There is a lot of misinformation circulating online about this idea of “immunity debt”, so it’s important that you get your facts right.

#ScienceUpFirst

🧵[1/10] The term “immunity debt'' was coined and first mentioned in an opinion paper published in August 2021.

The author discusses the possibility of an immunity gap from the COVID-19 sanitary measure and the importance of vaccination to prevent outbreak.

#ScienceUpFirst

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Seasonal depression is a type of depression caused by seasonal changes and varying in severity.

While 15% of people will experience mild symptoms (albeit uncomfortable), up to 3% will have full-blown symptoms resulting in serious life impairments.

#ScienceUpFirst

🧵[1/15] Some people will experience the “winter blues”: lower mood sets, weight gain, low energy, and persistent fatigue.

In rarer cases, this happens in spring or summer instead, along with insomnia, weight loss, agitation, anxiety, and irritability.

#ScienceUpFirst

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Misinformation impacts Canadians’ mental and physical health everyday.

Would you be surprised if we told you some individuals are making a lot of money from misinformation?

#ScienceUpFirst

🧵[1/16] Misinformation online is omnipresent, it represent:
-43% of vaccines post
-40-60% of pandemics related post
-30% of YouTube videos about emerging infectious diseases contained either misinformation or misleading information

#ScienceUpFirst

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Long COVID has over 100 identified symptoms, of which many are measurable impairments that can't be explained by the stress of the current pandemic. #LongCOVID is definitely not an imaginary disease.

#ScienceUpFirst
🧵[1/8] One of the most common symptoms reported in long COVID patients is fatigue. This can be explained by the low oxygen levels measured in long COVID patients, which can strain the patient’s body.

#ScienceUpFirst
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By now you’ve probably heard about Monkeypox.

With cases rising there are a few things we should clear up.

#ScienceUpFirst

🧵[1/7] Who’s at risk of catching Monkeypox?
Anyone can be affected, regardless of sex, religion, race, gender or sexual orientation.

#ScienceUpFirst

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By now you’ve probably heard about Monkeypox.

With cases rising there are a few things we should clear up.

Music by Macroblank on archive.org

#ScienceUpFirst

🧵[1/7] Who’s at risk of catching Monkeypox?
Anyone can be affected, regardless of sex, religion, race, gender or sexual orientation.

#ScienceUpFirst

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When is it that a healthy amount of doubt and skepticism becomes a bad thing?

When misinformers use your healthy doubt and skepticism to question what has been scientifically proven and settled, it’s called doubt mongering.

#ScienceUpFirst

🧵[1/7] The tobacco industry used this tactic to create confusion around cigarette’s link to lung cancer. This tactic has appeared in climate change, and nuclear disarmament debates.

#ScienceUpFirst

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Thimerosal!?

Aluminum!?

Formaldehyde!?

Polyethylene glycol!?

There’s lots of misinformation about these vaccine ingredients, so let’s spend some time finding out what’s safe and what’s not. 👇🏿

#ScienceUpFirst #NIAW2022

🧵[1/6] Thimerosal?

It’s a form of mercury that stops microbes from growing in some vaccines. 🛑

It hasn’t been used in routine kids’ vaccines in Canada since 2001, but is in some flu shots.

The mercury dose is less than a can of tuna! 🐟

#ScienceUpFirst #NIAW2022

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HPV is no joke.

There are 3 approved vaccines in Canada that prevent it.

Let’s talk about it ⬇️

#NIAW2022 #ScienceUpFirst

🧵[1/8] HPV = Human Papillomavirus.

It’s the most common sexually transmitted viral infection worldwide (1).

It’s estimated 75% of sexually active unvaccinated Canadians will get it at some point (2).

#NIAW2022 #ScienceUpFirst

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When it comes to routine vaccines, stick to the schedule. It’s better that way. 📅

Wondering if, by spacing out your kids’ vaccines, you can save some tears?

We’ve got just the thread for you 👇🏽

#NIAW2022 #ScienceUpFirst

🧵[1/10] The routine immunization schedule here in Canada was developed for a reason: to provide optimal protection from vaccine-preventable diseases (1).

And with vaccines, timing is everything (2).

#NIAW2022 #ScienceUpFirst

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Cases in many parts of Canada are on the rise 😩

And, because testing is so limited right now, most case graphs tell only part of the story.

So what do we do about it?

#ScienceUpFirst

🧵 [1/10] First of all: Are cases really going up?

