. A nurse, a teacher, the dish busser at your favorite coffee shop, somebody with whom you share a slender but real connection. There will come a time when those moments are precious to you.
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Prof Bill McGuire @profbillmcguire.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
The obscenity continues These corporations are screwing us and screwing the planet, and no government has the balls or the backbone to act against them They need to be eviscerated and the money used for the common good www.theguardian.com/business/ng-...
theguardian.com
Revealed: major oil firms make $93bn profits amid war and climate crisis
Iran conflict windfall over three months reignites calls for companies ‘cashing in on human misery’ to pay for environmental damage
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Julie S. Lalonde @julieslalonde.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Lastly, I am the only person I know personally who masks consistently. I have maybe 2 other people in my life that mask at all. I don't live in a bubble where masking is normal & therefore don't ever stick out. I stick out in every single room, every bus I take, every plane I board. And it's FINE.
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Nome @nome.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
"Was missing school during COVID rough for kids?" Yeah, for sure. It would, likewise, be rough for them to miss school because the building was on fire. It would be likewise ridiculous to argue that they should have *returned* to the burning building to avoid negative educational outcomes.
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Denis - The COVID Info Guy @thecovidinfoguy.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
A UK trial in 95 nursing homes found HEPA air purifiers didn't reduce winter respiratory infections. However, air quality scientists criticised the study, saying, "Air purifiers only work if they're turned on." The researchers acknowledged poor compliance, making the results difficult to interpret.
cidrap.umn.edu
Can air purifiers prevent flu and COVID-19 in nursing homes? Only if they’re used properly
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World Health Network @thewhn.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Reducing your risk of serious illness is not only about diet, exercise and routine screenings. Preventing COVID infections can also be an important part of protecting your long-term health. COVID can affect multiple systems throughout the body and has been associated with (...)
World Health Network campaign graphic with white and pink text on a dark background. Text: “whn.global. World Health Network. Science for a safer, healthier world. COVID can affect more than your lungs. One infection can impact nearly every system in the body. Reduce Your Risk Campaign.”World Health Network campaign graphic with white and pink text on a dark background. Text: “whn.global. World Health Network. Science for a safer, healthier world. Long COVID has been linked to more than 200 symptoms, including: Brain fog and memory problems; chest pain and heart palpitations; shortness of breath; fatigue and post-exertional malaise; headaches, dizziness and sleep issues; digestive, immune and reproductive symptoms. Protecting yourself from COVID and Long COVID protects your entire body. Reduce Your Risk Campaign.”World Health Network campaign graphic with white and pink text on a dark background. Text: “whn.global. World Health Network. Science for a safer, healthier world. Research has linked COVID infection with an increased risk of serious health problems, including: Heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular disease; new-onset diabetes and metabolic conditions; cognitive decline and neurological problems; immune system dysregulation; reactivation of other viruses; chronic fatigue and Long COVID. These risks can affect adults and children, and may increase with repeated infections. Reduce Your Risk Campaign.”World Health Network campaign graphic with white and pink text on a dark background. Text: “whn.global. World Health Network. Science for a safer, healthier world. COVID prevention is part of preventive healthcare. Wear a well-fitted N95 or other high-quality respirator. Improve indoor air with ventilation and HEPA filtration. Stay up to date on vaccinations and boosters. Test before and after gatherings or possible exposure. Stay home when sick or testing positive. Encourage safer, more accessible public spaces. COVID is not ‘just a cold.’ Every infection prevented matters. Reduce Your Risk Campaign.”
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King Algamemnon @adamrothman.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
I propose we call this ideology "botulism."
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Josephine Stewart @jostewart.myatproto.social · 27/07/2026
If everybody did this, even places where people can't mask effectively (restaurants, bars, etc.) would get safer for everyone because transmission would be lower overall. Audiences mask = performers are safer. Students mask = teachers are safer. We have fuckin' got to learn to help each other out.
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Dr Farbod @emergencybod.medsky.social · 28/07/2026
Turns out Fawlty Towers wasn't a comedy. It was a documentary.
