“NO MORE THAN MERE SECONDS” of exposure in 10-60 centimeters where one man triggers several #DeltaVariant infections with brief “fleeting” contact. Thousands of shoppers at NSW🇦🇺 mass tested. Delta called “near & present danger”.
2) he “brushed past a man” in his 50’s… who became case #4. Ummm, wow. 👀
3) Like geez, we know #DeltaVariant is basically the fastest transmitting variant to date. But this kind of “fleeting contact” infection is all the more reason for masks and improved ventilation and air disinfection.
4) NSW health minister Brad Hazzard said the Delta variant which is behind this outbreak is a “near and present danger” given the fleeting contact between cases at the Bondi Junction Westfield.
5) ““It is fair to say that this Delta virus would appear to be a near and present danger to anybody who is in the vicinity,” he said.”
6) Cmon, must be have a one time random event. Right? Wrong! ➡️ “It is the second “fleeting contact” transmission connected to the first case. A woman in her 70s was sitting outside a cafe that the initial case had visited and genomic sequencing of her virus is an exact match” ⚠️
7) No way you say???? Lordy, I hope there’s tapes you say???…. Well guess what, this other fleeting contact case with the woman was **caught on security cameras” of a store. “They never came into contact” at all.
8) Anchor: “they just passed each other in the department store” ⚠️ (see video above)
“This obviously caused some concern” by NSW 🇦🇺 health authorities.
9) I think it’s safe to say #DeltaVariant is now the greatest threat of #COVID19 pandemic in 2021. It is by far the fastest variant known to date. The data complied from 64 countries by @WHO don’t lie. #B16172 is a clear and present danger to the world.
10) #DeltaVariant was formerly known as the “Indian variant” before the new Greek names established. In India, it was estimated by @IHME_UW that there were 13-14 million NEW infections PER DAY during its peak. Let that sink in.
11) We’ve also seen how #DeltaVariant has efficiently infected millions in India 🇮🇳 and likely killed ~1.6 million people (estimates by Economist and NYT range from 600,000-4 mil). Let that sink in. That’s mostly from #B16172 - aka Delta. Don’t let this happen to the world.
12) The numbers too staggering? You don’t believe it? Well here is NYT’s analysis. @IHME_UW also estimated over 1 million conservatively as well. This is the same #DeltaVariant now infecting the world. Take it seriously please. And tell your local leaders. nytimes.com/interactive/20…
13) Why act now? Because #DeltaVariant is soaring across multiple countries of the world. It’s all but certain to dominate the US and continental Europe soon too. Even the head of WHO Europe region admits it.
14) Good news is vaccines mostly work against #DeltaVariant, albeit attenuated (below is the average of AZ and Pfizer vaccines, though 2 dose AZ efficacy itself is actually 60%, not 80%, while Pfizer is 88%). But bad news is 1 dose efficacy is only 30-33%—very poor. Need 2 doses.
15) that said, the #DeltaVariant is trouble. let this sink in - #DeltaVariant is still penetrating for vaccine breakthroughs that 10% of all hospitalized #COVID19 cases in last week was among those with 2 dose + 14 days fully vaccinated (and UK is majority AZ vaccinated)
16) “Dr Jenny Harries, the chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency, urged people eligible for vaccination to come forward to receive the jab.
“vaccination is our best defence,” she said, noting two doses provided significantly more protection than a single dose….
17) As Dr Fauci warned recently: “The problem you get into … is that a single dose only provides about ~30% effectiveness [against #DeltaVariant]—so that is really an issue you gotta be careful”, as Fauci tells @nehakhanna_07.
18) 2 doses much better than 1. But one dose only modestly better than none against #DeltaVariant. We need 2 doses for everyone ASAP. Fauci and UK leaders all recognize this.
