incredibly well written review of COVID19 along 6 false dichotomies. Must read for everyone with a real interest in Covid science . Spoiler: not black and wide but shades of grey and those need to be communicated. Really great work bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.11… Jason Kindrachuk, PhD

The #polio outbreak in NY has #antivaxxers celebrating, spreading lies, and generally happy. arstechnica.com/science/2022/0…

Moderna suing Pfizer and BioNTech: Lowe notes that Moderna is itself facing lawsuits, including from the NIH. "This has every sign of being long, slow, and complex, and it will keep a lot of IP attorneys occupied for years to come."

Big news in academic publishing!

For those in Canada wondering if we're missing out by getting the Moderna BA.1 bivalent instead of the BA.4/5 version, Beth Marie Mole (she/her) has a nice write-up on an early study showing they're about equally good (in mice) and both better than the original. arstechnica.com/science/2022/0…

Walmart, CVS face trial for putting sham homeopathic products next to real meds arstechnica.com/?post_type=pos… by Beth Marie Mole (she/her) ht Archie Debunker "...homeopathy is a debunked pseudoscience that dabbles with toxic substances intended to be diluted into oblivion." #GoScience!

Where are we with the hygiene hypothesis? I asked an immunologist about the idea that kids need to be exposed to germs in order to develop healthy immune systems. Should we be worried about all the infections kids *didn't* get during the pandemic? caitlinrivers.substack.com/p/where-are-we…

Core problem is this: there's no real evidence for lab origin, but due to China's obfuscation, it can't be definitively refuted either. So it become a sort of Rorschach test that hinges on your priors.

Good news on COVID-19 variants. The current sub-lineages BQ.1s & XBBs are not causing a deadly wave of infections in world. In South Africa, which many times see things early in Omicron evolution BQ1s & XBB low prevalence & no cause for great concern.

Insulin is WAY more expensive in the US than any other country. One of insulin’s discoverers famously said it “does not belong to me, it belongs to the world.” I imagine that concept might be a little hard for Elon to understand. (Also, he said ‘patented’-that was indeed 1923)

Good to see! Quack (naturopath & homeopath) who sold sham #COVID “immunization pellets” gets 3 yrs in prison arstechnica.com/?post_type=pos… Beth Marie Mole (she/her) "...profited from peddling unapproved remedies, stirring up false fears, & generating fake proof of vaccinations."

At the Indianapolis airport, on my way for the first of two work trips this week. Vaccinated, wearing my mask, and using plenty of hand sanitizer while traveling. Covid aside, I don’t want to get flu or RSV (or any other viruses circulating) before Christmas! 😷 💉 🎅🏾

COVID cases are rising across America as folks gather for the holidays. That's why, starting today, every household can order 4 free COVID tests to be shipped straight to your door. Head to COVIDTests.gov to get yours.

Good hand hygiene has always been a smart idea. Instead of ridiculing people who are doing something, anything, to try to keep themselves and others safe, let’s devote our scorn to those leaders who have only exacerbated an epidemic that has killed >1.1 million Americans.

My latest: Moderna made >$37 billion from the lovely Covid vaccines that taxpayers helped fund & now they're raising prices. But this is sort of the government's fault. End the drug-pricing showdowns Bernie Sanders etc. Put conditions on research funding. washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/…

“It literally can pulverize bones … it can provide this blast effect.” The AR-15 is the weapon of choice for many mass killers. The Post sought to illustrate the lethal force of the weapon and show in detail its catastrophic effects. wapo.st/3lF9moX

"Pregnant women in states with abortion bans are nearly three times more likely to die giving birth." At a budget hearing before the House today, Secretary Xavier Becerra discussed the importance of family planning services and access to abortion and contraception.

State childhood vaccination programs face budget cuts from CDC arstechnica.com/?p=1951939&utm…