Don’t Inhale Virus
@dont-inhale-virus.bsky.social
My profile picture honors Dr Wu Lien-teh & his pioneering work in Malaysia in 1910 on masking to prevent pneumonic plague. The French doctor Gérald Mesny who came to replace Dr Wu thought he knew better, refused to mask & died.
Reposted by Don’t Inhale Virus
I’m not surprised.
I’ve run clinic after clinic (when working in Paeds) seeing exhausted parents with kids that “aren’t better yet”. And that was before C19.
Why are people surprised?
I’ve run clinic after clinic (when working in Paeds) seeing exhausted parents with kids that “aren’t better yet”. And that was before C19.
Why are people surprised?
December 10, 2025 at 5:51 AM
I’m not surprised.
I’ve run clinic after clinic (when working in Paeds) seeing exhausted parents with kids that “aren’t better yet”. And that was before C19.
Why are people surprised?
I’ve run clinic after clinic (when working in Paeds) seeing exhausted parents with kids that “aren’t better yet”. And that was before C19.
Why are people surprised?
Yes the USA’s Brookings Institution estimated $170-220 billion in 2022 based on 2-4M out of work and 16M total Long Covid
www.brookings.edu/articles/new...
www.brookings.edu/articles/new...
New data shows long Covid is keeping as many as 4 million people out of work | Brookings
Since the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic through today, news about labor shortages and missing workers has dominated headlines. The question everyone still seems to be asking is: Why? [author-bio] I...
www.brookings.edu
December 9, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Yes the USA’s Brookings Institution estimated $170-220 billion in 2022 based on 2-4M out of work and 16M total Long Covid
www.brookings.edu/articles/new...
www.brookings.edu/articles/new...
Reposted by Don’t Inhale Virus
NB this is not just a UK thing. Here's what UBC was teaching medical students up until mid 2024 (when they removed 👉the explanation only👈 after I let them know how badly out of date they were).
The apprenticeship model cannot process science that conflicts with received wisdom from senior docs.
The apprenticeship model cannot process science that conflicts with received wisdom from senior docs.
You laugh, but these people live in a totally different world already. Everything is memorized special cases and they just don't get the concept of mechanism at all. This is what UBC (in Henry-land) has been teaching its med students for years 👉in their PPE training👈 - no wonder they're clueless:
November 21, 2025 at 5:35 PM
NB this is not just a UK thing. Here's what UBC was teaching medical students up until mid 2024 (when they removed 👉the explanation only👈 after I let them know how badly out of date they were).
The apprenticeship model cannot process science that conflicts with received wisdom from senior docs.
The apprenticeship model cannot process science that conflicts with received wisdom from senior docs.
Reposted by Don’t Inhale Virus
Some encouraging news from Japan, where their wave of "clade K" looks quite short and sharp. Note they did pre-emptively return to masking in healthcare settings, well before the wave peaked.
threadreaderapp.com/thread/19969...
🧵
threadreaderapp.com/thread/19969...
🧵
x.com
December 7, 2025 at 7:41 AM
Some encouraging news from Japan, where their wave of "clade K" looks quite short and sharp. Note they did pre-emptively return to masking in healthcare settings, well before the wave peaked.
threadreaderapp.com/thread/19969...
🧵
threadreaderapp.com/thread/19969...
🧵
Thank you for this.
Stat News had a goofy puff piece quoting (of all the perennially wrong-about-Covid people!) Monica Gandhi, in support of Høeg's supposed epidemiology chops
Stat News had a goofy puff piece quoting (of all the perennially wrong-about-Covid people!) Monica Gandhi, in support of Høeg's supposed epidemiology chops
December 9, 2025 at 4:01 AM
Thank you for this.
Stat News had a goofy puff piece quoting (of all the perennially wrong-about-Covid people!) Monica Gandhi, in support of Høeg's supposed epidemiology chops
Stat News had a goofy puff piece quoting (of all the perennially wrong-about-Covid people!) Monica Gandhi, in support of Høeg's supposed epidemiology chops
Yes; thank you for seeing and acknowledging this common ground. These are the kind of situations where people should be maximally protected, including with N95s.