20) please sign this petition to CDC for urgent #DeltaVariant action. It is by @endCOVID19 & @CovidActionGrp and a “coalition of scientists, public health officials, epidemiologists, health care workers, educators, advocates, parents, & concerned citizens: change.org/p/centers-for-…
21) UPDATE: multiple new locations of exposures added due to more newly uncovered casual contact cases from the same outbreak in NSW. #DeltaVariant is just that contagious. 9news.com.au/national/coron…
22) Mad respect to the NSW public health govt officials. They have now published the full exhaustive list of “casual contact” locations in which every case has been - with precise time and location for each. Wowzers on the comprehensive contact tracing.
23) Many of you are asking about changing vaccine types amid #DeltaVariant. It’s a tricky topic but many countries are now allowing it. Canada for example…
WOW—“Falsely attacking climate scientists is not protected speech”. Defamation case awards $1 million to distinguished professor @MichaelEMann. Facts matter. The mountain of climate data is true. Climate change is real folks. #ClimateCrisis
2) but the fact this defamation case took 12 years to successfully resolve on behalf of climate scientist @MichaelEMann is pretty depressing. How many of us have the time and resources to pursue a defamation case for 12 years???!! Kudos to Dr Mann.
3) Many scientists have been warning about climate change crisis for decades. Why? Listen to this very old speech from 1985 by the late Carl Sagan. You won’t regret the 4 minutes of masterpiece delivery.
⚠️STAGGERING—24.4% of Americans ages 18 and over who have received a positive #COVID19 test or diagnosis have experienced symptoms of #LongCovid that persisted for 3 months or longer. Long COVID generally worse/more frequent with more severe COVID survivors. Thus….
Worst states for % (of positive) experiencing Long Covid… notice any pattern?
1. Oklahoma - 34% - 1 in 3 infected people! 2. Montana 3. Alabama 4. Arkansas 5. North Dakota 6. Ohio 7. Wyoming 8. South Dakota 9. West Virginia 10. Indiana 11. Kentucky 12. Florida 13. Arizona 14. Nebraska 15. Mississippi
2) And did the #LongCovid affect their quality of living in carrying out daily activities? Hell yes… 31% of those reporting LC had such reductions in quality of living…. by state:
3) Very striking correlation of 0.81 here…. Sometimes correlation isn’t causation - but remember - EVERY CAUSATION IS A CORRELATION. And 0.81 is damn high.
Shit is getting real—Johns Hopkins Hospital medical system has now instituted mandatory mask wearing for all visitors, patients, faculty & staff statewide at @JohnsHopkins clinics. Bandanas, gaiters and masks with exhalation valves are not permitted. #CovidIsNotOver #MaskUp
COVID pandemic has not been over. Don’t pretend it ever was. Govt leaders shouldn’t either put their heads in the sand like ostriches. @CDCDirector should get real too and advocate for safety forcefully. C’mon @CDCgov
@CDCDirector @CDCgov 3) Folks - Johns Hopkins is not just a single hospital— but Hopkins is the largest private employer in the entire state of Maryland! For Hopkins to put in mandatory masking for EVERYONE to its medical clinics is literally the biggest announcement. Super weird @CDCgov quiet.
Something very weird is happening in Italy. Italian scientists are baffled at hospital ER surge—even calling it “strange” @WRicciardi. Trying to track down how bad it is. “Influenza-like illness” is surging. Italy’s MOH extends obligation to wear masks in hospitals. Watching 👀
3) It seems to be flu and COVID — hospitals are now postponing and blocking non urgent hospital visits because hospitals are overwhelmed by influx of COVID and flu patients. corriere.it/salute/23_dice…
I have many stories & feelings about Harvard after 15 years. Once upon a time when Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes came to receive an award, I confronted & accused her of scientific fraud. I was reprimanded privately after. The rest is history. H logo visible in my 2015 photo below
2) Many of my Boston friends and biotech colleagues were in the audience and witnessed the Holmes confrontation. Here is a screenshot from an old FB post among my friends. They remember it. But they said I wasn’t forceful enough in my whistleblowing. Story of my life. 🤦🏻♂️
3) Also proof this was my own photograph of Elizabeth Holmes at Harvard— here is the iPhone timestamp, and my full original uncropped photo.