..
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress was an eight-engine strategic long-range bomber that was flown by the U.S. Air Force after 1954, to replace the Convair B-36 and Boeing B-47. Wikipedia
The first variant under investigation in December 2020, abbreviated VUI – 202012/01, and also known as customer B.1.1.7, is a variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Wikipedia
..
1. KKM has detected its second case of the B117 Covid-19 variant. DG Dr. Noor Hisham says, the individual in question was a Malaysian returning from the UAE.
— BFM News (@NewsBFM) February 5, 2021
He adds, the IMR is monitoring the situation.
The first case was detected on Jan 9, involving a traveler from the UK. pic.twitter.com/rkph5NlQDt
..
Is #B117 a VARIANT or new STRAIN? People are starting to use them interchangeably. Let’s end the confusion. A variant is crowned a new strain when it:
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) February 5, 2021
📌Becomes dominant (B117 in 🇬🇧)
📌More transmissible (B117), deadlier, or evades immunity. #COVID19https://t.co/KSLG5uA9Fg pic.twitter.com/nKQISEUXrZ
..
⚠️TWO DIFFERENT #COVID19 PANDEMICS—Many think with cases dropping that pandemic is nearly over. But truth is, there are now 2 different #SARSCoV2 pandemics diverging—old strain is waning, while the more contagious #B117 strain is dominating. We will be soon slammed very hard. 🧵 pic.twitter.com/AQjQ79I7sk
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) February 5, 2021
..
3) “This guidance does include a lower threshold for classifying contacts as high risk of exposure and requiring quarantine,”
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) February 3, 2021
5) “Right now, we’re struggling to get to each person within 24 hours,” Dr. Lee told reporters on Friday. “I honestly believe that we are going to be continuing to be overwhelmed with more and more cases.”
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) February 3, 2021
7) the virus is such a beast—suppose we have 1000 cases/day now… with an R=0.86 we could reduce it to 500/day in 2 weeks.
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) February 3, 2021
➡️But w/ added contagiousness of B117 variant that has ~60% higher R, in 2 weeks, we’d have 3000 new cases/day instead—3x baseline.
➡️6x vs old strain. pic.twitter.com/wf1FfIbTYe
9) Denmark is so freaked out by #B117 and other variants that they are now sequencing every single case in the country. That hardcore. https://t.co/gMiJdcc6MC
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) February 3, 2021
11) And it was to make contact tracing & quarantining manageable scale. But we have known for a while that the 6 feet (2 meter) rule is not very meaningful if there is aerosol transmission, especially indoors with poor ventilation. The coronavirus is very much airborne folks.
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) February 3, 2021
13) At this point, with more infectious #B117 variant, it is high time we recognize a new definition of close contact, depending on: masking, indoor/outdoor, time if indoors, ventilation indoors; distance outdoors—and then assign gradients on red, orange, yellow close contacts.
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) February 3, 2021
15) As for schools, we DEFINITELY need kids to mask if we reopen. Kids, even if less susceptible than adults, do transmit (@dgurdasani1 and I have entire long long 🧵s on this) and transmit more. And as an epidemiologist, I cannot endorse indoor cafeterias. Outdoor tents please.
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) February 3, 2021
17) And yes, outdoor tents cost money, but they cannot be THAT much more to acquire—and cities/states/federal govt should fund them. If it means we can reopen schools — with outdoor (well ventilated) tents for lunch cafeteria— I’m sure there is a way if we can then open schools.
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) February 3, 2021
19) And for those who say “just send kids to school for half days without cafeteria lunches or classroom lunches”—that’s not enough schooling for kids for just half day. I1st-12th graders cannot do half days like kindergarteners and get enough education. We need real solutions.
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) February 3, 2021
21) Another idea if we have school indoor cafeterias, is to either install upper air UV (used in many restaurants that circulates air to ceiling where UV lights are safely pointed), or bring a pair of huge air flow tubes to outside that ventilated the cafeteria at high speed.
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) February 4, 2021
Better masks, better ventilation (windows open and merv filters). It isn’t rocket science and it is not impossibly expensive. Have they not done these things? Weekly testing, too.
— cmo (@catrinmorris) February 3, 2021
..
weehingthong 