@[email protected]

Inactive account due to Musk. Muting advertisers & blue checks paying Musk to destroy Twitter. Former VP of research/advisory of #CX. @[email protected]

[@[email protected] @augieray]

I'm leaving Twitter (at least for now).
You're not “fighting a good” fight on #ElonMusk's Twitter. He OWNS it. You are only creating engagement that lifts usage data & ad revenue.
Want to fight a good fight? Join me on Mastodon: @[email protected]
https://t.co/Bl8h1TbSxV

[@[email protected] @augieray]

@beansprouts_mom Respectfully, I think you may be wrong here. The rate of mortality and CAD rises every year in any population. In fact, at an average age of 45, mortality is between .4-.5% a year for men and .2-.3% for women--right in line with the blue line in graph D. https://t.co/PHDBIg8yJy

[@[email protected] @augieray]

@CovidDataReport I am not a COVID denier—I masked last week—but I think this sort of language helps no one. Just 1 trip in a car can "screw the rest of your life up" due to accidents, but you still drive, don't you? We need to help people balance risks & rewards, not exaggerate, IMO.

[@[email protected] @augieray]

@CovidDataReport In the coming weeks, the South might see a rise, but COVID in wastewater is a MUCH better signal, and it's still declining in the South.

I check both wastewater the ED epidemic trends every week, and that epidemic trends page is not a reliable indicator.

https://t.co/DCXCw6AzWu

[@[email protected] @augieray]

@CovidDataReport If you track this week to week, you'll already know this is very much NOT predictive of future weeks. ED data is a weak signal for Rt, and this dashboard changes from week to week. I would interpret this with a bit more caution.

[@[email protected] @augieray]

@Kenneth33071904 @TriciaDearborn I don't have a crystal ball. What I said was that if trends continue, we're out of the pandemic. Once again, EVERY PERSON saying we're still in one refuses to say what their definition is of the end. So, you can make fun of me all you want, but I put a stake in the ground!

[@[email protected] @augieray]

@Kenneth33071904 @TriciaDearborn I keep seeing people saying we're IN a COVID pandemic still, but when I ask their definition of post-COVID, they never (and I mean NEVER) answer. I masked last week. I'm still careful. But it's fair to ask for a definition of people who perpetually suggest we're in a pandemic.

[@[email protected] @augieray]

@Kenneth33071904 @TriciaDearborn That does not mean COVID is gone or risks are nil. Flu still infects millions and kills 10s of thousands of Americans each year. But, we don't say we're in a flu pandemic. I think COVID might be reaching that same point, but again, I'll be watching trends this summer and winter.

[@[email protected] @augieray]

@HarrySpoelstra True, and I appreciate the clarification, but the statement in your post implied the study found something it did not. You're typically very thorough, so I thought I'd point it out.

[@[email protected] @augieray]

@Sayedabdelwhab Not sure if you can answer this, but this study seems contradictory. Each year's flu vaccine protects from the strain circulating that respiratory season. How can getting vaccinated in February (late in the season) be more protective than September (pre-respiratory season)?

[@[email protected] @augieray]

@MaureenB2B @BarryHunt008 I feel caught between COVID alarmists who, IMO, exaggerate risks and everyone else who ignored them.

I adjust my cautions with risk, as I would with the weather. With COVID risks low, it changes my caution equation.

[@[email protected] @augieray]

@MaureenB2B @BarryHunt008 COVID hospitalizations are the lowest since March 2020.

Also, the positive rate of testing is half as low as it's ever been in a year.

And COVID in wastewater is at its lowest point in 4 years.

https://t.co/KOjTD57huL

https://t.co/zo19UZy71N

https://t.co/RFnLdhdq0a

[@[email protected] @augieray]

@alyssaschwartz @TriciaDearborn Fauci said that in 2020 and 2021, when we had hope the COVID vaccine would be sterilizing or significantly effective. I don't think his definitions from five years ago fit with what we know today. The US had 51 million cases of flu last year, yet we don't consider it a pandemic.

[@[email protected] @augieray]

@Kenneth33071904 @TriciaDearborn We are always going to have surges with COVID, just as we do with flu and RSV. Waiting for a year with no surge to declare the pandemic ended isn't realistic, unless you think we're also in a flu and RSV pandemic because they they surge every year.

[@[email protected] @augieray]

@BarryHunt008 There is a significant risk of flying (which is why I still mask, particularly when CO2 is high). But I think we can acknowledge that, despite 2.5M air passengers flying in the US daily and 98% of them unmasked, COVID has been steadily declining for years in the US.

[@[email protected] @augieray]

@BarryHunt008 Thanks for sharing that study. It is more appropriate for the reasons you noted.

As for if the risk is "huge," studies show that proximity to index cases is associated with higher risk, but flying with a positive case hardly means many will be infected.

https://t.co/JSAHeWqyIV

[@[email protected] @augieray]

@BarryHunt008 I flew yesterday & masked during boarding, deplaning, & taxiing. I carry a CO2 monitor—on one flight, CO2 soared over 3500 (very high!) during boarding. Much lower in flight.

I just think citing a study done during the worst surge of the pandemic might not be entirely accurate.

[@[email protected] @augieray]

@BarryHunt008 Respectfully, your post lacks vital context:

The 1st study you share was from a period largely before vaccines were available.

The study on COVID in flight samples came from June - Dec 2022, including the worst surge of the pandemic. COVID is 96% lower today than in Dec 2022.