Hey
@AirCanada
.
One of your staff at gate F51 is belittling people requesting early boarding because of mobility issues.
You might want to remind them that not all conditions are visible & that making snide comments about people's health is not a good look for your company.
On the ride home...
Me: What did you do at camp today?
Daughter: In the morning I made a robot & I coded it in the afternoon. What did you do today?
Me: I made a fillable PDF that almost works.
One of us underachieved today.
#humbled
#GirlsInSTEM
With the publication of an excellent review of the benefits of masking by
@trishgreenhalgh
& colleagues, some are recycling misinformation about the basic physics of masks.
Let me, a biophysicist, take this opportunity to explain the physics of masks.
A 🧵
1/8
Warnings about cardiovascular risk of COVID should be front & centre, but w/o research into how risks develop, the threat to health won't go away.
Join
@TheReSisters2
Tspace on Wednesday when
@MaryFernando_
& I talk research, COVID, & heart health.
Are there any governments in the world who are warning people about the heart issues and blood clotting caused by
#COVID
? CDC and others are not warning people in US, but wondering if any other countries are alerting people to cardiac and blood clotting risks? Thanks!
Those who made this attack on our government need to be identified and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Their actions are repugnant to democracy.
How did the first day of COVID-19 test kit distribution go in Hamilton?
They were all gone in <20 min.
All 100 kits.
For a city of 580,000.
First science, now math. How exactly did
@fordnation
graduate from high school?
If the headline was, "Healthcare worker fired for endangering patients", you likely wouldn't feel sympathy for the employee.
Which is why we shouldn't feel bad for those who are fired for making the choice to refuse vaccination.
Choices have consequences & so does incompetence.
Waiting in line to pay for a dress for kid
#2
:
Dude: That your dress?
Me: No
Dude: I ask because there is a lot of weird stuff going on
Me: I know. Like people don't know gender is fluid & sex is a biological continuum that considers genetics, anatomy, & physiology
Silence
Alright, let's address these myths about vaccines, sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), & athletes again..
❤️🩹Athletes are 3X more likely to have SCA than the general population
❤️🩹Basketball players have the highest risk
❤️🩹Black athletes have the highest risk
1/7
#Bronny
#CardiacArrest
Dr Gill did not have her speech cancelled.
She sued others to silence their criticism. And she lost.
Elon is actively supporting the suppression of free speech.
X is proud to help defend Dr. Kulvinder Kaur Gill against the government-supported efforts to cancel her speech.
@dockaurG
is a practicing physician in Canada, specializing in immunology and pediatrics. Because she spoke out publicly on Twitter (now X) in opposition to the
I am not a medical doctor.
I am a doctor who does research.
I speak up & speak out against scientific misinformation because these lies endanger the most vulnerable.
And I'll be dammed if someone is going to profit from that bullshit.
#DoctorsSpeakUp
The bottom line is that when people claim to be scientific experts on COVID & masks, while misunderstanding basic physics, you should question what else they get wrong.
Spoiler alert: it's a lot.
7/8
Maybe it's just me, but I'd be suspicious of any medical information posted by an unlicensed physician who apparently doesn't know the difference between a heart attack & myocarditis 🤷♂️
Dear students,
Welcome back!
You probably heard universities are exempt from some COVID19 guidelines. For some reason they think the science of COVID19 doesn’t apply on campus. But those of us who teach you science know this isn’t true. Our non-science colleagues agree, BTW.
@LongjohnMolls
@AirCanada
So, you can look at someone & tell me whether they have a mobility issue that will impact their ability to make it down the ramp or if they have chronic pain? You can tell if they have a vision issue which impacts mobility?🙄
Ironically, people who show water molecules passing through masks are often the same ones claiming masks deprive people of oxygen or cause a build-up of carbon dioxide.
These molecules are similar in size to water, which they show passes through.🤦
6/8
"Why are you opposed to lifting mask mandates? I thought you followed what Dr Moore says."
