BREAKING—Trump HHS/CDC has been subpoenaed by House @COVIDOversight committee after evidence revealed that Trump appointees **attempted to “alter or block” at least 13 scientific reports** as outbreaks surged across the spring and summer. #COVID19 politico.com/news/2020/12/2…
2) “Top political officials at [Health and Human Services] and [the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] not only tolerated these efforts, but in some cases aided them," @WhipClyburn added in the letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar and CDC Director Robert Redfield.
3) “Clyburn issued subpoenas to Azar and Redfield, ordering them by Dec. 30 to produce "full and unredacted" documents that Clyburn said his panel has sought for months.”
4) Earlier—also revealed that Trump Homeland Security and COVID Task Force ignored risks to DHS workers:
2) Outside Greater London, the variant has higher viral loads. Within Greater London, the new variant does not have significantly higher viral loads. But this could be due to demographics, such as a faster variant growth rate in particular age-groups.
3) So is it higher or not? Or is it some London / non-London effect? ➡️ it’s really higher.
➡️In a multivariable model (adjusting mutually), what won was the B.1.1.7 variant’s 501Y mutation as key—**higher viral load**
❌London/other region interaction effect not significant.
📍Huge blow—UK had halted plans to open rapid-turnaround #COVID19 tests across England amid concerns about the accuracy. Huge blow to UK’s £100bn “Operation Moonshot” mass-testing plan, to increase daily tests from 430k to 10mil. Poor 🇬🇧 case surging too. theguardian.com/world/2020/dec…
2) Experts in testing and understand immunology like @michaelmina_lab think the test is good in capturing **INFECTIOUS** virus, which is key.
2) Pastor Todd Dunn had been preaching “Faith over fear!” since the COVID-19 pandemic started. Before Thanksgiving, he posted a message on Facebook dismissing precautionary measures by CDC to keep wearing masks and avoid gatherings w/ family members who don’t live in same house.
2) “Dunn, who is the pastor of 2nd Mile Church in north Fort Worth where his parents were members, admitted that he was surprised by the sudden surge in COVID cases in recent weeks in Tarrant County.”
.. SURPRISED THAT EPIDEMIOLOGISTS ARE RIGHT??? 🤦🏻♂️
New York is vigorously trying to find the UK 🇬🇧 mutated variant in its samples. None found so far among 3700 virus samples sequenced for its genome. Good start. But lots to go. #COVID19
2) Early data hints the new mutation affects kids more.