Slack / Private Message Drop — page 568

[Robert Garry] Quite a bit dumber. [2021-03-05 07:21:31] [Robert Garry] And same goes for Ebright. [2021-03-05 07:23:37] [Robert Garry] Important to point out that what these people, including Alina, want to do is to SHUTDOWN virology research - stop looking for new viruses and close down all the BSL-3/4 labs. THe so-call Paris group OPEN LETTER Doesn't come out and say that but it is clearly the agenda. [2021-03-05 07:27:54] [Kristian Andersen] One might think that'd make us less prepared for the next pandemic, but hey, what do I know. [2021-03-05 07:33:52] [Robert Garry] To Alina's "point" above. CDC- While rabies is rare in people in the United States, with only 1 to 3 cases reported annually, about 55,000 Americans get post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) each year to prevent rabies infection after being bitten or scratched by an infected or suspected infected animal. WHO: Rabies is estimated to cause 59 000 human deaths annually in over 150 countries, with 95% of cases occurring in Africa and Asia. Due to widespread underreporting and uncertain estimates, it is likely that this number is a gross underestimate of the true burden of disease. These are real non-lab exposures of humans to a deadly virus. The rabies numbers are staggering and vastly greater than the numbers of Lab personnel Bat exposures. Yet Alina would shut down BSL-4 and field work on all viruses in nature. Dangerous and dumb. [2021-03-05 08:38:49] [Kristian Andersen] I'm not sure what the point of Jim's article was (if there was one), but strong quotes from you Bob! [2021-03-05 09:11:26] [Andrew Rambaut] Uhh, got DMed by Tami Leiberman after my tweet. Doesn't seem to know the difference between infectivity and transmissibility. [2021-03-05 09:32:25] [Kristian Andersen] What did she DM? I know Tami relatively well and she's good, but some of her SC2 stuff has been really disappointing and very naive. [2021-03-05 09:32:39] [Kristian Andersen] "Some" = "most", unfortunately. [2021-03-05 09:53:03] [Andrew Rambaut] shared file(s): Image from iOS.jpg [2021-03-05 10:06:49] [Kristian Andersen] That's indeed pretty naive thinking - plus, the RBD can be found across multiple different viruses by now, so clearly this isn't "selecting for human transmissibility". And yeah - infection != transmission (although the former is obviously required for the latter).