Tweets on the new Covid variant

Every few months, we hear about anew variant

Most turn out to not be much

Well, unfortunately, there's a new variant B.1.1.529 that is concerning

What do we know so far? A few things but not a lot

Reminder: when it comes to variants, we focus on three things

Short thread
— Ashish K. Jha, MD, MPH (@ashishkjha) November 26, 2021

I've been reading virologists' threads about the new Covid variant. A thread of thoughts, one over all:

The pandemic is far from over. We must accept that and act accordingly. Vaccinate, wear masks, social distance. We must keep doing these things until the incidence is down.
— Cheryl Rofer (@CherylRofer) November 26, 2021

South Africa's health minister has announced the discovery of a new coronavirus variant that appears to be spreading rapidly in parts of the country. https://t.co/amgKNkBjlp
— CNN (@CNN) November 26, 2021

Given everything we know at this stage, I'd be very surprised if the current mRNA vaccines did not continue to offer strong protection against severe disease and death from B.1.1.529.
I'm more concerned about it sweeping through areas that have not been able to acquire vaccines.
— Carl T. Bergstrom (@CT_Bergstrom) November 26, 2021

We have launched a tracker for confirmed and probable cases of B.1.1.529, the new coronavirus variant. It will be updated several times a day https://t.co/riXJmwdnoq pic.twitter.com/L4YhkphiMZ
— BNO Newsroom (@BNODesk) November 26, 2021

Covid home tests

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A post shared by The Washington Post (@washingtonpost)

The cost and irregular availability of Covid rapid tests in the U.S. mean that people often must make choices about when to use them, @DLeonhardt writes.

Today’s Morning newsletter offers a guide for doing so over Thanksgiving weekend. https://t.co/lelXURRNk9
— The New York Times (@nytimes) November 24, 2021

See that test on left?

That’s what you’ve been buying, from Abbott, for about $25/pack

After early approval from FDA & thus few competitors, it has 75% of market.

See that test on right?

It’s *the same test* by Abbott

Just packaged for Europe—where it sells for $4 pic.twitter.com/Nmsu3F45J1
— Eric Umansky (@ericuman) November 25, 2021

After weeks of shortages, drugstore chains say they have ample Covid-19 home tests, but health experts warn a winter surge could overwhelm supplies. https://t.co/4do4Vh9Asm
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) November 21, 2021

Ridiculous Republican take on Covid

They won’t get vaccinated.

They won’t wear masks.

They oppose mandates.

Yet, it’s Biden’s fault the pandemic hasn’t been ended.

Statistics clearly show that the pandemic is worse in states that voted for Trump

After months of resisting masks and vaccines, Republican leaders blame the rise in covid cases on Biden. ⁦@jonathanweisman⁩ https://t.co/pSaf5WvxwV
— Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) November 25, 2021

COVID death rates, 12 months ending Oct 31 vs proportion of state vote for Trump. Red line is the trend-line.

(this is a full year of data, so there are NO seasonal effects) pic.twitter.com/JL3q0FyH3B
— Daniel (@Truth_in_Number) November 21, 2021

Tennessee’s bad decision on COVID-19 restrictions

Tennessee's governor on Monday stood by his decision to sign sprawling limits on COVID-19 restrictions into law, even though his own office warned the bill would violate federal disability law and put the state at risk of losing federal funds. https://t.co/NsYELVNlwU
— Yahoo News (@YahooNews) November 22, 2021

Trump politicized Covid response

Trump’s behavior caused thousands of deaths.

How politics infected Trump’s coronavirus response, in one key case https://t.co/YCDTOtzFGQ
— Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) November 15, 2021

Ivanka Trump, Famed Public Health Expert, Screened CDC Guidance to Make Sure It Was Nice to Her Dad | Vanity Fair – 12/18/20 https://t.co/iSYswFw04n
— Jennifer Cohn ✍🏻 📢 (@jennycohn1) November 14, 2021

We will never fully know how many people died as a result of these actions. https://t.co/CajwicLoBC
— Dan Rather (@DanRather) November 14, 2021

There was only one story worth coverage in our politics as the week began. The story was that, for four years, the United States of America, the world’s oldest democracy, was governed by monsters. https://t.co/6fh4K2KtM4
— Charles P. Pierce (@CharlesPPierce) November 15, 2021

Public support for mandates

Do you support or oppose requiring that face masks be worn by students, teachers, and staff in schools in your state?

Support 61%
Oppose 34%

(Monmouth U. Poll, 11/4-8/21)https://t.co/IiCgGgKEMr
— PollingReport.com (@pollreport) November 11, 2021

New @axios-Ipsos poll: Clear majority of Americans support vaccine-or-testing mandates for businesses pic.twitter.com/YKXhNYG8G8
— The Recount (@therecount) September 14, 2021

57% of Americans support requiring proof of vaccination to fly on an airplane vs. 40% who oppose it via new Monmouth poll out today.
— Ryan Struyk (@ryanstruyk) November 11, 2021

Right-wing Covid misinformation

The only conspiracy theory for which more Republicans knew the claim to be false than said it was true or were unsure: the idea that the vaccines include microchips.