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Alanna Kelly @alannakellynews.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
A devoted partner and caring father who spent nearly three decades volunteering his time to rescue strangers has died while mountain biking in Squamish. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
B.C. man who devoted nearly three decades to rescuing strangers dies in Squamish | CBC News
Michael Coyle had worked with Coquitlam SAR for years and helped many other teams in B.C.
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Mike Honey @mikehoney.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Australian children had to be 5+ in 2021-22 to get vaccinated. Since then, not eligible until they turn 18, so over a decade to go for many.
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Chantzy @chantzy.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
I mask in public still because no one has given me any convincing scientific evidence that getting repeat COVID infections is safe or sustainable for health, especially brain health 🧠
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Môr Leidr @bartiddu.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
Another reason for the JCVI to revisit their decision not to vaccinate all children and all pregnant mothers against Covid Because they didn’t take this into their cost-benefit calculations
internationaljournalofcardiology.com
Long term cardiovascular effects on COVID-19 infection in children. The need for monitoring
Although SARS-CoV-2 infection has been associated with mild illness in children, concerns have emerged regarding potential long-term cardiovascular and systemic effects, even in previously healthy ped...
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Mark Ungrin @mark-ungrin.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
Ok but what if lettuce diarrhea is actually good for you because then you avoid lettuce diarrhea debt and instead you get natural immunity to lettuce diarrhea which helps you not get lettuce diarrhea? Is it weird how vastly, manifestly stupid that is for lettuce diarrhea but it's policy for COVID?
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Philip Thalis @philipthalis.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
Imagine if, rather than One Nation boosterism, MSM devoted even a fraction of their attention to Independents & Greens - actually our best promise for good policy, climate change action, anti-gambling reform, AUKUS exit, transparency & ethical Govt?? We deserve so much better than clickbait trash
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Dr Satoshi Akima, FRACP @toshiakima.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Look at the impact of the pandemic on type 2 diabetes incidence 👀
Age-standardised incidence of type 2 diabetes by age and sex. Panel a) individuals aged 20–29 years old, b) 30–39 years old, c) 40–59 years old and d) 60–79 years old. Grey lines denote males and black lines are females. Shaded area denotes 95% confidence intervals.
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Dr David Joffe MB BS(Hons), PhD, FRACP @davidjoffe64.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Worth a read 🙏🏻 The #Leonardi_Effect is very much real www.ovid.com/10.1097/MS9....
ovid.com
Emerging trends in post-COVID immune... : Annals of Medicine & Surgery
Background:Long coronavirus disease (COVID), or post-acute sequelae of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, is a...
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World Health Network @thewhn.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Healthcare workers have died, become disabled, and left careers they loved after contracting COVID on the job—often while wearing the exact protection they were told was enough. Occupational health and safety laws are meant to protect workers from airborne hazards. (...)
WHN graphic on a white background. At the top left is the “whn.global” logo. At the top right are six colored dots and an orange banner reading, “Science for a safer, healthier world.” Large black and orange text reads: “Healthcare workers deserve better protection.” Below an orange line, smaller text reads: “COVID spreads through the air, yet many healthcare workers were—and still are—given surgical masks that were never designed to protect against airborne hazards.”WHN graphic on a white background. At the top left is the “whn.global” logo. At the top right are six colored dots and an orange banner reading, “Science for a safer, healthier world.” Large black and orange text reads: “The consequences have been devastating.” Four orange-outlined boxes read: “Healthcare workers infected on the job”; “Careers ended by disabling Long COVID”; “Families and vulnerable patients placed at risk”; and “Workplace illnesses left without proper investigation.” Below, text reads: “Occupational health and safety laws already require employers to identify hazards and provide appropriate protection. It’s time those protections fully extend to healthcare workers.” At the bottom is the URL: “whn.global/hcws-have-died-and-been-disabled-laws-should-have-prevented-this/”
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Rex Patrick @mrrexpatrick.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Centrelink customers who suffered #RoboDebt had to go to court in a class action to get their justice. A RoboDebt whistleblower is now in court to get her justice. But none of the perpetrators has been anywhere near a court to get their justice. #auspol
theguardian.com
Robodebt whistleblower was told her royal commission evidence ‘could cost you your job’, court hears
Exclusive: Jeannie-Marie Blake is suing the Australian government over alleged threats, which her department denies making
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