Stephen Griffin
@SGriffin_Lab
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Professor of Cancer Virology | Viroporins, Antivirals, Viral Oncology, Immunotherapy | Own views | @IndependentSAGE @LongCovidKids @projecthalo #VaccinesPlus
University of Leeds, England
Joined April 2018
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The vax hesitant need knowledge and support, not vilification.
Pushing Anti-vax 💩 is unforgivable
Here's my attempt at an accessible vax FAQ
Thanks so much to
@LongCovidKids
,
@Nat_Elodie_A_N
and
@jneill
for brilliant and patient help with this! 🙏❤️
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I've no reason to doubt the provenance of this note from a Shropshire NHS Trust, but I genuinely wish it was fake.
Short-sighted doesn't even begin to describe my outrage at this callous approach to staff and patient safety.
Have we learned nothing?
I only hope it's not UK wide💔
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Gutted. My 8 yo daughter was sobbing this evening, refusing to go to school after we told her about ⬆️cases there in recent days.💔
She's not upset or scared for herself, her 4 yo brother, or me. She doesn't want to pass it to her CEV mum.
If she gets it, why not so many others?
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Constantly, I hear that the pandemic is over in the UK, that life is back to normal. We hear platitudes like mild, endemic, flu-like, just a cold (not reassuring), boosters, world-leading, moving on, "living with".
We have no legally binding restrictions, seemingly without issue
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Can people please stop referring to the pandemic using the past tense?
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For the love of toast, can we PLEASE STOP referring to the pandemic in the past tense?
Just because countries like the UK have chosen blissful ignorance, SARS2 shows no sign whatsoever of adopting predictable patterns of infection. People are still suffering, and will suffer.
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I have no words to describe how angry this makes me.
We are all one doctor's trip from an underlying health condition, many likely have one and don't realise.
Separating society into some weird dystopian version of Darwinism might be something certain people consider OK.
Not me
🔴 Only six healthy children with no underlying health conditions died as a direct result of catching the coronavirus during a 12-month window, NHS analysis has revealed
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@BallouxFrancois
No Francois, that is an appalling statement. You may have said this to provoke debate, but how can you seriously advocate putting children in harms way when there's a safe and effective vaccine available?
These are not numbers, these are children, including vulnerable kids for
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Fairly mad 24 hrs...I've learned a lot.
I've learned how brave folks are contacting me to discussing NHS staff testing. Most of all, the person who 1st reached out 🙏
I've learned of a massive drive to treat SARS2 as a standard "winter virus", and this is blinding public health.
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I am utterly bewildered and incensed that
@BBCNews
felt that platforming a certain, but apparently not THAT, cardiologist, and allowing them to hijack an interview on live TV to spout unsubstantiated anti-vax 💩 was worth airtime.
Apologies, retractions and complaints needed🤬🤬.
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Lancashire Teaching Hospitals. Sent to all staff yesterday, staff not to test unless on Ribbelsdale (inpatient oncology) or ward 25 (renal). No-one else should test, incl outpatient oncology clinic, cancer treatment centre, and dialysis.
I despair...
@ShaunLintern
@PMGallagher1
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The UK "living with COVID" plan strikes me as unlike any other aspect of public health.
At the individual level, we take risks every day, balanced against what we want to do. The individual risk for most every day activities is low. The chance of an extreme event affecting me is
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Really well done and important study from
@imperialcollege
on SARS2 infectious period, great article by
@ClareWilsonMed
Goes to show, dropping the requirement for 2 clear LFDs with a 5 day minimum was ridiculous, short-sighted and irresponsible.
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Do we STILL, in 2022, have to explain the mystery known to some as "school holidays" to people? 🤦♂️
The lagged hospitalisations and deaths will no doubt drop in forthcoming weeks...then schools return...my 5 yo boy does more complex patterns in reception!
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My favourite T shirt seems weirdly relevant this weekend...
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I have never heard anything so ffffffffffundamentally (and other F words🤬🤬🤬) stupid, sycophantic, and appeasing to a certain cadre of libertarian 💩💩💩 from someone in a position of authority and, worse, responsibility.
Trumps even the bus, methinks.
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Today the government will announce the end to all
#COVID
restrictions, including ending
#isolation
and free testing in the country. This is a HUGE mistake.
We are asking members of the UK science and medical communities, to sign our open letter here:
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So, lots of vilification and even gloating (by some insufferable 💩s) at various countries now suffering dreadful omicron waves after having previously suppressed the virus and adopting a so-called
#ZeroCovid
strategy. One or two thoughts/observations.
1. "Told you so" really
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Waves of infection are caused by exposure of a susceptible population to an infectious agent.
