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Nsikan Akpan, PhD Profile picture
@MoNscience
Sep 19, 2020 • 9 tweets • 5 min read • Read on X
A person could say A LOT about the Yan report, which makes false assertions to claim that SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus was made in a lab.

Or you could let David Robertson (@robertson_lab), a viral genomics researcher at University of Glasgow, take the reins. nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/0… Image
.@NatGeo spoke with prominent virologists/misinformation researchers to understand where the Yan report came from and what it got wrong.

Along the way, they offered tips for overcoming misinformation about COVID-19 nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/0… by @mo_brouillette and @RebeccaRennerFL
In July, Robertson authored a peer-reviewed paper in Nature Medicine that showed the lineage behind SARS-CoV-2 and its closest known ancestor have been circulating in bat populations for decades. nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/0…
The Yan report ignores this study and the vast body of published literature regarding how coronaviruses circulate in wild animal populations and the tendency to spill over into humans, including recent publications about the origins of SARS-CoV-2. nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/0…
"What’s more, the report was funded by the Rule of Law Society, a nonprofit organization founded by former chief White House strategist Steve Bannon, who has since been arrested for fraud."
nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/0…
The Yan report uses science jargon like “furin-cleavage sites” and "restriction-enzyme sites"--but its claims are objectively untrue. nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/0…

My fave example: Image
Or to quote, @angie_rasmussen nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/0… Image
Misinfo has been a hallmark of the pandemic, and preprints have played a role, including with claims like the virus mutating into a more deadly form, coming from snakes, or being less deadly than it truly is.

But this is indicative of a broader problem...nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/0… Image
Why this keeps happening: The Yan report and other coronavirus misfo, such as the Plandemic documentary, have gained traction because they take advantage of vulnerable human emotions.

Those feelings can drive the viral spread of hoaxes. nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/0…

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More from @MoNscience

Nsikan Akpan, PhD Profile picture
Jun 10, 2023
NYC officials expected a modest smoke plume to sweep through the area Friday night -- and it did. gothamist.com/news/modest-sm…
Thankfully, the rain helped dampen things, but the city still recorded a moderate bump in AQI around 10 pm.
gothamist.com/news/modest-sm… Image
Yesterday's smoke forecast from NOAA predicted another plume could flow through early Sunday morning (video below).

I checked again this morning that forecast is still holding steady.
gothamist.com/news/modest-sm…
Read 5 tweets
Nsikan Akpan, PhD Profile picture
Jan 2, 2022
A Lancet preprint looks at omicron's severity in its early epicenter, Gauteng, South Africa

Many are discussing the overall result: This wave experienced much less severe disease than past waves.

But the age breakdowns tell a slightly different story... papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cf…
Cases: In past waves, people younger than 39 (blue) made up ~50% of cases.

With omicron, they accounted for 67% in this study.

We know that young adults fare better than older ones with COVID, which could be lowering overall severity with the latest wave.
Cases: Another way to look at things...

During the delta wave, young adults (20-39) had a case rate (blue) that was half the rate for seniors older than 60 (red).

During omicron, it flipped. The young adult case rate is now 56% higher.
Read 9 tweets
Nsikan Akpan, PhD Profile picture
Dec 20, 2021
Welp, that escalated quickly.

Omicron now makes up 92% of sequenced cases in the New York and New Jersey region, based on the latest data from the CDC. That's up from the 13% reported last week.

Nationally, omicron is 73%, up from 12% reported last week.
covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tra…
Some important context for this rapid rise:

1. I mentioned to @Steronious on @WNYC this weekend that we might eventually learn that omicron arrived here well before its first detection, based on evidence from overseas... wnyc.org/story/gov-hoch…
I am now wondering if this increase is partially due to increased efforts to find omicron cases. The variant is undoubtedly spreading 2-3x faster than delta...but damn, what a jump!

No matter what is ultimately revealed, we need more resources for genomic surveillance.
Read 11 tweets
Nsikan Akpan, PhD Profile picture
Dec 19, 2021
NY reported another 21,908 COVID positives on Saturday — breaking a record for the 2nd day in a row.

But these milestones don't mean the state has reached its worst peak. Far from it...and some signs point to improvement.

Me for @WNYC/@Gothamist
gothamist.com/news/ny-breaks…
Indeed, the U.S. COVID outbreak could be transitioning into an endemic — where the coronavirus would continue to thrive in perpetuity, but vaccinated people would be largely spared the worst outcomes.
gothamist.com/news/ny-breaks…
A COVID endemic would mean riding this rollercoaster of infection waves every few months or perhaps just every winter, and it could be brutal for unvaccinated people.

But it would be eased by better access to testing/masks/ventilation... gothamist.com/news/ny-breaks…
Read 4 tweets
Nsikan Akpan, PhD Profile picture
Oct 13, 2021
If You’ve Had Covid, Do You Need the Vaccine? ✍️: ⁦@apoorva_nyc⁩

Spoiler: Yep nytimes.com/2021/10/12/hea…
“Some consistent patterns have emerged: Two doses of an mRNA vaccine produce more antibodies, and more reliably, than an infection with the coronavirus does.”

nytimes.com/2021/10/12/hea…
“Only 85 percent to 90 percent of people who test positive for the virus and recover have detectable antibodies to begin with. The strength and durability of the response is variable.”
nytimes.com/2021/10/12/hea…
Read 4 tweets
Nsikan Akpan, PhD Profile picture
Sep 3, 2021
Today @NYCMayor de Blasio told @BrianLehrer that @WNYC/@Gothamist's recent series on ventilation in @NYCSchools is inaccurate

He should read our latest:

NYC Officials Say School Windows Can Always Offer Solid Ventilation. Independent Scientists Disagree
gothamist.com/news/nyc-offic…
And as a fun exercise in science media literacy, let's break down the Mayor's response...
Two weeks ago, Brian Lehrer asked @NYCMayor/@BilldeBlasio whether he had heard that the air purifiers @NYCSchools had purchased for every classroom in the city lacked HEPA filters, an industry standard.

The mayor said he'd look into it.
wnyc.org/story/ask-mayo… Image
Read 15 tweets

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