Big developments re: #Wuhan #nCoV2019 #coronavirus outbreak in China since Friday. It looks like the virus has been spreading since November, maybe even October, and may not have started at the Wuhan market. thelancet.com/journals/lance…
This means that the virus may have already spread more widely in the region than we'd realized... just under the radar. Now that our radar is up, and we're looking and testing for #coronavirus cases, we may be picking them up.
So the dramatic increase in cases over the last couple days not actually be as sudden as it seems... but something that's been building up over months.
It's hard to find a needle in a haystack when the haystack is big. It's cough/cold/flu season. The symptoms of the #coronavirus are the same. So it's tough to pick up a #NovelCoronavirus outbreak in the middle of that.
Lesson 3 from the #Ebola epidemic for the #Wuhan #nCoV2019 #coronavirus outbreak: Signal-to-noise. It was hard to differentiate #Ebola patients from those with fever from run-of-the-mill malaria, typhoid, and other fever-causing diseases in the region.
When you're looking for a needle (in this case, the #Wuhan #nCoV2019 #coronavirus) in a haystack, anything you can do to reduce the size of the haystack helps! Please get your #influenza #flu #flushot. Wash your hands. Cover your mouth with your elbow when you cough/sneeze. Image
The other big news: the Chinese health minister says the #Wuhan #nCoV2019 #coronavirus might be spread by infected persons without symptoms. This would be a gamechanger. businessinsider.com/coronavirus-ca…
Note that whether #Wuhan #nCoV2019 #coronavirus might be transmitted by asymptomatic persons has yet to be confirmed by @CDCgov scientists. But *if* true, this is scary.
@CDCgov When we don't have drugs/vaccines for a disease, we rely on the basics: identify cases by screening for symptoms & testing for disease and conduct contact-tracing. But case-finding and contact-tracing rely on looking for symptoms.
@CDCgov I really hope the #wuhan #nCoV19 #coronavirus isn't transmitted by asymptomatic persons.

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Céline Gounder, MD, ScM, FIDSA 🇺🇦

Céline Gounder, MD, ScM, FIDSA 🇺🇦 Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @celinegounder

Jun 1
1/ FDA Commissioner Makary joined @CBSNews' @margbrennan on @FaceTheNation this morning: cbsnews.com/video/fda-comm…

Full transcript here:
cbsnews.com/news/marty-mak… Image
2/ Brennan: "...you with the HHS Secretary in this video announcement on Tuesday where Secretary Kennedy said the CDC was removing the COVID vaccine for healthy children & healthy pregnant women from its recommended immunization schedule"
3/ She's referring to this social media post:
Read 34 tweets
May 31
1/ Trump Administration's MAHA report is being called out for fabricated citations, AI-generated errors & misattributed authorship.

on @CBSNews with @Alexander_Tin & @MajorGarrett6cbsnews.com/video/white-ho…Image
2/ What makes this especially troubling is the report’s claim to be “evidence-based” & “gold-standard.”

Misrepresenting science while claiming to elevate it is not transparency—it’s Orwellian double-speak for sloppy, dangerous pseudo-science.
3/ At first glance, the report warns of serious issues: screen time, mental health, overmedication in children.

Important topics, yes, but the foundation of the report is now in doubt because many of the studies it cites simply aren’t real.
Read 17 tweets
May 27
1/ Very concerning news from HHS today:
CDC is no longer recommending the COVID vaccine for healthy children & healthy pregnant women.

Why does this have me worried?
2/ Healthy infants may not die from COVID, but they’re at higher risk for ER visits and hospitalizations… both scary & costly.
3/ Pregnant women ARE at higher risk for severe COVID (& influenza).

Pregnancy is a period of immunosuppression (so that the woman’s immune system doesn’t reject the fetus as a foreign body) & stress on the lungs & heart.
Read 9 tweets
May 23
1/ What’s fueling the surge in childhood chronic illness in the US?

The MAHA Commission blames ultra-processed foods (UPFs)—& their assessment offers a sweeping critique of America’s food system.
2/ Nearly 70% of American children's calories now come from UPFs—foods high in added sugars, refined grains & industrial fats, but low in nutrients.

The MAHA report links this to obesity, diabetes, even behavioral health.
3/ UPFs are designed to override satiety signals (i.e. feeling full).

Kids eat more & gain weight faster.

Plus, many UPFs contain additives that may affect metabolism, mood & gut health.

Think: emulsifiers, artificial colors & sweeteners.
Read 15 tweets
May 11
1/ A new study from South Korea suggests the shingles vaccine may do more than just prevent shingles—it might also protect your heart 🫀.
on @CBSMornings with @GayleKing @vladduthiersCBS @nateburleson
2/ Researchers followed over 2 million adults for a decade.

Those who got Zostavax—the older, live shingles vaccine—had a 23% lower risk of heart disease, including heart attacks, strokes & heart failure.
3/ That cardiovascular protection wasn’t short-lived.

It lasted for up to 8 years after vaccination.
Read 14 tweets
Apr 9
1/ My colleague @DrLaPook's interview with @HHSGov @SecKennedy raised critical questions about public health, vaccines & government responsibility.

on @CBSMornings
2/ RFK Jr, a longtime vaccine skeptic, now recommends the measles vaccine during an outbreak.

This is a significant shift, but his statements on vaccine safety testing need clarification.
3/ Vaccines undergo rigorous testing in Phase 3 & 4 clinical trials, often lasting years to decades.

Claims that vaccines are tested for only "3-4 days" without placebos are misleading.
Read 16 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

:(