COVID Update April 17: Today I went to school on the WHO, on testing swabs, on why we can’t have tests, on little kids, on new tests, on drug trials, on where states are, on contact tracing.
My thread won’t be able to keep up with my day but I will try.1/
My thread won’t be able to keep up with my day but I will try.1/
Since we’re cutting funding for the WHO, I decided I’d like to know what they do & what our contribution goes for. So I called the head of one of the world’s most prominent foundations to get a breakdown. 2/
Let’s start with this. 3/
WHO has a 2 year budget. We fund both membership & voluntary contributions that go for things like:
-Eradicating polio ($75mm/yr)
-Child & maternal health ($75mm/yr)
-HIV & TB ($50mm/yr)
-Outbreak monitoring ($75mm/yr)
You know, highly optional things. 4/
-Eradicating polio ($75mm/yr)
-Child & maternal health ($75mm/yr)
-HIV & TB ($50mm/yr)
-Outbreak monitoring ($75mm/yr)
You know, highly optional things. 4/
And vaccines. Which I for one am in favor of. 5/
WHO did not do a great job here.
Oh, if only they were the only ones that had guilt. But they’re not.
Casting blame is important to Trump in the middle of this. We all understand that. It just means more casualties.
6/
Oh, if only they were the only ones that had guilt. But they’re not.
Casting blame is important to Trump in the middle of this. We all understand that. It just means more casualties.
6/
But we are THIS close to eradicating polio.
But COVID-19 spreading in Africa could cost millions.
But COVID-19 spreading anywhere must be tracked.
But 4 preceding presidents have made wiping HIV out a signature priority
Who do we think we are sending a message to?
7/
But COVID-19 spreading in Africa could cost millions.
But COVID-19 spreading anywhere must be tracked.
But 4 preceding presidents have made wiping HIV out a signature priority
Who do we think we are sending a message to?
7/
Wealthy countries can spend what for us are piddly amounts of money that to the world are massive amounts that can’t be found anywhere else.
The WHO’s second largest funder? The Gates Foundation. 8/
The WHO’s second largest funder? The Gates Foundation. 8/
I’m not done with this topic. I’m done talking about it here. But I’m not done working on this. This is batshit. 9/
Then I went to school on testing.
Why don’t we have enough swabs?
Why is testing declining?
Trump’s plan depends on testing. What are we doing about it?
Why are there so many bad tests? Are there any that are good?
What’s the hope?
I went to school. 10/
Why don’t we have enough swabs?
Why is testing declining?
Trump’s plan depends on testing. What are we doing about it?
Why are there so many bad tests? Are there any that are good?
What’s the hope?
I went to school. 10/
I talked to 3 scientists, 2 lab CEO, 1 FDA expert, 1 White House person, 3 people in govt agencies, 3 different states.
It took a while. I missed my workout. I even started eating pizza in the middle of it.
But I did learn. 11/
It took a while. I missed my workout. I even started eating pizza in the middle of it.
But I did learn. 11/
Let’s start with the swabs you need (is this interesting?)
-The swabs we need come from Lombardi, Italy. Yes, that Lombardi, Italy.
-The Federal govt is airlifting them out.
-The states I talked to aren’t getting NEARLY enough. 12/
-The swabs we need come from Lombardi, Italy. Yes, that Lombardi, Italy.
-The Federal govt is airlifting them out.
-The states I talked to aren’t getting NEARLY enough. 12/
What’s so magic about these swabs? (Glad you asked & find this interesting.)
Well, there’s an FDA paper saying the Roche machines need these swabs. Do they?
Not according to the Gates Foundation. They swear they don’t. 13/
Well, there’s an FDA paper saying the Roche machines need these swabs. Do they?
Not according to the Gates Foundation. They swear they don’t. 13/
What I learn is that the labs don’t want to violate the FDA. And the FDA has been too busy to respond to the Gates suggestion. If they don’t agree they haven’t said. In the meantime Italy.
Ppl are calling the FDA tomorrow. (Unless they read this & change their minds).14/
Ppl are calling the FDA tomorrow. (Unless they read this & change their minds).14/
Others Ian’s I called agreed they’re not needed. But let’s say they are.
They can be spec’ed and manufactured hear. 3D printer required. They would need to be sterilized which I’m pretty sure we can do.
Bottom line solvable problem.15/
They can be spec’ed and manufactured hear. 3D printer required. They would need to be sterilized which I’m pretty sure we can do.
Bottom line solvable problem.15/
Rutgers is also coming out with a saliva test. (Didn’t you want to know that?)
It was almost noon and had only gotten through the swabs. 16/
It was almost noon and had only gotten through the swabs. 16/
The biggest lie being told by the White House is that we have enough tests.
