Deb Lapthorne
@lapdevon.bsky.social
Passionate about public health. CEV. Retired former Regional Director of Public Health. COVID is airborne. Gardens and cats make most things better.
Reposted by Deb Lapthorne
For some, the first 48 hrs of 'flu are critical.
Call your GP or 111 for treatment if you receive an NHS 'flu vaccine based on risk, even if you have only been exposed.
❤️+ ♻️ + bookmark
[You may save / share our image]
Call your GP or 111 for treatment if you receive an NHS 'flu vaccine based on risk, even if you have only been exposed.
❤️+ ♻️ + bookmark
[You may save / share our image]
![Black background with white and red text:
NEW CONCERNING FLU STRAINS FOR 2025 MEAN THE NHS FLU PLAN IS KICKING IN...
[Image: stop watch]
FLU?
48HRS TO ACT...
You will qualify for antivirals if you are in a risk group:
Under 6 months
Pregnant
Over 65 years
Clinically Vulnerable
You don't need a positive test. Contact your GP or 111:
IF EXPOSED TO SOMEONE WITH FLU OR, YOU HAVE RESPIRATORY SYMPTOMS
Clinically Vulnerable Families [logo]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ubv6aix4vvpwhfepzi3z4vbl/bafkreibnlc2cid22sf5fqldllwcojgtkd2quehuck4db54iyzofufel4gm@jpeg)
November 15, 2025 at 6:32 PM
For some, the first 48 hrs of 'flu are critical.
Call your GP or 111 for treatment if you receive an NHS 'flu vaccine based on risk, even if you have only been exposed.
❤️+ ♻️ + bookmark
[You may save / share our image]
Call your GP or 111 for treatment if you receive an NHS 'flu vaccine based on risk, even if you have only been exposed.
❤️+ ♻️ + bookmark
[You may save / share our image]
Reposted by Deb Lapthorne
NHS staff on the frontline are being forced to plug gaps in services that should be filled by skilled managers and admin staff, according to a new report
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
NHS frontline staff forced to ‘plug gaps that should be ‘filled by managers’
Skilled clinical professionals are spending hours each week ‘chasing paperwork, managing rotas or navigating broke administrative systems’ says a new report
www.independent.co.uk
November 10, 2025 at 7:29 AM
NHS staff on the frontline are being forced to plug gaps in services that should be filled by skilled managers and admin staff, according to a new report
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
Reposted by Deb Lapthorne
The public are fed the lie that there is too many managers and admin staff and this is the cause of monetary waste. Thus, the NHS has consistently run on very low numbers of support staff and clinicians waste time doing admin tasks and there is no time for managers to do more than fight fires.
November 10, 2025 at 7:41 AM
The public are fed the lie that there is too many managers and admin staff and this is the cause of monetary waste. Thus, the NHS has consistently run on very low numbers of support staff and clinicians waste time doing admin tasks and there is no time for managers to do more than fight fires.
As COVID-19 continues to pose a substantial health threat to severely immunocompromised individuals, further research is urgently needed to refine treatment strategies and improve outcomes for this vulnerable population. www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Refining COVID-19 care for immunocompromised patients
Since 2022, with the emergence of highly transmissible omicron variants and the relaxation
of social distancing measures, protecting individuals who are immunocompromised from
SARS-CoV-2 exposure has ...
www.thelancet.com
November 10, 2025 at 8:53 AM
As COVID-19 continues to pose a substantial health threat to severely immunocompromised individuals, further research is urgently needed to refine treatment strategies and improve outcomes for this vulnerable population. www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Reposted by Deb Lapthorne
Are online alcohol marketing restrictions warranted
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Yes
Next question
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Yes
Next question
Are online alcohol marketing restrictions warranted?
Alcohol marketing is ubiquitous worldwide. In most countries, alcohol companies self-regulate
their marketing, a practice promoted by industry1 but considered ineffective in most
circumstances.2
www.thelancet.com
October 29, 2025 at 10:41 PM
Are online alcohol marketing restrictions warranted
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Yes
Next question
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Yes
Next question
Reposted by Deb Lapthorne
If not for yourself then at least for the children (and parents) you share air with.
Put on a mask.
Clean the air.
Please.
Put on a mask.
Clean the air.
Please.
