I wonder why we aren't hearing more from employers about sick & unproductive staff as a result of Covid on their workforce?
A friend of mine is very frustrated about an important staff member that's had symptomatic covid 3X in the last year & has just signed off sick again.
1/🧵 This time with chest, ear and eye infection after a cold (their second cold leading to a chest infection in last year too). They've totally lost their voice. This person has had 6 weeks off sick this year already and will need at least another week with this chest infection.
2/

UK Gov Statement:
"children will very likely be exposed to COVID-19 during their childhood and future generations are likely to become progressively more protected by the combination of vaccination and infection"
Does this look like being "protected by infection" to you?
1/🧵 Some of the so-called experts actually think this is required.
"Healthy kids have to be exposed to the virus, ideally earlier than later" says Prof Bollox.
Is exposure and subsequent hospitalisation of babies early enough for you Prof Bollox?
2/

It seems that most people infected with Covid don't really consider they may have been harmed.
Warnings of hidden damage & increased risks don't seem to be hitting home.
I wonder how many have worse health but don't perceive it or just don't attribute it to having had Covid?
1/🧵 We're not good at perceiving things that happen gradually.
It's surprising how quickly feeling less healthy than you were becomes normal and you can no longer quite recall what your baseline health was like.
I know this from personal experience; just not with covid.
2/

We demand clear air in school, hospitals and other public spaces.
But what exactly could be done?
First of all, the foundation of any change like this has to come from Gov. It starts with being truthful about the risk of infection and why it's essential to try to control it.
1/ We must move away from the idea that it should be down to teachers to take care of indoor air quality in classrooms. This notion is unworkable & about as daft as saying a nurse should be responsible for the air quality inside a hospital.
Let me lay out what I think is needed.
2/

I have made some sound measurements of the Air Fanta 3 Pro as people have requested.
Note: I have a home set-up and so these numbers will be approximate. Soft furnishings, hard surfaces, rebounding sounds etc all affect results.
But it will provide some idea.
1/🧵

https://twitter.com/PeteUK7/status/1837309489382309988

Notes:
The sound is slightly rhythmic from the unit. Measurements bounce a bit. Averaged and rounded to the nearest dB.
NB: Considerable changes to pitch are noticeable even when sound pressure measurements are similar. So acceptance depends on personal sound perception.
2/

I am now the proud owner of one of @Engineer_Wong's Air Fanta 3Pro air filters.
I Purchased from Amazon UK (link below).
A quick honest overview of first impressions follows in my thread of notes, thoughts and images.
1/🧵

https://twitter.com/Engineer_Wong/status/1836580824399122731

It was well packaged and goods well protected.
It's very lightweight.
The components are high quality, well designed & aesthetically pleasing.
It took about 2 minutes to assemble.
Takes a few moments to adjust the filters into position and seat them all correctly.
2/

I'm trying to think why the different public & also public health reaction to an E. coli outbreak in shop bought foods versus the ongoing Covid pandemic.
The number of people affected is way smaller and yet it hits the headlines like below.
Most people would avoid this food.
1/🧵 Obviously, I'd avoid it too.
I'd imagine if people were offered to these sandwiches, most would refuse to eat them.
That's because they don't want to put a dangerous pathogen into their body.
I wish they would apply the same logic to covid.
Try to avoid it entering the body.
2/

I'm sure many have seen mask bans in parts of USA.
My view is that as long as people stay silent & keep accepting high disease spread as normal, the more likely those in power will take more & more of your rights away.
Even if you feel unaffected, you must see this is wrong.
1/🧵 Think about it. Even now we have seen the most basic protections against airborne diseases removed from most healthcare settings.
Those who are clinically vulnerable etc have been left to fend for themselves.
Again, even if you feel unaffected, you must see this is wrong.
2/

I love the simplicity of adding ceiling fans to classrooms (for example) as one measure.
The fans disrupt plumes, knocking aerosols down creating a safer near field environment.
They'd also help with air mixing & ventilation, complimenting open windows & in-room air filters.
1/🧵

https://twitter.com/sri_srikrishna/status/1800352313208619490

They are easy to install, easily available immediately, low cost, low power and low maintenance.
They are safe & unobtrusive & so all the daft objections we have towards in-room air filters cannot be applied so readily to ceiling fans.
Low ceilings could be one possible issue.
2/

A note on masking.
I've seen quite a few folk posting that they got caught with infection despite masking. When I look back at their prior posts, I see the type of masks being used with an element of despair.
I want to try to help because it's an easy trap to get caught in.
1/🧵 So most often what I see are ear loop style masks.
People know that FFP2, FFP3, N95s are all protective standards and they are for sure...but only if they fit & seal properly.
It is rare for most ear loop style masks to fit anyone well enough that they get a good seal.
2/

If respirators were used in all healthcare settings (as they should be) - there are very few downsides and plenty of benefits.

