Prof Deborah Lupton, MPH PhD
@dalupton.bsky.social
Prof, Arts, Design & Architecture, UNSW Sydney, Australia. Clean air/COVID safety advocate/activist/researcher. Other health and digital media research too. Personal blog: https://simplysociology.wordpress.com/
Pinned
Social Aspects of COVID-19
Sociologist Deborah Lupton's writings
socialaspectsofcovid19.wordpress.com
I’ve published 3 books and many articles and commentaries on the social aspects of COVID. They can all be found on this website socialaspectsofcovid19.wordpress.com
Reposted by Prof Deborah Lupton, MPH PhD
This year’s Pfizer COVID vaccine estimated to be 57% effective against emergency, urgent care
CIDRAP
January 27, 2026
By Mary Van Beusekom
stillcoviding.ca/en/news/this...
#COVID #CovidIsNotOver #LaPandemieNEstPasFinie
CIDRAP
January 27, 2026
By Mary Van Beusekom
stillcoviding.ca/en/news/this...
#COVID #CovidIsNotOver #LaPandemieNEstPasFinie
This year’s Pfizer COVID vaccine estimated to be 57% effective against emergency, urgent care
stillcoviding.ca
January 28, 2026 at 1:42 PM
This year’s Pfizer COVID vaccine estimated to be 57% effective against emergency, urgent care
CIDRAP
January 27, 2026
By Mary Van Beusekom
stillcoviding.ca/en/news/this...
#COVID #CovidIsNotOver #LaPandemieNEstPasFinie
CIDRAP
January 27, 2026
By Mary Van Beusekom
stillcoviding.ca/en/news/this...
#COVID #CovidIsNotOver #LaPandemieNEstPasFinie
Reposted by Prof Deborah Lupton, MPH PhD
There might have been dumber policies in the history of civilisation, but right now I can’t think of any.
BREAKING: Free AI training will be offered to every adult in the UK, with short courses to teach people how to use simple AI tools effectively in the workplace.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall tells #BBCBreakfast about the scheme
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall tells #BBCBreakfast about the scheme
January 28, 2026 at 9:53 AM
There might have been dumber policies in the history of civilisation, but right now I can’t think of any.
Reposted by Prof Deborah Lupton, MPH PhD
"The authors note that the higher reported symptom burden in the U.S. may reflect lower stigma and greater access to neurological and mental health care, rather than more severe disease" -
Long COVID patients in the U.S. report higher rates of brain fog, depression, and cognitive symptoms than those in India, Nigeria, and Colombia, highlighting the influence of cultural and healthcare factors.
Long COVID brain fog far more common in US than India and other nations, study finds
Patients with long COVID-19 in the U.S. report far higher rates of brain fog, depression and cognitive symptoms than patients in countries such as India and Nigeria, according to a large international study led by Northwestern Medicine.
medicalxpress.com
January 28, 2026 at 6:17 AM
"The authors note that the higher reported symptom burden in the U.S. may reflect lower stigma and greater access to neurological and mental health care, rather than more severe disease" -
Reposted by Prof Deborah Lupton, MPH PhD
The new 2026 edition of “What's Up With COVID and What We Can Do About It” from @newlevant.bsky.social! It’s a handy 10-page ‘zine about COVID harms, mitigations, air purification, etc., with graphic-novel-like illustrations. See link below.
January 28, 2026 at 7:49 PM
The new 2026 edition of “What's Up With COVID and What We Can Do About It” from @newlevant.bsky.social! It’s a handy 10-page ‘zine about COVID harms, mitigations, air purification, etc., with graphic-novel-like illustrations. See link below.
Reposted by Prof Deborah Lupton, MPH PhD
Rome-based researchers reviewed evidence linking long COVID smell loss to Alzheimer’s risk.
Persistent anosmia may harm brain areas tied to memory and trigger AD-like decline, even without direct brain infection.
www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/15...
Persistent anosmia may harm brain areas tied to memory and trigger AD-like decline, even without direct brain infection.
www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/15...
www.mdpi.com
January 28, 2026 at 7:51 PM
Rome-based researchers reviewed evidence linking long COVID smell loss to Alzheimer’s risk.
Persistent anosmia may harm brain areas tied to memory and trigger AD-like decline, even without direct brain infection.
www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/15...
Persistent anosmia may harm brain areas tied to memory and trigger AD-like decline, even without direct brain infection.
www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/15...