“Instead of considering that a new SARS virus might have negative impacts on children’s health, the media propped up the anti-vaccine myth of “immunity debt,” claiming that non-pharmaceutical interventions from 2020 damaged children’s immune systems…” #COVID
🚨 ANSWERED: Does COVID-19 Impact the Immune System?
A compilation of 45+ research studies showing the potential harms of COVID-19 on the immune system. Finally, we can put absurd claims of "immunity debt" to rest.
👇 READ, SUBSCRIBE, SHARE: www.panaccindex.info/p/answered-d...
A compilation of 45+ research studies showing the potential harms of COVID-19 on the immune system. Finally, we can put absurd claims of "immunity debt" to rest.
👇 READ, SUBSCRIBE, SHARE: www.panaccindex.info/p/answered-d...
October 29, 2025 at 10:34 PM
If not for yourself then at least for the children (and parents) you share air with.
Put on a mask.
Clean the air.
Please.
Put on a mask.
Clean the air.
Please.
Reposted by Deb Lapthorne
This positions the trial as an experimental medicine study capable of uncovering LongCOVID disease mechanisms associated with virus-targeting treatment.
October 30, 2025 at 12:33 AM
This positions the trial as an experimental medicine study capable of uncovering LongCOVID disease mechanisms associated with virus-targeting treatment.
Reposted by Deb Lapthorne
Project Summary:
A clinical trial to test if 2 repurposed HIV antivirals (Truvada & Maraviroc) can reduce symptom burden in patients with LongCOVID. Truvada, Maraviroc, or a placebo will be given to participants randomized to 1 of 3 groups to take for 90 days.
polybio.org/projects/a-c...
A clinical trial to test if 2 repurposed HIV antivirals (Truvada & Maraviroc) can reduce symptom burden in patients with LongCOVID. Truvada, Maraviroc, or a placebo will be given to participants randomized to 1 of 3 groups to take for 90 days.
polybio.org/projects/a-c...
A clinical trial of repurposed HIV antivirals in LongCOVID - PolyBio Research Foundation
Project Summary: A clinical trial to test if two repurposed HIV antivirals (Truvada and Maraviroc) can reduce symptom burden in patients with...
polybio.org
October 30, 2025 at 12:33 AM
Project Summary:
A clinical trial to test if 2 repurposed HIV antivirals (Truvada & Maraviroc) can reduce symptom burden in patients with LongCOVID. Truvada, Maraviroc, or a placebo will be given to participants randomized to 1 of 3 groups to take for 90 days.
polybio.org/projects/a-c...
A clinical trial to test if 2 repurposed HIV antivirals (Truvada & Maraviroc) can reduce symptom burden in patients with LongCOVID. Truvada, Maraviroc, or a placebo will be given to participants randomized to 1 of 3 groups to take for 90 days.
polybio.org/projects/a-c...
Reposted by Deb Lapthorne
New York Times: 'Covid and Flu Can Triple Your Risk of Heart Attack'
“It endorses a general idea..that infections are generally not benign,” said Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, a senior clinical epidemiologist at Washington University in St. Louis
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/w...
“It endorses a general idea..that infections are generally not benign,” said Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, a senior clinical epidemiologist at Washington University in St. Louis
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/w...
Covid and Flu Can Triple Your Risk of Heart Attack
www.nytimes.com
October 30, 2025 at 1:28 AM
New York Times: 'Covid and Flu Can Triple Your Risk of Heart Attack'
“It endorses a general idea..that infections are generally not benign,” said Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, a senior clinical epidemiologist at Washington University in St. Louis
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/w...
“It endorses a general idea..that infections are generally not benign,” said Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, a senior clinical epidemiologist at Washington University in St. Louis
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/w...
Reposted by Deb Lapthorne
Defaulting to surgical masks in health care settings in 2025 is one of the most dissapointing examples of reluctance to change despite overwhelming evidence.
Even defaulting to KN95 style would significantly increase protection of the most vulnerable.
Infuriating inertia in the HC industry.
Even defaulting to KN95 style would significantly increase protection of the most vulnerable.
Infuriating inertia in the HC industry.
October 30, 2025 at 12:30 AM
Defaulting to surgical masks in health care settings in 2025 is one of the most dissapointing examples of reluctance to change despite overwhelming evidence.
Even defaulting to KN95 style would significantly increase protection of the most vulnerable.
Infuriating inertia in the HC industry.
Even defaulting to KN95 style would significantly increase protection of the most vulnerable.
Infuriating inertia in the HC industry.