For endemic/seasonal infections, we see one or two waves per year as this susceptible pool is replenished by young (unvaccinated) kids, and older/other folks losing their immunity...
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So, COVID deaths back up over 1000/week, excess deaths also up, even accounting for including 2021 in the baseline...
So, NOT living with the virus 🙄
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I hope people aren't buying these inadvertently...🤪
Local supermarket...I wonder what might be happening...🤔
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This is just brilliant from
@MichaelRosenYes
A lesson in morality for those who STILL deny or minimise the pandemic.
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I have been saddened, angered and bewildered by criticism of my amazing colleagues at
@IndependentSage
of late. It strikes me that certain quarters have painted their own pictures, labelled recent outputs as problematic, whilst ignoring any of the actual substance.
As a fairly
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Vaccines reduce the individual risk from severe acute COVID for many of us, of course they do.
But the population risk remains completely unacceptable because we no longer employ altruistic, sensible precautions.
Add to this, we don't understand how well Vaccines prevent long
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Why, just why, are countries having to relearn the absolute basics of infection control, surveillance, and population scale risk?
How can they discount aerosols? How can masks be political footballs?
Why ignore benefits for other diseases and pollution?
Maddening.
#CovidIsntOver
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So, we have no more free testing from Friday...no community PCR, no free LFDs, and timed perfectly for the BA.2 surge that has already seen 20K hospitalisations (~50% direct, increasing) and approaching 1000 deaths per week again...
Also, ZOE and REACT funding gone, ONS downsized
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So, after more than two years I finally received a visit from SARS2; BA2, I presume.
First few days weren't much fun, fever/chills, fatigue, breathlessness, dizziness. Unlike anything I'd had before, weird but tolerable, thanks to 3x vax.
Notably, 5 days nowhere nr long enough🤦♂️
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So, the solution to leaving people behind is to...leave them behind...🤦♂️🤬
Not a proud moment in our Nation's history.
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Proud Dad moment.
Rosie, my 10 y.o. daughter has her artwork framed and on display in Leeds Art Gallery 🎨 ❤️
@lucy_prodgers
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For the record, not being more severe than existing strains is NOT the same as not being severe...
Disease is a function of virulence, immunity, and environment.
Individual risk scales by prevalence.
Long COVID continues.
Vaccinate, mitigate. Please.
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What I really find hard to stomach on all the frankly heinous statements in the JCVI minutes is that so much damage has already been done.
Failure to protect teens over summer despite unlocking and everyone with half a brain realising another wave would come is just shocking imo.
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Right, have to get some things off my chest...
All entirely my p.o.v, lots of reading but no citations. Happy to be proven wrong, but I've done my own research...🤪
1. Of course the pandemic isn't over and wasn't a few weeks ago either...utter fuc*nuts who said so. Honestly...🤦♂️
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Seems we have fundamentally unlearned what we once knew.
This is SUCH a no-brainer, application beyond SARS2, future proofing, reduced healthcare burden...
Of course, to take action is to acknowledge the problem...🙄
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No tests...like flu?
5 waves/year...like flu?
>30k dead in 22...like flu?
2M+ with long COVID...like flu?
10s of 1000s in hospital...like flu?
Vax 4 vulnerable, NOT kids...like flu?
1 antiviral...like flu?
Cardio, neuro, metabolic sequelae...like flu?
FFS
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For me, if I wanted to "live" with something, I'd rather understand rather than ignore it.
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I'm incandescent.
Relentless talk in
@covidinquiryuk
about so-called "segregation", and it seems this found favour with folks in high places...we already know about the current PM.
But, let's NOT beat around the bush here, segregation is sanitised speak for social exclusion...
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Excellent summary from
@sheencr
on the reality of our once "world-leading" vaccine programme.
You can't crowbar a pandemic into a convenient winter bug😷
You can't have a vaccine-only strategy without vaccines🙄
You can't just focus on acute disease💔
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This is welcome, indeed...but, the fact that it was ever not the advice remains utterly bewildering to me...
Next thing, they'll be trying to vaccinate and prevent transmission in schools...🙄🤪💔🤬
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OK, an attempt to explain virus evolution, especially SARS2, and how our present situation influences this process.
TLDR...it's fair to say that current UK scenario is almost certainly an "enabler" for SARS2, and it could encourage the refinement of, or next step from Delta...
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Folks.
It's a virus.
If you are susceptible, it will infect you following sufficient exposure.
Two choices, limit exposure, or reduce susceptibility.
It doesn't even care whether you get ill, it just evolves to transmit.
