I've just been reviewing the DfE 'study' that was widely reported in the media as showing 'no evidence masks work in schools'. I honestly can't believe this was even written up into a formal report given the *huge* limitations.🧵
The study compared mask wearing in schools that responded to a question reporting mask use *either in communal areas or classrooms* for just *2 wks* or more- and assessed the impact on absenteeism just 3 wks later!!
Let me unpick this- we don't even know if the schools in the treatment group had kids *wearing masks in classrooms*. Given this was Oct '21 it's very likely that a substantial proportion if not the majority just had masks in communal areas (corridors)!
This is *not* the same thing at all. The researchers did not differentiate the two, despite this being *critically* important. And the duration of the study intervention was *2 weeks* to study the complex intervention of mask use on absenteeism.
On top of all this, it's clear that the schools that had mask policy were completely incomparable to schools that didn't- with a huge difference in distribution of absenteeism at baseline, *even before mask use started*. And they remained different after statistical correction!
While the researchers tried to adjust for this statistically, the difference was so large that it brings the validity of the whole study into question. Amazingly despite this they found a 11% greater relative reduction- with absenteeism dropping more in schools with mask use.
It wasn't statistically significant, which means we cannot rule out that it's a finding that's by chance. But seriously- if you're looking at the impact of mask use in *communal areas or classrooms* for just 2 wks in vastly different groups at baseline - you can't say anything.
Find it amazing that the media and our govt largely ignored the global evidence on mask use in schools, which the DfE report recognises, to report this study (which to be honest wasn't even designed to study the effectiveness of masks in classrooms) as evidence against!
I find it pretty shocking that the DfE would put out something like this - given the massive flaws in this study, and the fact that it's basically designed in such a flawed way that there's no way to interpret it. It's basically useless.
If you do want to know about evidence around masks, and masks in schools, there's loads. Here's a great catalogue of evidence:
Here's the DfE report for those interested in delving further:
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/upl…

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More from @dgurdasani1

Feb 17
Your own documentation shows that 67% of these deaths were *from* not *with COVID-19* in the 5th wk- that's a *huge* number & a big increase - and even at that point just under the 1st wave peak. At this point it's likely even higher. Stop gaslighting the public. Do your job.
I and many others have been shocked by the messaging coming out of the Danish public health body- saying MIS-C is a self-limiting syndrome? I guess things that kill you can be self-limiting in a way. But what about the children who end up with long-term sequelae?
Discussions around excess deaths dropping (which has reversed now) without acknowledging that excess deaths will drop in winter if behaviour changes due to reduction in *other* respiratory deaths even as COVID-19 deaths rise!
Read 7 tweets
Feb 17
Really concerned about the *huge* delays in COVID-19 childhood vaccination in England. After JCVI's announcement that 5-11 yr olds from vulnerable households would be eligible for vaccination *2 months ago*, these are still not being offered where I live (spoke to the CCG today).
They have no date for when it'll start here. Despite the announcement yesterday, given the shambolic roll-out so far both in 12-15 yr olds & CV 5-11 yr olds, I feel very little hope that anything will happen in actual terms anytime soon. Esp with messaging that it's 'non-urgent'
With huge amounts of help from motivated parents, I've finally managed to book my daughter in at a clinic hours away, but these vaccines are largely inaccessible to parents whose kids have been eligible for months now. When did kids become the lowest priority in our society?
Read 4 tweets
Feb 16
Ok, given the anti-vaxx sentiment for childhood vaccination of 5-11 year olds is in full flow, thought some helpful facts might help debunk myths and provide factual information around this. Here goes...
'We don't need it because children aren't seriously affected by COVID-19'

Yes we do. Stop comparing kids to adults. Compare COVID-19 to other illnesses in kids! Kids generally die less than adults, and we should be aiming to keep it that way!!
Let's look at most severe outcomes first - deaths.

We've had 21 deaths with COVID-19 *on the death certificate* as per ONS data in 2021 in 5-14 yrs in England & Wales. These are deaths *involving COVID-19* not *with COVID-19*
Read 24 tweets
Feb 16
I'm sorry to hear that some of my followers are being trolled on my threads. I don't usually see the trolling now, because of my settings & liberal blocking. If you are being targeted, please bring this to my attention via DM, so I can ensure I block & report whoever it is.
I don't care much about trolling directed at me anymore (as I don't see most of it + have developed a thick skin!), but I am keen that those who follow me don't get penalised & abused for following and commenting.
There are lots of bots/misogynists/racists/scientist trolls who direct hate at me. Some of them may even appear reasonable at first but are sealioning. The best way to deal with them is to not engage, as engagement only increases their visibility on Twitter. And block. Liberally.
Read 7 tweets
Feb 16
Here's why BA.2 should be designated a VOC. While BA.2 is a sub-lineage of omicron, it's more different genetically to BA.1 than the other VOCs were from each other. It has a 2x greater rate of growth/wk than BA.2 in England & is growing towards dominance.🧵
It has ~40% higher Rt than BA.1 (due to ⬆️transmissibility or escape or both), has been doubling relative to BA.2 each week in England and has a serial interval shorter than BA.1 by half a day (making it even harder to contain).
Early lab data suggests it may be more pathogenic (higher syncitia formation), and potentially some escape from those infected with BA.1, especially if unvaccinated/unexposed previously.
Evidence here:
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/upl…
Read 4 tweets
Feb 16
The tragedy is that despite being fringe pseudoscience, GBD ideology became widely entrenched into policy, and had disproportionate influence- e.g. Gupta, Heneghan, Tegnell some of it's main proponents met with our PM, and HART & UsForThem has had strong links with CRG & Zahawi.
They won despite being a minority debunked ideology. But they're such sore winners- despite pushing policies that have and will continue to kill people in the thousands, they continue to attack those who tried to bring evidence into policy & fought these anti-science agendas.
I wish MSM would report this- how scientists with fringe views who were proponents of misinformation and disinformation came to have so much influence on govt policy. Rather than suggesting these 'scientists' were shunned. They should've been, but sadly were platformed repeatedly
Read 5 tweets

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