Tim Tsang

Assistant Professor, School of Public Health, HKU

[HKU Public Health @HKU_SPH]

【Latest Research】A recent study led by Dr @BingyiY, Research Assistant Professor of #HKUSPH has analysed 200,000 hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) titrations from ferret models. This research reveals critical insights about influenza immune evasion. 🦠💡

🔍 Key Findings:
✔️ Breath of Influenza A viruses cross-reactivity varies by the isolation interval
✔ A(H3N2) has a narrower cross-reactivity compared to A(H1N1)
✔ Repeated exposures to the virus further broaden the cross-reactivity to contemporary viruses

This study provides a framework for predicting immune evasion in other rapidly evolving pathogens, making a major step for pandemic preparedness.

📄Paper now published in Nature Microbiology: https://t.co/E3BwYL78BA
📹Featured on This Week in Virology (TWiV): https://t.co/HpnmNyenMT

@bencowling88
#HKU #HKUMed #HKUSPH #HKUPublicHealth #PublicHealth #Research #evolution #influenzavirus #Vaccineprotection #antibody

[HKU Public Health @HKU_SPH]

【Latest Research】A team led by @BingyiY, Research Assistant Professor of #HKUSPH has revealed that neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) serve as a key immune correlate for COVID-19 vaccine protection.

🔍 Key Findings:
✔️ Neutralizing antibody (nAbs) levels and vaccine efficacy / effectiveness (VE) against mild Omicron infections decline significantly after >180 days
✔️ VE against severe or fatal COVID-19 stays >75% even when nAbs hit assay limits
✔️ Detectable nAb titers are not always sensitive enough to fully predict protection against severe disease and death from SARS-CoV-2

This study provides critical insights for long-term immunity understanding, booster strategies, and future vaccine development.

📄Paper now published in Nature Communications: https://t.co/7YcOjD4EYm

@TimkTsang @bencowling88
#HKU #HKUMed #HKUSPH #HKUPublicHealth #PublicHealth #Research #vaccine #COVID19 #VaccineResearch #NeutralizingAntibodies

[Ben Cowling @bencowling88]

(1/5) I would like to highlight one very interesting secondary observation about the impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions, from the data collected in the CENTERSTONE trial ...

[Tim Tsang @TimkTsang]

An adaptive weight ensemble approach to forecast influenza activity in an irregular seasonality context https://t.co/IEIgXyEMUz #MachineLearning #Fluforecast

[Michael Ison, MD MS @MichaelGIsonMD]

Amazing review of studies defining burden of RVI in South Africa - developed to inform vaccine policy updates from Cheryl Cohen @nicd_sa @options2024

[Paul G Thomas @PGTimmune]

Watching @AubreeGordonPhD give a fantastic talk on the dynamics of flu infections in her extensive pediatric cohorts. Answering important questions about the length of infection-associated protection (infection protects better and longer than vaccination—hope for better vaccines!

[Leo Poon @world_epidemic]

A big crowd of students & colleagues from @HKU_SPH at the Option meeting. 4 full days of interesting discussion about flu and other respiratory viruses!
@hkumed
@options2024

[HKU Public Health @HKU_SPH]

Age and fever symptoms can help identify highly contagious influenza patients. Our research at #HKUSPH helps control and prevent flu transmission. Check it out👉🌍Original source:
https://t.co/Tjvr2UP8eF

[Bingyi Yang @BingyiY]

Our recent study reassessed the lift of universal masks mandate suggested no evidence that such lift reduced SARS-CoV-2 transmission in schools. However, we revealed a significant difference when using incidence or transmissibility as outcome measurement. https://t.co/tAeTF1G0Rm

[Tim Tsang @TimkTsang]

Reconstructing household transmission dynamics to estimate the infectiousness of asymptomatic influenza virus infections | PNAS https://t.co/4Pm8mK8XMi

[Ben Cowling @bencowling88]

Fantastic opening to our 3-day international conference this morning #immunity2023 with many excellent presentations including opening talks by Malik Peiris and Maria Van Kerkove

[Nancy Leung 🦠 ⚔️ 💉 👨🏻‍👩🏻‍👧🏻‍👦🏻 @nancyleung_hk]

our Cobovax study observed similar incidences of omicron BA.2 infection across diff vaccination groups despite weak neutralising antibodies to BA.2 in 3rd-dose CoronaVac recipients, suggesting nAbs may not be appropriate correlates of protection for inactivated COVID-19 vaccines

[Adam Kucharski @adamjkucharski]

How should we interpret recent patterns of SARS-CoV-2 evolution, from EG.5 to the new BA.2 descendent? What can we learn from other viruses? And where might things being heading next? I discuss some of the key ideas and research: https://t.co/jF0emU4c3j

[HKU Public Health @HKU_SPH]

A #HKUSPH research observes high mortality during the Omicron BA.2 wave in Hong Kong due to lower vaccine coverage (42%) among adults ≥65 years old.

⬆ in antiviral usage & vaccination uptake over time in 2022 was associated with ⬇ case fatality risks.
https://t.co/ekSoKtMe8d

[eLife - the journal @eLife]

A subset of individuals with SARS-CoV-2 are three times more likely to spread the virus to other individuals than the average person. https://t.co/BrwMWduEEv

[HKU Public Health @HKU_SPH]

A #HKUSPH & @UChicago research on childhood immune imprinting studied data in Hong Kong and finds:
▪those imprinted to H1N1/H2N2 ➡17% lower risk of getting H1N1
▪if imprinted to H3N2 ➡12% lower risk

@TimkTsang @sarahcobey @bencowling88

@JIDJournal:https://t.co/dsaC8lrvnD

[JMIR Publications @jmirpub]

JMIR Public Health: Monitoring School Absenteeism for #Influenza-Like Illness #Surveillance: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis https://t.co/i8doOpGR3c

[Open Forum Infectious Diseases @OFIDJournal]

Association between population-level factors and household secondary attack rate of SARS-CoV-2: A systematic review and meta-analysis

✅ Just Accepted
🔓 Open Access
🔗 https://t.co/VnbqZLp6p4

[Nature Medicine @NatureMedicine]

The impact of ending ‘zero COVID’ in China.

World View from @bencowling88, @HKUniversity

https://t.co/4dE8uGWRSo

[Bingyi Yang @BingyiY]

Our new Fluscape work is out @eLife. We reported long term intrinsic cycles in individual antibody responses against 21 A(H3N2) strains that were isolated between 1968 and 2014. https://t.co/j4VnGgQ9Q5