Reposted by Deb Lapthorne
#MasksWork.
But sometimes humans don't.
But sometimes humans don't.
October 30, 2025 at 2:19 AM
#MasksWork.
But sometimes humans don't.
But sometimes humans don't.
Reposted by Deb Lapthorne
NOW we're getting somewhere.
😷🤒💨
😷🤒💨
A number of viral infections, including flu, Covid-19 and shingles, are linked to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke, a new study affirmed.
Covid and Flu Can Triple Your Risk of Heart Attack
A new analysis adds to the research about the link between viral infections and heart disease.
nyti.ms
October 30, 2025 at 2:44 AM
NOW we're getting somewhere.
😷🤒💨
😷🤒💨
Reposted by Deb Lapthorne
Exactly this — vaccines help prevent hospitalisation and death, but they don’t stop infection or transmission. That’s why masking is still so important. 😷
Source: x.com/TaylorLorenz...
Source: x.com/TaylorLorenz...
October 30, 2025 at 4:00 AM
Exactly this — vaccines help prevent hospitalisation and death, but they don’t stop infection or transmission. That’s why masking is still so important. 😷
Source: x.com/TaylorLorenz...
Source: x.com/TaylorLorenz...
Reposted by Deb Lapthorne
Weird because I could have sworn the NYT told us we shouldn't worry about these viruses and should just get back to brunch
A number of viral infections, including flu, Covid-19 and shingles, are linked to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke, a new study affirmed.
Covid and Flu Can Triple Your Risk of Heart Attack
A new analysis adds to the research about the link between viral infections and heart disease.
nyti.ms
October 30, 2025 at 5:49 AM
Weird because I could have sworn the NYT told us we shouldn't worry about these viruses and should just get back to brunch
Reposted by Deb Lapthorne
The study still shows ventilation is an important measure particularly where people are in shared spaces for long periods of time. It also highlights the need for more data on virus distribution by aerosol size. Exp show there’s more in smaller sizes, but it’s hard to measure the medium sizes 7/
October 30, 2025 at 7:11 AM
The study still shows ventilation is an important measure particularly where people are in shared spaces for long periods of time. It also highlights the need for more data on virus distribution by aerosol size. Exp show there’s more in smaller sizes, but it’s hard to measure the medium sizes 7/
Reposted by Deb Lapthorne
Our CFD study modelling the complexity of ventilation on respiratory viral exposure is out today. This shows that while ventilation is undisputed as important, the short term and local effects can be less predictable 1/ www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
The effect of the ventilation rate on exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in a room with mixing ventilation
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, guidance was to increase ventilation as a way to reduce the risk of transmission. While the benefits of ventilation,…
www.sciencedirect.com
October 30, 2025 at 7:11 AM
Our CFD study modelling the complexity of ventilation on respiratory viral exposure is out today. This shows that while ventilation is undisputed as important, the short term and local effects can be less predictable 1/ www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Deb Lapthorne
It's early and I'm only halfway through my coffee so here's a salty take: Spotify should stop doing videos and get back to focusing on audio.
Bonus hot take: video podcasts are bad. There's a reason the phrase 'a face for radio' exists.
Not everything needs to be video.
Bonus hot take: video podcasts are bad. There's a reason the phrase 'a face for radio' exists.
Not everything needs to be video.
October 30, 2025 at 6:31 AM
It's early and I'm only halfway through my coffee so here's a salty take: Spotify should stop doing videos and get back to focusing on audio.
Bonus hot take: video podcasts are bad. There's a reason the phrase 'a face for radio' exists.
Not everything needs to be video.
Bonus hot take: video podcasts are bad. There's a reason the phrase 'a face for radio' exists.
Not everything needs to be video.
Reposted by Deb Lapthorne
👇🏻 our new paper on updated evidence for respiratory virus vaccines
Even as the anti-vax lobby erodes public trust, new evidence confirms that "immunizations against Covid-19, RSV, and influenza have shown consistent effectiveness & safety and are associated with a substantially reduced risk of hospitalization & severe disease"
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
October 30, 2025 at 5:04 AM
👇🏻 our new paper on updated evidence for respiratory virus vaccines
Reposted by Deb Lapthorne
Detection of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Mucosal Immunoglobulin A in Clinical Saliva Samples After a Dose of Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine
Detection of Anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 Mucosal Immunoglobulin A in Clinical Saliva Samples After a Dose of Novavax COVID‐19 Vaccine
Immunoglobulin (Ig) A acts as a first line of defense against respiratory pathogens. Mucosal IgA in salivary and nasal passages has a rapid response to antigens and can play a protective role against...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
October 24, 2025 at 4:23 AM
Detection of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Mucosal Immunoglobulin A in Clinical Saliva Samples After a Dose of Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine
The effect of Metformin on post Covid disease risk. academic.oup.com/cid/advance-...
