The year may be new, but we REMAIN grateful for all that we could achieve, in-spite of the pandemic, the personal and professional hardships we overcame. We are optimistic about our future and what is to come. Alhamdulillah #noRegrets#HAPPYNEWYEAR2022
#Pakistan case numbers ⬆️by 50%.The ripples of 5th🌊 have begun. We detected #Omicron in samples as early as Dec 6. It has a doubling time of 1.5-3 days, much faster than Delta. How do we brace ourselves? Recipe is the same: #mask#SocialDistancing#boosterdose as eligible 1/
Who should get the vaccine? Anyone who is 12 and above. Who should get a booster? 1:Immunocompromised (all ELIGIBLE age groups)
2: Those 50 years & above
3: Healthcare workers
*Booster when last vaccine give at least more 6 months ago 2/
Recovering from Covid? Wait for 28 days before getting a booster.
All vaccines being offered as boosters: Sinopharm, Sinovac, Pfizer or Moderna 3/
With school vaccination becoming mandatory for 15 and above in Sind, there are pervasive vaccine myths galore. 🧵 google.com/amp/s/www.geo.…
First that children don’t need vaccine. On average 1/5 infected are children, & 1/3 of those are asymptomatic & potential spreaders. So even if children are less likely to be sick, many will indirectly benefit from their vaccination such as younger kids, immunodeficiency etc.
Of course there are direct benefits to children as well, as vaccine will reduce the chance an individual child gets Covid-19, decreasing disruption caused by school closures.
It’s back to school (hybrid with 50% attendance for my kids) from Monday in Sind. I see so much anxiety, especially among parents of young children, considering that children are not vaccinated and most adults aren’t either. Here’s what we can do 1/n
Check with your school principal and class teacher to ensure every adult- yes every adult, be it a teacher, guard, helper or cleaner, is vaccinated. 2/n
Demand for physical distancing in your child’s classroom. This is only possible with smaller class sizes. Demand for smaller classes from your child’s school administration. 3/n
@AmbroggioPhD Agreed. Not a diagnostics expert but I know the following 1) This discussion is not new and has been ongoing among diagnostics folks, now coming to public view. 2) CT values can matter but converting it to a viral load equivalent is an oversimplification 1/n
@AmbroggioPhD 3) Each machine behaves differently and therefore the amplification being talked about is also going to vary. We are not aware of any standard curve quantifying viral load against CT values 2/n
@AmbroggioPhD 4) Generally speaking, lower CT means more virus but higher CT isn’t necessarily the opposite- it can have different connotations depending on whether it’s an initial test, or a repeat after 7 days, importantly days this symptom onset. 3/n
3 trials conducted in Africa demonstrated effectiveness of MDA-AZT for reduction of child mortality rates. Results were compelling enough for @WHO to review the evidence. AZT may impact mortality in countries with ⬆️U5MR by reducing diarrhoea, pneumonia and malaria 3/n
2/ Pakistan- fifth most populous country in the world, first among LMICs to see the pandemic in late February 2020 . Now >269000 confirmed cases with over 5500 deaths, the largest number seen in Karachi, its largest city. Here is what Karachi is like in relation to Pakistan
3/ Testing rates have been low in some areas and under reporting of cases due to fear and stigma of the disease and omission of mild symptomatic and asymptomatic cases. telegraph.co.uk/global-health/…