Jonathan Ball @JonathanKBall Twitter profile

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@CoachKolt

Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

I don't know why I (and many colleagues) have to keep saying this but #COVID19 vaccines do not prevent infection and therefore do not prevent emergence of variants. Sub-sterilising immunity through infection or vaccination will drive emergence of variants.

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

Still perplexed that some of my colleagues are predicting a stonking #wave of #Covid19 . They need to differentiate between cases and disease. It’s the latter that’s important. And even the former should be lessened through #vaccine uptake.

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

Can't believe after all this time, hospitalisations with #SARSCoV2 and hospitalisations because of #COVID19 are still lumped together. I get that there are infection control issues so important to test on , but the data is very misleading as is...

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

We really need to calm down a bit on the reporting of variants. Variation is what happens when the virus replicates and transmits. So the reporting of double or triple mutants, whilst it might make a headline, doesn‘t mean the virus is 3x as scary

A COVID-19 variant identified in Yorkshire is being investigated by health officials

So far, 49 cases of a new "triple mutant" variation of COVID-19 have been found, mainly in Yorkshire and the Humber. While the variant is being monitored by Public Health England, there is currently no evidence it is more dangerous or more transmissible than the current strains of the novel coronavirus, according to public health officials.

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

4 years

If we really want to understand the role of masks in preventing transmission in schools, might I be so bold / controversial as to propose a proper trial underpinned (maybe by regular testing to provide reassurance / toprevent significant outbreaks).

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

I’m still baffled that some HE teaching and research staff, with no obvious vulnerabilities, are questioning a return to the workplace. Teachers have been at the coalface, as have so many other workers. Don‘t we owe it to students? What do those hesitant need to see?

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

#Shadow #HealthSecretary just reminded us that 40% - yes 40% - of people in Nottingham not yet vaccinated. Come on guys you can do better.

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

I'm surprised by the continued furore about delta #variant and emergence of super variants. Remember this is a virus seeded into our population when competition was low, especially in communities where it started off... So it was almost inevitable it would dominate.

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

When did cases = hospitalisations. Can't help but think #omicron is being used to some degree as a distraction to other things that have just been revealed...

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

Yesterday was a sad day indeed. But here’s our Bob in much happier times, enjoying the rays, waiting for the beach. Those who have, or had dogs will understand. Those who haven’t, probably not.

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

4 years

I (perhaps stupidly) posted a tweet about the need for a control study about #mask wearing in schools. I was stunned by the storm that followed, with opposing factions jumping on it spouting beliefs. I wasn’t being pro or against. Just, let‘s get the #evidence . #Sigh ...

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

A tiny fraction of the people who turned up for the under 25s #Covid19 #vaccine drop-in at #Sheffield #Crucible . Queuing from 3 am. Who said younger people wouldn't have the vaccine? #InItTogether

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

I think we need to change the narrative. There's a lot of talk today about the need for compulsory mask wearing. That has a modest impact on transmission. What has a major impact on infection and transmission is #vaccination ...

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

4 years

I haven't the heart to stick a knife in it!!

BBC Nottingham

@BBCNottingham

4 years

@JonathanKBall has been on air every morning at 07:50 answering your questions about Coronavirus. Today it's exactly 1 year since he started doing that, so the Breakfast show team arranged a little surprise for him. Take a look 👇 What a legend, right? 🦸‍♂️

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

1 year

Sad to leave @UniofNottingham but delighted to be joining @LSTMnews . It's a fantastic place doing fantastic research and teaching.

LSTM

@LSTMnews

1 year

Exciting news! Prof. Jonathan Ball joins LSTM as Deputy Director, bringing vast expertise in virology and science communication. He succeeds Prof. Steve Ward, who steps down after 19 years but continues research at LSTM. @JonathanKBall

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

Good news. Cases and hospital admissions continue to fall in #Covid19 #hotspot #Bolton and vaccine protection seems to be holding up:

Covid admissions fall at Bolton Hospital as infection rates drop

The borough no longer has the highest infection rates in the country.

