Thread by @DrEricDing

Why did German Chancellor Angela Merkel warn on camera so strongly that the #B117 variant is “more severe, more infectious, infectious longer” and separately infects kids more than old strain? Because data precisely matching what was predicted. This can be any of us. #COVID19

2) Merkel’s speech on the new #B117 variant: “We basically have a new pandemic. The mutation from 🇬🇧 has taken over—it is clearly more lethal, more contagious and contagious for longer."

Germany 🇩🇪 is taking it seriously. We should too.

3) #B117 & kids—i trust Angela Merkel because she’s on top of the science

"The 🇬🇧 mutant is proven to be more dangerous in children and young people so we need to put the protection of schools more front and centre than with original virus” Merkel said.
mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/id…

4) Is Merkel right?

https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1375434384774430726

5) Anywhere else? Here is active cases in Massachusetts.

6) what about Scotland and England? Trends are going badly...

https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1375430886628413441

7) Surely there can’t be more examples? Contact tracing sources of outbreaks in Belgium 🇧🇪...

https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1374491722307096580

8) Surely I must be cherry picking? Nope, here is what the Belgium 🇧🇪 Prime Minister said: see thread 🧵

https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1374140057964134403

9) Siri: Show me where there is a huge increase in pediatric cases due to #B117...

https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1369322809902702592

10) is 3 feet (1 meter) distance enough? No, not at all with #B117 variant. The 3 feet study was a much older study, before #B117.

https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1375420817954242564

11) Also, when Chancellor Merkel said #B117 was infectious for a longer period of time, here was what she meant— infection duration was much longer with #B117 in this study (along with higher viral load in other studies). This aids transmission.

medrxiv.org/content/10.110…