Ph.D., history. History of sci. & med.; Paracelsus; c16 Germany. Husband & father. Winding down here. Same handle on Bsky, which is now, effectively, Twitter.

Victoria, Australia
Joined August 2021
804 more followers over there than here. The Xodus continues. #Twitter_has_moved
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Andrew Sparling retweeted
This is meant to be educational..no shade. N95s are very useful for filtering the fine particles in wildfire smoke, but they are not complete protection. They do not filter the gaseous components, including volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, or ozone that can form downwind. So, when air quality is poor hundreds of miles from a wildfire, wearing an N95 helps….but relying on it alone is a bit like bringing a “baggy blue” procedural mask to a COVID fight: better than nothing, but not the full protection the situation calls for.
Confession: I cannot handle just wearing an N95 being out in this smoke & I hope I'm not the only one. It feels like there's still tons of nasty stuff hitting my airways, causing real reactions like burning, diarrhea, throat closing up, runny nose, can't breathe, etc. I hope people don't blindly believe that an N95 alone is enough.
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Andrew Sparling retweeted
All my followers, I’m sure you follow Dr David Joffe. He has had to start a new account due to being hacked and has so far been unable to get his old one @DavidJoffe64 back. New account is @DavidJoffe64_2 . Pop in and give him a refollow.
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Andrew Sparling retweeted
I was absolutely appalled to hear Bonnie Henry say "Personal Protective Equipment, the word we all dread". You may have had an instant visceral reaction to that yourself, but here are the eleven things wrong with what she said:
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Andrew Sparling retweeted
It looks more and more like MV Hondius ANDV outbreak was a super spreader event One person infected 8 to 10 others Very common with airborne pathogens
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Andrew Sparling retweeted
Wearing an N95 3M Aura because of the Hantavirus scare. Just kidding! Never fly without.
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Andrew Sparling retweeted
After going through COVID, I finally realized just how bad the media actually is. On one hand, they are easily bought and push the narrative demanded by their owners. On the other hand, the journalists themselves don't have much expertise in various fields, so they can't verify basic facts. Not long ago, Chinese state media interviewed a dermatologist, who claimed in the interview that masks are very limited in blocking tiny allergens. I refuted that claim on my own account, but my reach is nowhere near that of state media. As a result, a considerable number of people get misled like this every day. I have little to no trust in the media now. Two years ago, some media outlets wanted to interview people who insisted on wearing masks to protect against COVID. I was also invited. But because I don't trust the media, I declined the interview. However, some people did accept the interview, thinking that they would help spread awareness about the dangers of COVID to a wider audience. But, incredibly, the media portrayed those of us who wear masks as lunatics. They completely stigmatized this group using a sensationalist, exaggerated approach.
But on Chinese social media, more people blame vaccines for making them less well. Media manipulation is a very important factor in this.
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Andrew Sparling retweeted
Woohoo! 🙌 In the "good things come to those who wait" department... Novavax! Available in Canada!?! This Fall! Thank you .@sanofi !!! 🇨🇦 👏👏👏
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Andrew Sparling retweeted
I love the way the right wing media covers what I say because I read these headlines and I'm like.... yes. I do.
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Andrew Sparling retweeted
This has generated a lot of discussion, most positive, some negative, from both "sides". One person who attacked me even quoted a paper that I am an author on, to "refute" me😜. Patients should be safe from acquiring infections from staff and visitors in hospital & masking helps. Any mask is better than no mask as many studies incl our own below show. I am here visiting #JIHS and very impressed. theconversation.com/which-ma…
Hospitals in Japan: cannot enter without a mask. Security at front door stops unmasked ppl to protect patients, staff and visitors from #airborne pathogens.
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Andrew Sparling retweeted
Hospitals in Japan: cannot enter without a mask. Security at front door stops unmasked ppl to protect patients, staff and visitors from #airborne pathogens.
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It's hard to take medical staff seriously if delivering a message in a surgical mask (providing no significant protection), saying that they're struggling. Until they start using proper airborne mitigations and taking disease transmission seriously, this situation won't improve.
As we remain in a Critical Incident, Medical Director Manjeet Shehmar is asking for public support in getting medically safe patients home and out of hospital to recover as soon as is safe to do so. Thank you for your continued support - nuh.nhs.uk/news/critical-inc…
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Nottingham hospitals have turned off & hidden replies after people asked them why they weren’t wearing FFP2/3 masks that actually work against airborne disease. This is where we are folks. Protect yourself, you’re on your own.
As we remain in a Critical Incident, Medical Director Manjeet Shehmar is asking for public support in getting medically safe patients home and out of hospital to recover as soon as is safe to do so. Thank you for your continued support - nuh.nhs.uk/news/critical-inc…
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Andrew Sparling retweeted
👍😷Small win today at Costco today. Cashier wearing surgical mask cross-crossed ear loops. Asked her- “Are you trying to protect yourself from viruses? She said “yes”. I gave her a wrapped N95 and explained that the gaps on side of mask can let viruses in. She wrote down what I told her about buying N95s only and I suggested 3M Aura or Drager like the Drager I was wearing.
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Andrew Sparling retweeted
Vaccines for Flu & COVID are about 30% effective this year against Flu & Covid Respirators are about 100% effective this year & every year against Flu & Covid & RSV & Colds & Norovirus & Measles & TB & so on
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Replying to @1goodtern
Semmelwince The expression you make when someone dismisses airborne transmission in 2025.
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Andrew Sparling retweeted
Masking indoors in public spaces boils down to this for me now: I love never being sick from airborne infectious diseases. The last cold I had was in early 2019, with not even a sniffle since. The only thing I don't do is dine indoors in public spaces; a good trade for health.
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So curious that such a wealthy man never posts anything that indicates that he enjoys or is even aware of what virtually everyone appreciates— scenes from nature, pet dog or cat, praise for a movie, music, a book (but doubt that he reads); pride in a friend’s or relative’s accomplishment; condolences for someone who has died; pleasure in sports, acclaim for a favorite team; references to history. In fact he seems totally uneducated , uncultured. The poorest persons on Twitter may have access to more beauty & meaning in life than the “most wealthy person in the world.”
hello i would like to report a murder
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Good luck, Barry. And you’re doing everything you can to make your own luck!
Replying to @BarryHunt008
Life is short. Have fun. Make a difference. Cheers 🥂
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