Molecular virologist, Professor, and wastewater detective. Same handle on bsky. Opinions are my own and do not reflect those of my employer or anyone else.

Columbia, Mo.
Joined January 2022
The Nebraska cryptic lineage appeared again this week. It really puts BA.3.2.2 in perspective.
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Replying to @SolidEvidence
Fecking hell do you have details on the Alpha Marc ?
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Die größte Langzeit-Studie zu mRNA-Impfungen: 28,7 Millionen Menschen (18-59 Jahre) 4 Jahre Beobachtung. Geimpft vs. Ungeimpft. Gesamtsterblichkeit: Geimpfte sterben 25% seltener (Hazard Ratio 0.75). Ohne Covid-Tote: Selbst wenn man Corona rausrechnet, leben Geimpfte länger (HR 0.76). Weniger Krebs- & Herztote bei Geimpften. Keine Signale für Impfschäden-Welle "Aber die ersten 14 Tage zählen als ungeimpft!" ❌ Falsch. Die Studie rechnete diesen Bias raus (Start 6 Monate nach Index). Ergebnis: Auch kurzfristig (erste 6 Monate) war die Sterblichkeit bei Geimpften um 29% GERINGER. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam…
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Marc Johnson retweeted
Excited to share our recent study (collaborated with @wchnicholas @SolidEvidence) of a wild cryptic lineage, NJ, detected in wastewater. Notably, it carries 39 unique substitutions on the RBD, and exhibits the highest ACE2 binding affinity and extensive antibody evasion.
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So this BA.3 (now designated BA.3.2) had not reappeared since I posted this thread... until today, when a BA.3.2 showed up in the Netherlands—the first detection outside of South Africa. April 2 collection date. BA.3 ain't dead yet. 1/7 xitter.cf/LongDesertTrain/status…
Do you remember BA.3—the weakling cousin of BA.1 & BA.2 that seemed to take the worst from each & had weaker ACE2 binding than even the ancestral Wuhan Virus? After 3 years, BA.3 is back. And it is transmitting. Who saw this coming? 1/13
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RFK Jr has been stating that the "anti-measles protection" of natural infection is better than vaccination First - if he thinks measles is not bad for you, then why care how good or long lasting the immunity against it is?? Second - Measles is NOT good for you. Do not get it to gain immunity against it. Get a vaccine - it is SAFE Hell, it is actually a live weakened virus vaccine - it is for all purposes a very mini infection. So, if you want an infection to give you immunity, then the vaccine does that too... The arguments against a measles vaccine that are coming from HHS Secretary are beyond idiotic. They are self contradictory. If he wants to support public health he'd start by working to build bridges and trust. Not sow distrust of some of the safest medical interventions on the plant.
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NIH has announced a cut in the "indirect rate" to 15% across the board, in a move that appears to be retroactive to even existing grants. This is a bloodbath for research institutions throughout the country. Brief explainer for those not in this world: buff.ly/3EtML7D
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Marc Johnson retweeted
This is a list of blockbuster drugs in 2024. Guess how many can trace their origins to NIH funded research? All of them.
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SARS-CoV-2 wastewater variant update. This is the composite data from about 1200 US WW samples. LP.8 is just about the only thing expanding (~10%). XEC has been leveling out, but for the first time it is actually declining. It topped off at ~40%.
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I've been in lockstep with @SolidEvidence and @JPWeiland on this front. Despite the sensational early growth advantages XEC appeared to have, it never seemed likely to me ever to have a noticeable real-world impact. 2/4 xitter.cf/JPWeiland/status/18527…
Update on XEC: In the countries where it's most prevalent and we have decent sequencing, XEC* growth appears to have slowed to a crawl. ~+20%/wk. If you recall, I've been doubtful of this lineage since August. Data from @Mike_Honey_ PowerBI
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Quotes @SolidEvidence among others. It is well worth noting that we have previously seen lineages increase over the summer and sputter out later in the year. Importantly we expect boosters to be effective, so if you’re in a vulnerable group please get one nbcnews.com/health/health-ne…
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Thought for the day: we are not able to detect a significant disturbance in the Force if we have not been monitoring the normal activity of the Force and how it varies over time
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BTW, if anyone wants to know who the requester is, they can always Sunshine me.
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I wrote down my rules on how to Science. I hope you find it useful!
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Replying to @SolidEvidence
This query will identify all currently known BA.2.86s, despite what the lineage is listed as in GISAID: M_T30A, Spike_V445H
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BA.2.86. Three cases of the new SARS-CoV-2 variant now detected in Denmark. The subvariant differs significantly from the other omicron variants that have been seen in the past, and it is designated as ‘Variant under monitoring’ by the WHO. en.ssi.dk/news/news/2023/thr…
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Ok, (another?) bat sarbecovirus with furin cleavage site. sciencedirect.com/science/ar…
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A tribute to the SARS-CoV-2 variant seekers, either employed or “simple” citizen scientists. @siamosolocani @RajlabN @JosetteSchoenma @LongDesertTrain @PriscillaFalzi1 @PeacockFlu @theosanderson @SolidEvidence @rquiroga777 @TWenseleers @DoropFan @nzm8qs @AngieSHinrichs @OliasDave
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