It can't, and doesn't, care about baseless conspiracy 💩
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If I hear pandemic referred to in the past tense again I may genuinely smash something.
The nerve of individual countries attempt to dictate a world event is just shocking, nevermind that the WORLD health organisation says otherwise.
The inequality on this planet beggar's belief.
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@ChildrensComm
Rachel. How can one possibly achieve 100% attendance in reality?
However, infection resilient environments, timely and broad vaccinations (including SARS2), and appropriate isolation will all combine to INCREASE attendance.
The false dichotomy being created around this is insane.
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I sincerely hope that the staff and patients will be OK.
Seems that isolation and appropriate PPE are the way to deal with SARS2, who'd have thought...🤔🤪💔🙄🤬
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Astonished and humbled to be promoted as Professor of Cancer Virology at
@LIMRLeeds
@LeedsMedHealth
@UniversityLeeds
this week.
Currently suffering major case of imposter syndrome...but, very grateful to no longer have to explain Assoc. Prof thing to folks thing anymore!
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Shock as Government that allowed mass infection whilst stripping
#NHS
bare realises this has a negative impact on the health of the population...
Of course, this clearly is the fault of the patients, so let's deprive them of cash during a self-inflicted cost of living crisis 💔
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Well, peel my tangerines...virus that never went away is still here, with an even bigger wave than the others this Yr, coinciding with flu, woefully restricted vaccines, no mitigations 🙄
Thanks
@NicolaKSDavis
Comment from me,
@chrischirp
@drsimonwilliams
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We're all going to catch it...omicron is mild...it's endemic...learn to live with it...treat it like seasonal flu...shielders know their vulnerability weak spots...back to normal...protect the vulnerable...NHS can cope...world leading...stop testing...kids aren't affected.. long
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Thank you for saying this, loud and clear
@GeorgeMonbiot
The double standards on ventilation infrastructure are appalling, especially when schools are given nothing more than a tokenistic CO2 monitor and no plan whatsoever on how to react if it beeps 🤬
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No, absolutely not.
Whilst this model may conceivably apply in the future, in my view this ignores some key issues.
1. This is a novel virus and we don't understand it yet.
2. Long COVID is HUGE
BBC News - Is catching Covid now better than more vaccine?
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I've needed our wonderful
#NHS
recently, unexpectedly but routine at first, then today as an emergency; I'll be staying 4 a bit.
EVERYONE has been amazing, care exemplary, despite it clearly being on a shoestring & skeleton staff.
Pay these people properly. Support them. Please.
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@educationgovuk
@ChristmasRowena
@NHSuk
Sorry, this false dichotomy is ridiculous, ableist, & self-defeating.
It's not about illness vs. attendance.
It's about why there's so much illness.
Create infection resilient environments.
If you send sick kids to school, it will increase transmission...not complicated, is it?
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Reminder that:
1 Perceived invulnerability of kids to SARS2 is utterly flawed.
2 Risk of
#LongCovidKids
is real, not imagined.
3 Risks from vax in u12s r vanishingly low.
4 COVID risk in u5s is considerable.
5 Immunity via infection is 💩 public health.
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Really important study with
@CathNoakes
and Mark Mon-Williams from
@UniversityLeeds
, unequivocal evidence that children will benefit from
#CleanAir
...thanks
@ClareWilsonMed
Ignore those stuck in 2019, let's move on and make indoors safe for all 😷🌀🏨🌬
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health, NHS, unions, teachers, and bodies like the
@TheBMA
.
The numbers we're seeing are terrible, hundreds dying each day again, high hospitalisations with ~half directly there with SARS2. COVID is the 3rd leading cause of death in the UK, and the top infectious cause by a mile.
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Well, I'm speechless...😉
Hospital trust returns to masks as Covid and flu cases soar
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I'm staggered by the complacency here.
Ignores the potential seriousness of SARS2 and a range of so-called "common illnesses".
This is esp true for immunocompromised, otherwise vulnerable, and pregnant women, but could EVEN affect "healthy people" 🙄🤦♂️🤢
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Disgraceful, so very sorry to hear this
@DrAmirKhanGP
Solidarity 💪
BBC News - TV doctor Amir Khan on being subjected to 'barrage of racist abuse' - BBC News
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My friend
@trishgreenhalgh
is getting grief 4 her amazing advocacy of FFP2/3 masks/clean air vs airborne SARS2 transmission.
Despite physics, infection control etc., they say no, and this is variant-specific🤦♂️🤪
Don't take it from us, try ~400 other geeks
@JVLazarus
The conclusion that masks work, and that better masks are needed to address the DOMINANT airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is the consensus of almost 400 international experts in the major DELPHI study led by
@JVLazarus
in
@Nature
:
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5 day isolation is the same economy driven "public health" as the pingdemic. It just kicks the can down the road & potentially makes things worse?
