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Dr. Lucky Tran Profile picture
Dr. Lucky Tran
@luckytran
Scientist who works on science communication, public health, and climate justice. Bylines @guardian @washingtonpost. @grist 50 Fixer. Opinions my own.
14 subscribers
Nov 14 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
As a scientist who is the director of science communication for the medical center of a major university, my advice is:

Please don't rely on an economist who has spread misinformation about COVID to advise you about how to effectively message on public health. Theres a Better Way to Talk About Fluoride, Vaccines and Raw Milk Nov. 13, 2024 By Emily Oster Emily Oster, an economist and the founder of ParentData.org, is the author of "Expecting Better" and "Cribsheet."
Masking Policy Is Incredibly Irrational Right Now Why must only the youngest children wear face coverings? By Emily Oster Oster's work has been embraced by right-wing think tanks such as the Manhattan Institute and the Cato Institute. Her audience is affluent parents who seek permission to disengage from the social contract and ignore harmful impacts to the working class and people of color.
Nov 5 • 13 tweets • 5 min read
The current admin has failed to adequately address the ongoing and long-term impacts of COVID. They have been rightfully criticized and should continue to be held accountable.

However, a Trump win will make things worse, resulting in many more deaths and people becoming sicker. Trump will accelerate mask bans, restrict vaccine availability, reduce healthcare access, stop clean air efforts, block Long COVID treatment funding, dismantle health agencies etc.

The outcome of the election will critically impact COVID and public health policy for decades.
Sep 18 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
New poll finds half of Americans believe they'll never get COVID again.

The data shows that COVID surges at high levels throughout the year. Denial is one hell of a drug. Half now expect to never get COVID again Q: Which of the following statements most applies to you? l expect that I will get COVID-19 at some point in the future, despite trying to stay as safe as possible: 20% l expect that I will get COVID-19 at some point in the future, so I have gone about my life as normally as I could: 31% I do not expect to get COVID-19 at some point in the future: 49% Source: Ipsos Consumer Tracker, fielded September 4 - September 5, 2024 among 1,081 U.S. adults. Source: ipsos.com/en-us/half-ame…
Aug 28 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
Hearing people being turned away from CVS because they say the bridge program doesn’t cover the updated vaccines. A Washington Post reporter also heard this from the CDC.

Why has the CDC not updated their website to make this clear, and why are there not more stories on this? The CDC’s website still says the bridge access program will end in August 2024.

The CDC should clarify that it doesn’t cover the updated vaccines ASAP.

People shouldn’t only find out at the last moment when they try to get the vaccine.

cdc.gov/vaccines/progr…
What You Need to Know CDC’s Bridge Access Program provides free COVID-19 vaccines to adults without health insurance and adults whose insurance does not cover all COVID-19 vaccine costs. This program will end in August 2024. Use these resources to promote the program and expand equitable access for COVID-19 vaccination.
Aug 23 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
There's lots of misinformation on rapid tests.

Rapid tests still work for new variants because they target an area of the virus that doesn't change much.

Negative tests happen because people don't test multiple times or due to user error. Here's a good article from last year on rapid tests and variants. The same principles still apply. cnn.com/2023/09/18/hea…
Aug 19 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
The University of California is banning masks in the middle of one of the largest summer COVID surges of the pandemic. Unacceptable.
theguardian.com/us-news/articl… Here's the list of things banned from University of California.

It says "no person shall wear a mask with the intent of
intimidating any person or group, or for the purpose of evading identification."

Unclear if it includes wearing mask for COVID protection or health reasons. • Masking to conceal identity: Policies must clarify that no person shall wear a mask or personal disguise or otherwise conceal their identity with the intent of intimidating any person or group, or for the purpose of evading or escaping discovery, recognition, or identification in the commission of violations of law or policy. • Refusal to reveal identity: Policies must clarify that no person shall refuse to identify themselves while on University property to University officials who are acting in the performance of their duties in situations where assistance or intervention is needed.
Aug 5 • 6 tweets • 2 min read
It's official: Mask ban in Nassau County, New York passes along party lines, 12-0 (7 abstentions). It makes wearing a mask a misdemeanor (with unclear health and religious exceptions) and gives police the power to fine people wearing a mask $1,000 and sentence them to jail time. Here's the Nassau County mask ban bill language. Health and religious exceptions are noted, but leaves it up to the judgement of the police officer. As written, the ban applies to all public spaces, not just protests. There will be many legal challenges.

