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zeynep's profile
zeynep tufekci
zeynep tufekci
zeynep tufekci
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@zeynep

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zeynep tufekciVerified account

@zeynep

Complex systems, wicked problems. Society, technology, science and more. @UNC professor. @NYTimes columnist. My newsletter is @insight: http://www.theinsight.org 

floating in a most peculiar way
theinsight.org
Joined August 2009

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    1. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 21 Mar 2021

      Incredible New Zealand study on a mystery transmission in a quarantine hotel. For a while, a garbage can was suspected—one of the very, very few known suspected cases of fomite transmission. Turns out... it's aerosols. What a Kuhnian year this has been. https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/27/5/21-0514-f1 …pic.twitter.com/FIym2BVWZu

      93 replies 1,656 retweets 4,497 likes
      Show this thread
    2. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 21 Mar 2021

      Interesting science & sociology of science at once. This year will clearly force an updating of our understanding of role of aerosol transmission for respiratory pathogens. PLUS it's almost text-book Kuhnian in how it's happening: resistance, "epicycling" and then paradigm shift.

      16 replies 131 retweets 931 likes
      Show this thread
    3. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 21 Mar 2021

      Yes, feels like cold-comfort now as we are and have been late, but we're here. The new CDC director has already cited importance of aerosols as one of things that most surprised her—along with a good chunk of people, clearly. But this will bring in good changes for future.

      12 replies 65 retweets 630 likes
      Show this thread
    4. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 21 Mar 2021

      zeynep tufekci Retweeted James Clark  📈 📉¯\_(ツ)_/¯

      Nothing wrong with a (sensible) amount of hand-washing but the issue is that our mitigations need a hierarchy of energy and resources. Deep cleaning is still a big thing, parks/beaches are still shut down. Clearly—very clearly—our stack was wrong-ordered.https://twitter.com/mr_james_c/status/1373721813058994177 …

      zeynep tufekci added,

      James Clark  📈 📉¯\_(ツ)_/¯ @mr_james_c
      The UK is going have a hell of a time overcoming a year's worth of sunk costs on handwashing messaging. https://twitter.com/zeynep/status/1373721060282089476 …
      15 replies 171 retweets 1,138 likes
      Show this thread
    5. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 21 Mar 2021

      Also, it’s interesting how it’s places like Japan and South Korea and Hong Kong etc., whose scientists knew from day one that airborne transmission was a key route—disregarding global official guidance essentially—that managed to beat back outbreaks to get back to near normalcy.

      23 replies 304 retweets 1,430 likes
      Show this thread
    6. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 21 Mar 2021

      zeynep tufekci Retweeted Nicole Boyson

      Yes. Exactly here, too. They “deep clean” the pool area. The incredible amount of energy and resources going into “deep cleaning” in a completely excessive manner while ventilation is essentially ignored or is an afterthought is the problem. A year in!https://twitter.com/nikir1/status/1373731838208933888 …

      zeynep tufekci added,

      Nicole Boyson @nikir1
      Replying to @zeynep
      I think of the money and time my daughter’s swim coaches are spending to deep clean the pool area every day and pray they don’t have to shut down the program. We have known for (quite!) a while about the lack of surface transmission, yet state-mandated hygiene theater continues.
      17 replies 357 retweets 1,496 likes
      Show this thread
    7. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 21 Mar 2021

      zeynep tufekci Retweeted eli b.

      Yes. Many had been through SARS and they have top-notch infectious disease specialists and epidemiologist. Reading their documents from February/March of 2020 is mind-blowing. They went their own way. It’s all there.https://twitter.com/bilditup1/status/1373732446802415620 …

      zeynep tufekci added,

      eli b. @bilditup1
      Replying to @zeynep
      I'm still not sure why the global orgs were so wrong on this. Did these countries have special institutional knowledge (e.g. from previous outbreaks) that just wasn't considered by the rest of the world? What happened?
      14 replies 107 retweets 660 likes
      Show this thread
    8. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 21 Mar 2021

      I think it started with "we don't know so we'll do everything we know from the past." At the guidance level, we disregarded/delayed relevant expertise (Japan etc. did not). Personal level? I think it gave people a sense of control. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/02/how-public-health-messaging-backfired/618147/ … https://twitter.com/M1k3ySCC/status/1373740261608726528 …pic.twitter.com/obXpZ5dkcD

      9 replies 54 retweets 461 likes
      Show this thread
    9. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 21 Mar 2021

      zeynep tufekci Retweeted SCDC

      Sometimes people say "wait, doesn't everybody know airborne transmission is important?" If you follow the right experts on Twitter, I guess? Meanwhile, a library in one of the highest-educated US counties is "quarantining" returned books for seven days.https://twitter.com/SCDC87/status/1373755582214193157 …

      zeynep tufekci added,

      SCDC @SCDC87
      Replying to @SCDC87
      pic.twitter.com/vRJhWtnuyO
      35 replies 147 retweets 767 likes
      Show this thread
    10. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 21 Mar 2021

      zeynep tufekci Retweeted LeftyLonghorn

      As usual, examples pouring in... Not too surprised. I already hear from people, and look at many examples across the country including where I am: with three major research universities within a small radius. Excessive hygiene theater is very much alive.https://twitter.com/LeftyLonghorn/status/1373765212856279050 …