1. Cases not controlled
2. Isolation interrupts fewer transmission chains
3. Increased exposure, including CEV, long COVID
Repeat.
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Can we please reserve the use of the term "mild" for referring to the weather?
Pathology is a combination of virulence, immunity and environment. There will always be a distribution in terms of disease. The weather term breeds complacency.
Less severe, if you please. 🙏
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So, rather than apply best practice to other viruses, just ditch testing for the single most vulnerable age group and most likely to have comorbidity...
Basically, anything other than admit it's a problem 🙄 💔💰
Eejits.
BREAKING: The government has announced it is to halt routine Covid tests for people being discharged from hospital into care homes
📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube
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Couldn't clip the whole thing, but anyone doubting the impact of
#LongCovidKids
just needs to listen to how brave Freya is, but also how sad 💔
Heartbreaking. We need to do so much more.
Thanks
@jamiecoulsontv
and
@BBCLookNorth
for highlighting this incredibly important issue 🙏
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Living with...going swimmingly...apart from when it doesn't 🙄
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This is nuts.
Zoster is NOT trivial.
This crap and myths like "immunity debt" are half the reason we're in the mess we find ourselves in.
It's simple, infection = bad.
They are called parasites for a REASON!
SO cross.
Flanders, Belgium: 'Children with chickenpox can go to school from now on'.
Reason: pre-symptomatic transmission exists, so symptomatic transmission should be allowed too.
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Right.
Seeing as it has somehow become open season on my friends and colleagues from
@IndependentSage
, it felt like a few points of order were timely...
1. It was NEVER the case that
@IndependentSage
was set up to oppose or undermine SAGE or any subcommittees.
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Didn't have the energy, still don't, but THAT article...
1. Don't minimise influenza, but💀mainly bacterial pneumonia.
2. SARS2 didn't just circulate last Nov/Dec....>33K💀
3. False binaries and platitudes result from p*ss-poor funding and an acceptance of 2019 "norms". We shld
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We are about to experience our third wave in six months...seriously, just because the flow of information has been stifled, rather reality for many is unacceptable...acute, post acute, or long COVID...we can't ignore this.
Thanks
@iansample
🙏
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But this is the problem, they ALWAYS are, and have been.
The longer you leave things, the harder they are to control. It's the LACK of mitigations that leads to harsh restrictions...
BBC News - Covid: More restrictions a last resort, Sajid Javid says
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So, three days conclusively NOT enough time for kids to stop shedding omicron at levels capable of spreading infection...
Nobody could have predicted this...! 🤪
Except, perhaps, virologists, immunologists, and most cerebrate organisms...
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I've learned that there is no acceptance by IPC of aerosol transmission, or that SARS2 can still make you acutely very unwell, or indeed kill (>33K in 2022, 15K so far in 2023💔)
I've learned that the risk of long COVID and ensuing impact on the
#NHS
just isn't even on the radar.
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My brilliant wife said something I can't stop thinking about re chronic ill health, COVID, disability & socio-economic inequality.
"those least able have to fight harder just to be treated equally. Why should we? Its unfair. So sometimes we just don't"
H/T
@lucy_prodgers
❤️
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So, at least "living with COVID" acknowledged the existence of a pandemic coronavirus.
Now, we're left with the three profoundly unwise monkeys in the one setting that people's wellbeing should be paramount.
I have words, but they're in the language of Mordor...
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@BallouxFrancois
whom the vaccines have not yet been adequately provided, and those with vulnerable relatives.
As
@GYamey
points out, vaccines show benefits across the board, including MISC, and preventing long COVID.
Moreover, for what you say to be true, prior infection would need to ensure
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Sick of gaslighting regarding the idea that cases don't matter.
It's criminal what's happening to young people and children, you know I believe that, but perhaps those wearing blinkers might consider how cases are eroding the amazing benefits our vaccines could bring, would that
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Let's learn from countries that intelligently deploy technology and surveillance, avoiding the yo-yoing in and out of restrictions we keep seeing here.
Let's forget presenteeism, let's vaccinate widely, let's
#BringBackMasks
in healthcare (proper ones!), let's safeguard patients.
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I've learned that NHS staff who contacted rightly feel uncomfortable with all of this, but they are trapped.
Testing ✅= 5-day isolation. This counts as "normal" sick/annual/unpaid leave.
Lack of supported isolation was a SHOCKING Sunak/Johnson act that disfavours lower incomes.