Validate User
academic.oup.com
October 15, 2025 at 5:48 AM
The effect of Metformin on post Covid disease risk. academic.oup.com/cid/advance-...
Reposted by Deb Lapthorne
⚡Please watch this powerful, emotive & furious speech by Violet Affleck at #UNGA80
She rightly states that for children there has been a neglect of the highest order, even though we have the tech
"Our present is being stolen in front of our eyes"
👉Clean Air is a human right
She rightly states that for children there has been a neglect of the highest order, even though we have the tech
"Our present is being stolen in front of our eyes"
👉Clean Air is a human right
September 24, 2025 at 12:36 AM
⚡Please watch this powerful, emotive & furious speech by Violet Affleck at #UNGA80
She rightly states that for children there has been a neglect of the highest order, even though we have the tech
"Our present is being stolen in front of our eyes"
👉Clean Air is a human right
She rightly states that for children there has been a neglect of the highest order, even though we have the tech
"Our present is being stolen in front of our eyes"
👉Clean Air is a human right
Reposted by Deb Lapthorne
13 million clinically vulnerable people have no NHS vaccine access this Winter. We urgently need masks in healthcare.
#Covidisairborne.
Please consider voting in the poll 🙏
#Covidisairborne.
Please consider voting in the poll 🙏
September 24, 2025 at 5:34 PM
13 million clinically vulnerable people have no NHS vaccine access this Winter. We urgently need masks in healthcare.
#Covidisairborne.
Please consider voting in the poll 🙏
#Covidisairborne.
Please consider voting in the poll 🙏
Reposted by Deb Lapthorne
'Long COVID linked to heavier periods and symptom flare-ups during menstruation'
'New evidence shows long COVID may intensify bleeding and trigger phase-specific symptom surges, revealing hidden hormonal and immune disruptions in the menstrual cycle'
www.news-medical.net/news/2025091...
'New evidence shows long COVID may intensify bleeding and trigger phase-specific symptom surges, revealing hidden hormonal and immune disruptions in the menstrual cycle'
www.news-medical.net/news/2025091...
Long COVID linked to heavier periods and symptom flare-ups during menstruation
Researchers found that long COVID is linked to heavier, longer, and more irregular bleeding without disrupting ovulation. Symptom severity also peaks around menstruation, likely driven by hormonal and immune changes.
www.news-medical.net
September 18, 2025 at 1:11 PM
'Long COVID linked to heavier periods and symptom flare-ups during menstruation'
'New evidence shows long COVID may intensify bleeding and trigger phase-specific symptom surges, revealing hidden hormonal and immune disruptions in the menstrual cycle'
www.news-medical.net/news/2025091...
'New evidence shows long COVID may intensify bleeding and trigger phase-specific symptom surges, revealing hidden hormonal and immune disruptions in the menstrual cycle'
www.news-medical.net/news/2025091...
Reposted by Deb Lapthorne
We have a fight on our hands to keep vaccines in the UK. So please start by signing up to help the 13 million vulnerable who have had these cut. If we don’t start being loudly vocal then the US is our future and its incoming fast.
September 7, 2025 at 9:35 AM
We have a fight on our hands to keep vaccines in the UK. So please start by signing up to help the 13 million vulnerable who have had these cut. If we don’t start being loudly vocal then the US is our future and its incoming fast.
Reposted by Deb Lapthorne
Some of the efficiency plans are quite ambitious. e.g. DHSC expects to make 1.5% effieciency savings every year, compared to 0.6% per year productivity growth 95/96 to 18/19. The plans also have a lot of gaps. e.g. how exactly will they reduce sickness absence rates and improve retention?
June 11, 2025 at 12:33 PM
Some of the efficiency plans are quite ambitious. e.g. DHSC expects to make 1.5% effieciency savings every year, compared to 0.6% per year productivity growth 95/96 to 18/19. The plans also have a lot of gaps. e.g. how exactly will they reduce sickness absence rates and improve retention?