      zeynep tufekci added,

      LeftyLonghorn @LeftyLonghorn
      Replying to @zeynep @jonathanchait
      My kids have been doing face to face school. All paper assignments (tests, quizzes, etc) must be quarantined for 3 days before the teacher can grade them.
      8 replies 56 retweets 456 likes
      Show this thread
      zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 21 Mar 2021

      zeynep tufekci Retweeted Jeff Lipshultz

      I guess we can make this even worse with starting a lengthy, contentious thread on whether books can be called "isolated" or "quarantined" if we don't know about the infection status of the borrower.https://twitter.com/jeflip/status/1373767242383515656 …

      zeynep tufekci added,

      Jeff Lipshultz @jeflip
      Replying to @zeynep
      Boston Public Library is quarantining returns for 4 days... https://www.bpl.org/news/bpl-to-go/  But also no late fees so that's nice pic.twitter.com/KFan5w6iGg
      3:46 PM - 21 Mar 2021
      • 20 Retweets
      • 280 Likes
      • Alexander Riccio (#covidco2 tracker) Teoh Han Hui Laura Hollister Elizabeth P Birdsall Timothy Joutras Rebecca Davies🗽😷 Amber Bird (Varnish) Saadia Toor Dan Castro
      10 replies 20 retweets 280 likes
        1. New conversation
        2. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 21 Mar 2021

          zeynep tufekci Retweeted chrisjohn

          This is what I’ve heard from all over the US and most if the world, nonstop, for a year now—exceptions are countries that went their own way from very early on, on airborne transmission risks, like Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, etc.https://twitter.com/chrisjohn_12345/status/1373825069215010819 …

          zeynep tufekci added,

          chrisjohn @chrisjohn_12345
          Replying to @zeynep
          I have jury duty in Boston in May. Jury prep video emphasizes hand washing and special cleanings. I worked in that building and know that there is no outside air brought in thru its HVAC. Fortunately I have N95s and have been vaxxed.
          7 replies 75 retweets 381 likes
          Show this thread
        3. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 21 Mar 2021

          As a reminder, until December 2020, WHO guidance said masks were NOT necessary indoors if people were separated by a mere 3 feet/1 meter. Almost every successful country defied WHO guidelines & directly targeted aerosol transmission as high risk—and/or had drastic travel limits.

          12 replies 139 retweets 656 likes
          Show this thread
        4. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 21 Mar 2021

          (The above is a tragedy. We shouldn’t have had to go through a whole year of a once-in—a-century pandemic like this. The history is well-documented and you can find all the guidelines and news conferences—and how many countries went their own way. Only upside: if we learn).

          4 replies 40 retweets 407 likes
          Show this thread
        5. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 21 Mar 2021

          Three things were obviously key to target mitigations: this was like SARS in two key ways—airborne and overdispersed—and not like SARS is one important way—presymptomatic transmission. Some countries had all three by March 2020. This is going to be a striking history book. Sigh.

          9 replies 73 retweets 390 likes
          Show this thread
        6. zeynep tufekci‏Verified account @zeynep 21 Mar 2021

          zeynep tufekci Retweeted Christine (she/they)  🏳️‍🌈

          Okay, this is the longest I’ve seen.https://twitter.com/Spectatrix23/status/1373838693023223808 …

          zeynep tufekci added,

          Christine (she/they)  🏳️‍🌈 @Spectatrix23
          Replying to @zeynep
          My library quarantines returned materials for 14 days. 😬
          16 replies 13 retweets 165 likes
          Show this thread
        7. End of conversation
        1. New conversation
        2. Conor O’Sullivan‏ @conor610 21 Mar 2021
          Replying to @zeynep

          Serious question: does the virus simply not spread via surfaces at all, or is it that spread is so much more via air that it’s just bad resource management to clean? Ie, is there a problem with quarantining books?

          1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes
        3. R.W. Ruedii 🌹 🍞✮Ⓐ  🐧‏ @RobertWmRuedii 21 Mar 2021
          Replying to @conor610 @zeynep

          Any virus that is spread easily via air, spreads much more via air. Specifically on this case, it is micro-droplet capable, but not true airborne or nano-droplet capable. This means that even the little produced P85 mask would be more the sufficient to 100% block the virus.

          1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes
        4. Show replies
        1. Amanda Smithfield‏ @asmithfield 21 Mar 2021
          Replying to @zeynep

          Let me tell you, as a school librarian, the amount of pandemic theater I have to go through makes me sad.

          0 replies 0 retweets 3 likes
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        1. phil‏ @calizoned 21 Mar 2021
          Replying to @zeynep

          New Zealand had a record 100 days without transmission last year and then cases started popping up again. What could that be attributable to if not fomite? How else did it get on the island? I don’t think fomite transmission is basically non-existent, and thus it’s not theater.

          0 replies 0 retweets 0 likes
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        1. New conversation
        2. R.W. Ruedii 🌹 🍞✮Ⓐ  🐧‏ @RobertWmRuedii 21 Mar 2021
          Replying to @zeynep @bear_risa

          I think 4 days is a little longer than necessary. If I recall, the dry surface life span of the COVID virus is under 48 hours (typically under 8, but I don't know if the books contain anything that could be considered an ideal surface.).

          1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes
        3. Polyhymnia  ☸️‏ @bear_risa 22 Mar 2021
          Replying to @RobertWmRuedii @zeynep

          The ideal surface is chain-laid rag paper, letterpress printed in ten on twelve Baskerville.pic.twitter.com/n53VmMKggA

          1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes
        4. Show replies

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