I never followed Dr Moore. Or Dr Fauci. Or Dr Tam.
I'm a scientist, not a fanboy. I follow the science.
Data show masks protect, especially the most vulnerable.
Neil Oliver: This is the work of eminent physicians.
Dr David Lloyd: "No it's not, it's crackpots that are saying these things....You've got a whole pile of looney doctors out there spouting this stuff."
Spot on.
Antivaxxer refuses to read a study she incorrectly used to support her argument, & instead tells me I don't understand the immune system & apoptosis.
She did this while I was in my lab running immunoblots for inflammatory cytokines & apoptosis. Because
#DunningKruger
.
But I saw a guy blowing through a mask & creating "fog" on glasses!
What you see being deposited on the glasses is water.
Water is a molecule that is about 3 angstroms in diameter. That is ~10,000X smaller than SARS-CoV2 aerosols (M Alsved et al Infect Dis, 2023).
5/8
Antivaxxers: Athletes didn't have heart attacks before COVID vaccines!!
Me: Then why were there guidelines in 2018 to deal with this problem?
Also, they aren't heart attacks. It's called sudden cardiac arrest & it is very different.
Antivaxxers: 🦗🦗
The idea that viruses are too small for masks to filter assumes there is only one layer in a mask.
In fact, they are woven with several layers to create a mesh network with much smaller openings.
Below is an image showing the weaving of different mask types.
2/8
Besides physically blocking viruses & particles, masks work by electrostatic interaction.
Basically, the fibres in the mask act like a magnet to attract viruses & particles.
Up to 80% of filtration is through this mechanism (Xu, J. et al. One Earth, 2020).
3/8
This is where we are, ~1.5 years into a global pandemic.
A frozen steak company is the voice of reason.
I'm pretty sure this is the event predicted to occur immediately before the end of days in all the world's major religious texts.
ok it's time to talk about societal distrust in experts and institutions, the rise of misinformation, cultural polarization, and how to work toward some semblance of mutually agreed upon information before we splinter into irreconcilable realities
(beefy thread incoming)
Andrew Wakefield took hundreds of thousands of pounds in payment to discredit the MMR vaccine, then paid parents of autistic children for their blood, falsified his results, and set up a company to test for what he claimed caused autism, standing to make tens of millions per year
@jonathanstea
First you tell us we shouldn't drink urine & now borax.
You're just a wealth of information.🙄
What is sad is that these posts are actually relevant.🤦
The "charges" are introduced into masks by hitting them with electrons or heating the material to create a “polarized” state.
This creates an electric field that traps particles & viruses.
4/8
Gather around kids!
It’s time to dispel the myths about sudden cardiac death that are popping up again, thanks to the
#DiedSuddenly
crowd.
The most recent claims centre around Welsh footballer Tom Lockyer who suffered cardiac arrest in a match.
A🧵
Cue the
#DiedSuddenly
mob:
29 year old baseball player suffers cardiac arrest & spends 3 weeks in a coma!
Was she vaccinated?🤔
Probably not, since it was 7 years ago.
Or as they call it: the time when athletes didn't suffer sudden cardiac arrest.🙄
Allow me to translate anti-vaxxer for those unfamiliar with their language:
"My kid didn't get sick, so who cares about the 700,000 other children who died from vaccine preventable disease?"🤷♂️
Source:
🤣😂🤣😂🤣
Also, if you don't already follow
@RexChapman
, what is wrong with you? I'm a U Tennessee alum & even I think he's awesome (although I skip past the UK propaganda).
My independent pharmacist does a great job filling prescriptions & answering questions, without bilking the system like Shoppers Drug Mart.
Support your local pharmacy & not the Weston-run corporate welfare juggernaut. Better service & no scams.
1/ Thank you
@CBC
for this story and interviewing me on large pharmacy chains forcing pharmacists to fill quotas of unnecessary med checks
“The Ontario Ministry of Health said it paid out $60 million for MedsChecks in the 2022-2023 fiscal year”
But that’s not even the worst…
Kid
#2
did a poster for her chemistry class. The teacher said, "The more glitter, the better."
