How can I stay safe during the holidays?

➡️Think in terms of harm reduction. Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

dearpandemic.org/safe-holidays/

#covid #rsv #flu #HolidaysAreComing

1/ 2/ Just in time for Christmas, #COVID is again on the rise.

#Flu and #RSV may be peaking—but remember that there are often as many cases *after* a peak as before it.

dearpandemic.org/are-cases-peak…

1/ Q: Has almost everyone been infected with COVID by now?
A: Recent estimates suggest around 58% of the population in the US and over 70% in England have been previously infected, with BIG increases during the Omicron wave.

dearpandemic.org/numbers-infect… 2/ A recent @CDCgov MMWR report estimated seroprevalence from a convenience sample of blood collected for medical tests.

➡️Roughly 58% of Americans showed evidence of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection in their blood by Feb '22.

cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/7…?

1/Q: Did getting exposed to fewer germs for the last 2 years weaken our immune systems?

We've been hearing this question a lot.
dearpandemic.org/fewer-germ-exp… 2/ Not likely. If your kids are suddenly getting sick a lot, this is likely due to “catching up” on exposures rather than a weakened immune system.

1/ Q: Are cases peaking? That means it’s all downhill from here, right?

A: Sort of…. Remember that even if cases come down as quickly as they rise, there will be as many cases *after* the peak as before (think area under the curve).

dearpandemic.org/are-cases-peak… 2/ ➡️ And if the downward slope is *slower* than the rise, we will see *more* cases during the decline from a surge.

1/ Q: Case numbers are jumping QUICK! What should I be doing?

A: Share your gifts without sharing COVID. Helpful gestures come in many shapes.

dearpandemic.org/what-should-i-…

#Omicron #ThoseNerdyGirls 2/ One HUGE help: Cancel non-essential plans.

Unfortunately, this includes New Year’s Eve plans. The perfect storm of a new variant & holiday get-togethers is hitting communities & health care w/ FORCE! Testing is in short supply.

1/ Q: Is it true that #Omicron is less severe than previous variants?

A: We HOPE so, but we don’t know yet. The evidence so far is mixed.

dearpandemic.org/is-omicron-les… 2/ We are WAY past due for some good variant news. But pinning our #Omicron hopes on a less virulent variant is not wise for 2 reasons:

1) It might not be less severe in those who are “immune naïve” (neither vaccinated nor with a previous infection—still millions of people).

Thanks to @jburnmurdoch for the shout-out & support for women putting in the work during the pandemic (yes-including data science ;).

Some of our fave follows: @Lizstuartdc @WhitneyEpi @kmpanthagani @IDEpiPhD @Tiffany_L_Green @v_dilego @monjalexander @LucyStats @ewrigleyfield

https://twitter.com/jburnmurdoch/status/1472518943852142592

Of course "Those Nerdy Girls" themselves: @abuttenheim @lindsleininger @drjenndowd @m_simanek @Rpiltchloeb @AshleyZRitter @S_AlbrechtPerez @fueledbyscience @malia_ailam @sarahmwc @JoannaInNY_MPH @LaurenHalePhD @Ga6 @shoshiaronowitz

1/ Nerdy Girl @drjenndowd (🇺🇸 in 🇬🇧 ) writing from not-so-sunny England, home of the strangest shaped epidemic curve ever seen.

"Buckle up America."

dearpandemic.org/buckle-up-amer… 2/ And by buckle up, I mean BOOST-UP. And take other sensible precautions, especially leading up to the holidays. Things are not looking so good.

1/ Q: Do we know more about whether the vaccines reduce transmission?

A: YES! Evidence continues to mount that the vaccines DO in fact reduce transmission.

#vaccineswork
dearpandemic.org/do-vaccines-re… 2/ ➡️ While the Nerdy Girls are still dreaming of transmission being tested in the clinical trials (call us☎️), the data pouring in from around the world strongly suggests that the vaccines are very good (but not perfect) at reducing ALL infections & by extension transmission.

1/ Breaking news: Federal officials hit the pause button on #JohnsonandJohnson vaccine.

Giving themselves runway to perform all appropriate due diligence, the @US_FDA & @CDCgov have called for a temporary pause in the use of the #JandJ vaccine. 2/ Their diligence will analyze the cases of 6 U.S. women who developed very rare blood clots after receiving the J&J vaccine. Nearly seven million people have received this vaccine to-date in the U.S.

1/ A: “Great trend, but terrible levels.”

That’s the TL;DR from well-respected labor economist @aaronsojourner in response to last week’s release of the March 2021 jobs report.

dearpandemic.org/update-on-job-… 2/ 👍The good news: The numbers roundly beat Dow Jones expectations. (Expectations: 675k added jobs; Actuals: over 900k added jobs). Yay! cnb.cx/2R877KY

👎The less good news: The economy was still approx. 10 million jobs below pre-pandemic trend.