nassaucountyny.gov/AgendaCenter/V…

LOCAL LAW NO.. A LOCAL LAW TO PROHIBIT THE USE OF A MASK OR FACIAL COVERING FOR THE PURPOSES OF CONCEALING AN INDIVIDUAL'S IDENTITY IN A PUBLIC PLACE BE IT ENACTED by the County Legislature of the County of Nassau, as follows: §1. Short Title. This law shall be known as the "Mask Transparency Act" and shall appear in the Miscellaneous Laws of Nassau County as Title 90. §2. Legislative Intent. This Legislature finds that masks and facial coverings that are not worn for health and safety concerns or for religious or celebratory purposes are often used as a predicate to harassing, m...
a) No person or persons while wearing any mask or facial covering whereby the face or voice is disguised with the intent to conceal the identity of the wearer. enter, or appear upon or within any sidewalk, walkway, alley, street, road, highway or other public right-of-way or public property or private property without the consent of the owner or tenant. This law shall not apply to facial coverings worn to protect the health or safety of the wearer, for religious or cultural purposes, or for the peaceful celebration of a holiday or similar religious or cultural event for which the wearing of...
Aug 4 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
Noah Lyles, who just won gold in the 100m sprint at the Paris Olympics suffers from asthma. He takes several precautions including wearing a mask to protect himself from COVID.

KEISHA PUT TOGETHER a care package filled with cleaning supplies, disinfectants, soaps and masks and mailed it to Noah soon after the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020. She was living in Maryland, and Noah was training in Florida. She worried about people hoarding supplies from grocery stores. More than that, she worried that Noah's asthma made him especially susceptible to the disease. Noah shared her concern. He stocked up on masks. He rarely left his apartment after his training venue shut down. He used delivery services for food and groceries.
SAINT-DENIS, France -- SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — Noah Lyles walks around the Olympic Village in disguise, wearing sunglasses, a hat and even a mask to cut down on some of the attention he receives. On the track, he can't avoid it. Or everyone's best shot.
Noah Lyles holding US flag Sources:





espn.com/olympics/story…
abcnews.go.com/amp/Sports/wir…
si.com/olympics/2020/…
Jul 13 • 6 tweets • 3 min read
UPDATE: Here's the language of the proposed mask ban bill in Nassau County, NY. It's bad!

While health is mentioned, the ban would apply to public places and some private properties, and gives police power to ask anyone to remove their mask.
A LOCAL LAW TO PROHIBIT THE USE OF A MASK OR FACIAL COVERING FOR THE PURPOSES OF CONCEALING AN INDIVIDUAL'S IDENTITY IN A PUBLIC PLACE BE IT ENACTED by the County Legislature of the County of Nassau, as follows: §1. Short Title. This law shall be known as the " Miscellaneous Laws of Nassau County as Title 91. " and shall appear in the §2. Legislative Intent. This Legislature finds that masks and facial coverings that are not worn for legitimate health and safety concerns or for religious or celebratory purposes are often used as a predicate to harassing, menacing or criminal be...
years of age shall, while wearing any mask or facial covering whereby the face or voice is disguised with the intent to conceal the identity of the wearer, enter, or appear upon or within any sidewalk, walkway, alley, street, road, highway or other public right-of-way or public property or private property without the consent of the owner or tenant. This law shall not apply to facial coverings worn to protect the health or safety of the wearer, for religious or cultural purposes, or for the peaceful celebration of a holiday or similar religious or cultural event for which masks or facial co... The Nassau County mask ban bill (with some exceptions) prohibits a mask wearer to "enter, or appear upon or within any sidewalk, walkway, alley, street, road, highway or other public right-of-way or public property or private property without the consent of the owner or tenant." No person or persons over 16 years of age shall, while wearing any mask or facial covering whereby the face or voice is disguised with the intent to conceal the identity of the wearer, enter, or appear upon or within any sidewalk, walkway, alley, street, road, highway or other public right-of-way or public property or private property without the consent of the owner or tenant. This law shall not apply to facial coverings worn to protect the health or safety of the wearer, for religious or cultural purposes, or for the peaceful celebration of a holiday or similar religious or cultural event...
Jul 10 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
Violet Affleck: "To confront the Long COVID crisis I demand mask availability, air filtration and far-UVC light in government facilities, including jails and detention centers and mask mandates in county medical facilities. We must expand availability of tests and treatment.

