Vincent Racaniello
@profvrr
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🌍 Earth's Virology Professor 🎙 host 🎥
New York, USA
Joined March 2008
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The first lecture of my 2024 Columbia University virology course! We define viruses, discuss their discovery & fundamental properties, and explain why they are the most amazing & intriguing biological entities on Earth. 📺
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CDC is refusing to provide information on PCR primer pairs to detect
#poliovirus
in wastewater. They don't want others doing surveillance. Sounds like their early attempt to control PCR testing of SARS-CoV-2 which did not work out well.
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The term 'breakthrough infection' is wrong. Most human vaccines do NOT prevent infection. They prevent disease, which is what
#COVID19
vaccines were tested for. It doesn't matter if infections occur, what matters is moderate to serious disease
#dropbreakthrough
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Trump has appointed Mike Pence coronavirus czar. Pence doesn't believe in science, fueled the worst AIDS outbreak in Indiana's history while governor, denied that smoking kills, spread disinformation about condoms, and called global warming a "myth." Good luck everyone.
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Wearing a mask is much less traumatic for a child than being in a hospital - from
@DanielGriffinMD
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Science tells us that most Americans do not need a COVID-19 vaccine booster (1/3)
1. With time, vaccine-induced antibodies wane but the same happens with all vaccines and infections.
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Important study from NIH/Princeton/UCLA to be published soon on stability of
#SARSCoV2
compared with SARS-CoV-1 in aerosols and various surfaces. My tabulation, any errors my fault
@DrNeeltje
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Anyone who thinks they can predict what properties the
#OmicronVarient
of
#SARSCoV2
will have just by looking at the genome sequence is wrong. If we could do that, we would not have to do experiments. Amino acid changes have different effects when paired with other changes!
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Tired of uninformed virology news from mainstream media? In this video I explain the properties of the
#SARSCoV2
UK variant and why claims that it is more transmissible are not supported by experimental data
#trustsciencenotscientists
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Terrific graphic from the Milken Institute showing the 172
#SARSCoV2
vaccines in development, most not even in phase I. What to do until next year? Face masks, weekly PCR testing (paid by federal/state govs), TETRIS (test, trace, isolate) and physical distancing
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The delta variant is NOT in itself causing cases to surge in the US. That is being driven by unvaccinated people, failure to mask, and a return to physical interactions. ANY SARS-CoV-2 variant would behave in the same way.
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In today's NYTimes article on
#poliovirus
in NY, an expert is quoted as saying vaccinated people are protected against the virus. This is WRONG. They are not protected against infection. They are protected from getting paralysis. Vaccinated people may still get infected.
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The
#SARS_CoV2
pandemic could have been prevented - my opinion, at virology blog. Please take the time to read it and be outraged.
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My three and one half hour conversation about viruses with
@lexfridman
was amazing - please check it out. Longer than an episode of
#twiv
but Lex never gets complaints as we do!
Here's my conversation with Vincent Racaniello (
@profvrr
), a virologist and microbiologist at Columbia, co-host of This Week in Virology, and one of best educators of biology and science that I've ever spoken to. We talk all about viruses and vaccines.
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3. Results of studies have shown that despite waning antibody levels, most fully vaccinated people are protected against severe disease, hospitalization, and death.
What we need to do is get everyone fully vaccinated! (3/3)
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What have I been saying for months about purported reinfections with SARS-CoV-2? There are none! RT-PCR detects pieces of RNA not infectious virus!! Tests in recovered patients found false positives, not reinfections, experts say
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On this day 65 years ago the first
#poliovirus
vaccine was licensed in US after an historic clinical trial in 1.8 million children. Do you think we will have similar headlines for
#SARSCoV2
vaccine in 2021? Salk inactivated polio vaccine is still in use today!
#virology
#history
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For the pundits out there (you know who you are) who think that
#Omicron
causes mild disease: over 400 deaths just here in NY, have not had a day with over 400 deaths here since May 2020, 7 day moving avg for deaths still climbing with anticipated peak not until end of month
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For completeness, spike amino acid change N501Y, found in
#UKvariant
of
#SARSCoV2
also does not impact neutralization by monoclonals second from right on figure
@SetteLab
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2. It is not correct to conclude that COVID vaccine efficiency is waning. What is going down is protection against infection. Most human vaccines do not prevent infection. (2/3)
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Some think we can 'get away' with just one shot of mRNA vaccine, and immunize more people quickly. Pfizer vax efficacy against COVID-19 after one shot was 52%. You really want to have HALF of vaccinated people susceptible to
#Covid_19
? Trust Science, not scientists.
