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Dr Zoë Hyde Profile picture
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8 Jan, 8 tweets, 5 min read
WA’s PPE guidelines are inadequate. Staff don’t have to wear masks if distance can be maintained, & bus drivers are only provided with surgical masks.

These are inadequate precautions for an airborne virus, and could lead to outbreaks.
#wapol #auspol
@CHO_WAHealth @MarkMcGowanMP
There are now numerous examples of aerosol transmission of SARS-CoV-2 around the world, particularly in enclosed environments such as buses.
Here is an example of aerosol transmission of SARS-CoV-2 occurring in a building:
Here is an example of probable airborne transmission which took place on a flight to Perth at the start of the year:
And here is the proof that infectious virus, not just fragments of RNA, can be detected in the air around people with COVID-19:
We must urgently upgrade the PPE provided to people working at our airports, ports, and hotel quarantine systems.

Workers must be issued with P2/N95 masks.

Surgical masks, while helpful, don’t provide the same level of protection.
#wapol #auspol
@CHO_WAHealth @MarkMcGowanMP
Links to current guidelines for WA:

➡️ ww2.health.wa.gov.au/-/media/Corp/D…

➡️ ww2.health.wa.gov.au/-/media/Corp/D…
Addendum: the link to the case of probable aerosol transmission on a flight to Perth was incorrect.

Here is the correct link:

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Dr Zoë Hyde Profile picture
1 Jan
Anaphylactic reactions may be more likely with mRNA COVID-19 vaccines than other traditional vaccines (1 in 100,000 vs. 1 in 1,000,000); likely a reaction to carrier used to protect RNA component (polyethylene glycol, PEG), rather than the vaccine per se.
nejm.org/doi/full/10.10…
Persons with a history of allergic reactions associated with polyethylene glycol (or reactions to any of the other components listed) should avoid mRNA vaccines, and receive a different type of vaccine instead.
Note that other kinds of allergies (e.g., hay fever), are not expected to cause a problem.

There is no need to avoid the mRNA vaccines unless there is a specific history of allergic reactions to polyethylene glycol, or the other ingredients of the vaccines.
Read 5 tweets
Dr Zoë Hyde Profile picture
30 Dec 20
The evidence is in, and the UK variant does appear to be of great concern. The viral load of infected people is higher, and it seems to be about 50% more transmissible. It doesn’t appear to cause more severe illness, but more cases will unfortunately result in greater mortality.
The estimated viral load of people infected with the new variant is substantially higher, although it is not yet clear why. Further laboratory studies will hopefully explain this.
medrxiv.org/content/10.110…
In contrast to early speculation, children do not appear to be markedly more susceptible to the new variant.
Read 9 tweets
Dr Zoë Hyde Profile picture
18 Dec 20
(1/4) If I understand correctly, this is potentially dangerous. Rapid testing is to be rolled out in UK schools, but only staff are to be tested regularly. Students will only be tested if they are close contacts.
🔰 dfemedia.blog.gov.uk/2020/12/15/mas…

This has problems.

H/T: @dgurdasani1.
(2/4)

➡️ Both staff and students should be regularly tested. A proactive approach is required. Find the cases in students before they have a chance to transmit!

➡️ Primary school students should also be tested, not just secondary students. Young children transmit the virus too.
(3/4)

➡️ The rapid test to be used (a lateral flow test) has been shown to give false negatives half of the time.

Because close contacts will no longer quarantine under this programme, it’s likely some will go on to infect others.
bmj.com/content/371/bm…
Read 4 tweets
Dr Zoë Hyde Profile picture
16 Dec 20
The latest round of random testing in the UK shows both children and teenagers are now more likely to be infected than adults.

1 in 48 teenagers and 1 in 58 children tested positive.

Infections are decreasing in adults, but increasing in children.

Red bar = most recent round.
The proportion of people testing positive by age group is as follows:

5-12: 1.7%
13-17: 2.1%
18-24: 1.0%
25-34: 1.0%
35-44: 0.8%
45-54: 0.8%
55-64: 0.7%
65+: 0.4%
In the accompanying media release the researchers note cases are no longer decreasing overall and:

“School-age children are ... the most affected age group, which could be linked to schools remaining open during lockdown.”

Link to media release & report: imperial.ac.uk/news/210873/co…
Read 4 tweets
Dr Zoë Hyde Profile picture
12 Dec 20
(1/10) Follow-up study of household contacts of people with #COVID19, showing it’s possible to prevent transmission at home.

Daily testing showed some people may not test positive for long. One child was positive for only 2 days. Cases are easily missed.
wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/27…
(2/10) This was a study of 5 households in Utah, conducted by the CDC. Each household had one index case. CDC staff visited each household within 2-4 days of the index cases’ positive test (day 0), for the next 4 days (day 1-4), and 14 days later. Contacts were tested each visit.
(3/10) In 3 of the 5 households, there was no transmission to other household members (0%).

In the other 2 households, all family members were infected (100%).

Overall, 7 of the total 15 contacts were infected (47%).
Read 10 tweets
Dr Zoë Hyde Profile picture
10 Dec 20
(1/5) Study of a biomarker of blood clots in small blood vessels in 50 children with mild (n=21) & severe (n=11) #COVID19, and MIS-C (n=18).

➡️ Biomarker elevated in all groups.

➡️ Evidence of kidney injury in 10% of mild cases (36% severe, 28% MIS-C).
ashpublications.org/bloodadvances/…
(2/5) The children with mild illness included hospital patients in which #SARSCoV2 had been identified in routine testing before admission (unrelated to #COVID19).

As such, it is possible they may not be representative of mild cases generally.
(3/5) It is unclear what the long-term implications of this study are. It is possible these findings are fully reversible.
Read 5 tweets

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