Thread by @obenfine

#covidpositive reflections of omicron as physician, dad and human subject

🧵

First, an omicron treasure hunt (with RAT testing PSA)
Then, implication
Finally, reflections and thanks

The hunt.

Wife had sore throat (Day 0) then runny nose (day 2-3). Must be a "cold"... 2 negative rapids then day 3 = positive. Like bright red positive .

Next, I sense a throat tickle. Real? 2 negative PCRs (per hospital policy), but doesn't seem right. Pharynx looks inflamed..

Had seen some @CPita3 and @KashPrime others sharing early oral v nasal testing data...had a hunch...

Experiment time: 2 simultaneous rapid antigen tests
A) Nasal turbinates 👃
b) Oropharynx 😝

BINGO
Omicron hiding back of my throat (left)
Not in my nose (right)

Hoping @NobelPrize recognizes this similar to discovermagazine.com/health/the-doc…

Some implications for provincial and family-decision makers:
1. If you have "cold", act as if you have omicrom. This is showing up in lots of early data as well.

2. Reported counts are massive underestimations - probably by 5-10x. Between lack of PCR access, undertesting (just a cold), missed oropharyngeal disease on tests, it must be just everywhere.

3. If you want to use rapid tests before gathering to prevent transmission, consider swabbing back of throat then nose with 1 stick. Will increase sensitivity IMO and make everyone feel safer.

4. It is super hard to keep omicron from spreading in your household. We had separate rooms, hepa filters, open windows, masks and were pretty reasonable (not overly vigilant) with 3 kids under 10. This is mentally tiring and stressful and an impossible task for most.

5. But I am happy we have done our part to stop train of transmission. As the yid on call, still seeing some sick people (though much less than prior waves). While it sucks, staying home for a week to prevent a stranger from getting sick is the right thing to do.

Reflections😇: Lots for this presumed 5/5 positive fam to be grateful for (#covidpositive silver lining)

🙏Vaccines and the scientists, manufacturers, and complex distribution system behind them. This was "only a cold" for this family thanks to 12 doses of mRNA immune training!

@THP_hospital call center staff working overtime, testers out on xmas instead of with their families and lab techs pumping out results in a few hours are totally underrecognized. You can hear the kindness yet stress in their voices. 🙏🙏

🙏to the management who make the hospital run. Peter Drucker called hospitals "the most complex form of human organization we have ever attempted to manage". That was BEFORE the pandemic, which changes facts on the ground. Daily!

You try changing the direction of 10,000 people caring for millions per year overnight. Every night, at times! An impossible task. With little support. No budget. And lots of angry stakeholders. Each of their individual commitment is what holds the system together. 🙏🙏

🙏@COVIDSciOntario and many other scientists across the globe creating and making rapid sense of this data. I don't think most people appreciate how insane the volume of (unpaid) work is being performed across the globe to allow us to understand the spread and impact of COVID...

Omicron literally was unheard of until 5 weeks ago. Now we know an INSANE amount about it that has been incorporated in policies and individual planning.

Technological #Engineering innovations that have allowed us to survive/thrive during this pandemic. 10 years ago we had slow net, terrible video calls, minimal home delivery. We have cheap effective air filters, masks, rapid sequencing and mRNA vax. And @Strava! We are so lucky.

Kids. They are the real stars. My kids have spent 20-30% of their lives in COVID, making sacrifices with real social cost to them. And they get how stupid adults are. My 7yo made this; some leaders still refuse to ack.

We need leaders who care about them; they are our future.

Leadership. Really hard to find during this pandemic. I hope the next generation fixes that. I think this will help the push towards decentralization...

Support network. Friends, family, coworkers covering shifts. Super lucky to have. But not everyone is so lucky. Thankful to @cityoftoronto @joe_cressy @taimhuynh for trying to support those who need it most.

This extends to what type of society we want to live in. I want to live in one where somebody is willing to stay home to prevent me from getting sick. I think most do; this coop separates us sapiens from many other species. But we need to work to get there @JillianHortonMD .

It is tempting to say this feels like the end of covid. But I think we know enough to know that this only ends when it ends for everybody in our backyards and across the world. Not just our lucky corner.

Enjoy safe holidays with your loved ones.

/end