And most importantly, the county must oppose mask bans for any reason. They do not keep us safer. They make them vulnerable members of our community less safe and make everyone less able to participate in Los Angeles together. Thank you." 🔥🔥🔥 Here's the full transcript of Violet Affleck's public comment objecting to the mask ban in Los Angeles. Hi, Violet Affleck, Los Angeles resident, first time voter. I'm 18. I contracted a post-viral condition in 2019. I'm okay now, but I saw first-hand that medicine does not always have answers to the consequences of even minor viruses. The Covid 19 pandemic has thrown into sharp relief. 1 in 10 infections leads to Long Covid, which is a devastating neurological cardiovascular illness that can take away people's ability to work, move, see and even think stands to exacerbate our homelessness crisis, as well as the suffering of many people in our city. It hits communities of color, disabled peo...
Jul 9 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
In an interview with @ChrisCuomo former White House COVID Response Coordinator Ashish Jha says that it's a fringe position to still be masking indoors.

This is misinformation and an example of prioritizing personal centrist politics above public health.

It is completely inappropriate for the Dean of a public health school to call an effective public health tool "fringe", especially in the midst of a COVID wave where public health departments are trying to encourage people to take precautions.
Jul 6 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
Here’s a video I’ve been meaning to put together explaining how to use CO2 monitors to gauge COVID risk.

If you’d like to own this great public health tool, Aranet have kindly offered to collaborate on a GIVEAWAY!

TO ENTER
FOLLOW @luckytran @aranet_home
COMMENT + tag a friend Aranet giveaway closes 2 weeks from today & one winner will be chosen from the comments section. The giveaway is open to anyone around the world. Winner will receive one Aranet4 HOME indoor air quality monitor. Winner will be randomly selected & contacted by me via DM. Good luck!
Jun 25 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
We need to talk about this more! The "health exception" in the mask ban bill by NY Democrats is only valid during a public health emergency.

But COVID is not over, and there are many other health threats. NY Democrats don't think people have the right to protect their health. The end of the public health emergency was not the end of COVID or the pandemic. And there are many other airborne viruses and health threats such as pollution and wildfire smoke where masks are needed regardless of emergency status. Banning masks outside the PHE is anti-science.
Jun 18 • 6 tweets • 3 min read
THIS:

"In the short term, living in a state of peak denial helps us cope. In the long run, it will be our undoing." But what happens when overlooking and tolerating greater levels of harm becomes a shared cultural habit? Like the proverbial frog in boiling water, we acclimate to ignoring more and caring less at our own peril. In the short term, living in a state of peak denial helps us cope. In the long run, it will be our undoing. Because the danger here is desensitization: that we meet this unprecedented litany of “wicked problems,” from climate change to the rise of fascism, with passive acceptance rather than urgent collective action. "A common strategy to neutralize a social problem is to make knowing about it hard...

If the COVID situation is tracked and the public warned, things don’t feel normal. But if we don’t monitor or mention it, then things can feel “back to normal”—fine, even." COVID is a good case study for illustrating the “Collective Denial Playbook” that underpins our new normal reality. A common strategy to neutralize a social problem is to make knowing about it hard, often by restricting efforts to look into it, like scaling back COVID tracking. In April the CDC ended the requirement that hospitals report COVID admissions and occupancy data, removing one of the last tools we could use to monitor what’s happening. “We now enter the blackout phase of epidemiology” wrote science journalist Laurie Garrett on X, adding: “There will be patients, but their numbers ...
Jun 13 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
Summary of today's @GovKathyHochul press conference where she talked about NY mask ban:

- Initial focus is subway and those commiting crimes
- Acknowledges need for health, religious, festival exemptions
- Acknowledges surgical and N95 masks are different than ski masks There was a question about masking at protests, and while @GovKathyHochul said protesting is not a crime, it's unclear if ban would include protests that do not have a permit.
Jun 13 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
From @GovKathyHochul's press conference today:

"On a subway, people should not be able to hide behind a mask to commit crimes. I spoken to Mayor Adams, who's been outspoken on this issue with the MTA, with local law enforcement, and beginning conversations with the legislature." "There's legitimate reasons why people wear face coverings. Covid or the flu, religious reasons, delivery drivers protecting themselves from the elements and festivities. I assure everyone we understand how complex this issue is." @GovKathyHochul
Jun 13 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
UPDATE: NY Governor Kathy Hochul said on CNN last night that she is considering a ban on masks.