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

Cancelling flights? Might make mainstream mediaappybut it woukd have little impact on introduction of a truly fitter virus (and I am yet convinced the new variant is fitter).

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

2 years

See hype around #monkeypox is gathering pace: 1. This outbreak is unusual both in scale and in potential common transmission route. 2. BUT This is very unlikely to be covid-like because:

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

4 years

I’m getting lambasted for suggesting that partially immune (single jab) people resist the temptation for close contact with people outside their household/bubble because of the risk it poses to virus control and future vaccine effectiveness. oh well...

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

5 years

I might get lambasted for this. But do you think the #US population might be better informed and putting more pressure on a dysfunctional approach to #nCoV2019 if they had the #BBC rather than, say, #FoxNews ? That’s why a PUBLIC broadcast outlet is important... #SaveTheBBC

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

Wow! What a send off. Thank you @BBCNottingham @sarahjulianotts @hhhharriet @DekeHardman @AlexNobleTweets @andywofficial and all the kind listeners. I'll miss ya! 🥰😢

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

4 years

Following the great success of our Pilot Asymptomatic Coronavirus Testing study with @NottinghamVets I am thrilled to share the news of a larger scheme of asymptomatic surveillance of our new and returning students!

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

Please DO NOT take ‘analyses’ such as the one beliw seriously - disingenuous doesn’t come close, but these types of silly flawed arguments are widely peddled on social media, and quite frankly cost lives.

Toby Young

@toadmeister

3 years

According to new ONS data, the triple-vaccinated are 4.5 times more likely to test positive for Omicron than the unvaccinated. The double-vaccinated, meanwhile, are 2.3 times more likely to have Omicron.

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

Sound familiar? It’s quite easy/lazy/disingenuous to blame #variants for #SARSCoV2 spread in places where other interventions were not strict enough and undoubtedly played a bigger part. #KentVariant #IndianVariant ...

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

5 years

Disappointed that I need to do this, but... Whilst this study is small it highlights that in the majority of cases #nCoV2019 will look like a common cold. No cough. But runny nose. This has not been communicated to people or indeed our PM or CMO.

Virological assessment of hospitalized cases of coronavirus disease 2019

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an acute respiratory tract infection that emerged in late 2019[1][1],[2][2]. Initial outbreaks in China involved 13.8% cases with severe-, and 6.1% with...

www.medrxiv.org

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

I even got a special charter trip to the #QMC 🙂

BBC Nottingham

@BBCNottingham

3 years

When you wave at people with pride from the bus named after you 👋🏼 It was a gift to thank @JonathanKBall for being a Covid question-answering legend during the pandemic. Hear what happened on his first trip on this @NCT_Buses number 36:

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

4 years

Can’t argue with any of that...

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

Please don't use this line of argument to underpin vaccine equity statements. Vaccine equity is important. Very important. But it should not be argued that fairer vaccine access will protect the world from future infections or variants.

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

5 years

Re. Cold-like symptoms. What I am saying is don't wait for the government to tell you it might be #nCoV2019 . Think that it might be and don't visit/expose vulnerable people and think social distancing. They will change their tune. I promise. So get ahead and #DoTheRightThing now.

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

4 years

Just a reminder of the immunogenicity of the #moderna #vaccine in older people. Neutralising (virus-disabling) antibody response in those aged >70 equivalent to that seen in recovered patients. Need to know how long immunity lasts, but promising...

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

5 years

Just so you get a feel of how well #nCoV2019 ( #SARSCoV2 ) is spreading, here’s the official figures lifted (and most of these are from countries with good surveillance; real numbers will be much higher in all territories) from #WHO situation report: Quite steep exponential growth.

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

5 years

Why #nCoV2019 is able to spread so efficiently (each blue dot is a silent transmission associated with someone with very mild symptoms, and the red dots sever cases that are easy to spot)

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

Doesn't get any better than this 👍🙂

Nottingham City Transport

@NCT_Buses

3 years

Your support, advice and answers about COVID on @BBCNottingham for the last two years have been invaluable to the people of Nottingham - and NCT too - @JonathanKBall We’re proud to have your name on one of our buses, recognising your contribution in very tough times.

