Read on Twitter
1. I'm fascinated by this article, which once again seeks to downplay the role of children and schools in transmission.
To quote Detective Sergeant Roger Murtaugh, "I'm getting too old for this sh*t."
We're looking at this in entirely the wrong way. https://twitter.com/NickTriggle/status/1357642422914801665
To quote Detective Sergeant Roger Murtaugh, "I'm getting too old for this sh*t."
We're looking at this in entirely the wrong way. https://twitter.com/NickTriggle/status/1357642422914801665
2. We're walking into the trap @c_drosten warned about in his Spiegel interview.
An interview in which he also said, "the infectiousness of children was denied for so long, and nothing was done...I found that very, very astonishing." https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/interview-with-virologist-christian-drosten-i-am-quite-apprehensive-about-what-might-otherwise-happen-in-spring-and-summer-a-f22c0495-5257-426e-bddc-c6082d6434d5
An interview in which he also said, "the infectiousness of children was denied for so long, and nothing was done...I found that very, very astonishing." https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/interview-with-virologist-christian-drosten-i-am-quite-apprehensive-about-what-might-otherwise-happen-in-spring-and-summer-a-f22c0495-5257-426e-bddc-c6082d6434d5
3. We're making exactly the same mistakes we made last summer; pushing to open up as soon as possible, and expecting things to go back to normal. Somehow we expect normality without putting in place effective precautions.
4. @dgurdasani1 has researched the issue of transmission in schools extensively, and it is certainly not an issue that merits being downplayed. https://twitter.com/dgurdasani1/status/1346362159446577154?s=20
5. Particularly when we're still learning about the impacts of #COVID19 on children. https://twitter.com/DrZoeHyde/status/1357634381355970561?s=20
6. And there's growing realisation some children suffer #LongCovid, which, as @Dr2NisreenAlwan rightly points out, is still not being properly counted. https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2021/02/03/nisreen-alwan-we-must-pay-more-attention-to-covid-19-morbidity-in-the-second-year-of-the-pandemic/
7. Between 2016 and 2018, Marta Galanti and Jeffrey Shaman of Columbia University conducted a longitudinal study of respiratory viruses. They found children were far more likely to be asymptomatic than adults.
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/D8E75BDC5B16AEC88DB57CD9B291BB37/S0950268819000505a.pdf/rates_of_asymptomatic_respiratory_virus_infection_across_age_groups.pdf
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/D8E75BDC5B16AEC88DB57CD9B291BB37/S0950268819000505a.pdf/rates_of_asymptomatic_respiratory_virus_infection_across_age_groups.pdf
8. They also found that adults who were exposed to children through work or in the home were far more likely to be infected by respiratory viruses.
Why should we expect #COVID19 to be any different from its coronavirus and respiratory virus cousins?
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/irv.12629
Why should we expect #COVID19 to be any different from its coronavirus and respiratory virus cousins?
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/irv.12629
9. Should schools stay closed to non-essential workers? (Please note the qualifier. All those abusing teachers should be aware schools have been open throughout this pandemic, providing a mix of in-class and distance learning.)
No, schools should not stay closed.
No, schools should not stay closed.
10. We should make the investment needed to open them safely. The UK government, aided by some scientists and journalists, has created a false dichotomy and insists that if schools are to open, they should open more or less as normal.
11. This goes against the advice of almost every leading public health organisation. If we want schools to fully open and keep them open, we need to reduce transmission in the community AND implement safety measures in schools. https://twitter.com/j_g_allen/status/1346058356465790982?s=20
12. When researchers seeking to downplay the risk of transmission in schools compare the UK to other countries, it is important to note that we have not implemented the ventilation seen in Germany, the rota or distance learning seen in the US, the small class sizes of Denmark...
13. ...or the masks in classrooms seen in France, Spain, South Korea, Taiwan, Italy and countless other countries. The UK government has done as little as possible.
This is what the US CDC now recommends for schools that open for in-person learning. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/global-covid-19/schools.html
This is what the US CDC now recommends for schools that open for in-person learning. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/global-covid-19/schools.html
14. If we want to convince people schools are safe, let's not gaslight them with false assurances and arguable science, let's take practical steps to make them safe.
We owe it to children to minimise their risks of catching this virus, because there are still many uncertainties.
We owe it to children to minimise their risks of catching this virus, because there are still many uncertainties.
15. And we owe it to ourselves to do whatever we can to minimise transmission. Variants have evolved far more quickly than some people expected, and a number show evidence of at least partial immune escape. https://www.forbes.com/sites/williamhaseltine/2021/02/03/concerns-grow-over-the-newly-discovered-southern-california-covid-19-variant/?sh=7c27ba2297a6
16. Western governments have been cavalier about #COVID19 since the start of the pandemic, and have learned to their cost that this virus should not be underestimated. It is possible we could see the emergence of an antibody resistant variant. https://twitter.com/K_G_Andersen/status/1355690008569495552?s=20
17. There is no evidence to suggest this has or is happening, but it is a possibility and we should do whatever we reasonably can to reduce the chances of that happening. Mutation cannot happen without replication, so reducing cases reduces the chances of a nasty surprise.
18. Instead of arguing over how much schools contribute to the transmission of this virus, we should acknowledge they make some contribution and take steps to put mitigation measures in place. We need to beat #COVID19 through attrition. https://twitter.com/MackayIM/status/1319901144836026368?s=20
19. The history of this pandemic is littered with the reputations of those who sought to minimise risk (
video below). At almost every turn this virus has proved to be worse than many anticipated and it has given some decision-makers nasty surprises. https://twitter.com/s8mb/status/1357611464266289153?s=20
video below). At almost every turn this virus has proved to be worse than many anticipated and it has given some decision-makers nasty surprises. https://twitter.com/s8mb/status/1357611464266289153?s=20
20. Alarmism gets a bad name, but @trishgreenhalgh is right, and a little more alarmism would probably have saved lives.
(Remember when we were told there wouldn't be a pandemic @DrEricDing?) https://twitter.com/trishgreenhalgh/status/1357585548223913985?s=20
(Remember when we were told there wouldn't be a pandemic @DrEricDing?) https://twitter.com/trishgreenhalgh/status/1357585548223913985?s=20
21. Let's not make the same mistakes again. Let's not listen to those who seek to minimise danger. Let's properly understand risk and take steps to manage it.
Let's get schools open safely.
Let's get schools open safely.