In 25+ years of presenting posters at conferences around the world I have never once used glitter on a poster.
I will correct that oversight at the next conference.
#SparklyScience
The Anti-Vax handbook, Chapter 1.
1. Project unsubstantiated confidence while misunderstanding the most basic concepts in immunology
2. When corrected, ignore the material & make it personal.
Ozzy Osbourne is leaving 🇺🇲 because it's too crazy.
That's right: America has exceeded Ozzy's threshold for crazy.
I'll give you a minute to let that sink in.
Someone just asked me if I was "ashamed" for supporting
#COVID19Vaccines
.
Dude, I'm wearing a Chicago Bears shirt in public today.
I have no shame. Try a different tactic.
Why do we work so hard to counter misinformation about COVID vaccines?
Because the damage caused by misinformation is real & long-lasting.
25 years after Wakefield's fraudulent study, MMR vaccine rates are lagging & case of measles rising.
22% of science communicators have been threatened.
I am one.
15% have received death threats.
I am one.
20% have had to contact police over threats.
I am one.
I am one of many.
Among my colleagues who tackle misinformation, the vast majority if not all can say the same.
My take on the challenge of fighting bunk:
We MUST support those countering misinformation.
This is really about drawing in more – and, importantly, a diverse range – of expert voices and making them feel comfortable, appreciated and supported.
Just a friendly reminder to
@Sflecce
&
@celliottability
: many Ontarians think
@jkwan_md
& other healthcare professionals have advice worth listening to.
We also vote.
I think you can connect those 2 points.
Just in case anyone had any doubt about the intellect & critical.thinking skills of new
@DrSergePhD
, I present his most recent claim: vaccines cause autism in cats.
Slight problem: fake study by someone who doesn't exist.
So, par for the course for an antivaxxer.
If you are downplaying the Ottawa protests by saying people are cherry picking photos to show the 'bad apples': people brought Nazi flags, parked at a soldier's tomb, & desecrated a statue of Terry Fox.
It isn't a 'few bad apples'. It's the whole bushel that is rotten.
The data are clear: cardiovascular benefits of COVID-19 vaccination far outweigh the rare risks.
In this
@Salon
article I comment on the latest Vaccine study that finds the real threat is being unvaccinated.
#SciComm
#CovidVaccines
#CardioTwitter
Remember when people said COVID didn't harm kids?
Odds of respiratory distress is 3X⬆️ in neonates born to unvaccinated individuals versus those born to individuals vaccinated prior to maternal infection.
So, it turns out they were wrong.
Very wrong.
@JimmyBastille
"Sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in competitive athletes"
I've lectured on this topic for over a decade.
But now that a random dude on the internet has his opinion, I guess I'll have to re-up my lectures.🙄
A report some are claiming shows a link between
#COVID19vaccines
& an unusual form of
#myocarditis
is circulating.
To say the connection is a stretch is an understatement.
What does the report show & what does it not show?
A 🧵
Got my 2nd
#CovidVaccine
today.💉
Came home to find our satellite dish was picking up more TV channels.📡
Vaccine magic!🎩
Turns out, my family upgraded our TV package when I was out just to mess with me.
They may not be magical, but
#VaccinesWork
.
#GetVaccinated
Maybe it's just me, but I'd be suspicious of any medical information posted by an unlicensed physician who apparently doesn't know the difference between a heart attack & myocarditis 🤷♂️
Oh look, the anti-vaxxers are lying again.🙄
What's wrong with these claims that there is a 1700% increase in sudden cardiac death athletes that they claim are linked to the COVID vaccine?
A lot.🤦🏻
🧵👇
Proteins are only a few angstroms in size. The holes in a standard polyacrylamide gel are much larger than the size of the proteins.
But we can capture these very small proteins for analysis because we know how science works, unlike Steve.
H/T
@SeattleiteLeo
5,000 dead in DRC.
State of emergency in Samoa over measles outbreak.