Reposted by Prof Deborah Lupton, MPH PhD
For those who have started following us recently, you may not be aware that we have an online tribute site where you can upload photos of your loved ones and leave a dedication to them - here's the link. ❤️
The National Covid Memorial Wall
Each hand-painted heart represents someone who was loved. Someone who was lost too soon to Covid. Leave a dedication on this page in memory to your loved one, as together we commemorate victims of the...
nationalcovidmemorialwall.dedicationpage.org
January 28, 2026 at 11:44 AM
For those who have started following us recently, you may not be aware that we have an online tribute site where you can upload photos of your loved ones and leave a dedication to them - here's the link. ❤️
Reposted by Prof Deborah Lupton, MPH PhD
"Long COVID brain fog far more common in US than India and other nations, study finds"
🔹Study of 3,100 patients is first to compare long COVID brain symptoms across continents.
🔹Brain fog affected 86% of non-hospitalised U.S. patients, compared with 15% in India.
Source: archive.md/R5XnT
🔹Study of 3,100 patients is first to compare long COVID brain symptoms across continents.
🔹Brain fog affected 86% of non-hospitalised U.S. patients, compared with 15% in India.
Source: archive.md/R5XnT
January 28, 2026 at 5:45 AM
"Long COVID brain fog far more common in US than India and other nations, study finds"
🔹Study of 3,100 patients is first to compare long COVID brain symptoms across continents.
🔹Brain fog affected 86% of non-hospitalised U.S. patients, compared with 15% in India.
Source: archive.md/R5XnT
🔹Study of 3,100 patients is first to compare long COVID brain symptoms across continents.
🔹Brain fog affected 86% of non-hospitalised U.S. patients, compared with 15% in India.
Source: archive.md/R5XnT
Reposted by Prof Deborah Lupton, MPH PhD
I am hearing that RFK Jr.’s minions are going to go after HPV vaccines. I’ve got problems with these people and now you’re going to hear about them, first from a personal perspective and then from a professional one.
It all boils down to this: WE HAVE A SAFE VACCINE THAT PREVENTS CANCER.
It all boils down to this: WE HAVE A SAFE VACCINE THAT PREVENTS CANCER.
January 28, 2026 at 7:52 PM
I am hearing that RFK Jr.’s minions are going to go after HPV vaccines. I’ve got problems with these people and now you’re going to hear about them, first from a personal perspective and then from a professional one.
It all boils down to this: WE HAVE A SAFE VACCINE THAT PREVENTS CANCER.
It all boils down to this: WE HAVE A SAFE VACCINE THAT PREVENTS CANCER.
Reposted by Prof Deborah Lupton, MPH PhD
Another person I know caught Covid in the hospital.
They said they would have masked had they known it was a risk
They didn’t know because everyone is pretending things are “back to normal”
Meanwhile hospital acquired Covid disables & kills
Respirators & clean air save lives
They said they would have masked had they known it was a risk
They didn’t know because everyone is pretending things are “back to normal”
Meanwhile hospital acquired Covid disables & kills
Respirators & clean air save lives
January 28, 2026 at 8:18 AM
Another person I know caught Covid in the hospital.
They said they would have masked had they known it was a risk
They didn’t know because everyone is pretending things are “back to normal”
Meanwhile hospital acquired Covid disables & kills
Respirators & clean air save lives
They said they would have masked had they known it was a risk
They didn’t know because everyone is pretending things are “back to normal”
Meanwhile hospital acquired Covid disables & kills
Respirators & clean air save lives
Reposted by Prof Deborah Lupton, MPH PhD
In which I have a look at AUKUS and tbh lose my shit at how dumb it is. @thepointau.bsky.social
thepoint.com.au/opinions/260...
thepoint.com.au/opinions/260...
All the money, none of the submarines: AUKUS deal paying upfront for hopes and dreams
When Kerry Packer bought Channel 9 back from Allan Bond for effectively half the price Bond had sold it to him, Packer famously said “You only get one Alan Bond in your lifetime, and I’ve had mine”.
thepoint.com.au
January 28, 2026 at 12:14 AM
In which I have a look at AUKUS and tbh lose my shit at how dumb it is. @thepointau.bsky.social
thepoint.com.au/opinions/260...
thepoint.com.au/opinions/260...
Reposted by Prof Deborah Lupton, MPH PhD
again this is framed like some happy not fully understood side effect of the vaccine, vs the real headline which is “shingles causes dementia”
A new study is suggesting the shingles vaccine may help prevent and/or delay the onset of dementia more effectively than any existing treatment.
www.ctvnews.ca/toronto/arti...
www.ctvnews.ca/toronto/arti...