It would unquestionably be safer for staff & patients; reducing all airborne illnesses.

So what are the real reasons & obstacles?

A thread 🧵1/: Is it that they just can't admit it's airborne still; deploy the required PPE?
A big part of it for sure. The IPC folks still can't seem to get their heads around transmission and are fixated on droplets...but dropping the need for surgical masks too means it's not 100% this.
2/

If respirators were used in all healthcare settings (as they should be) - there are very few downsides and plenty of benefits.
It would unquestionably be safer for staff & patients; reducing all airborne illnesses.
So what are the real reasons & obstacles?
Some ponderings:
🧵/1 Is it that they just can't admit it's airborne still; deploy the required PPE?
A big part of it for sure. The IPC folks still can't seem to get their heads around transmission and are fixated on droplets...but dropping the need for surgical masks too means it's not 100% this.
2/

If you think Covid is nothing to be concerned about for you or your kids, think about who made you believe that.
Then consider the infected blood scandal where it's been admitted that Gov, NHS, civil servants, doctors, institutions etc ALL LIED to cover it up.
Trust them?
1/🧵 You see, the blood scandal took many decades before the truth saw the light of day.
Decades of people campaigning until they are heard.
Years of gaslighting and denial of any wrongdoing.
With Covid we're talking about very, very significantly higher numbers of people affected.
2/

Personal responsibility is no substitute for proper Public Heath controls.
e.g If we did away with food standards & just 'recommend' that restaurants cook chicken properly & have food handling hygiene measures but say diners can take their own sick bucket if they're anxious.
1/🧵 It would sound ridiculous.
You'd expect if you were opening a food outlet that you'd have a responsibility to safeguard the society that uses your services; prevent them becoming ill from food poisoning wouldn't you? You'd be right.
Yet this isn't the approach used for Covid.
2/

Spoke to neighbour earlier.
I mentioned whooping cough cases rising fast and to make sure his grandkids are vaccinated.
He said "I think we're over vaccinating. Kids need exposure to bugs. Making everyone immune to everything is really bad for the immune system".
1/🧵 I explained that it doesn't work this way. Immune systems are not muscles and rising cases of whooping cough and other infections in kids could be a result of weakened immune systems from constant Covid infections. They can become seriously ill.
He wasn't having any of it.
2/

I've been trying to think of anyone who quit their role (if in a position of influence) because of how badly Covid was being handled.
Still now for e.g.; schools & healthcare with poor air quality.
No masks in healthcare.
Who stood up & said this is wrong, not in my name?
1/🧵 I can think of lots who toed the line, took awards & plaudits.
I can think of plenty who were vocal at first and now say nothing whatsoever to challenge the narrative.
Others who have swung from being concerned and firing warning shots to encouraging disinterest & nonchalance.
2/

Healthcare in UK was poor prior to the pandemic. It has become much worse since.
Let me tell you of my father's experience.
It's pretty harrowing and I am finding it hard to imagine just how much worse it would be now with Covid rife in healthcare & worse service.
TW.
1/🧵 It started with Dad getting pain in his hip. He went to see the GP on several occasions. It was dismissed as anything serious. Likely a trapped nerve and so sent away with some meds and advice to perhaps try some swimming or gentle exercise.
It was worsening. Constant pain.
2/

Thinking about how the school & council dealt with my daughter's autism.
Instead of supporting her, they resented her.
Why?
Because she didn't just comply. Because she couldn't.
However, I see a parallel here with how Covid aware folk are treated by society as a whole.
1/🧵 We are misfits. All we are asking for are small adjustments and accommodations in public settings to make them safer to access.
People resent that.
Why?
Because we refuse to just comply, ignore and capitulate.
We can't because we know too much & we're right not to.
2/

A tale of two airborne BSL-3 infectious diseases. England.

What is low?

Tweet 1 of 3 🧵 So the idea that "there is not much Covid around right now" is not quite how we tend to look at levels of other similar pathogens.
People have become numb to it.
Lost sight of the harms & potential for Long Covid too.
No proactive approach to reduce C19 compared with TB plan.
2/

Covid cases are low I hear.
But...
Low compared to prevalence at peaks yet still very high prevalence compared with TB for example.
In 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿, we have an action plan for TB.
Could we say we had a plan for Covid other than to live with it (aka ignore it)?
1/🧵
gov.uk/government/pub… You'd think having such an action plan for a disease with much lower prevalence than Covid would mean that TB was much worse than Covid, right?
But:
"TB continues to be a major cause of disease and death worldwide, being the second leading infectious killer after COVID-19"
2/

A little thread looking back at some of @ashishkjha's views around isolation.
"What would ideal COVID Isolation guidance be?"
1/🧵

https://x.com/ashishkjha/status/1478576266538373120?s=20

"5 day isolation & negative test is ideal"
"5 days isolation + 5 d masking reasonable too"
2/

https://x.com/ashishkjha/status/1475602918472572936?s=20