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

@katesilverton Valid Q. The mRNA vaccines contain a snippet of genetic material of the type found in abundance in every cell, and it is short-lived. The spike it encodes remains in the cell for a short time, just long enough to trigger specific immunity. There’s no obvs mid/long term effect.

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

You will see stories that #vaccine is 40-fold less effective against #omicron . Please don’t take that at face value. We dont know what protective immunity looks like. What is clear is that multiple antigen exposure, eg through boosting still gives good measurable virus killing.

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

4 years

Not sure I agree with this sentiment. There are ways we can manage campuses safely. We cant be in lockdown forever... BBC News - Coronavirus: University return 'could spark Covid avalanche'

Coronavirus: University return 'could spark Covid avalanche'

Lecturers say cases may soar as students move in, but ministers insist institutions are prepared.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

Lots of talk about vaccine tweaking. If you go chasing variants too much you might end up focussing your vaccine to one particular sub lineage such that a different lineage variant has a big advantage. Sometimes beige is good.

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

Please people. Finish your #vaccine course. Get your booster. Talk of tweaking the vaccine and, even more sillily, pan-coronavirus vaccines is a long way off (and for the latter highly unlikely). Multiple jabs with the original vaccine will increase and broaden immunity. Fact.

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

4 years

Quick Q. When did R0 and effective R0 morph to R? Bet the epidemiologists aren’t happy...

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

That’s not to say we are out of the woods. But to peddle scare predictions of hospitalisations near-to, or in excess of second wave levels is simply ignoring the scientific evidence that vaccine effectiveness is very high, even against variants.

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

4 years

We have been carrying out a pilot asymptomatic #coronavirus testing/surveillance project with our returning vets and staff. 6th week of testing - zero positives so far and fantastic engagement. #SociallyResponsible #students and #staff I’d say...

Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

4 years

Not sure I agree with this sentiment. There are ways we can manage campuses safely. We cant be in lockdown forever... BBC News - Coronavirus: University return 'could spark Covid avalanche'

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

4 years

I promised @sarahjulianotts and @Radiobex that I would cut into the cake... It was a lovely, really rich, and very chocolatey, chocolate cake... But fondant Jonnie’s safe underglass!

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

It’s out the bag. It will be my last @BBCNottingham #CovidBuster Qs slot this Friday. I’ll be live in the studio from 8.00, so join me as I gatecrash @sarahjulianotts #breakfast show for the very last time. 🙁

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

4 years

And @BorisJohnson defence of him just now is not befitting of the position he holds. The virus spreads because of selfish acts - and arrogant chief advisors are not above the law or more important than others.

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

4 years

1/n Getting massively annoyed at #Newsnight to hear someone not realise that the more community testing you do the more mild infections you pick up which WILL NOT translate into hospital admissions

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

4 years

Person gets reinfected with #SARSCoV2 . The main point is second time round he didn't have symptoms. This is how your immunological memory works. #ClassicImmunity

Hong Kong reports 'first case' of virus reinfection

Experts say no conclusions on immunity can be drawn from one patient - and larger studies are needed.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

I try not to entangle #politics with #covid19 science, but I’m quite frankly baffled by conservative MPs coming out on #Newsnight in support of #Liar #Boris . Also gauling is lauding him for vaccine roll-out. If you think he had a hand in that success then I give up. Night all.

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

So high levels of population immunity, combined with a potentially weakened #omicron variant are keeping serious disease and death largely at bay. Also, cases levelling off or decreasing in many places. Immunity really does put pressure on the virus. Think I called that right 😉.

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

4 years

One final observation on the #Oxford #chadox1 #SARSCoV2 monkey challenge data. That viral loads in the noses of vaccinated and unvaccinated animals were identical is very significant. If the same happened in humans, vaccination would not stop spread. Reminiscent of SALK vaccine.