False: 40%
True: 7%
Have heard, but unsure: 21%
— Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) November 8, 2021

The info landscape about Covid-19 is bewildering, with factual and fictional claims competing for attention. And most American adults have heard at least a couple of the fictions, according to new data from @KFF https://t.co/uvuhUAr27r
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) November 9, 2021

NEW: Surgeon General Vivek Murthy releases a step-by-step toolkit to help people combat misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccines in their own close circles. https://t.co/nUk916cNb2
— ABC News (@ABC) November 9, 2021

COVID-19 Misinformation is Ubiquitous: 78% of the Public Believes or is Unsure About At Least One False Statement, and Nearly a Third Believe At Least Four of Eight False Statements Tested https://t.co/kD9tWI8GKZ
— Donie O'Sullivan (@donie) November 9, 2021

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla calls out people who spread vaccine misinformation:

“Those people are criminals … they literally costed millions of lives.” pic.twitter.com/4i4QJ847Le
— The Recount (@therecount) November 9, 2021

With the approval of the Pfizer Covid vaccine for children, @Kavitapmd debunks widespread myths about the vaccine. https://t.co/pEzEGZRJ0H
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) November 8, 2021

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, in an interview with the Atlantic Council, said a “very small” group has been responsible for spreading coronavirus vaccine disinformation to the millions who remain hesitant about vaccination https://t.co/Qc1GfO5tEa
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) November 9, 2021

The researchers found that "between a fifth and a quarter of the public believe or are unsure whether the vaccines can give you COVID-19 (25%), contain a microchip (24%), or can change your DNA (21%)."https://t.co/tyVaNIus54
— CNN (@CNN) November 9, 2021

Bad headlines and tweets emphasize the small percentage who don’t obey mandates

Mandates are working – that’s what they should say

The article says they have 125,000 employees. https://t.co/Ko5Seei8hL
— Harris Levy (@HarrisL585) October 27, 2021

Imagine our leading news organizations throwing this much attention at a 4% holdout faction on any other issue of consequence. https://t.co/pFjU3Ym6wh
— Greg Greene (@ggreeneva) October 24, 2021

It's off a base of 63,300 employees! So less than 3% of people quit…IN AN ENTIRE STATE.

The headline "Overwhelming majority of employees comply" was right there! https://t.co/GTglFiC1YG
— Ben Wakana (@benwakana46) October 20, 2021

This is a story about how 98.5% of students in San Diego attended school today. https://t.co/NZYm6rym4d
— Andy Kopp (@andykoppsd) October 19, 2021

Headlines say "500 let go" or "200 terminated" — but these numbers are in huge health care systems — usually less than 1% of health care workers are refusing to get vax'ed. pic.twitter.com/FfeircnJJo
— Ronald Klain (@WHCOS) October 7, 2021

Time and again, the final number of actual resignations is around 1%. https://t.co/HOqAPvaxX3
— Heidi Przybyla (@HeidiNBC) October 6, 2021

400 Henry Ford Hospital staff members quit over COVID-19 vaccine mandate https://t.co/gpOS5oxnfn
— WXYZ Detroit (@wxyzdetroit) October 6, 2021

This is under 2% of the 76,000 person workforce…https://t.co/7nLxHA8tCT
— Ronald Klain (@WHCOS) October 4, 2021

Several hundred Virginia health-care workers have been suspended or fired over coronavirus vaccine mandates https://t.co/V0BnvqHYtx
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) October 3, 2021

North Carolina hospital network fires around 175 staffers for not getting vaccinated. https://t.co/azAHb52UR1
— NBC News (@NBCNews) October 3, 2021

The NYT does it again: "House Delays Vote on Infrastructure Bill as Democrats Feud." On the homepage they call it a "Big Setback for the Biden Agenda." Really? Really? A day? A couple of days? The media is getting this story 100% wrong. https://t.co/JWAXpmLYXl
— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) October 1, 2021

Racist Republicans blame immigrants for spreading Covid

How Republicans successfully spread a racist Covid lie

by Cynthia Miller-Idriss

A new poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation reveals that over half of Republicans (55 percent) believe immigrants and tourists are responsible for current pandemic conditions in the U.S.
— Estel Cooper (@EstelCooper) October 2, 2021

My latest for ⁦@MSNBC⁩: “Blaming immigrants for the spread of Covid-19 is a lazy but effective tactic that packs a double punch of disinformation.” https://t.co/Ql3qE1EBSx
— Dr. Cynthia Miller-Idriss (@milleridriss) October 2, 2021

Tweets about Covid tests

PCR tests tell you if there is *any* virus in the nasal passage.
Rapid tests tell you if there is *enough* virus in the nasal passage to be infectious.

PCR tests give you yesterday's news.
Rapid tests give you real-time data.

Rapid tests are precision public health.
— Zoë McLaren, PhD (@ZoeMcLaren) September 26, 2021

An at-home antigen test can provide additional data—if not total peace of mind—if you suspect you have COVID-19. https://t.co/s7QfpPLbYZ
— Wirecutter (@wirecutter) September 23, 2021

Biden bets on rapid COVID tests, but they can be hard to find

False positive COVID-19 tests aren't common, but they can happen. A breakdown: https://t.co/sADyVf72o8 @AmeshAA
— Korin Miller (@KorinMiller) September 28, 2021

Although rapid tests have their limitations, they are an important public health tool, experts said, particularly if you know how to use them. https://t.co/AQx0sqRz3G
— The New York Times (@nytimes) September 30, 2021