David R Tomlinson 🇺🇦💙 Profile picture
Nov 9, 2021 10 tweets 6 min read Read on X
Tue 7 Sept 2021, 10:57

WHO described SARS2 as a cough & sneeze droplet-transmitted virus

Prevention: 'wash your hands, don't touch your face'

At 12:37: #COVIDisAirborne!
'[emitted] small liquid particles...droplets to smaller aerosols'

Prevention: 'wear a mask'

Did you know? 7th Sept WHO guidance ancho...ImageImageImage
WHO anti-airborne starting point:

'The COVID-19 virus spreads primarily through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose when an infected person coughs or sneezes' Image
WHO anti-airborne: prevention

🤦‍♂️Wash your hands regularly with soap & water, or clean them with alcohol-based hand rub.
🤔Maintain at least 1m distance between you & people coughing or sneezing [Ed: what about breath-exhaled aerosols; & why 1m?!].
🤦‍♂️Avoid touching your face. Image
7 Sept 2021, 12:37

WHO finally accepts that #COVIDisAirborne:

'The virus can spread from an infected person’s mouth or nose in small liquid particles when they cough, sneeze, speak, sing or breathe. These particles range from larger respiratory droplets to smaller aerosols.' Image
#COVIDisAirborne: prevention

✅Get vaccinated
Stay at least 1m apart from others
Wear a properly fitted mask when physical distancing is not possible or when in poorly ventilated settings.
✅Choose open, well-ventilated spaces over closed ones. Open a window if indoors. Image
Comment 🙏: there's nothing magical about physical distancing alone.

If you're indoors & the air quality is poor (inadequate fresh air supply, recirculation mechanical ventilation w/o HEPA filtration), transmission risk can be very high when sharing unfiltered, infectious air... Image
Like this: Jan 2020

2 buses, 1 pre-symptomatic case on bus 2: ALL secondary cases on bus 2

'in closed environments with air recirculation, SARS-CoV-2 is a highly transmissible pathogen.'

[No mask wearing: no known SARS2 cases in Ningbo city, China at the time] Image
'cases C5 & C10 seated in the last row were MORE THAN 5m from the index patient on the bus & neither reported direct contact nor sharing of spaces with the index patients during the event, YET THEY BOTH DEVELOPED INFECTION'

So please wear a mask indoors, regardless of distance. Image
As @WHO teams have come so far on this, hopefully it won't be long before they finally accept universally applicable physical laws underlying aerosol behaviour & change this element of their guidance on SARS2 prevention, for the benefit of all.
@mvankerkhove @kprather88 @DFisman Image

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More from @DRTomlinsonEP

Dec 18, 2023
'I would like to highlight evidence demonstrating that Professor Heneghan may be in breach of Section 35(2) of the Inquiries Act 2005'

Am looking forward to hearing your response @carlheneghan

covid19.public-inquiry.uk/documents/inq0…
TL/DR in evidence to @covidinquiryuk, CH stated SARS2 transmission is via large droplet & fomites

But:

Following peer review triggered changes 6 Jul 2022, CH's own work stated that SARS2 transmission is via 'fine aerosols & respiratory droplets, & to a lesser extent...fomites'
Why omit the empirical truth that SARS2 transmission occurs importantly via the airborne [aerosol inhalation] route?

Why do this, particularly as David Heymann's 13th Oct 2023 evidence to the PI clarified the @WHO position:

WHO knew SARS2 transmission was via aerosols, Jan 2020
Read 8 tweets
Oct 13, 2023
🚨David Halpern Cabinet Office

'Arguably the most fundamental misstep in the UK response was the presumption that covid would be an unstoppable flu-like wave'

This

underpinned the early (Chris Whitty) position on T&T, & the Vallance view on 'herd immunity' (later air-brushed)' Image
Aside

Early SAGE minutes clarify the UK rationale for stopping community SARS2 testing: it was deemed unnecessary because with rapidly increasing case numbers there was no point in testing, as there were insufficient personnel to contact trace

Good to know whose plan this was
'But there was an alternative'

'This led us to question...though we found ourselves quietly dismissed as not understanding the science'

'Ironically, the pride in our science & our capabilities, slowed our ability to learn lessons from other countries'

/2 Image
Read 8 tweets
Oct 12, 2023
In his capacity as co-chair of the 2016 pandemic respirator stockpile committee, where does JVT stand legally with this description of healthcare workplace protection 'logic' like this?

🚨Respirators only specifically recommended for ICU/HDU staff - i.e. AGP 'hotspots'

/1 Image
DESPITE

🚨Stronger evidence of aerosol transmission since 2009

🚨His own 2013 review now already used by David Heymann at @covidinquiryuk M1 to describe optimal protection against aerosols - FFP3 mandated as per COSHH

/2 Image
In his witness statement, JVT's logic rests on this concept:

🚨FFP3 is fine for MERS/SARS1 because of 'high case fatality rate & transmission to HCWs was well documented'

But what is unstated is the completion of this 'logic circle': I hope you don't mind me speculating?

/3 Image
Read 7 tweets
Sep 28, 2023
Dear @DidierPittet @jonotter @peyo3319

Good evening

By now 2 of you will have an email alert about my @PubPeerBot response to your Letter

UK Research Integrity Office (@UKRIO) teams suggested this route, on reading my detailed evidence submission
pubpeer.com/publications/B…
To overcome an unexpected formatting issue on upload to the PubPeer site, below please find my correctly formatted letter expressing concerns & questions over your 'research behaviour'

[your letter, plus summary comments from 2 down this thread]

p1-4


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p5-7

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Read 24 tweets
Jun 15, 2023
Day 3 @covidinquiryuk

🚨Prof David Heymann

CV highlights

2003: WHO executive director for communicable diseases - headed the global response to SARS

2017-2022: Chair of the WHO Strategic & Technical Advisory Committee on Infectious Hazards (STAG-IH)

Written evidence 🥁

/1
Annex 2: Matters to be addressed from Letter of
Instruction

I hope you don't mind, but for obvious reasons I'll focus on his comments on transmission

#COVIDisAirborne

/2 Image
Transmission: pt 71 onwards

'Researchers addressed major questions about transmission of SARS-CoV-2 during the first months of the pandemic

It was known...that the virus spread easily...especially in indoor & other closed spaces such as the Diamond Princess cruise ship...

/3
Read 17 tweets
Jun 14, 2023
Day 2 @covidinquiryuk: witness statements online

Prof Jimmy Whitworth & Dr Charlotte Hammer [p36] make an 'interesting' (i.e., exposing their bias &/or COI) statement concerning future recommendations
covid19.public-inquiry.uk/wp-content/upl…
/1
'Engagement...with academic research groups is needed so that key unanswered Qs arising during the early stages of an epidemic can be rapidly addressed. An example from the COVID-19 epidemic would have been to determine the role of airborne and droplet spread of infection'

/2
This, as we know, is a 'controversy' manufactured by WHO et al

van Doremalen (you know, whose research group's experimental aerosol viability work affirmed the airborne nature of MERS in 2013) proved beyond doubt that SARS2 was airborne in their 17 Mar 2020 @NEJM paper

/3
Read 5 tweets

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