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

5 years

Going to visit a friend, having a family get-together or party with one or two friends is as bad as any other mass gathering. It is what #SARSCoV2 will be wanting you to do. I've already seen a couple such selfish things. It's not much to ask. Dont be a selfish ass. #StayHome

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

4 years

We are using pooled [saliva] testing to increase throughput in our #asymptomatic surveillance project (an approach that would benefit other settings, e.g. hospital surveillance). And here's how it is being used in low and middle income settings:

A pooled testing strategy for identifying SARS-CoV-2 at low prevalence

Nature - A mathematical algorithm for population-wide screening of SARS-CoV-2 infections using pooled parallel RT–PCR tests requires considerably fewer tests than individual testing...

www.nature.com

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

What I find intriguing is how many bacteriologist became expert virologists. Similar happened in epidemiology and public health medicine. Didn't matter you studied smoking, it's about breathing and stuff, so surely it makes you a viral infectious disease PHM expert?

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

4 years

Excited at the prospect of helping #LindyDurrant on this together with top virus guys @rich_urbanowic , @Theo_Tsoleridis , #ChrisColeman and @JanetDaly5 with crucial vaccine delivery expertise from @JamesEdDixon #DreamTeam

Uni of Nottingham Press Office

@UoNPressOffice

4 years

Scientists @CBSExp @UniofNottingham @TrentUni will work with @scancellpharma to help develop a safe and effective vaccine to prevent #COVID -19 - led by Prof Lindy Durrant and @JonathanKBall #WeAreUon #WeAreTogether #Unisupport #UnisForNottingham

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

It is possible to generate sterilising immunity but incredibly difficult to maintain. Therefore, we need to accept that infections will continue in future, variants may well emerge.

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

4 years

No it doesnt. Lots of confounding factors at play at the height of the winter major wave, but I guess that doesn’t make a headline...

ITV News

@itvnews

4 years

New #Covid -19 strain may be more lethal, Robert @Peston learns

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

2 years

Please beware of Conservative Central Office spinning the yarn that the #vaccine success was a consequence of #Boris , just to detract from the #partygate issue. It was not. Remember at the start of the pandemic he didn't even attend COBRA, instead choosing to make wedding plans.

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

4 years

Can’t name a single virologist or infection control specialist (or indeed epidemiologist who hasn’t tied her/himself to the desk to run models) who didn’t advocate early testing and aggressive infection control in the community. Remind me, how many of those were on SAGE.

Rupert Beale

@bealelab

4 years

Dame Angela McLean at the briefing today: “South Korea is really the place in the world that we can look to and say this worked.” “They are a fine example to us, and we should try to emulate what they’ve achieved.” This was OBVIOUS two months ago. Glad we have finally caught up.

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

Must confess feeling a tad smug. Will refrain from 'I told you so'. But #vaccines work. And infection gives immunity too, hence SIR.

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

4 years

Death caused by seatbelt. It does happen, but most agree the benefits of seat-belt wearing far outweigh the very low risk of injury or death from wearing them. The same is true for the #AZ #CovidVaccine . The benefit far outweighs the risk.

A case of strangulation by a vehicle seat belt - PubMed

A healthy 23-year-old man wearing a three-point seat belt suffered from a roll-over traffic accident. When the man was found, the fastened seat belt had loosened and the diagonal belt was tightened...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

Follow up on one Q on @sarahjulianotts @BBCNottingham . In addittion to #antibodies (which mature and get better through mutation) you also have #Tcells , which destroy infected cells. Failure of either unlikely; both unheard of. That’s why we think #covid #vaccines will hold up.

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

4 years

Hear we’ve gone up a #coronavirus alert?

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

2 years

What nonsense!

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

2 years

Columbo moment. The real burden of monkeypox is in Central and West Africa, but life and access to interventions is different there. But while ever we neglect diseases there, they will crop up here.

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

5 years

It shouldn't do. If you test more, you detect more mild or even asymptomatic cases, and that clearly brings the severe and fatal case rate down. No mystery. Maybe I'm missing something?

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

Vaccines are still performing well (nothing is ever 100%), so let's be reassured by that. Sage scientist predictions of third wave covid hospitalisations just don't stack up to me, maybe their models aren't adequately taking into account vulnerabilities and vaccine effectiveness?

