Thread by @DrEricDing

Sobering NYT cover tomorrow—almost 500,000 confirmed deaths from #COVID19 in the US.

Excess mortality in the US is even higher.

Don’t look away. Pandemic is not over. Be vigilant. #doublemask

2) US total excess mortality from the pandemic is meanwhile approaching almost 600,000 soon... sobering.

https://twitter.com/drericding/status/1362006269545095174

3) Meanwhile US has lost a full year of life expectancy in the first half of 2020 alone. 2.7 years of life lost for black Americans. 1.9 years lost for Hispanic Americans. 0.8 lost for whites.

Let that sink in.

https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1362371217261355008

4) Much why we are here have been due to mask denialism and pandemic denialism and now anti vaccine attitudes. It’s killing us. (This below is a parody but it’s spot on).

https://twitter.com/drericding/status/1361761217107345408

5) Please double mask. Here is why.

https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1359536244464766980

6) notably, While both people wearing masks is best (green circle), if only one person out of 2 wears a mask, the double mask (of surgical plus cloth) seems superior to single surgical that is knotted & tucked.

All else equal—do both. But if just do one, DOUBLE MASK.

7) if you wear just one surgical mask, make sure you knot the sides to ensure tight fit.

8) Sadly, a lot of people and even kids in schools are not masking enough. Latest CDC study—

https://twitter.com/drericding/status/1363269176077537283

9) the new #B117 is just too contagious. Switch to premium mask. Especially if others around you don’t mask.

https://twitter.com/drericding/status/1353186978519539712

10) B117 is highly infectious. Example in Denmark, where B117 is growing exponentially. And so are outbreaks despite lockdown.

https://twitter.com/drericding/status/1362725213264297984

11) And the more infectious #B117 variant is growing fast in the US especially in Florida. Yes, Florida, where it will be dominant by mid March.

https://twitter.com/drericding/status/1358468446548357123

12) Despite overall cases dropping, why aren’t we out of the woods of this pandemic? Because the pandemic is diverging into two! See thread 🧵

https://twitter.com/drericding/status/1357566949404905472

13) Here is what is going to happen... currently R is ~0.9 in many places, but with the more infectious #B117, the R will jump 50% approximately. And it is inevitable (all CDC and Danish models say this) that B117 will take over as the reigning dominant variant soon...

14) “there is no fate but what we make” ~Terminator 2.

The future is not set in stone. The choice is ours.

Let’s not make the same mistake twice. The pandemic will not be over by April (I don’t care what that dumb WSJ oped said). Stay focused. nymag.com/intelligencer/…

15) Let this figure on drop in US life expectancy get etched into our memories of this pandemic when we hunt down the culprits of it someday when this is all over:

📌Black male: -3 years!

📌Hispanic male: -2.4 years!

And this is only for half of 2020!
cdc.gov/nchs/data/vsrr…