Thread by @DrEricDing

📍BREAKING—here it comes—Jonathan Karl tests positive for #COVID19 on Monday after attending the @WHCA’s dinner—sitting next to Kim Kardashian and talking one on one with Biden at #WHCD—yes that dinner we epidemiologists all warned about.

By @maxwelltani
politico.com/news/2022/05/0…

2) We epidemiologists and aerosol scientists have warned about the poor ventilation and high density being a bad setup for almost guaranteed transmission at @WHCA dinner if anyone in the audience had subclinical (undetected) virus. Welp and it happened.

https://twitter.com/drericding/status/1520593151311982598

3) I hereby nominate @Trevornoah as an honorary epidemiologist. He at least called the #WHCD for what it is.

https://twitter.com/drericding/status/1520609691940040706

4) People need to apologize to @Jadabird - she shouted about this (while on assignment covering the event) that night. People were rude to her. She was right.

https://twitter.com/jadabird/status/1520582772330483712

5) the crazy ironic here… @trevornoah’s superspreading joke ended talking about Kardashian’s boyfriend Pete Davidson… who was seated at the same table of as the first identified case from the WHCD. Damn.

6) To be clear & fair, @jonkarl is a great ABC News reporter— honored at #WCHD for his Jan. 6 reporting that "this was not just a riot, it wasn’t just an attack on the capital, it was an assault on American democracy."

But he did hug a lot of people.

7) In public health, there is an old joke saying— “The solution to pollution is dilution…” or ventilation. And the #WHCD’s ventilation levels, as indexed by CO2 levels measured by @nalticx’s attendee volunteer, was horrible no good very very bad!!! Normal outdoors is ~400.

https://twitter.com/JusDayDa/status/1521574058365644800

8) here is what happened—the CO2 first rose in a private suite…. Then they exited the suite to goto the hallway before the ballroom. Then at 8pm, CO2 levels started spiking in @HiltonWash ballroom once everyone entered. And it stayed high ~2 hours except for a bathroom break.

https://twitter.com/nalticx/status/1521555313354108928

9) UPDATE: the @whca’s president @stevenportnoy now says he is aware of “a small number of cases, in the single digits,” of people who attended the #WHCD dinner.

➡️I think more likely to come — it took several days (over a week) to realize the scope of the Gridiron outbreak.

10) crap—just personally learned a friend who attended WHCD is now positive. And I don’t even personally know that many people who attended it. Statistically that’s a bad sign as an epidemiologist who’s trying to run the numbers in my head.

11) Also, many might not have had symptoms to be tested yet, because symptom onset from Omicron can take time— see outbreak chart from a Christmas Party event in Norway of 117 people. The WHCD is a high density ballroom of 2600 people for 2 hours.

eurosurveillance.org/content/10.280…

12) Another reporter at the #WHCD dinner event just privately disclosed to me his/her positive #COVID19 test. Again, the number of people I know who attended the WHCD fits on just 2 hands. And I already know 2 cases out of the handful. Oy. That’s not looking good.

13) Another reporter from VOA has tested positive. I two more other journalists who have not made it public yet. There’s probably dozens now.

https://twitter.com/medriva/status/1521595373147541505

14) Small reminder that the newest fastest surging variant #BA2121 is known to be partly resistant to neutralization from someone who was previously #BA1 Omicron infected (Dec-Jan). Don’t think you’re immune if you had COVID this winter. Immunity wanes and #Ba2121 is evasive!

https://twitter.com/drericding/status/1521610343839059969

15) Honestly, @Trevornoah’s speech was amazing. Not just roasting about the superspreader event… full speech here;

16) reminder— YOU CAN BE SILENTLU INFECTIOUS with Omicron before you test positive for it! This is what happened at the #WHCD and many other outbreaks. You need more than just testing (which is good like a rake with leaves 🍁, but imperfect wall).

https://twitter.com/danaludwig/status/1521626026010238976

17) crap - almost every major network now has reporters who test positive for #COVID19 after the #WHCD dinner. They aren’t naming names yet.

https://twitter.com/medriva/status/1521702197884510208

18) I feel for @jadabird - she was asked to cover the WHCD dinner on her assignment, but now has to miss her next trip assignment because she got COVID. She was worried at the dinner too. Her suggestion is speak up to your boss if you don’t feel comfortable going.

https://twitter.com/jadabird/status/1521862947483656193