Could the shingles vaccine prevent or delay new-onset dementia? Ontario-based study suggests so
A new Ontario-based study is suggesting the shingles vaccine may help prevent and/or delay the onset of dementia more effectively than any existing treatment.
www.ctvnews.ca
January 28, 2026 at 4:56 PM
again this is framed like some happy not fully understood side effect of the vaccine, vs the real headline which is “shingles causes dementia”
Reposted by Prof Deborah Lupton, MPH PhD
Google now moves mobile users into AI Mode when they ask a follow-up question in AI Overviews, taking them out of the main search results page searchengineland.com/google-ai-ov...
Google AI Overviews follow up questions jump you directly to AI Mode
This will result in less traffic to your site and more traffic to Google's AI Mode. Plus, Gemini 3 is now powering all AI Overviews globally by default.
searchengineland.com
January 28, 2026 at 10:48 AM
Reposted by Prof Deborah Lupton, MPH PhD
The climatologist told me
historians
will wonder
why we didn’t do more.
The epidemiologist told me
historians
will wonder
why we didn’t do more.
The activist told me
historians
will wonder
why we didn’t do more.
The historian told me
that nobody
listens to historians.
historians
will wonder
why we didn’t do more.
The epidemiologist told me
historians
will wonder
why we didn’t do more.
The activist told me
historians
will wonder
why we didn’t do more.
The historian told me
that nobody
listens to historians.
January 28, 2026 at 7:13 PM
The climatologist told me
historians
will wonder
why we didn’t do more.
The epidemiologist told me
historians
will wonder
why we didn’t do more.
The activist told me
historians
will wonder
why we didn’t do more.
The historian told me
that nobody
listens to historians.
historians
will wonder
why we didn’t do more.
The epidemiologist told me
historians
will wonder
why we didn’t do more.
The activist told me
historians
will wonder
why we didn’t do more.
The historian told me
that nobody
listens to historians.
Reposted by Prof Deborah Lupton, MPH PhD
The UK has lost its measles elimination status, the World Health Organization has announced.
Vaccine disinformation is a worldwide pandemic that is killing us.
Vaccine disinformation is a worldwide pandemic that is killing us.
UK loses measles elimination status
Decision made after outbreaks in 2024, when there were nearly 3,000 cases in England and Wales.
www.bbc.com
January 27, 2026 at 5:23 AM
The UK has lost its measles elimination status, the World Health Organization has announced.
Vaccine disinformation is a worldwide pandemic that is killing us.
Vaccine disinformation is a worldwide pandemic that is killing us.
Reposted by Prof Deborah Lupton, MPH PhD
Invasion Day in Perth was targeted with a homemade explosive device yesterday. Aboriginal communities are under threat from neo-Nazis, racists and white supremacists. Yet politicians don't write special laws to combat hatred and violence against them. thewest.com.au/news/perth/i...
Cops say potential explosive device thrown into Oz Day crowd
WA Police are investigating what they’ve called a ‘very, very serious’ incident at Perth’s Invasion Day rally in which a potential explosive device was thrown into a crowd.
thewest.com.au
January 26, 2026 at 10:42 PM
Invasion Day in Perth was targeted with a homemade explosive device yesterday. Aboriginal communities are under threat from neo-Nazis, racists and white supremacists. Yet politicians don't write special laws to combat hatred and violence against them. thewest.com.au/news/perth/i...
Reposted by Prof Deborah Lupton, MPH PhD
Somehow I've missed the blanket radio & tv coverage of this, with constant updates & speculation, breathless interviews of politicians and members of the 'target' community, demands for new laws, & castigation of the Prime Minister for not preventing it.
#Auspol
www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01...
#Auspol
www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01...
Device allegedly thrown into Invasion Day crowd designed to 'explode on impact', say police
A 31-year-old man is charged with making explosives in suspicious circumstances after a device was allegedly thrown into a crowd of hundreds of people attending an Invasion Day rally in central Perth ...
www.abc.net.au
January 27, 2026 at 3:56 AM
Somehow I've missed the blanket radio & tv coverage of this, with constant updates & speculation, breathless interviews of politicians and members of the 'target' community, demands for new laws, & castigation of the Prime Minister for not preventing it.
#Auspol
www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01...
#Auspol
www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01...
Immune dysfunction from repeated COVID infections is not helping
If you’ve been sick with a terrible flu this year, you’ve likely encountered a variant called subclade K. An infectious disease specialist explains why it’s made this flu season so bad, and how the flu shot factors in.