Not one mention by
@RobertKennedyJr
@ChildrensHD
or
@delbigtree
on their Twitter accounts.
I guess the deaths of foreign kids doesn't warrant sympathy when it counters your narrative & threatens your income.
Many claims by anti-vaxxers are based on a fundamental lack of knowledge.
Like not knowing that young people (specifically young males) were the group with the highest rates of myocarditis, years before COVID vaccines.
I am happy to announce that my marriage has passed the most strenuous test known to humankind:
The proofs for our 1st co-authored peer-reviewed paper have been approved.
If we can survive academic publishing. we can survive anything.
#AcademicTwitter
#WorkLifeBalance
@MorganDaniel99
I've been in research for 25 yrs. I've seen students (including me) in suits, casual clothes, shorts, & a wide variety of clothing. I couldn't tell you how a student is "supposed" to dress.
Unless there is a safety risk it's no one's business how you dress. They should stuff it.
Dr Malone has been an MD for over 30 years & he is just now raising concerns about vaccines?
It couldn't possibly be related to the fact that he didn't get the credit for mRNA vaccines he thinks he deserves, could it?
🔥 Dr. Robert Malone Raises Doubt in the Entire Childhood Vaccine Schedule
“We really don’t have properly controlled experiments or clinical studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of these products,” stated
@RWMaloneMD
.
“And we have virtually no studies about the vaccine
The next time someone screams about COVID-19 vaccines & SCA, ask them for the evidence.
Not anecdotes.
Not news stories.
Evidence. Data. Studies.
If it was true, they could show the studies like I do here.
7/7
❤️🩹What is interesting about those who regularly jump all over every SCA in an athlete is:
They never cared about SCA before it fit their agenda
They never cared about Black athletes before it fit their agenda
They don't know the difference between SCA & heart attacks
5/7
What did mask mandates accomplish in Ontario?😷
✅ 304,826 fewer cases of COVID19
✅ prevented 9,546 hospitalizations
✅ 1,879 fewer ICU admissions
✅ saved $610 million
In short: they worked.
No matter how you measure it.
I'm concerned about my American friends as I just found that all of you have died.
Twice, according to these numbers.
Some more than that, apparently.
My condolences to...well...everybody, I guess.
I need some clarification.
Between Google University & YouTube, which one is undergrad & which one is grad school for basic sciences?
Do both offer medical degrees?
I'm just trying to understand the credentials of all the new Twitter science experts, so I know who to trust.
"...the risk of myocarditis after any dose of COVID-19 vaccine, in any population, is substantially lower than the risk of myocarditis after SARS-CoV-2 infection."
Dear
#JosephEpstein
,
@DrBiden
has, in fact, delivered a baby. Her name is Ashley.
I assume you will follow your idiotic argument & now use the title she earned.
And maybe cut out the misogyny.
Sincerely,
Dr Pyle
@Christilynn_513
@janem1276
@sassistheword
All hormones come from adrenal glands?
What?
So, thyroid hormones come from adrenal glands?
Gastrin, secretin, & cholecystokinin come from adrenal glands?
And people do survive adrenalectomies.🤦🏻
It seems that the anti-vaxxers are back on the "vaccines are bad for your heart" bandwagon again.
One of their claims is that athletes & children never died suddenly from cardiac issues before COVID19.
Their ignorance doesn't make this a fact.
A 🧵
@PPathole
@cleantechnica
A good PCR test should identify if I have the cov2 spike proteins, although I have heard some low accuracy numbers for those too. Hard to get a straight answer.
False positives will roughly scale with # of tests & daily test rate has gone ballistic:
They also ignore the overwhelming data that show COVID-19 vaccines decrease the risk of cardiac arrhythmias, which are the most common cause of SCA.
6/7
I find it ironic that some people who are screaming the loudest about being censored are the same ones having their lawyers issue 'cease & desist' letters to those who publicly criticize their disinformation.
I say 'ironic' because I'm trying to cut down on swearing.