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Would we ever stop observing procedures for MRSA, C difficile, or bothering to sterilise operating theatres? No.
So, please let's support NHS staff in the knowledge that it will likely avert, rather than cause, a winter staffing crisis. Let's reinstall basic infection control.
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This is fantastic news, but why has it taken so long?!
We MUST STOP trivialising childhood illness, "just a cold", chicken pox parties, only flu 🙄
I wonder, are there other vaccines children should have where disease is institutionally trivialised...🤔
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OK, I'm a MASSIVE antivirals geek.
Important to remember they are:
Important medicines that suppress viruses, so enabling immunity to clear your infection.
What they are NOT:
1. Sweets we can all take home, Boris
2. Carte blanche to allow mass infection of vulnerable people😥
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Strikes me that some may think taking a stand against the mass infection policy and freedom day means that I lack faith in our excellent vaccines and, apparently, am a "lockdown zealot".
I'd like to reassure everyone who knows/follows me or sees this at random that this is untrue
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Righto, just going to throw this out there but take none of the credit as the person behind this would rather avoid any ensuing debate...
In brief, there's huge debate around Omicron being "mild'. This is misleading as, whilst populations may be better equipped immunologically
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Lastly, the simple binary that you get infected, then immune, ignores the plight of the vulnerable, as well as both long COVID and other sequelae that cost people their quality of life, or their lives. It's harmful, callous, and amoral.
Tragically tho, we ARE "used to this" 💔
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My boy is currently one of these numbers, my CEV wife is exposed...
The exact same thing happened with Delta - kids aren't protected in schools or by vax
We have record hospitalisations for under 18s
@jneill
Where are the damned vaccines for under 12s?
🤬
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This is a profound mistake 😕
Sick of explaining why...this country is just crackers. Living with = ignoring = enduring = suffering = discriminatory = short sighted...
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"Our findings emphasise the importance of reducing the COVID-19 burden in young people"
Omicron breakthrough in CYP with previous delta infection more likely to cause
#LongCovidKids
😪
Yes, a 3.5 yr PHEIC is arbitrarily ended, but a pandemic remains 💔
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Suffice to say, I fundamentally disagree...
Covid-19 variant JN.1 may be the mildest form of the virus yet
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I've heard the response to ✅staff is "why did you test?", when it should surely be good practice?
I've heard of risk assessments suggested to justify early returns 😬.
Seems a workforce of walking wounded is acceptable in our current plight, talk about shortsighted🤬
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👀self-congratulatory bile from some on schools.
Nobody wants schools shut.
Yet folks worried about (esp CEV) kids, staff and families get accused of wanting closures.
No, the word is SAFE.
Kids CAN and DO get v unwell, LC, some die ffs...
Vax, vent, mask, & test/isolate. Please.
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So, there's been a load of bollox, frankly, going around about how it's not possible to clean the air...
Perhaps architects involved with modern buildings could remind folks about office blocks, concert halls, factories, abattoirs, conf venues and...erm, LABORATORIES etc?
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I've learned that "non-requirement" to test CAN lead to it being actively discouraged. Staffing pressures and adhering to UK "policy" seemingly supersede basic infection control. LFDs aren't perfect, but they work. Emails telling staff to bin them have crossed my path. Maddening.
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As more "revelations" are highlighted by
@covidinquiryuk
I stand by the John Snow Memorandum.
I'm so thankful
@Sir_David_King
founded
@IndependentSage
.
I'm privileged to be a member.
Seems our views weren't marginal, but also weren't constrained by the feckless eejits in no10.
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This is why we have separate
@GOVUK
departments for health and education.
Totally irresponsible, unsafe, and ALL centred on economy-led presenteeism, which has been proven to NOT be cost effective.
Short termism seems to have chronically infected this shambolic government.
It’s usually ok to send your child to school with a mild illness.
If you’re not sure, take a look at the
@NHSuk
guidance on a range of common childhood illnesses such as coughs and colds, to help you decide.
Find out more:
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Sat on
#NHS
staff shuttle. Respirator mask, opened the window next to me despite the snow as condensation was dripping from the glass when I got on...ignoring various glares!
About 20-30 passengers, at least 5 coughing and spluttering.
I'll deal with the glares, methinks...
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Yes, it really does.
It matters because ignoring the consequences of this is what we, as a generally healthy society consider comfortable, rather than normal.
Reducing our assessment of all this to comparators with other countries, NHS capacity, ICU bed
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“We know that Covid has caused direct [Covid leading to new cardiovascular disease], indirect [reduced treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease] and long-term effects [cardiovascular disease and long Covid],”
Prof John Greenwood
😢💔❤️🩹❤️🔥💙
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