Eric Feigl-Ding Profile picture
Feb 22, 2021 22 tweets 9 min read Read on X
📍OUTBREAK OF #B117 AT SEVEN SCHOOLS—sudden outbreak of #COVID19 cases at a British Columbia 🇨🇦—all elementary and middle schools. Genetic sequencing shows #b117 in early cases linked to outbreak. Classes quarantined. All the schools still remain open. 🧵 cbc.ca/news/canada/br… ImageImage
2) British Columbia 🇨🇦 teachers are now incredibly worried by the latest sudden 7 school outbreaks, and demanding decisive actions.
3) British Columbia is having a major increase in transmission — and has the highest R in Canada 🇨🇦 currently.
4) A statement from the Surrey School District to parents says the strain detected at two of the schools was connected to positive cases dating back to Jan. 26 because testing for the variants takes longer than the standard COVID-19 test.
5) The three-week delay is too long, said Sarah Otto, a professor in evolutionary biology at UBC.

"We expect it to double every eight to 10 days, and so for every eight- to 10-day delay there's potentially twice as many other people who have caught it and not know about it.''
6) The Fraser Health statement says it is working to identify any more connected variant:

"The variant strain can transmit more quickly and easily but does not seem to cause more severe illness”

➡️ this is incorrect. #B117 is said by 🇬🇧 experts to increase severity as well.
7) Apparently, masks weren’t mandated at every school, according to @bctf.

Epic fail.
8) Recently, UK says #B117 variant can be 30-70% more severe than old common strains.
9) This BC follows the heels of two other notable school outbreaks in Austria and Denmark and kids surge in Israel.
10) The Danish multi school outbreak was also #B117 related.
11) As was the Italian village #B117 outbreak in which 60% of the infected were children.
12) This divergence in children also seen in the UK, despite general lockdown. After winter break, positivity in 5-9 year olds higher vs adults after primary partially schools reopening. This wasn’t seen last year at all.
13) These can no longer be dismissed as isolated stories. We know school reopening lead to rise in cases. We cannot delude ourselves on this!
14) Meanwhile, BC 🇨🇦 leaders downplay everything even as #B117 spreads and BC’s R is increasing, says @PennyDaflos.

bc.ctvnews.ca/b-c-health-off…
15) BC schools are also atrociously **SCREWING SHUT WINDOWS** to prevent teachers from opening them for fresh air!!! Can’t make this insanity up—all while in middle of outbreak. cbc.ca/news/canada/br…
16) But that^ is exact opposite of what we need to do to stop school transmissions. We need more ventilation and air cleanings. Ventilation is the easiest and best. Air disinfection next best. See thread 🧵
17) Ventilation and air disinfection is just so critical for schools and any crowded places.
18) Another datapoint of pediatric case surge ever since schools reopened without mitigation in Iowa.
19) Another reminder we have known the coronavirus is airborne—long distance aerosol travel and aerosol infection means we need to take serious transmission in schools and prevent indoor dining.
20) And I agree with anxious and worried @bctf teachers... they need widespread rapid testing to stay ahead of outbreak before epidemics grow to multiple classrooms, grade levels, and schools.
21) Meanwhile.... another multi-school outbreak in Toronto that seems similar to BC #B117 school outbreak.
22) And the clearest evidence of school #COVID19 transmission of teachers and kids comes from Quebec... the evidence on schools is irrefutable.

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More from @DrEricDing

Mar 14
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again… once upon a time, liberals did have our own “Leftist Joe Rogan”… his name was Joe Rogan…

Here he is advocating for socialized medicine, healthcare for all, and supporting labor unions to protect workers.
2) Recall, Rogan was once pro Obama and pro Bernie Sanders, and pro Yang Gang, and anti Trump. It’s sad he has since failed to the dark side. But like Vader… maybe he can be redeemed someday and come back to the light.
3) *Fallen, not failed (above).

Joe Rogan was also pro gay rights and pro DACA and pro helping inner city communities that suffer economic and social injustices. It’s sad what he has become. I feel we should try to pull & welcome him back someday. Everyone can be redeemed.
Read 4 tweets
Feb 26
BREAKING—FDA suddenly cancels meeting to update next season’s flu vaccines, with zero explanations. Any delays will jeopardize next year’s vaccine supply chain. Image
2) Folks who follow me know that I’m no bullshitter. I criticized past pandemic response right and left, and have called balls and strikes without bias. And I often say things that doctors & epidemiologists are whispering among themselves but don’t say publicly. (Cough cough) ⬇️
3) While I don’t recommend hoarding… I think stocking up on flu antivirals, which you can obtain prophylactically (preventively) from doctors if you ask nicely why you’re high risk, can be a good idea. I know many doctors, epidemiologists and virologists who do for their family.
Read 6 tweets
Feb 26
Doctors are debunking RFK Jr’s claim that 20 hospitalized measles cases in Texas are there for mainly quarantine. Doctors on the ground say the 20 kids hospitalized are having trouble breathing. Oh and they are all unvaccinated against measles, which RFK Jr neglects to mention. Image
2) RFK Jr told Trump today there’s now 2 measles deaths.
3) RFK Jr is a tear with his FDA today. A dark Darwinian future lies ahead for America.
Read 4 tweets
Feb 26
BREAKING—Reports coming in about potentially *2 measles deaths* in Texas, not just one, according to an HHS briefing to the White House today.
2) Earlier today, one measles death in an unvaccinated child was reported in Texas. Image
3) It seems to be RFK Jr who said it in an official Trump WH cabinet meeting today. Not saying he doesn’t lie, but he is now HHS Secretary
Read 6 tweets
Feb 21
Woke or biology? There are actually more than the basic “male” XY & “female” XX sexes. Why? Because biology also creates people with single X chromosomes, or extra chromosomes like XXX, XXY, XYY, or XXX+, plus many 🧬genes. 👉All I’m asking is— please be kind to others. Thanks🙏 Image
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2) “The most frequent SCAs include Turner syndrome (45,X), Klinefelter syndrome (47,XXY), Trisomy X syndrome (47,XXX), and Double Y syndrome (47,XYY).”

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10…
3) “The phenotype seen in SCAs is highly variable and may not merely be due to the direct genomic imbalance from altered sex chromosome gene dosage but also due to additive alterations in gene networks and regulatory pathways across the genome as well as individual genetic modifiers.”
Read 5 tweets
Feb 16
I'm shocked a lot of doctors don't know about this newer flu antiviral drug called Baloxavir (XOFLUZA)... that shortens your flu illness by 33%, and reduces your viral load by day 2, versus what a placebo takes 5-6 days to achieve. Baloxavir also seems superior to TAMIFLU (oseltamivir) for smashing your viral load on 2 day, achieving what takes Tamiflu 3-4 days. CDC even lists Baloxavir on their website as one of the top 4 drugs that it tracks whether it works against new flu strains (it works)Image
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2) "Baloxavir was associated with significantly more rapid declines in infectious viral load than placebo or oseltamivir (Figure 3A and 3B)."
nejm.org/doi/full/10.10…
3) Adverse events for baloxavir were no different than placebo. in fact theres even hints that it could be lower than Tamiflu.

"Adverse events that were considered to be related to the trial regimen were more common in oseltamivir recipients (8.4%) than in baloxavir recipients (4.4%, P=0.009)"Image
Read 13 tweets

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