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Dr. Dawn Bowdish @msmacrophage.bsky.social · 2d

This is going to be an excellent session on the benefits of vaccination for RSV and others with Dr. Joshua Wald, a #Firestone clinician with a special interest in COPD. He was just telling me about some really compelling new research this morning - I'm signed up! #lungs #vaccines

Airwaves Learning Series

lp.lunghealth.ca

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Reposted by Dr. Dawn Bowdish

Kevin Bonham @kevinbonham.com · 5d

Inkscape for scientists 3 is up! In this video, learn how to set up your workspace, and how do you find that damn fill/stroke panel? 🧪
youtu.be/PFcnjuMhUHI

Inkscape for scientists 3 - Setting up your workspace

YouTube video by Kevin Bonham

youtu.be

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Dr. Dawn Bowdish @msmacrophage.bsky.social · 5d

I'd be delighted.

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Dr. Dawn Bowdish @msmacrophage.bsky.social · 5d

What the latest on adult vaccines? Come join me and and exceptional panel at Zoomer media to get the lowdown.
• Recommended Vaccines & How To Get Them
‣ Navigating Provincial Health Systems
‣ The Role Your Pharmacist Can Play
‣ Emerging Science
‣ Fighting Disinformation & Vaccine Fatigue.
Free!

Get the Facts. National Vaccine Summit Explained Oct 23, 2025 register at everythingexplained.ca

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Dr. Dawn Bowdish @msmacrophage.bsky.social · 5d

I spoke to the CBC this week about the effects of having universal COVID vaccines in some provinces but for pay in others. "... all serious infections tend to have a bigger impact for people who can least afford to pay." See our review for data to back up that statement tinyurl.com/3tx7fc3z

COVID-19 vaccine now available for some Albertans; critics say new rollout is flawed | CBC News

Albertans deemed to be at high risk from COVID-19 are now eligible to be immunized, with the first phase of the government's controversial new vaccine rollout going into effect on Wednesday.

www.cbc.ca

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Reposted by Dr. Dawn Bowdish

Hamilton Public Library @hamiltonlibrary.bsky.social · 7d

📚 From your first Storytime to lifelong learning, #libraries grow with you!
Celebrate #LibrariesForLife during this #CanadianLibraryMonth with HPL! From books, computers to Study Halls, our locations have your library needs covered. www.hpl.ca/hours #HamOnt

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Reposted by Dr. Dawn Bowdish

Angie Rasmussen @angierasmussen.bsky.social · 11d

Terrific new review of flu & COVID vaccine recommendations in Vaccine from Jessica Breznik, Matt Miller, & @msmacrophage.bsky.social!

They make a compelling data-driven case for expanding COVID vaccines & optimizing timing for COVID waves, as we do for flu.👇

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Rationalizing recommendations for influenza and COVID-19 vaccines

Influenza vaccination saves lives, reduces short-term and long-term health consequences, decreases healthcare utilization, and improves pregnancy outc…

www.sciencedirect.com

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Reposted by Dr. Dawn Bowdish

McMaster Faculty of Humanities @mcmasterhum.bsky.social · 11d

Hello BlueSky! McMaster Humanities will now be posting regular updates here. Follow us for news, events and content from around the Faculty!

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Dr. Dawn Bowdish @msmacrophage.bsky.social · 13d

Also thank you to the reviewers and staff at Vaccine for their help bringing this epic to publication! Many thanks. Fin.

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Dr. Dawn Bowdish @msmacrophage.bsky.social · 13d

There are still a lot of unknowns, but we feel strongly that universal & free COVID-19 and influenza vaccines would be a good investment in health, health systems, and attendance at work and school. Thank you to the brilliantly detail oriented @jabreznik.bsky.social and Dr Matt Miller... 12/n

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Dr. Dawn Bowdish @msmacrophage.bsky.social · 13d

Vaccine programs are decided by more than efficacy and efficacy - here's a summary of what the National Advisory Council on Immunization (Canada) includes. Our review doesn't address the programmatic, cost, and social considerations, which are also important. 11/n

NACI criteria for considering a vaccine program

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Dr. Dawn Bowdish @msmacrophage.bsky.social · 13d

We also make a case to increase to increase the range of vulnerable populations. Canada has been a leader in including congregate living and equity-deserving groups in priority populations (#elbowsup !) but people living with lung and heart issues should be included 10/n.

