Bill Hanage
Assoc Prof at Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health and Gooner. Currently cosplaying Dr Rieux in some weird re-enactment of La Peste. Tweets are personal
Thought Leader
| #19 | Infectious Disease |
Last synced from Twitter 81d ago
Confused About Where to Get Public Health Guidance on the Coronavirus? You’re Not Alone.
The public looks to institutions like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S Food and Drug Administration to guide us, but when they flip on a dime to change their advice one way and then back again, they lose credibility.
Why You Shouldn’t Worry About Studies Showing Waning Coronavirus Antibodies
Experts say it’s normal for levels of antibodies to drop after clearing an infection, and that they represent just one arm of the immune response against a virus.
Doctors Are Dreading the Winter
Anticipation, frustration and sadness fill hospitals as Covid-19 case counts rise again.
Bill Hanage
While some people are somehow still arguing about how serious the pandemic 'really' is, those on the frontline are in no doubt.
82d
Virus rebel Professor Edward Holmes named NSW Scientist of the Year
The man who first published the genome sequence of the coronavirus for the world to see has been named NSW Scientist of the Year.
Coronavirus in U.S. is spreading like 'wildfire,' epidemiologist says
"The U.S. is now seeing a pretty widespread transmission across the board,” said William Hanage, an associate professor of epidemiology.
Bill Hanage
It’s not a wave. It’s wildfire. yes the virus loves chaos and confusion (and poorly ventilated indoor spaces) which is one of the reasons I am anxious about the coming months. whatever happens we are getting a lame duck Congress that will need to be bold
82d
Boris Johnson is learning that in politics you cannot simply 'follow the science'
The prime minister is trying to pretend that nakedly political decisions are driven by data. But almost no one buys it, says academic David Runciman
1
Bill Hanage
This is a really interesting article from David Runciman of @TPpodcast_ fame on the difficulties with politicians who claim to be guided by “the science”. It’s well worth your time. I think there are some points where I disagree 1/n
85d
Public health experts warn against herd immunity strategy to manage COVID-19
As herd immunity gains new ground as a possible public health strategy, a growing chorus of public health experts is speaking out against it as an extremely dangerous idea.
Schoolchildren Seem Unlikely to Fuel Coronavirus Surges, Scientists Say
Researchers once feared that school reopenings might spread the virus through communities. But so far there is little evidence that it’s happening.
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Bill Hanage
A smart article on risks of transmission in schools. The most interesting point (IMO) even among older age groups who are MUCH more likely to transmit, is that schools are at least places where this can be managed, unlike informal meetups outside school
86d
The UK's virus status may be better than we think
The negative headlines come thick-and-fast, but there are also signs the UK is on top of the virus.
Frequency-dependent selection can forecast evolution in Streptococcus pneumoniae
Predicting how pathogen populations will change over time is challenging. This study predicts population changes in human pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae after vaccination, using a model of negative frequency-dependent selection acting on...
Estimated Influenza Illnesses, Medical visits, Hospitalizations, and Deaths in the United States — 2017–2018 influenza season | CDC
Links to key resources on the burden of influenza - CDC
1
Bill Hanage
For 2017-2018, an estimated 2,803 people aged 18-49 died of seasonal flu in the US. Note this was out of a total of more than 60,000 making this a pretty bad year cdc.gov/flu/about/burd… 4/n
87d
The false promise of herd immunity for COVID-19
Why proposals to largely let the virus run its course — embraced by Donald Trump’s administration and others — could bring “untold death and suffering”.
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Bill Hanage
And now @nature explains why we should not seek herd immunity through uncontrolled transmission in the absence of a vaccine
87d
Understanding how ‘overdispersion’ works is key to controlling Covid | Kyra Grantz and Justin Lessler
A small number of people and events are responsible for most virus transmission – that is why tracing them is so vital, say Kyra Grantz and Justin Lessler of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
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Bill Hanage
Excellent article by @khgrantz and @JustinLessler on the importance of the highly clustered nature of transmission for understanding how to handle the pandemic. It’s been said before, but rarely (imo) as clearly or accessibly
89d
Herd Immunity? Or ‘Mass Murder’?
A proposal to let people with low risk of infection live without constraint could lead to a million or more preventable deaths.
Bill Hanage
“No matter their politics, people nearly always listen to those who say what they want to hear.”
Too bloody right
90d
Thread by @AlexBerenson on Thread Reader App
Thread by @AlexBerenson: 1/ Last week @mlipsitch - a Harvard epidemiologist - wrote a blistering @washingtonpost piece attacking any plan for herd immunity. Letting people at low risk for #Covid become infected “co...…
GB, Striving for COVID Safety, Takes Exception to the 'Great Barrington Declaration' | Great Barrington MA
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Bill Hanage
When you name your declaration after a town, it might be polite to check with the town's leadership first...
94d
University leaders should take a more humane approach to students during COVID-19 (opinion) | Inside Higher Ed
Julia Marcus, Stefan Baral and more than 100 other scholars call on college leaders to take a more humane approach to students during COVID-19.
Scientific consensus on the COVID-19 pandemic: we need to act now
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has infected more than
35 million people globally, with more than 1 million deaths recorded by WHO as of
Oct 12, 2020. As a second wave of COVID-19 affects Europe, and with winter...
Epidemiological changes on the Isle of Wight after the launch of the NHS Test and Trace programme: a preliminary analysis
Our results show that the epidemic on the Isle of Wight was controlled quickly and
effectively after the launch of Test and Trace. Our findings highlight the need for
further research to determine the causes of the reduction in the spread of the...