A short thread on vaccination data:
Rate of vaccination is starting to pick up again after a dip earlier in April.
It's still majority second doses being given to keep pace with the first doses we gave 12 weeks earlier. 1/7
61% of the UK adult population have now had their first dose and 20% their second dose. 2/7
Wales is still ahead with first doses given, while NI lags behind, but the absolute differences in percentages vaccinated are less than 10%.
The relative difference is bigger in second doses with Wales surging ahead early on, but now being pegged back. 3/7
We're seeing high proportions of over 80s having received their second dose (83%) and 78% of 75-79s too.
First dose coverage is over 90% for everyone over 55.
89% of the 50-54 year-olds have had a first dose and 59% of 45-49s. 4/7
Perhaps one thing to keep an eye on is keeping pace with first dose delivery.
12 weeks ago 80% of over 80s had been given their first dose.
This week 83% of over 80s have been given their second dose.
That margin was 16% last week this week it's just 3%. 5/7
The vaccine programme is still going superbly well.
It is and will continue to make a huge difference, especially as we continue to open up.
It is, however, worth understanding that there are inequalities in vaccine uptake as highlighted in this thread:
Science is under siege. Political forces are undermining expertise, dismantling research institutions, and replacing evidence based policymaking with ideology.
This is a global crisis.
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The covid-19 pandemic underscored the importance of scientific independence.
While vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics saved many lives, governments that ignored expert advice and downplayed the threat allowed lives to be lost.
2/31
Sometimes, it became a political battleground as public health experts were vilified and disinformation flourished, with deadly consequences.
3/31 bmj.com/content/379/bm…
Today the Royal Society will meet to discuss “Fellows’ behaviour”. Without doubt the fellow they will primarily be discussing is Elon Musk.
The behaviour may range from his public dissemination of unfounded conspiracy theories to his attacks on the science
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Musk is also an important figure (some would argue the most important) within a US administration that is laying siege to science and to scientific inquiry itself.
2/38 researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-world-…
The new administration’s executive orders have restricted research, silenced climate scientists and cut funding, as part of a systematic targeting of the scientific community.
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Here's what I think we should be doing to ensure that the UK (and indeed other non-US countries) does not suffer the same fate.
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The United States is currently witnessing an unprecedented assault on its scientists and scientific institutions, driven by populist agendas that prioritise ideology over evidence.
These orchestrated attacks threaten the foundations...
Silence will not shield scientists from the consequences of an increasingly hostile political landscape.
UK and other non-US scientists must act to support our US colleagues.
Here's what I think we should be doing...
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Science thrives on collaboration and openness.
The people who practice science are committed to seeking truth and combatting falsehoods.
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In an era where political forces increasingly seek to distort, suppress, or co-opt scientific knowledge for ideological purposes, the global scientific community must recognise that staying silent in the face of these challenges is no longer an option.
Fiona Fox’s recent article in Research Professional News cautions that expelling Elon Musk from the Royal Society could undermine public trust in science.
I disagree...
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1/25 researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-vie…
I think that this perspective overlooks the critical role that scientific institutions play in upholding ethical standards and defending the integrity of science, especially at times when science and scientists are subject to threats and intimidation from political institutions
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It's imperative that scientists and their representative bodies actively engage in political discourse to protect scientific integrity, particularly when it is under direct threat, as has been clearly evidenced by recent developments in the United States
3 iflscience.com/us-science-is-…
After hearing some underwhelming testimony last month at the #COVIDInquiry on the use of respirators, @trishgreenhalgh and I decided to write a rapid response to the @bmj_latest to set the record straight.
Here's what we wrote...
1/15 bmj.com/content/386/bm…
"Respirators outperform surgical masks; fit-testing is desirable but not essential"
Professor Susan Hopkins (UK Covid Inquiry, 18th September 2024) claimed that evidence for the superiority of respirators (which are made to an industry standard and designed to fit ...
2/15
closely around the face) over medical facemasks (which are not generally made to any quality standard and often fit loosely, leaving gaps around the sides) is “weak”.
She also claimed that respirators are of little use if they are not fit-tested.
3/15 bmj.com/content/386/bm…