World's Best Healthcare (If You Can Afford It)

#COVID19 is an infectious disease caused by a new #coronavirus introduced to humans for the first time. It spreads from person to person mainly through the droplets produced when an infected person speaks, coughs or sneezes. pic.twitter.com/1erCABYbIQ

— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) February 29, 2020

A massively important thread. Upshot: genome sequencing links recent WA case to one on the state 6 weeks ago, strongly suggesting local transmission has been occurring in WA that whole time. A phenomenal failure of surveillance strategy. More to say on this tomorrow. https://t.co/fWqtMNjT7L

— Jeremy Konyndyk (@JeremyKonyndyk) March 1, 2020

Excellent article with more reasons & deeper explanations why you shouldn't generally buy/wear masks for #COVID2019, featuring @eliowa. https://t.co/jCy3ExUtBp

— Dr. Tara C. Smith (@aetiology) March 1, 2020

To her immense credit, Jennifer has been pointing this out for WEEKS. The lack of domestic cases reflected lack of testing, not lack of transmission. Which should surprise no one. https://t.co/OmSZD3hfLl

— Jeremy Konyndyk (@JeremyKonyndyk) March 1, 2020

the media's going to cover this like it's 9/11 instead of like it's Katrina https://t.co/TKeIJYEfYc

— local jack please ban the nazis person (@pleizar) February 29, 2020

Great piece by @sherifink and @AndrewJacobsNYT. Sound, fact-based reporting from these veteran health reporters. https://t.co/sU7Fp79qfk

— Gregg Gonsalves (@gregggonsalves) February 29, 2020

“It’s complete chaos,” a senior administration official said. “Everyone is just trying to get a handle on what the [expletive] is going on.”

Inside Trump’s frantic attempts to minimize the coronavirus crisis, by @yabutaleb7 @AshleyRParker @jdawsey1https://t.co/dlJ6l78wjp

— emma brown (@emmersbrown) March 1, 2020

A broad guess is that 25-70% of people in any infected country may catch the new coronavirus—governments must prepare for this https://t.co/AkkejiTFEp

— The Economist (@TheEconomist) March 1, 2020

The US has 67 #COVID19 cases.
Mexico has 2 (maybe 3).
The US wants to close the border to protect America.
Backwards, no?

Estados Unidos tiene 67 casos COVID19.
México tiene 2 (quizás 3).
E.U. quiere cerrar la frontera para proteger a E.U.
Al revés, no?https://t.co/evjsWOHE1u

— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) March 1, 2020

If dramatic action is needed here to slow the spread of coronavirus, compliance will require trust from the citizens that the government’s actions are needed and appropriate. And trust of the federal government is at or near its all-time low. https://t.co/sojdk1DvKt pic.twitter.com/XWYJ0ZRHlc

— Orin Kerr (@OrinKerr) February 28, 2020

It mattered when Trump lied about his inaugural crowd size.
It mattered when Trump said wind turbines cause cancer.
It mattered when he claimed a half-dozen steel mills had reopened when they hadn’t.
It mattered because of moments like the present. https://t.co/LVQaiLDPwP

— Catherine Rampell (@crampell) February 28, 2020

Great idea, #COVID19US will surely go away if it gets a tax cut. https://t.co/xcHh7NMmQe

— Jeff Fecke (@jkfecke) February 28, 2020

.John Garamendi (D-Calif.) on Friday said the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases was told to “stand down” and not appear on five Sunday morning talk shows to discuss the #coronavirus. https://t.co/wDV8LJZo5H

— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) February 29, 2020

This thread has brought me great joy. https://t.co/33ZKYmi49q

— Maryn McKenna (@marynmck) February 28, 2020

(Not really; we Massholes only sing about touching because it’s something we do so rarely. Also, we have a blue-state government that’s been prepping for the pandemic for the last six weeks.)

But seriously: Stop trying to hoard N95 respirator masks…

Sec. Azar estimates that the U.S. needs about 300M face masks to slow the spread of the coronavirus, and said officials only have about a 10th of that amount. https://t.co/9vfPGmJDwc

— NBC News (@NBCNews) February 29, 2020

… “There’s no role for these masks in the community,” he said, speaking of the respirator masks (which are more sophisticated than regular surgical masks) that some people have chosen to wear in public settings. Though respirators could help in settings where close contact with infected individuals is inevitable, washing one’s hands is much more likely to fend off the disease, which has sickened 83,105 people around the world and killed 2,858…

As the virus has spread, creeping steadily toward pandemic levels, the face mask has become a symbol of prophylaxis against an invisible, fast-moving foe.

That’s precisely the problem. Ordinary citizens have been scrambling to purchase N95 respirators, which are more effective than ordinary surgical masks in preventing inhalation of harmful particles. Those respirators have spiked in price, leading Amazon to investigate improper inflationary practices by sellers.

More importantly, the run on respirators has created a shortage that has left public health officials scrambling, concerned that their first-line responders — who are far more likely to benefit from a respirator than an ordinary citizen — will lack for a basic defense against the coronavirus…

This highlights something I expect will get worse before it gets better: stigma, and how sometimes a horse is a horse.

Folks have nervous ticks; live TV can be scary, studio lights are hot. Folks cough from asthma or allergies. And yet? Everyone jumps to OMG HE HAS #COVID19! https://t.co/4v3Eub5XLv

— Kelly Hills (@rocza) February 29, 2020

2009: the last time we didn’t have to work hard to convince people to get flu vaccinated. https://t.co/cDwwlXw8KM

— Marc Scheetz (@IDPharmacometrx) February 29, 2020

I’m excited to launch today a weekly podcast on the #coronavirus epidemic and response – with Dr @celinegounder. Please subscribe for reliable, timely information. https://t.co/RCWciPxyNm

— Ronald Klain (@RonaldKlain) February 28, 2020

Thread for the persistent:

This thread looks at the findings of the @WHO #COVID19 joint mission to China:
– Median age 51y (2d-100y, IQR 39-63y), majority 30-69y
– 51.1% male
– Bats appear to be reservoir, intermediate host unknown
– Xmission droplet & fomite, airborne and faecal-oral not major drivers pic.twitter.com/00PGgw3UuL

— Amy Coopes (@coopesdetat) February 29, 2020