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Dr. Dawn Bowdish @msmacrophage.bsky.social · 13d

There has been some frustration that COVID-19 vaccines don't last longer but neither does protection from either infection or vaccination for other viruses. When we compare protection < 3 months and > 3 months, COVID-19 vaccines look pretty good, esp considering rapid variant change 9/n

Supplementary Table of COVID vaccine effectiveness after 3 months

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Dr. Dawn Bowdish @msmacrophage.bsky.social · 13d

...but despite that disadvantage, levels of protection from symptomatic infection and severe disease are similar between COVID & influenza vaccines. Note that protection against symptomatic infection is VERY hard to estimate because people who don't get sick don't get tested. 8/n

More supplementary figures of COVID vaccine effecrtiveness.

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Dr. Dawn Bowdish @msmacrophage.bsky.social · 13d

Now look at how complicated it is to compare COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness. In influenza studies it is often possible to assess which strain a person was infected with so you can assess vaccine effectiveness by strain. COVID-19 vaccines are almost never matched with the circulating variants.. 7/n

Supplementary Table of COVID vaccine effectiveness

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Dr. Dawn Bowdish @msmacrophage.bsky.social · 13d

Before we get to the data - I just want to give a huge shoutout to @belongia.bsky.social l for leading so many high quality studies on influenza effectiveness - look how easy to compare year-to-year. 6/n

Supplementary table of influenza effectiveness over many years.

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Dr. Dawn Bowdish @msmacrophage.bsky.social · 13d

There's a common belief that COVID-19 vaccines don't provide very good protection against symptomatic infection -is this true? These data are very, very hard to compile because the pace of variant replacement and vaccine changes has been dizzying 5/n

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Dr. Dawn Bowdish @msmacrophage.bsky.social · 13d

Comparable data is hard to find, but when we looked at 2022/23 & 2023/24 data we see that deaths are still higher for COVID than influenza *BUT* looking at % hides the fact that COVID-19 is more contagious and in 23/24 there were almost 3x as many COVID hospitalizations than influenza. 4/n

Table 4 of manuscript comparing influenza and COVID hospitalization & death rates

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Dr. Dawn Bowdish @msmacrophage.bsky.social · 13d

Like influenza, everyone but newborns has been exposed to COVID-19 through either vaccination or infection so we only reviewed studies in the post-Omicron/post-vaccine era. There is no doubt that the burden of disease has changed in the Omicron/vaccine era, but does that mean COVID is over? 3/n

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Dr. Dawn Bowdish @msmacrophage.bsky.social · 13d

We started this >a year ago after conversations with immunologists, policy-makers, and the general public. We felt there were misunderstandings about how well COVID-19 vaccines work. We argue that they work as well or better than influenza vaccines so vaccination policies should be similar. 2/n

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Dr. Dawn Bowdish @msmacrophage.bsky.social · 13d

I'm excited to share our review "Rationalizing recommendations for influenza and COVID-19 vaccines", which we feel makes a strong case for universal influenza and COVID-19 vaccination policies. With almost 500 references & 8 supplementary tables it's a beast so let me break it down for you....1/n

Rationalizing recommendations for influenza and COVID-19 vaccines

Influenza vaccination saves lives, reduces short-term and long-term health consequences, decreases healthcare utilization, and improves pregnancy outc…

www.sciencedirect.com

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Dr. Dawn Bowdish @msmacrophage.bsky.social · 14d

Support the Canadian Arthritis Patient Alliance (CAPA) - national patient-led organization bringing the experiences of patients to policy, research, and advocacy by buying coffee. Scientists drink a lot of coffee so a fundraiser made for us.
sparkplug.coffee/support-capa...

Canadian Arthritis Patient Alliance — Sparkplug Coffee

sparkplug.coffee

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Dr. Dawn Bowdish @msmacrophage.bsky.social · 14d

Job opportunity in lung health! "The Senior Manager, Research and Impact will be responsible for working across the organization, to manage the current state while planning for growth in the research and impact functions at the Lung Health Foundation."

Lung Health Foundation Job Board - Senior Manager, Research and Impact

Job vacancy for the role of Senior Manager, Research and Impact

lunghealthfoundation.applytojobs.ca

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Dr. Dawn Bowdish @msmacrophage.bsky.social · 14d

That was not one that sticks. Because 'your first is your worst' with RSV exposure, there isn't currently a recommendation to vaccinate kids with one that sticks because the presumption is that they will have got it multiple times & been ok ( unless they are extremely medically complex.)

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Dr. Dawn Bowdish @msmacrophage.bsky.social · 14d

A message of hope for #idsky #medsky and #immunosky today. Ontario,which has a right-of-centre, populist government, and also has the most expansive coverage of adult vaccines (RSV, COVID, influenza) in Canada right now, in some cases (RSV) going above and beyond national recommendations.

Ontario launches its vaccine rollout as other provinces take pricier paths | Watch News Videos Online

Watch Ontario launches its vaccine rollout as other provinces take pricier paths Video Online, on GlobalNews.ca

globalnews.ca

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