Health academic, botanist, sailor, photographer, author & volunteer🌻flower photographer with @Love_plants & @theNPMS https://xitter.cf/t.co/qGw2vNrJH0

Coleraine
Joined August 2009
Sue McBean - @organicbotanic.bsky.social retweeted
UK Covid Inquiry "The care sector was “an afterthought” during the Covid-19 pandemic, and government failures caused the virus to spread “like wildfire” among vulnerable and elderly people, a public inquiry has found." theguardian.com/uk-news/2026…
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Sue McBean - @organicbotanic.bsky.social retweeted
SARS-CoV-2 Primary Care Surveillance in England Data from the RCGP Sentinel Surveillance system of around two thousand GP Practices. In Week 41, ending 11 October 2026, the RCGP national average COVID-19 incidence rate for England (all ages) increased… (RCGP data & chart)
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Sue McBean - @organicbotanic.bsky.social retweeted
"Arguably the report’s most important finding is the harm caused by the division between the NHS and social care, and the way that care home residents, and workers, became a kind of collateral damage in the battle against the pandemic." theguardian.com/commentisfre…
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Sue McBean - @organicbotanic.bsky.social retweeted
Covid in Northern Ireland 'Weekly non-sentinel COVID-19 cases, by age group, by Epidemiological Week' Data to Week 42 ending 18 October 2026. 2,015 SARS-CoV-2 tests were reported in Week 42. Overall test positivity remained stable at 7.5%. (PHA NI data & chart)
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Sue McBean - @organicbotanic.bsky.social retweeted
🚨NHS KEY STATISTICS Before COVID, less than 50 patients a day waited 12+ hrs in A&E after a decision to admit. In Jan 2026, that figure hit 2,300 a day, a record high… …whilst 6,000 patients a day were left waiting for 12+ hrs from time of arrival. researchbriefings.files.parl…
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Sue McBean - @organicbotanic.bsky.social retweeted
The PCR positivity map is out, and national positivity has edged up in both England and Scotland. Reporting in England is close to 100% this week, making the 10.98% adjusted national average as accurate as it gets in the world of covid data. jamestindall.info/skeuomorph… 1/8
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Sue McBean - @organicbotanic.bsky.social retweeted
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Sue McBean - @organicbotanic.bsky.social retweeted
Russia's Yandex bot traffic nearly eliminated overnight after Ukraine drone strikes cripple multiple of 'Russia's Google' data centers — Ukraine intensifies bombing of Yandex data centers in response to Moscow’s strikes on Kyiv data centers tomshardware.com/tech-indust…
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Sue McBean - @organicbotanic.bsky.social retweeted
Ukraine struck three Russian Yandex data centres. Bot activity from Yandex’s network reportedly fell 99%, alongside a sharp drop in pro-Trump and pro-AfD activity online. How many more bot networks are stoking division in our democracies? How many elections and referendums have they helped distort by amplifying division and misinformation? Why is Ukraine acting while Western governments fail to protect our online spaces?
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Sue McBean - @organicbotanic.bsky.social retweeted
I wanted to post an update of Scotland’s “COVID test positivity by age” charts… …but, alas, just as the wave gets really bad, the data has gone screwy. Funny how that always seems to happen. 🤔 scotland.shinyapps.io/phs-re…
Just been looking at Scotland’s COVID data - and there’s some interesting trends. There was an unusual COVID wave at the start of this year which disproportionately affected kids… …but the opposite effect is happening in this wave. Now it’s older folks being hit hardest.
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Sue McBean - @organicbotanic.bsky.social retweeted
Why did @UKHSA lead with a graph showing flu positivity at 6.5%, then put COVID’s 9.1% hospital PCR positivity figure in a reply? That is around 40% higher, yet it is far less likely to be seen as a reply post. A respected public-health agency should present the clearest picture upfront, not selectively frame the data to minimise the virus rising fastest. This is the sort of messaging you expect from North Korea, not a UK government agency whose job is to protect the public from health threats and provide clear health advice.
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Sue McBean - @organicbotanic.bsky.social retweeted
I’m doing a 5K on October 18th to support research at the Tulane Cancer Center, here in the Deep South. I wanted to do something fun, so in addition to wearing an N95, I will wear an additional N95 on my person for every $50 donated (runsignup.com/mask). $50 = 1 N95 $500 = 10 N95s $5,000 = 100 N95s $50,000 = 1,000 N95s Any partial donation would help. $10 would add an additional mask for 1K of the race. A penny would add 1 meter with an additional mask. I’ll sum partial donations and round up in the end. Even a penny🪙 or reshare🔁 would help. FAQs World Record 🔹There does not presently appear to be a Guinness World Record for most N95s on an individual in a 5K. 🔹This year, I will go for an informal record. Guinness has not yet responded to my request to go for an official record, but there is always next year. Good Health, Safety, and Environmental Modeling 🔹I will mask properly. Extra masks will not be worn on top of my mask. 🔹All masks will be individually-wrapped N95s. I will eventually wear them or donate them, if someone wants them. Caveats 🔹It’s a fun run. All donations are final, even if weather or an injury strikes. Inclusivity 🔹There are many ways to support health and health justice. Please also contribute to your local mask bloc or engage in advocacy in other ways too. There are many great causes. 🔹Many people with chronic and serious illnesses are housebound or cannot run or could run but would then crash for days or weeks after. This is no endorsement of the primacy of exercise-based activities. How Your Donation Helps 🔹Your donation supports the fight against cancer and normalizes masking. 🔹Funds support the Tulane Cancer Center. Last year’s funds went toward a project to reduce the chances of bone metastases in the context of breast cancer. 🔹I avoid financial conflicts of interest like the plague, so I will not accept any payments or apply for any funds. Please help spread the word!
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Sue McBean - @organicbotanic.bsky.social retweeted
'American Covid' ravages NHS hospitals – "5,000 patients now in hospital beds" A new Covid strain dubbed "American Covid" is causing UK cases to rise sharply, spiking by 400%, putting extra pressure on an already-struggling NHS Mask Up!😷😷 dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-…
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Sue McBean - @organicbotanic.bsky.social retweeted
Covid in Northern Ireland 'Weekly non-sentinel COVID-19 cases, by age group, by Epidemiological Week' Data to Week 40 ending 04 October 2026. 1,798 SARS-CoV-2 tests were reported in Week 40. Overall test positivity increased to 5.5%. (PHA NI data & chart)
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