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Prof. Devi Sridhar Profile picture
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18 Dec, 5 tweets, 2 min read
Happy Friday! ☀️ More good news: Moderna vaccine about to be approved in US & EU. Who would have thought we'd have at least 3 (!) effective & safe vaccines less than a year from identifying completely new virus (SARS-CoV-2)? Science is amazing. bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-…
Still big unknowns:
1. Do these vaccines stop transmission (people being infectious) or just severe COVID-19?
2. How long do they provide immunity for?
3. Will this become a yearly vaccination project for entire populations?
4. Do they prevent Long Covid (morbidity)?
With talk of mutation/strains, scientists concerned about:
1. Will new strain spread faster making suppression harder?
2. Will new strain have worse health outcomes?
3. Will new strain evade vaccine &/or naturally induced antibodies/t-cells?
We don't yet have answers to these.
When will the pandemic 'end'? Richer countries are going to race ahead with vaccines, testing, treatments & more precise restrictions & be in a strong position by the summer if they plan right. Poorer countries are going to struggle for next 2-3 years if we leave them behind.
Final tweet: Did a CBI briefing on what the next 6-12 months could look like given vaccines/testing/therapeutics here. Video here: cbi.org.uk/articles/cbi-1…

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More from @devisridhar

Prof. Devi Sridhar Profile picture
4 Dec
But if you’re ‘elite’ enough, you can fly into the country with no tests or quarantine period. 😑 Have we learned nothing after 10 months?
These words sticking in my mind today *Government of the people, by the people, for the people* - Abraham Lincoln
Top Google searches today ‘How to become elite’, ‘How to become high value’. Others?
Read 4 tweets
Prof. Devi Sridhar Profile picture
26 Nov
Keep being asked questions about meeting/travel over the holidays that people want to hear an emotionally reassuring & comforting answer. I can't do that as a public health scientist right now & have to be straight, even if unpopular.
COVID doesn't care that it's Christmas or Thanksgiving. It spreads in indoor, poorly ventilated settings esp households. If you want to safely see family, check local prevalence, get outside for walks, ventilate indoor settings & isolate for 2 weeks before seeing vulnerable ppl.
You can also get tested (Boots, etc) before seeing family/travel but virus incubation period makes this tricky. Could test negative and be infectious & positive the next day. 2 negative tests several days apart can help mitigate risk.
Read 5 tweets
Prof. Devi Sridhar Profile picture
7 Oct
Top German scientists:
1. Herd immunity not possible bc immunity too short.
2. Not feasible to go 'shield vulnerable' approach bc impossible to fully identify & isolate them.
3. Potential serious, long-term damage to young/healthy also from this virus. mpg.de/15426163/stell…
They suggest that what works is:
1. Test/trace/isolate
2. Mask-wearing
3. Distancing
4. Travel restrictions
5. Identifying & stopping super-spreading events.
5. Good guidance to public on what is risky & not.
Receiving notes from those w/ risk factors (asthma, overweight, hypertension, cancer survivors, diabetes) or elderly who are saddened by their lives being portrayed as worthless (ie acceptable loss, would die anyways). Please remember this is not the view of the silent majority.
Read 4 tweets
Prof. Devi Sridhar Profile picture
13 Sep
Things not looking good in the UK (massive understatement). We all need to act like we could have COVID-19 & minimise close physical contact with those outside our household. Need to avoid awful decisions about COVID v non COVID harm.
And if hospitals start filling up with patients arriving needing emergency care, going to put other NHS services at risk. Everyone loses if numbers continue to increase.
I won’t say much more bc I’m sure everyone is sick of my repeating of the same message for months now. But I truly hope we will not pay for all the summer holidays abroad with winter lockdowns. nytimes.com/2020/08/14/opi…
Read 5 tweets
Prof. Devi Sridhar Profile picture
9 Sep
Questions I get from young people:
1. Am I immune from this virus? -> No, you are likely to have mild symptoms, but this is a nasty virus & you could face a long recovery. You don't want to get COVID- you could have an underlying health issues you don't know about. (1/n)
2. Should I just get infected & get an 'immunity passport'? -> We still don't know how long immunity lasts, & there have been some instances of documented re-infection. We don't yet know if 2nd time will be asymptomatic re-infection or more severe & how rare/common it is. (2/n).
3. If only young people are getting COVID, then what's the problem? -> No country has been able to fully shield the elderly/vulnerable as they live with us & among us. Vulnerable young = hypertension, diabetes, asthma, overweight, cancer survivors, immuno-compromised. (3/n)
Read 5 tweets
Prof. Devi Sridhar Profile picture
11 Aug
On a panel & was asked if COVID-19 will help world prepare for the 'real' big one. I actually think SARS-CoV-2 is the big 'Disease X' experts warned about. We shouldn't underestimate the current crisis which has no simple solution.
If it were as lethal as MERS (33% CFR) then all gov'ts would aim to eliminate. If it had similar health outcomes to flu then gov'ts let it go. It falls in-between leading to muddled strategies, conflicted scientific advice & in the process, economy/health both taking a hit.
The challenge is to re-open economy/society while controlling COVID-19. Robust test/trace/isolate supported by face coverings, hygiene & border checks can help. But 'super-spreading' events still a big challenge. E.g. 91 people testing positive from night at club in Barcelona.
Read 4 tweets

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