@GovKathyHochul this is absolutely shameful! New York has suffered so much from COVID, and COVID is not over. We should be normalize and depoliticizing masks, not banning them. Governor Hochul: There was a ban on masks before the pandemic that you couldn't have face coverings that didn't serve a purpose. For example, a surgical mask for someone who is elderly or ill — the pandemic removed that from our State Law. It was repealed at the time, but I absolutely will go back and take a look at this and see whether it can be restored because it is frightening to people. You're sitting on a subway train and someone puts on a mask like this and comes in — you don't know if they're going to be committing a crime, they're going to have a gun, or whether they're just going ... Pre-pandemic laws banning masks from group events were always harmful. We should have learned from the pandemic that we need to do more to normalize public health tools like masks. After seeing so much death and harm that is continuing, it makes no sense to roll back mask laws.
Jun 11 • 8 tweets • 2 min read
North Carolina's anti-mask bill just passed the House. It will now go to the Governor.

This is a horrible bill that narrows the health exemption for wearing a mask, and makes it easier for cops and anti-maskers to harass people into taking off their mask.
newsobserver.com/news/politics-… Important: If you are in North Carolina, please keep wearing your mask!

The bill has not been signed into law yet. And while the language makes it easier for cops to abuse it, the bill does keep the right to mask to stop the spread of contagious disease.
Jun 6 • 7 tweets • 3 min read
Update on the North Carolina anti-mask bill: The compromise bill contains problematic language, saying you can wear a mask to "prevent the spread of contagious disease."

This sounds like you can wear a mask if you already have COVID, but not to prevent yourself from getting it.
"§ 14-12.11. Exemptions from provisions of Article. Any person wearing a medical or surgical grade mask for the purpose of ensuring the physical health or safety of the wearer or others.preventing the spread of contagious disease. This is bad. The updated North Carolina anti-mask bill also says that anyone wearing a mask must “remove the mask upon request by a law enforcement officer or temporarily remove the mask upon request by the owner or occupant of public or private property.” Notwithstanding subdivision (a)(6) of this section, a person wearing a mask in accordance with subdivision (a)(6) of this section shall (i) remove the mask upon request by a law enforcement officer or (ii) temporarily remove the mask upon request by the owner or occupant of public or private property where the wearer is present to allow for identification of the wearer.
May 22 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
A new gold standard review of 100 studies finds:

- masks are effective in reducing transmission of respiratory diseases

- N95 respirators are significantly more effective than medical or cloth masks

- mask mandates are effective in reducing community transmission Clinical Microbiology Reviews: Masks and respirators for prevention of respiratory infections: a state of the science review The new review showing the effectiveness of masks addresses the flawed Cochrane study, which was deliberately misinterpreted by anti-maskers & some media to spread misinformation around masks.

This new review will serve as a gold standard reference to debunk mask misinformation. The need for a new review on masks was highlighted by a widely publicized polarization in scientific opinion. The masks section of a 2023 Cochrane review of non-pharmaceutical interventions (9) was—controversially—limited to randomized controlled trials (RCTs). It was interpreted by the press and by some but not all of its own authors to mean that “masks don’t work” and “mask mandates did nothing” (10). Cochrane’s editor-in-chief felt the need to state publicly that in Cochrane’s view, the review’s findings did not support such a conclusion (11). Some scholars were quick to question the rev...
May 18 • 8 tweets • 2 min read
News: Biobot is sunsetting its COVID-19 wastewater public data visualization platform.

While Biobot will continue to publish their contextualized weekly respiratory risk reports, this represents another decrease in data transparency, and a step in the wrong direction.
The Future of Biobot’s Public Data: With the abundance of publicly available wastewater data and our shift to contextualized respiratory risk reports, we are sunsetting our public data visualization platform (www.biobot.io/data). This evolution represents Biobot’s commitment to maximizing the value of wastewater data. We believe that by adding context and expert analysis, we can empower individuals, communities, and public health officials to take proactive steps towards a healthier future. I fear that the reason for removing publicly accessible data visualization is due to pressure from the government and CDC, who have made it clear in past statements that they do not like non-government scientists interpreting wastewater data.