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OK Abbott, your $5 test is good start but NOT GOOD ENOUGH needs to be $1, needs to be self-administered (NOT point of care) and 50 million a month is NOT ENOUGH. Plus there is NO SUCH THING as a
#COVID
ー19 antigen!! It is a
#SARSCoV2
antigen
#racanyelling
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Interesting findings from Uni Hosp Munich - serum levels of IL-6 might be a predictor of respiratory failure in symptomatic COVID-19 patients. Figure shows IL-6 on admission and before intubation. If correct might be useful for patient allocation
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I had a terrific opportunity yesterday on
@CNN
to spread good information about
#COVID19
and
#SARSCoV2
opposite
@drsanjaygupta
on
@OutFrontCNN
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Tony Fauci is correct, Rand Paul is not: the research described in this paper is NOT gain of function: no new properties were given to the bat CoV by substitution of the spike gene.
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Recently I tested positive for
#SARS_CoV_2
. In this video I explain how the PCR test was done, what the Ct value that I received means, and why I was not worried about the result
#COVID19
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Please do not pay attention to anything said or written by Judy Mikovits. She is the definition of
#fakescience
- has everyone forgotten
#XMRV
? More on
#TWiV
tomorrow.
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Musings of an anonymous, pissed off virologist by
@PaulBieniasz
on how to ensure that SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are rendered impotent - exactly what we are doing now
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I am withdrawing my signature from a petition objecting to mandating a BA4/5 bivalent booster for the Columbia U community. The author has used my name without my permission in an email that is replete with anti-vaccine misinformation which I will have no part of.
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#COVID
ー19 COVID-19 case fatality ratios from China by age. Note CFR <1% until > age 50. So 2.3% overall rate cited widely does not apply to all. Total number of cases likely as much as 10x underestimated, placing CFR in range of seasonal influenza. From China CCD Weekly
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Thanks to
@ASMicrobiology
for awarding me the 2019 Education Award, which just arrived. It's somewhat viral (and sharp). And thanks to
@virolvlog
for nominating me!
#viruses
#podcast
#textbook
#lecture
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Please read this thread to understand why SARS-CoV-2 did not originate from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
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Exciting day for
#microbetv
and
#parasiteswithout
borders:
@DanielGriffinMD
and I signed a lease for studio/office space on Seventh avenue in NYC. Bringing unbiased science education to all.
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Finally a statement about 'the virus is evolving' that I do not mind.
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The spike amino acid change N501Y, found in the
#UKvariant
of
#SARSCoV2
does not impact immunity in mice induced by receptor-binding domain protein see
@SetteLab
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Chinese National Health Commission Vice Minister says that the Wuhan coronavirus 'could mutate', the press picks it up and blindly transmits it. Viruses mutate with every replication cycle; the question is whether the changes have any consequence. Happens with every new outbreak.
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A huge milestone for Earth’s Virology Professor. This month marks 41 years since Vincent Racaniello, PhD, started teaching at Columbia University. Are you a former student of Dr. Racaniello’s? We’d love to hear your favorite memories of being in class or in the lab with Vincent.
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Human behavior during the pandemic is more important than any variant opinion by
@abr22
and me. Get vaccinated.
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I've been releasing
#TWiV
episodes recorded in February or before showing us without facemasks, before we started wearing them. I do not need to be scolded for poor behavior or for talking about racism. Grow up folks. And try paying attention, it works
#grumpyvirologist
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Want to learn about viruses? Today I'm starting a livestreamed virology course on YouTube Monday and Wednesdays, 11 AM eastern time US. Join me in this experiment in a different way to teach.
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From
@DanielGriffinMD
In US >800 Children died of
#COVID19
most since August, >2 children dying every day. In January alone 7,000 children have been hospitalized with COVID and 70 children died from COVID. This is all
#Omicron
- do not say it is mild
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HUGE thanks to hosts for awesome
@lukejerram
glass virus sculpture 'Untitled Future Mutation'
@alandove
@RichCondit
@VirusProfSings
@TWiMSchmidt
@umichMichele
@elios179
@ElEarlyBird
@Orilieberman
@JasonSynaptic
@bendesky
@TheErinCalipari
@DanielGriffinMD
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If you don’t want to listen to me, a scientist, defend vaccines, then listen to me as a parent: We gave all 3 of our kids all the recommended vaccines without hesitation and would do so again.