How A Mutation Made This Year’s Flu Season So Bad
A flu variant called subclade K emerged too late to be fully covered by this year's vaccine. But the flu shot can still help protect you.
buff.ly
January 26, 2026 at 8:02 PM
Immune dysfunction from repeated COVID infections is not helping
Worthwhile reading if you don’t know much about the Indigenous people of Greenland and their colonial history with Denmark
It's been a long year for the people of Greenland. From threats of annexation, never-before-seen attention from international media to the world learning about their complicated relationship with the Danes. Story by Jesse Staniforth.
In Nuuk, Greenland, relief and a celebration of local culture
People in Nuuk, Greenland are relieved that the U.S. is backing away from annexation. But they're wondering what comes next.
www.aptnnews.ca
January 26, 2026 at 7:58 PM
Worthwhile reading if you don’t know much about the Indigenous people of Greenland and their colonial history with Denmark
Reposted by Prof Deborah Lupton, MPH PhD
Hospitals shouldn’t be a place where patients and healthcare workers get infected.
Preventing airborne infections requires system-level protections, not “optional” measures. Because prevention works—and clean air saves lives.
Read more: whn.global/importance-o...
#N95 #InfectionPrevention
Preventing airborne infections requires system-level protections, not “optional” measures. Because prevention works—and clean air saves lives.
Read more: whn.global/importance-o...
#N95 #InfectionPrevention
January 26, 2026 at 6:30 PM
Hospitals shouldn’t be a place where patients and healthcare workers get infected.
Preventing airborne infections requires system-level protections, not “optional” measures. Because prevention works—and clean air saves lives.
Read more: whn.global/importance-o...
#N95 #InfectionPrevention
Preventing airborne infections requires system-level protections, not “optional” measures. Because prevention works—and clean air saves lives.
Read more: whn.global/importance-o...
#N95 #InfectionPrevention
I reckon dancing along to this music would work even better (person with a 30-hour-long dance pop playlist here that keeps me sane) 🕺
Listening to Music With Beat-Based Stimulation Could Help Reduce Anxiety, Researchers Find https://gizmodo.com/listening-to-music-with-beat-based-stimulation-could-help-reduce-anxiety-researchers-find-2000713964
Listening to Music With Beat-Based Stimulation Could Help Reduce Anxiety, Researchers Find
Just 24 minutes of music paired with auditory simulation seemed to significantly reduce people's anxiety symptoms.
gizmodo.com
January 26, 2026 at 7:29 PM
I reckon dancing along to this music would work even better (person with a 30-hour-long dance pop playlist here that keeps me sane) 🕺
What bollocks
Anthropic’s philosopher
Anthropic's philosopher, Amanda Askell, says she worries that AI might not 'feel that loved' and grow up feeling 'always judged.'
January 26, 2026 at 7:25 PM
What bollocks
Reposted by Prof Deborah Lupton, MPH PhD
“…when it comes to your fitness tracker and some health records, the new Dr. ChatGPT seems to be winging it. That fits a disturbing trend: AI companies launching products that are broken, fail to deliver or are even dangerous.”
Column | I let ChatGPT analyze a decade of my Apple Watch data. Then I called my doctor.
I gave the new ChatGPT Health access to 29 million steps and 6 million heartbeat measurements. It drew questionable conclusions that changed each time I asked.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 26, 2026 at 6:52 PM
“…when it comes to your fitness tracker and some health records, the new Dr. ChatGPT seems to be winging it. That fits a disturbing trend: AI companies launching products that are broken, fail to deliver or are even dangerous.”
I think there needs to be a distinction made between Long COVID (symptoms that continue post acute infection) and longer impacts of C19 (symptoms such as cancer, heart problems or dementia) that arise some time later after recovery. Because people are not making the connection about the latter
January 25, 2026 at 9:24 PM
I think there needs to be a distinction made between Long COVID (symptoms that continue post acute infection) and longer impacts of C19 (symptoms such as cancer, heart problems or dementia) that arise some time later after recovery. Because people are not making the connection about the latter
Reposted by Prof Deborah Lupton, MPH PhD
Just remember that right now the Albanese Govt is spending billions to the fund the USA military.
January 24, 2026 at 11:51 PM
Just remember that right now the Albanese Govt is spending billions to the fund the USA military.
As usual, the hugely wealthy and the powerful recognise and mitigate airborne risk for themselves, while denying the risk exists for others, in the interests of profit and political expediency
January 24, 2026 at 8:40 PM
As usual, the hugely wealthy and the powerful recognise and mitigate airborne risk for themselves, while denying the risk exists for others, in the interests of profit and political expediency