This headline is misleading. @doctorsoumya from @WHO warned against individuals "vaccine shopping" outside of public health regulations (and in some cases, getting 3rd 4th doses on their own). She did NOT say that individual countries' vaccine policies were "dangerous." 1/3
By cutting and pasting quotes & providing zero background, these click-bait headlines cause tremendous harm. There's a huge amount of solid vaccine science & global experience that support mixing vaccines. Please don't give in to the click bait. Get fully vaccinated. 2/3
And please read the responses to the original tweet. Lots of understandably concerned people (thanks, misleading headline 😭), and also good information from experts in ID and vaccine science who are trying to clear things up. 3/3
Also - if a misleading headline has been disseminated a million times, it does not make it LESS misleading. (@Reuters is one of the world's largest news agencies, which is why you're seeing this in every news outlet from Penticton to Peoria.)
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I’ve been following the conversation around #OntEd’s destreamed math curriculum. Today I read this thoughtful thread from @realJ_Mitchell. Please take a look, then come on back for my take as a mom, an Ontario voter, and a university educator.
My students are well past school-age, but my kids aren’t. And my work exposes me to the direct impacts of structural racism, sexism, and colonialism on adults. Here’s what I’ve learned in my career, and how I think it intersects with the issue Jamie discusses:
The point of education - especially elementary and secondary - is to prepare kids for the world they’re entering. To teach them how to think critically, how to reckon with our collective past and repeat the good parts while honestly addressing and working to repair the horrors…
#NACI (Canada's advisory board of vaccine scientists) has summarized the latest science: they recommend mRNA over AstraZeneca as the 2nd dose of #COVID19 vaccine. Here's why... 1/n canada.ca/en/public-heal…
1) It seems to be more EFFECTIVE. AZ-mRNA and mRNA-mRNA appear to give a more effective immune response against variants of concern (and the delta variant is spreading in Canada), based on small studies + big real world experience. 2/n
2) It appears to be SAFE. We mix and match a lot of vaccines, safely, and the aforementioned studies + experience show the safety of AZ-mRNA too. 3/n
The vaccine rollout is spreading - and so is the delta variant. Lots of folks are concerned about the risk of myocarditis in young people who receive mRNA. My advice: make sure your sources include true experts - in this case, doctors who look after heart disease in kids. 1/n
My experience with #VITT left me shaken, as misinformation about blood #clots was amplified (often by other MDs). Science & medicine are a big tent. BUT within those tents are people with specialized training and experience - and their words should carry weight! 2/n
Definitely look at studies, watch the CDC's ACIP live streams, consider the words of doctors, nurses, PH, epidemiologists, scientists of all stripes. But pay close attention to the words of FPs, pediatricians & pediatric cardiologists. I'm happy to speak *around* this issue. 3/n
A word on #AstraZeneca (making the decision about your 2nd shot, and when the 🤬 you can get your 2nd shot)... 1/x
The frustration of Ontarians who got AZ for dose #1, and now feel hung out to dry since their 2nd dose hasn't been accelerated, is palpable. Think the insistence on a 12 week gap isn't science based? You're right. It sucks, and it's scary (esp if you're in a hotspot!) 2/x
I have yet to meet a scientist or health care professional who thinks that a 12 week gap between AZ and mRNA is carved in stone. And NACI - the TRUE vaccine experts - have already said 4-12 weeks is fine. Their recommendations should hold a lot of weight. 3/x
Lots of AZ questions swirling. I can’t answer them all (1. Don’t actually have all the answers; 2. Need a Twitter break for my 🧠 health!) But @JHMustapha’s tweet resonated: yes, info on AZ and VITT changing DAILY. If this makes you anxious, you may elect not take AZ again. 1/n
To give informed consent to AZ you must appreciate seriousness of these clots (they’re serious), risk of waiting for a different vaccine (moot, as mRNA supply ⬆️), and risk of getting VITT w 2nd dose. UK data is evolving so risk of 1:1mill has ⬇️ to 1:600thou and may ⬇️ more. 2/n
That’s not because scientists are jerks or governments are duplicitous or anything else shady! It’s bc as we do things over and over (eg. Give more shots), we will estimate a risk closer to the truth. I can’t guess what the “true” incidence of VITT w 2nd dose is. 3/n
Okay one more thread before bed! Lots of Qs asking "what IS VITT?" Before I get to that, if you'd like an AWESOME metaphor about vaccine choice, please read my buddy @DrKateJMiller's, then read on for some FACTS about VITT clots caused by AZ and J&J...
These are the facts. 4-28 day window for symptoms to start (typical immune reaction... just like autoimmune HIT for the #hemetwitter nerds). Those incidence figures are referenced in the brief. covid19-sciencetable.ca/sciencebrief/v…