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Who can tell me why this quote about
#SARSCoV2
from
@michaelmina_lab
is wrong: This virus is “new, which is why it’s mutating a lot. It’s mutating because it’s growing up and learning how to live in us.” Details matter!
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Today's complaint about CDC handling of
#poliovirus
in US: release the nucleotide sequence of the recovered vaccine-derived isolate from NY. Let the virology community do a molecular clock analysis to determine how long the virus is circulating - likely more than one year!
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More
#COVID19
vaccine brilliance from
@DrPaulOffit
please read and understand, scientists, cardiologists, and particularly journalists, that vaccines do not prevent infection!
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Face masks stop transmission - evidence from a hair salon. Wear them!
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This pediatrician's license to practice should be revoked for publishing this rubbish ignores the age-old understanding that children DRIVE PANDEMICS
#COVID19
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Want to learn about viruses? Start here, my Columbia University Virology Lectures 2023 - YouTube
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John Gruber, you are wrong to be impressed by Baker's recent science fiction article in New York. SARS-CoV-2 came from a bat, not from a lab. Those who think otherwise are uninformed
@gruber
@daringfireball
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Here is a photo of me in 1977, working in Peter Palese's lab at Mt. Sinai. I was his first grad student and my thesis was on
#influenza
This is the only lab photo I have from that era - no cell phones! Many things going on in this photo that don't happen any more
#viruses
#twiv
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You are wrong. Climate change affects the distribution of vectors that carry viruses, and some virologists study this issue.
@JonesNoahT
@profvrr
Also need to mention. Virologists are not qualified to talk about climate change.
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When I was in high school I visited the Edison museum and bought this sign. I still have it in my office because it is still so true
@VirusProfSings
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More evidence that SARS-CoV-2 was a zoonosis. Attacking me won't affect the data, folks.
[To journalists]
We were not planning to communicate results before our report was finished. Finishing the report is my current priority. I won't give interviews before the report is published.
Meanwhile, you can find background information in this article
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The title says it all: "When a Good Scientist is the Wrong Source" terrific analysis of the lab leak notion (it's not a hypothesis without data) by Thomas Levenson, Professor of Science Writing at MIT
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Here it is! TWiV 1000: Live from New York, 1k epitopes of virology ✨ The entire TWiV team gathers at a theatre in New York City to celebrate a milestone in science podcasting, to reminisce how they joined the show, and to play a game of TWiV Jeopardy. 📺
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It was a great honor to receive the Richard C. Ernst medal last week at ETH Zurich. You can watch my Ernst lecture at
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Another study of
#Hydroxychloroquine
treatment for
#COVID19
by the Marseille group, 80 patients, virus loads reduced, clinical improvement in al but two patients
#SARSCoV2
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Great move by Google to remove monetization from YouTube coronavirus videos I have never monetized a video because I believe knowledge should be available to all at and and
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The misconceptions about
#MECFS
now begin to permeate
#LongCovid
Clueless Wall Street Journal Op-Ed Endorses PACE as the "Prevailing View" Among Docs by
@davidtuller1
at virology blog
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We have been collecting letters that you can send to various leaders about the need to develop rapid, inexpensive testing for SARS-CoV-2 at these are based on
@michaelmina_lab
appearance on TWiV 640
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Thank you for nominating me! Deeply honored to receive an education award. Although I started out as a researcher, in the end I really am a teacher - just like my mother was!
@profvrr
receiving
@ASMicrobiology
2019’s award for education. Congrats, Vincent. Very well deserved!
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Vincent travels to UPENN to discuss origin of SARS-CoV-2, how FBI might have reached its conclusion on the matter, and public & political perception of scientific risk. Guests: Susan Weiss, Rick Bushman, Gigi Gronvall & David Joanson. 📺
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Numbers for seasonal
#Influenza
this year (week 49) are much lower than last year. An effect of
#COVID19
pandemic prevention measures or difficulties in sampling?
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