Not a pleasant thought but of all the possible pandemics, this one is far from the worst possibility. Asymptomatic spread is a challenge and the misery and the loss is tragic, but much much worse was possible. I hope we remember when it's over so we can prepare for the next one.
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zeynep tufekci Retweeted zeynep tufekci
Also, this is not the first study to find lung abnormalities in "asymptomatic" cases. Of course it is less worse to have a mild/non case but it's not at all clear what this will mean in the long run. What a terrible global experiment we're running here!https://twitter.com/zeynep/status/1253437512401301505 …
zeynep tufekci added,
zeynep tufekciVerified account @zeynepAre we going to have to change our definition of "asymptomatic" COVID to distinguish between self-reported "feels fine" and actually no symptoms? About half of the "asymptomatic" cases on the Princess Diamond show ground-glass abnormalities in lung scans. https://pubs.rsna.org/doi/10.1148/ryct.2020200110 … pic.twitter.com/uYVnCUZ4A6Show this thread2 replies 30 retweets 67 likesShow this thread -
zeynep tufekci Retweeted zeynep tufekci
For months, we had indications that the young/healthy/asymptomatic aren't fine. We're simultaneously not being informed of the real risks while being sensationally scared of marginal/none risk situations (toilets! joggers!). Just putting older tweets here.https://twitter.com/zeynep/status/1253438746965553153 …
zeynep tufekci added,
zeynep tufekciVerified account @zeynepAlso, as a scuba diver myself, this is both fascinating and terrifying. An ER doc in Germany, who is a diver himself and in the middle of a hot spot, finds that young/healthy COVID recovered divers.. cannot be cleared to dive. They feel healthy but aren't. https://www.wetnotes.eu/tauchen-nach-covid-19-erkrankung/ … pic.twitter.com/e6SZKZPXP0Show this thread1 reply 61 retweets 126 likesShow this thread -
What you can do as individuals: Work to make masks required locally. Mask up, especially indoors. Avoid Japan's 3Cs: confined/unventilated spaces, packed crowds, talking especially at close range. In the US, fourth C: cross your fingers and remember all this when you vote. *sigh*
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Replying to @zeynep
Ground glass opacities is commonly detected by CT scans in any viral pneumonia and usually go away. Equalizing it with permanent lung damage is an exaggeration. Happen even in asymptomatic non-covid pneumonia cases. https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/ningendockitn/3/1/3_20/_pdf/-char/en …
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Replying to @RealYeyoZa
Yes but where is the word permanent? The point is that clinically asymptomatic is not the same as nothing happened, and we don't yet know what that something will mean in the long run. As I wrote: "it's not at all clear what this will mean in the long run."
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Replying to @zeynep
We already knew covid causes viral pneumonia. Viral pneumonia regularly shows up as ground glass opacity in CT scans, then it usually disappears. This is not news. It's confirmation of what we already knew.
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Replying to @RealYeyoZa
I disagree that even clinically asymptomatic people have lung abnormalities is "not news" to many and we don't truly know if these will fully resolve (too soon to know) with no impact, or what else might be lurking. Most seem to think clinically asymptomatic=did not get sick.
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Replying to @zeynep @RealYeyoZa
There is already a significant and pretty-severe long-tail impact emerging among some people with mild cases. New disease, less knowledge.
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Replying to @zeynep
There is no evidence this happens to a large share of infected. Is half of Bergamo crippled? But it doesn't matter. Lockdowns are not feasible. We are humans not robots. We can't live like hermits for 3 years until there's a vaccine.
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First, we really don't know what's going to happen long-term, or to what percent. What we do know is that "asymptomatic" doesn't mean nothing happened. As for lock-downs, that's not what this thread is about at all. Taiwan, Japan, HK have no lock-downs.
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