All symptomatic people aren’t being tested. Most states don’t have enough for their nurses. We certainly don’t have enough to contact trace. The virus spreads & we remain ignorant. 17/
All symptomatic people aren’t being tested. Most states don’t have enough for their nurses. We certainly don’t have enough to contact trace. The virus spreads & we remain ignorant. 17/
There are secret government agencies hard at work on how to create the ingredients & kits at scale. That I can’t say more about. I don’t really know much more to be honest. 18/
How many tweets am I allowed to go to before it’s way too many. Please give a number & I’ll check back because a ton more happened today but I need to know the limit. I need a limit. Thx 19/
There’s actually a machine that can do 10x the volume of current tests (I’m hearing up to 10k/day each), takes 19 hours & is very inexpensive. The FDA is set to approve.
There’s a catch— some of the big money making labs can’t make as much money & don’t like it. 20/
There’s a catch— some of the big money making labs can’t make as much money & don’t like it. 20/
If this turns out to be true, I will name names & they can defend themselves. The big labs are now going slower not faster while Trump hollers to open the country. One example... 21/
After these guys showed up to exercise their constitutional rights... 22/
This guy decides to get in on the action. Even though Minnesota meets exactly none of the criteria Trump laid out— rising cases, largest death toll, hit spot at a meat plant. 23/
If you were rolling around in actual Coronavirus, licking your hands & crowd surfing, as long as you were wearing a Trump t-shirt or hat, he’d support you. 24/
Ok. Some of you are going to turn off early, which is fine, but reading your answers I’m going to keep going.
Cause I have to talk about tests some more. And why a lot of them suck. 25/
Cause I have to talk about tests some more. And why a lot of them suck. 25/
So, we’ve asked the FDA to go fast. And we complain when they don’t. So they’re giving EUAs (emergency use authorizations) to a lot of tests that normally wouldn’t meet their standards.
But we can’t have it both ways. There needs to be a lot of buyer beware. 26/
But we can’t have it both ways. There needs to be a lot of buyer beware. 26/
So here’s a fact that will stun you.
It turns out most tests are being done on whiter & richer populations.
And those that need the most tests are, yes, poorer populations and people of color.
The more tests we get, the more they will go to people who don’t need them. 27/
It turns out most tests are being done on whiter & richer populations.
And those that need the most tests are, yes, poorer populations and people of color.
The more tests we get, the more they will go to people who don’t need them. 27/
Turns out that PCR tests have only 70-90% sensitivity (10-30% false negatives). But very good specificity— extremely low false positives.
If they tell you you have it, you do. If they tell you you don’t, or you’ve been cured, meh. Take it again. 28/
If they tell you you have it, you do. If they tell you you don’t, or you’ve been cured, meh. Take it again. 28/
This has something to do with epigenetics. I’m not going to pretend I know what that means. I read this & I still don’t know what it means. In the thread to 29, I assume someone can give the explanations for dummies like me. 29/
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epigeneti…
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epigeneti…
I paused & saw that people questioned this epigenetics thing I heard. And I don’t know enough to explain it. But the person who told me was in China on a video and wore a white coat. He used big words. I wrote them down. But that’s all I got not being an epigeneticist, yet. 30/
He said looking RNA in your snot was like chasing a ghost. (Told you he sounded smart!)
The other thing he told me is that there is a new kind of test that instead of looking for the RNA, it tests your bodies reaction to the virus. THAT he said is much more accurate. 31/
The other thing he told me is that there is a new kind of test that instead of looking for the RNA, it tests your bodies reaction to the virus. THAT he said is much more accurate. 31/
Thankfully smart people read this thread and it would only be better if you followed me around to make sense of the conversations I’m having while I’m going to school.
My superpower is most people return my calls. My kryptonite is not always understanding what they’re saying.32/
My superpower is most people return my calls. My kryptonite is not always understanding what they’re saying.32/
Now for the antibody tests which are supposed to tell you if you have immunity. The good news is if it tells you you don’t have immunity, it’s probably right.
But about half the people the test says have immunity actually don’t. 33/
But about half the people the test says have immunity actually don’t. 33/
There is an approved tests that does better.
For those of you who said 34 tweets max, apologies you will miss the next section on anti-virals. Good night. 34/
For those of you who said 34 tweets max, apologies you will miss the next section on anti-virals. Good night. 34/
There are 621 trials going on for anti-virals. The scientist I heard from though plasma was by far the most exciting and promising. Also would help lead to a vaccine. 35/
Many are drugs or combinations that failed other viruses or are used for other things. Few things have worked with CV in a double blind trial yet. But doctors are trying whatever they can. 36/
Most things they can only try on people with advanced illness. They strongly believe many word work on people with early illness (like Tamaflu) but to know that we would need to diagnose people earlier.
Which means more testing. Back to the same issue. 37/
Which means more testing. Back to the same issue. 37/
I raised hell last week about food banks running out of food. I got indirectly connected to the USDA.
Two days later I got a call saying there would be an announcement this week.
Today I got a note that the USDA announced it was buying $3 billion in food for food banks. 38/
Two days later I got a call saying there would be an announcement this week.
Today I got a note that the USDA announced it was buying $3 billion in food for food banks. 38/
I did get a chance to talk to the very young. 39/
The work with states today I will report on tomorrow. You’ve been kind to stick on a thread that went on too long. Even Brodie fell asleep. /end
Thread continues here.