Yes, because of a more infectious sub-variant (Omicron BA.2), relatively low booster coverage, and relaxing protection measures: health-infobase.canada.ca/covid-19/epide…

#ScienceUpFirst

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People don’t just wake up one morning convinced “globalists run the Internet.” 👁️

To get to that point, they need to travel down the rabbit hole. 🕳️

So what drives people towards conspiracy theories and extremism?

#ScienceUpFirst

🧵[1/12] Feelings of isolation (1) and uncertainty due to events outside your control (2) are a recipe for radicalization. It’s no wonder the pandemic has amplified conspiracy theories. 😰

#ScienceUpFirst

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A recent safety report by Pfizer has been seized upon by misinformers. There’s nothing particularly new or scary about it, despite the #Pfizer #VaccineSideEffects hashtags circulating online.

Let’s dig in on how this data has been misrepresented 👇

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#ScienceUpFirst Part of the mix up comes from a misunderstanding of “adverse events”.

Adverse events (AEs) ≠ side effects

AEs may or may not be related to a treatment (e.g. vaccines) and they are monitored for both treatment groups and placebo groups.

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#ScienceUpFirst

COVID isn’t over. We know that’s not what anyone wants to hear right now, but it’s true. 🤷🏽‍♂️

So what is endemicity, and what will it take for us to get there?

Read on to learn more 👇

#ScienceUpFirst

🧵 [1/12] What is an endemic disease? 🤔

A single definition of “endemic” is tough to pin down (1). But epidemiologists say it’s when the rates of a disease are constant - not rising and not falling (2).

#ScienceUpFirst

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Heard some sketchy stuff about the COVID-19 vaccine and your immune system?

This thread breaks down the myths 👇

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#ScienceUpFirst Myth: “COVID-19 vaccines created an HIV variant”

Reality: COVID-19 vaccines are not responsible for an HIV variant circulating in the Netherlands. A misrepresented study actually says the variant likely emerged in the 1990s.

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#ScienceUpFirst

Misinformers often present only 2 choices. This or that.

But two seemingly opposite ideas can be true! 🤝

Come with us on a journey across the pandemic’s most popular false dichotomies. 🗺️ And learn how the world is more nuanced than this vs that.

#ScienceUpFirst

🧵 [1/8] Why bother with masks if you have the vaccine? 💉

Protecting yourself isn’t an either/or situation.

Both vaccines AND masks help protect you and everyone around you from disease. Who doesn’t want that?

#ScienceUpFirst

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No vaccine is perfect. That includes the COVID-19 vaccines.

But they don’t need to be in order to save millions of lives.

A thread about transmission 👇

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#ScienceUpFirst Transmission is the passing of a disease-causing pathogen (like a virus) from an infected person to someone else.

COVID-19 vaccines directly and indirectly reduce the transmission of COVID-19.

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#ScienceUpFirst

Beware of the fake news trap! 🕳

Last month we put out a series of Misinformer Tactics in collaboration with the amazing illustrator Jordan Collver (@JordanCollver).

Here is a recap of what to look out for 👇

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#ScienceUpFirst Astroturf? It looks like real grass, but it’s fake.

Similarly, Astroturfing is a practice where a message *appears* to have authentic grassroots support… but is really operated by just a few individuals.

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#ScienceUpFirst

https://twitter.com/ScienceUpFirst/status/1470798570391576585

Got Omicron? You are not alone!

See our thread on what we know so far 👇

🧵 [1/11]

#ScienceUpFirst Can I get infected with Omicron again?

Anecdotal reports find reinfections happening weeks apart. Experts expect it is possible to catch Omicron more than once. Scientists are currently assessing how often reinfections occur and who is at most risk.

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#ScienceUpFirst

Saw some head-scratching data? 🤔

Understanding the Base Rate Fallacy can help you avoid jumping to the wrong conclusions. 👇

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#ScienceUpFirst How we communicate data influences how others will perceive it.

And let’s just say some graphs are better than others 👀

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#ScienceUpFirst

“Should I get Omicron and just get it over with?”

NOPE! 🙅‍♀️

We’ve heard this line of thinking from our friends and family. But we’re here to tell you that getting COVID-19 isn’t inevitable and now isn’t the time to throw our hands in the air.

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#ScienceUpFirst Omicron spreads very easily, and hospitalizations are climbing.

Between Jan 3 and Jan 10, COVID-19 hospitalizations in Canada jumped from 4,113 to 6,926 and 290 more COVID-19 patients were admitted to an ICU (2).

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#ScienceUpFirst