ariskatzourakis - Network

Also over on blue sky these days, at @ariskatzourakis.bsky.social

Also over on blue sky these days, at @ariskatzourakis.bsky.social

‘Lessons have been forgotten’ on covid:https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/16/nhs-uk-prepared-covid-winter-pirola-variant

‘Lessons have been forgotten’ on covid:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/16/nhs-uk-prepared-covid-winter-pirola-variant

Deeply troubled to be going in to an emergency HEC to take decisions on behalf of branches and industrial action, without input from a...

Deeply troubled to be going in to an emergency HEC to take decisions on behalf of branches and industrial action, without input from a branch delegate meeting in advance of it. Also incredibly troubled that this HEC can be called with less than 24 hours notice, but trying to put one together to implement congress policy on a summer reballot had to take so many weeks that the gap in mandate became inevitable.

There is a difference in arguing that the cost/benefit of vaccines is different for different risks groups, and the completely baseless...

There is a difference in arguing that the cost/benefit of vaccines is different for different risks groups, and the completely baseless ideology that for some risk groups, infection is somehow a better source of immunity than vaccination.

Acknowledging the role of SARS-CoV-2 infections in producing a complex and varying immunological landscape that has consequences for the...

Acknowledging the role of SARS-CoV-2 infections in producing a complex and varying immunological landscape that has consequences for the spread and success of different variants is one thing. But pretending that these infections have somehow led to the best of all possible worlds is quite another. We are not doing enough in terms of vaccine rollout and development in order to keep up with the public health consequences of this constantly evolving virus.

I'm actually a bit surprised nobody has written an op-ed on the emergence of BA.2.86 yet, arguing that its actually a good thing and...

I'm actually a bit surprised nobody has written an op-ed on the emergence of BA.2.86 yet, arguing that its actually a good thing and will bring about improvements in public health. Thats not to say that I have a clue as to its likely public health impact-but that didn't stop op-eds arguing the line that Omicron would be a good thing in the past.

Intrinsic severity of a virus is a byproduct of many traits, a product of selection on other features. Any attempt to guess the intrinsic...

Intrinsic severity of a virus is a byproduct of many traits, a product of selection on other features. Any attempt to guess the intrinsic severity of BA.2.86 (within reasonable parameters) is just that-a guess. Will be a while before we can measure it. It is far, far too early to evaluate the potential of this variant. And it is a timely reminder of the role of evolution in the ongoing pandemic.

I suppose prison barges for asylum seekers as a development shouldn't have surprised me, and yet they do. Leaving aside the abject moral...

I suppose prison barges for asylum seekers as a development shouldn't have surprised me, and yet they do. Leaving aside the abject moral failure, the logistical collapse amid infection control issues are utterly predictable. Less predictable the number of 'well ackshually' responses.

I think it is imperative that UCU votes for an immediate reballot, to maintain a continuous mandate come the end of September. This is what...

I think it is imperative that UCU votes for an immediate reballot, to maintain a continuous mandate come the end of September. This is what sector conference decides. Are there people who are prepared to publicly argue for why we shouldn't be doing this?

We need to be clear that what UCU is currently discussing, is a negotiation to end it's own MAB, rather than a negotiation for a partial...

We need to be clear that what UCU is currently discussing, is a negotiation to end it's own MAB, rather than a negotiation for a partial offer or to achieve some of its industrial aims. In yesterdays all branch rep meeting, members were overwhelmingly opposed to this plan. This wasn't a meeting where a vote was taken, but the decision to go in this direction was taken without a BDM.

Over-exposed and under-protected: the long-term impact of COVID-19 on...

Over-exposed and under-protected: the long-term impact of COVID-19 on doctors.

https://www.bma.org.uk/media/7318/bma-long-covid-report040723.pdf

Industrial action is leverage, not protest. This idea seems to be missing from a lot of analysis of tactics and explanations of possible...

Industrial action is leverage, not protest. This idea seems to be missing from a lot of analysis of tactics and explanations of possible outcomes. Taking leverage away cannot lead to the desired outcome.

A reminder that the intrinsic severity of Omicron is not lower than that of the original version of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Differences in...

A reminder that the intrinsic severity of Omicron is not lower than that of the original version of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Differences in outcome are due to immunity rather than evolution to 'mildness'. The preprint had been around for a bit and been noted but this is the peer reviewed version of the work.

https://academic.oup.com/jid/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/infdis/jiad236/7208626?login=false

Is this a good place to have a discussion about what is going on in UCU? Still public but less so and in a good way, I would hope.

Is this a good place to have a discussion about what is going on in UCU? Still public but less so and in a good way, I would hope.

Oh hello again! How are things over here?

Oh hello again! How are things over here?

Our review on the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 is out, where we discuss the evolution of the virus so far and uncertainties and possible...

Our review on the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 is out, where we discuss the evolution of the virus so far and uncertainties and possible scenarios for the future.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41579-023-00878-2

Reading the leaked PM messages, it's hard to avoid thinking about all the lives that could have been saved with a different PM. It also...

Reading the leaked PM messages, it's hard to avoid thinking about all the lives that could have been saved with a different PM. It also doesn't bear contemplating what he would have chosen to do in the absence of the scientific advice.

Predicting a spike in mastodon activity, round about now...

Predicting a spike in mastodon activity, round about now...

Persistently infected individuals (infected for more than 30 days) have 50% higher evidence of reporting long covid. Important evidence that...

Persistently infected individuals (infected for more than 30 days) have 50% higher evidence of reporting long covid. Important evidence that at least one form of long covid may be linked to longer term viral presence.

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.01.29.23285160v1

See you on those pickets on the 1st of Feb!

See you on those pickets on the 1st of Feb!