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

Thanks @NCT_Buses for the lovely gesture and a trip to QMC in style! 442 is now my favourite number (that and 36) and orange my favourite colour!!

Nottingham City Transport

@NCT_Buses

3 years

We're proud to add @JonathanKBall to our list of local heroes with a bus named in their honour. You've been such an invaluable source of support and information throughout #COVID - thanks from NCT and for @BBCNottingham for working with us to make it happen.

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

4 years

1/2 It is well established risk to children is very small. What is less clear is the potential role children might have in community transmission.

BBC News (UK)

@BBCNews

4 years

Missing school is worse than coronavirus for children, says UK's chief medical adviser Prof Chris Whitty

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

1 year

Incredibly sad that two talented and lovely @UniofNottingham students unbelievably killed in #Nottingham yesterday. Can't even contemplate how devastated family and friends are. All made worse for me by gutter coverage and comments from @GBNEWS & @NigelFarageDay . #Sadness #Shame

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

5 years

Whoa- this cant be true? Is PHE really saying people self-isolating can use the test to see if they have #SARSCoV2 infection? It takes time for Ab to appear - even IgM - so a negative test Does NOT mean you aren‘t infected. Will explore more...

UK to make 15-minute home coronavirus testing kits available 'within days'

‘Once they have been tested this week and the bulk of tests arrive, they will be distributed into the community,’ says Public Health England director

www.independent.co.uk

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

4 months

I do wonder when this will stop being newsworthy. Must be a real downer for the other respiratory viruses that struggle to grab the headlines... We have a vaccine. If you are vulnerable, get it.

Summer wave of Covid in England: how worried should I be?

With evidence that infections are on the rise, we look at the so-called FLiRT variants, and assess the risks

www.theguardian.com

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

5 years

We'll there you go... But of course we still don't know how much transmission is down to asymptomatic infection or even mild disease, but it's looking increasingly like both are important, which makes infection control very difficult. #NotLikeSARS

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

Quick shout out to @hughes_eilir who has been campaigning tirlessly on the importance of #FreshAir in minimising #SARSCoV2 spread. Now added to the government #covid mantra: #HandsFaceSpaceFreshAir

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

4 years

Why is a #covidvaccine #certificate even being discussed when the majority of the population aren’t eligible for one? Why aren’t they eligible? Because they haven’t yet been offered a vaccine!

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

4 years

Final comment today on #NewVariant . Possible 70% increase in teansmissibility. This sounds a lot, but our previous wirk on #Ebola showed mutations increasing cell infectivity 300-500%, and it wasn’t obviously increasing transmission during the outbreak

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

4 years

Let me say, that whilst the phase 3 trial was, by any measure, a bit of a dog’s dinner, there is no doubt about its safety. Yes there are questions about dosing and effectiveness in different age groups, but it works, and way better than no vaccine!

ArmchairCritique

@PedroT70

4 years

@ESkirmuntt I wont be having the vaccine. I'm not in a "high risk" category and would rather not have a rushed vaccine injected into me due to unknown adverse health side effects in the "long term". No one can guarantee its 100% safe.

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

4 years

I'm no #mechanic but I think his leads might be damp?

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

4 years

So, now we test for #SarsCoV2 , the results are lost from central systems. Can’t help but think that many problems are caused by lots of people thinking that virology and/or diagnostics are mere child’s play and can be done by any Tom, Dick or Harry.

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

Leaders in those places still pursuing zero COVID policy don't half remind me of King Canute.

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

4 years

<£25 for a meal in a London restaurant? I’d say #JVT is good #VFM . And @DailyMailUK how is this muck-raking even slightly in the public interest?

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

Current vaccines won't prevent this. BUT they do prevent disease...

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

7 months

My dad would have been 93 today, but he fell quite a bit short of that. Here he is March 1961, around his 34th birthday at #WoolstantonPit , but which one is he? When I raise a glass for him, please join me. Cheers, Kenneth Arthur 🍻🍻

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

4 years

Massively disappointed we need to go into increased measures (lockdown) again. Deployment capability and also policy around how to use testing capacity to support infection control needs serious reassessment. We need to test contacts not ask for blanket isolation.

