For anyone following me from the UK, New Zealand currently has a cluster of 11 cases of #COVIDー19 in the community, within 3 families. They should serve as a warning re opening schools too soon 1/n
Current theory is a parent picked up the virus at work and passed on to teenage daughter, who passed on to a class mate (close contact) after attending school for one day, who passed on to their family.
The 3rd family who have just tested positive include a teen from the same school as the first teen and who was considered a ‘casual plus’ contact, so not a class mate but someone who may have been exposed - maybe had been in the same classroom(s) but at a different time?
There are about 1500 students in the high school but we have 3 families infected. This is with the B.1.1.7 variant.
The school was shut for a week, opened again yesterday with close contacts all still in isolation and everyone else having tested negative. Casual plus teen who tested positive today is 13 days from when they were thought exposed.
School has closed again until further notice and everyone is being tested again.
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Doing research without proper funding is hard & disheartening. A short thread... 1/n
Some of us need $$ to buy the stuff and hire the talented experienced researchers we need to do the experiments. So we have to abandon ideas when grants are rejected. 2/n
But I couldn’t let this one go. It was about how microbes evolve to be more infectious. 3/n
I need to get something off my chest about @FlyAirNZ and their attitude to masks... so here’s a 🧵 #covid19nz
In NZ, legally we have to wear a mask on internal flights. It has felt to me like @FlyAirNZ have never taken this requirement seriously, as they’ve continued offering food & drink. And that means people take their masks off during the flight to eat and drink.
This makes me really angry, as they got a massive bail out from the government to keep them viable & so surely in return they should be doing their bit for our team of 5 million
I find it a little amusing that because I'm a microbiologist who specialises in research involving bacteria some people think I'm unqualified to talk about viruses. My employer doesn't think so & is happy for me to teach virology. Also, my undergraduate degree covered both.
But what makes it more amusing, is that compared to bacteria, viruses are pretty simple. Yes, there are differences in their genetic material, but that's nothing compared to how complex bacteria are.
And over my career I've worked on loads of different bacteria - intracellular, extracellular, Gram-positive, Gram-negative, Gram-don't-give-a-flying-fuck. Over the last few years, I've also started working with fungi. Holy shit, are they a law unto themselves.
Ok, here's a thread about my academic career for those who need it. The first stepping stone was a BSc at the University of Edinburgh in medical microbiology (microbes that cause disease in humans). I graduated with a First-class Honours degree. I went straight on to do a PhD. 1/
I loved Edinburgh & wanted to stay, so took a PhD project with a supervisor at Edinburgh Napier University. It was co-supervised by someone at a government research institute in Oxford which at the time was called the Institute of Virology & Environmental Microbiology (IVEM). 2/
The deal was I would spend 6 months in Oxford at IVEM at the start of my project, learn some new skills, then go back to Edinburgh for the rest of my PhD. But life got in the way. I fell in love, though not with Oxford which I found very snobby compared to Edinburgh. 3/
Scientist offers to answer opposition MPs Qs about pandemic
Said party's supporters replies summarised: 1) scientist just "trying to keep her 6 chins in the limelight" 2) scientist will report back to the other parties 3) why would they listen to that scientist? she's a joke
Replies continued.... 4) "woke political hitjob" 5) your facts keep changing! (they say this like its a bad thing...) 6) scientist is a paid shill
Replies keep coming... I’m going to make a bingo card!
7)”would rather listen to my dog” 8) THERE IS NO PANDEMIC 9) hydroxychloroquine 10) why would they listen to you when they have [Plan B people]