A short thread on vaccination:
TL;DR Coverage of the total population is increasing as we vaccinate 16-17 year olds.
All home nations now have fully vaccinated coverage greater than 60%.
Vaccination rate has stayed relatively flat arresting sustained falls.
1/7
All home nations now have fully vaccinated coverage greater than 60%. Of course this still leaves 30-40% without the full protection, but >60% is already clearly making a big difference.
The more we can vaccinate the better for reducing the spread, severe disease and death. 2/7
Daily rates for the UK are stable at about 200K doses per day.
That has been flat or slightly increasing for a couple of weeks halting the decline of the last two months.
This is partly as a result of bringing 16-17 yos online for vaccination. 3/7
Second dose coverage is at 76% for the adult (over 16s) population.
This might look like a fall from previous weeks, but is a result of including 16-17 yos in the denominator. 4/7
Same slight fall from last week is apparent for the rates across the different nations of the UK.
Wales still leading the way in second doses, but flattening quicker than the other nations.
Scotland in front for fist doses (89.4%). 5/7
First dose coverage is plateauing at a lower level for younger age groups.
The same looks to be true for second doses, although we are still going with those. 6/7
The vaccination programme has gone well.
It stands between us and astronomically high levels of hospitals and deaths as we open up.
But, rising case numbers show that vaccines are not the whole solution.
We need to tackle covid as part of coordinated public health strategy
7/7
Note: All adult coverage charts now use the 16+ year old population as the denominator to be consistent with the change to the COVID dashboard.
With thanks as ever to Bob Hawkins for his help preparing the data.
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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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1/31
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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1/38
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.
3/38
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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1/37
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...
🧵
1/35
Science thrives on collaboration and openness.
The people who practice science are committed to seeking truth and combatting falsehoods.
2/35
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...
🧵
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
2
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…