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

4 years

#WheyHey @FiRo99 @sarahnice1 - haircut day!

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

No worries on a very short delay for lockdown release, to ensure current cases aren't causing serious disease, but let's look at COVID disease as the measure, not cases. There will always be variants...

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

4 years

Hope he learns why some vaccines need a prime then a boost before he contemplates taking on such a role. Not saying there isn’t some immunity after the first jab, but trials weren’t set up to see how much so we’d be clueless on how protective this would be #EveryonesAVirologist

Daily Express

@Daily_Express

4 years

Tony Blair hints at return political life to lead coronavirus vaccination efforts

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

4 years

Report emerged on one of the pre-print servers about detecting #SARSCoV2 in sewage samples in #Barcelona in March 2019. Not all PCR tests positive on sample and those that were high Ct value, so most likely it was a lab contamination. No doubt in my mind...

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

4 years

Noticed a few with #antivaxxer tendencies might have jumped on my #ChAdox1 #SARSCoV2 candidate vaccine comms. For removal of all doubt, I think vaccines are great and save lives, and candidates are candidates until shown otherwise. Hope that clarifies things...?

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

4 years

Due to the new variant? Really? Had nothing to do with keeping London in Tier 2 then...

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

4 years

#ChimpAdenovirus are back in the news (alas, tinged with nationalistic undertones), so I thought it time for a big shout out for the Italian scientist, Alfredo Nicosia (personal friend and #Lazio supporter) who pioneered their use as #vaccine vectors.

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

My last comment (for now) on supervariants. The Beta variant is by far the most antibody resistant spike we’ve had in our lab. But that antibody resistance presumably costs fitness as we havent seen the virus take off.

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

The majority of people admitted to hospital, especially those seriously ill, haven't had a #COVID19 #vaccine . The importance of getting vaccinated, to reduce infection and transmission, but especially to reduce disease, can not be overstated. Otherwise...

Government plans October firebreak lockdown if Covid hospital admissions remain high

A senior Government scientist and Sage member has told i half-term could be extended to two weeks in late October if NHS is pushed to the brink of capacity

inews.co.uk

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

Just waiting at #Southwell #covid19 #vaccination centre. Getting ready for my #booster . I (will) laugh in the face of #Omicron .

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

4 years

1/n Today, I read a #COVID19 #Vaccine piece repeating that the Oxford team were 80% confident that there vaccine would work. This had previously struck me as an odd figure, and not hearing any justifciation for this level of confidence, I decided to sift the evidence.

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

4 years

imagine a viral variant seeded into a UK sub-population who frequently have asymptomatic infection or very mild cold-like symptoms - children or young adults, say. I’m guessing that virus will expand pretty rapidly And spill out into other groups. No growth advantage needed...

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

4 years

courtesy of @ArisKatzourakis , here’s the views of Nervtag. Not bursting with confidence on this virus being more transmissible. If you are worried that #SARSCoV2 has become more dangerous, then dont be. But take it seriously nonetheless #SocialDistancing :

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

5 years

We are all making ‘home-brew’ IgM (ongoing or very recent infection) or IgG (past infection) #nCoV2019 -specific antibody test to show true rate of infection but good to see commercial tests (eg this lateral flow assay) coming on line. Serology data is key!

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

2 years

As this piece from @Ben_Spencer highlights, it is surprising how much media furore there's been around this very unusual #monkeypox outbreak. This is serious and needs attention, but Covid it ain't. And the real focus has to be helping at the source. #NeglectedDiseases

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

I hear that #JVT has been using shark bite analogies. I will expand on that. Forget the number of sharks in the pool. Kit yourself out with a sharkproof cage - get yourself #vaccinated

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

5 years

I wonder if these guys ever have realised just how relevant this little gem of research would be in 2020 #SARSCoV2 :

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Jonathan Ball

@JonathanKBall

3 years

We need to ensure that the stubborn tail of vulnerable people not getting vaccinated are persuaded to get theirs - it's never too late.

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