December 9, 2025 at 3:37 AM
Yes; thank you for seeing and acknowledging this common ground. These are the kind of situations where people should be maximally protected, including with N95s.
Reposted by Don’t Inhale Virus
Swedish #LongCovid patient org have just taken the "department of health" to court, for among many things, refusing to take in global science, to trying to give health care the wrong (it is all in your head) idea about Covid.
Patients won on some counts. Hopefully for the better.
Patients won on some counts. Hopefully for the better.
December 9, 2025 at 1:53 AM
Swedish #LongCovid patient org have just taken the "department of health" to court, for among many things, refusing to take in global science, to trying to give health care the wrong (it is all in your head) idea about Covid.
Patients won on some counts. Hopefully for the better.
Patients won on some counts. Hopefully for the better.
Immunity
xkcd.com
December 9, 2025 at 2:15 AM
For household spread, rather than healthcare:
"masks as a group had protective efficacy in excess of 80% against clinical influenza-like illness"
www.ijidonline.com/article/S120...
"masks as a group had protective efficacy in excess of 80% against clinical influenza-like illness"
www.ijidonline.com/article/S120...
The First Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trial of Mask Use in Households to Prevent Respiratory Virus Transmission
Background: Observational epidemiologic data suggest that transmission of viral respiratory
infection was significantly reduced during the SARS epidemic with the use of face
masks as well as other inf...
www.ijidonline.com
December 9, 2025 at 1:23 AM
For household spread, rather than healthcare:
"masks as a group had protective efficacy in excess of 80% against clinical influenza-like illness"
www.ijidonline.com/article/S120...
"masks as a group had protective efficacy in excess of 80% against clinical influenza-like illness"
www.ijidonline.com/article/S120...
"The rates of CRI (3·9% versus 6·7%), ILI (0·3% versus 0·6%), laboratory-confirmed respiratory virus (1·4% versus 2·6%) and influenza (0·3% versus 1%) infection were consistently lower for the N95 group compared to medical masks"
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
A cluster randomized clinical trial comparing fit‐tested and non‐fit‐tested N95 respirators to medical masks to prevent respiratory virus infection in health care workers
Please cite this paper as: MacIntyre et al. (2011) A cluster randomized clinical trial comparing fit-tested and non-fit-tested N95 respirators to medical masks to prevent respiratory virus infection.....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
December 9, 2025 at 1:19 AM
"The rates of CRI (3·9% versus 6·7%), ILI (0·3% versus 0·6%), laboratory-confirmed respiratory virus (1·4% versus 2·6%) and influenza (0·3% versus 1%) infection were consistently lower for the N95 group compared to medical masks"
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Upgrading from fluid-resistant surgical masks to FFP3 respirators reduced hospital staff risk of infection by 52-100%:
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
Efficacy of FFP3 respirators for prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection in healthcare workers
Respiratory protective equipment recommended in the UK for healthcare workers (HCWs) caring for patients with COVID-19 comprises a fluid-resistant surgical mask (FRSM), except in the context of aerosol generating procedures (AGPs). We previously ...
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
December 9, 2025 at 1:18 AM
Upgrading from fluid-resistant surgical masks to FFP3 respirators reduced hospital staff risk of infection by 52-100%:
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
Ending universal masking in the Mass General Brigham system increased hospital-onset respiratory infections by 25%, and reinstating masking reduced infections by 33%:
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Testing and Masking Policies and Hospital-Onset Respiratory Viral Infections
This cohort study examines the ratio between hospital- and community-onset respiratory viral infections at different levels of testing and masking from 2020 to 2024.
jamanetwork.com
December 9, 2025 at 1:15 AM
Ending universal masking in the Mass General Brigham system increased hospital-onset respiratory infections by 25%, and reinstating masking reduced infections by 33%:
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
PPE (incl. respirator masks) was extremely effective at protecting healthcare workers in Korea in 2020-21):
"Among the 181 participants, only one developed SARS-CoV-2 antibodies... this infection was more likely acquired outside the hospital than during clinical duties."
jkms.org/DOIx.php?id=...