1/ 💥It's been a minute since we launched on Twitter as the 3rd channel in the @DearPandemic line up.

Actually, it's been a year!

➡️We'd love to boost our year-old signal here with some new follows.

dearpandemic.org/the-nerdy-girl… 2/ The pitch: We're a bunch of Nerdy girls posting real info on the pandemic. We curate COVID-19 content and battle disinfo for the greater good. We love facts.

@HelenBranswell @bhrenton @angie_rasmussen @emilynussbaum @CherylStrayed @BrendanNyhan @MSF_USA @ashishkjha @SaadOmer3

1/ A: Make a copy, share it with your primary care provider, think before sharing it on social media, probably best not to laminate the original, and don’t panic if you lose it. 📱👛🍩 2/ 👌 DO THIS with your COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card:

📷 Take a photo of the card.

Snap a photo of your official #CDC or other government-issued #vaccinationcard in case it gets lost. Take a photo after the first shot, and another one after your second shot.

1/ Do I need the vaccine if I’ve already been infected w/ COVID-19? Isn’t natural immunity better?

A: COVID-19 vaccines produce STRONGER & MORE CONSISTENT antibody responses than natural infection, meaning EVERYONE can benefit from the protection.

💥Don’t give away your shot! 2/ As more people become eligible for the COVID-19, we’ve heard some people who’ve already been infected, especially younger people, doubting whether they need the vaccine.

1/ Q: What is going on with the results from the United States AstraZeneca trial?

A: Despite a *strange* communication week, the new trial results show that the #Oxford/#Astrazeneca is safe & effective. GOOD NEWS! 2/ TLDR: The first results this week were based on data collected in the U.S. through a pre-specified end date for interim analysis of Feb 17th. They continued to collect data beyond that date & have now released updated results..spoiler alert..they are very similar (76% vs 79%).

Time to meet another Nerdy Girl! Introducing Dr. @shoshiaronowitz! Dr. Aronowitz is a researcher & clinician studying low-barrier substance use treatment, innovative delivery of harm reduction supplies, racial disparities in pain treatment in the context of the overdose crisis... 2/...the intersection of criminal justice and healthcare, and reproductive/sexual health.

Here at Dear Pandemic, Dr. Aronowitz is the lead on our (rather amazing) Instagram account. We have her to thank for the pithy, graphical & lovable Insta feed.

instagram.com/dear_pandemic/

1/ It’s Good News Tues!

Yesterday, the United States @CDCgov issued new guidelines stating that 👏🏼 fully 👏🏼vaccinated 👏🏼 people can safely:

1️⃣ Visit other #vaccinated people indoors--without wearing masks or physically distancing! 😷 2/ 2️⃣ Visit unvaccinated people--without wearing masks or physical distancing, as long as the unvaccinated people (& the people they live with) are low risk for severe #COVID!

bit.ly/3qymfgT

1/ A: Celebrate the mild #flu season & take what we have learned this year to inform future behavior. Harmful germs are not going away. 🦠 Illness from bacteria & viruses that make us sick do not “strengthen” the #immune system & contribute to significant complications & death. 2/ The lack of infectious illnesses will not #weaken your #immunesystem. Public health measures to combat #COVID19 including social distancing, masks, & extra hand washing greatly reduced the incidence of some bad microbes that cause common infectious illnesses such as the flu.

1/ Q: Can I go back to my indoor #fitness classes? 🚴‍♀️

A: The #NerdyGirls LOVE your efforts to stay fit 💪, but best to hang on to those online or outdoor workouts a bit longer.

TL;DR: Heavy breathing, no masks, and indoors is the perfect recipe for #SARSCoV2 #transmission. 2/ A recent U.S. @CDCgov report described an #outbreak linked to an unnamed fitness facility in #Chicago in which *55 out of 81* attendees of an indoor high-intensity fitness class in Chicago were infected over the course of a week in August 2020.

1/ Q: Does the COVID vaccine only last 90 days?!

A: No. There is really no reason to think that protection from the #vaccines wears off after 90 days. We know the vaccines last longer than 90 days. But we don’t know how long. 2/ The @CDCgov recently updated their #guidance about quarantining after an exposure & included some changes for people who have been vaccinated.

1/ Q: Any news yet about whether vaccines prevent asymptomatic infection?

A: YES! We are getting a steady trail of clues hinting that the #vaccines DO IN FACT REDUCE INFECTIONS! 2/ The #clinicaltrials for the various #vaccines did not study whether they prevented asymptomatic infection or transmission. That’s because vaccines are thought of as medicine--something that operates at the individual level, not the pandemic-management level.