"Among the 181 participants, only one developed SARS-CoV-2 antibodies... this infection was more likely acquired outside the hospital than during clinical duties."
jkms.org/DOIx.php?id=...
Effect of Personal Protective Equipment on the Prevention of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Healthcare Workers
Lee SJ, et al. J Korean Med Sci. 2025 Sep;40(43):e276. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2025.40.e276
jkms.org
December 9, 2025 at 1:12 AM
PPE (incl. respirator masks) was extremely effective at protecting healthcare workers in Korea in 2020-21):
"Among the 181 participants, only one developed SARS-CoV-2 antibodies... this infection was more likely acquired outside the hospital than during clinical duties."
jkms.org/DOIx.php?id=...
"Among the 181 participants, only one developed SARS-CoV-2 antibodies... this infection was more likely acquired outside the hospital than during clinical duties."
jkms.org/DOIx.php?id=...
*encountered
December 9, 2025 at 1:04 AM
*encountered
Reposted by Don’t Inhale Virus
And yes, there absolutely were people like this when there were calls to clean drinking water, develop safety standards for cars, remove asbestos, ban smoking, and every other public health measure ever.
December 8, 2025 at 4:05 PM
And yes, there absolutely were people like this when there were calls to clean drinking water, develop safety standards for cars, remove asbestos, ban smoking, and every other public health measure ever.
I’m talking about peer reviewed research, not “social proof.”
How many hospitals required obstetricians to wash their hands before delivery in 1846?
Hygiene improvements have always encouraged fierce resistance.
How many hospitals required obstetricians to wash their hands before delivery in 1846?
Hygiene improvements have always encouraged fierce resistance.
December 9, 2025 at 12:40 AM
I’m talking about peer reviewed research, not “social proof.”
How many hospitals required obstetricians to wash their hands before delivery in 1846?
Hygiene improvements have always encouraged fierce resistance.
How many hospitals required obstetricians to wash their hands before delivery in 1846?
Hygiene improvements have always encouraged fierce resistance.
Reposted by Don’t Inhale Virus
Remember there is no reason for alarm. You can easily protect yourself with a well-fitted respirator. Back it up with air filtration and vaccination.
December 8, 2025 at 10:00 AM
Remember there is no reason for alarm. You can easily protect yourself with a well-fitted respirator. Back it up with air filtration and vaccination.
Thank you for masking!
December 8, 2025 at 10:12 PM
Thank you for masking!
Pre-Covid, there were both initiatives to reduce hospital-acquired infection to zero, and a lot of theoretical sympathy for sick children. These should still be the prevailing concerns in a children's hospital, even if people find respirator masks inconvenient.
December 8, 2025 at 9:32 PM
Pre-Covid, there were both initiatives to reduce hospital-acquired infection to zero, and a lot of theoretical sympathy for sick children. These should still be the prevailing concerns in a children's hospital, even if people find respirator masks inconvenient.
Reposted by Don’t Inhale Virus
Masking in a children's hospital reduced infections from 7.1 to 2.6 per 10,000 patient-days, with a regression back to 7.1 when the mask requirement was lifted: cambridge.org/core/journal...
Healthcare-associated respiratory viral infections after discontinuing universal masking | Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology | Cambridge Core
Healthcare-associated respiratory viral infections after discontinuing universal masking - Volume 45 Issue 2
cambridge.org
December 8, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Masking in a children's hospital reduced infections from 7.1 to 2.6 per 10,000 patient-days, with a regression back to 7.1 when the mask requirement was lifted: cambridge.org/core/journal...
Masking in a children's hospital reduced infections from 7.1 to 2.6 per 10,000 patient-days, with a regression back to 7.1 when the mask requirement was lifted: cambridge.org/core/journal...
Healthcare-associated respiratory viral infections after discontinuing universal masking | Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology | Cambridge Core
Healthcare-associated respiratory viral infections after discontinuing universal masking - Volume 45 Issue 2
cambridge.org
December 8, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Masking in a children's hospital reduced infections from 7.1 to 2.6 per 10,000 patient-days, with a regression back to 7.1 when the mask requirement was lifted: cambridge.org/core/journal...