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Colin Furness MISt PhD MPH

@furnesscolin.bsky.social
7.6K followers 139 following 88 posts

Epidemiologist and Associate Professor of Information (teaching stream), University of Toronto. Current research: deconstructing professional expertise.

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Colin Furness MISt PhD MPH @furnesscolin.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Is COVID surging in Ontario? I think it is. Wastewater surveillance lags about 2 weeks (which yes, mostly defeats its purpose). It reads as low/moderate. But in other jurisdictions around us it's surging. Anecdotally, I see a big bump in infections among people I know, just in the last week. 1/4
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Colin Furness MISt PhD MPH @furnesscolin.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
Feeling a bit vexed today, reading of a large outbreak of viral pink eye at St. Joseph's in Hamilton. By vexed, I really mean livid. Why? To begin with, the reporting was not well done, taking a "these things happen" tone in a case of serious negligence. 1/4 www.thestar.com/news/gta/out...
thestar.com
Some patients impacted by Stoney Creek pink eye outbreak were notified seven weeks after infection
St. Joe’s apologizes for the delay as the number of cases rises to 92; the outbreak has been declared over.
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Colin Furness MISt PhD MPH @furnesscolin.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
I should have pointed out this particular product when I talked about HEPA filters. Small local Toronto business. Entirely quiet devices. Like crazy quiet. Uses standard furnace filters. I have three of them in my house, in the larger common rooms. (Plus a small Levoit unit in every bedroom).
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Colin Furness MISt PhD MPH @furnesscolin.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Public health risks during the World Cup haven't received much media attention. But there is a capacity building opportunity here - some basic things to keep in mind to elevate safety. So how can one assess and mitigate risk? A thread ... 1/15
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Colin Furness MISt PhD MPH @furnesscolin.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
My Toronto Star Op-Ed last week pointed the finger at physician thinking & physician culture to explain why they just won't let go of certain beliefs even when drowning in evidence to the contrary. Today the Globe and Mail provided a tragically shining example, quoting Dr. Srinivan Murthy ... 1/10
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Colin Furness MISt PhD MPH @furnesscolin.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Thanks for locating a non-paywall version of my Op-Ed! Just between us, I'm livid at having had many of my words changed over my repeated objections. It does read well, but key changes muted my voice. That's never been done to me before, but better that it get published this way than not at all.
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Colin Furness MISt PhD MPH @furnesscolin.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
This was me yesterday morning, grinding my teeth on CBC Metro Morning radio about the handling of the hantavirus outbreak. archive.tveyes.com/18120/455385...
archive.tveyes.com
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Reposted by Colin Furness MISt PhD MPH
The Vertlartnic @thev.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
Infection Control Experts Unsure Of Hantavirus Transmission Mode, Advise Public To Use Only Precautions That Feel Comfortable
Scientists
Headline:
Infection Control Experts Unsure Of Hantavirus Transmission Mode, Advise Public To Use Only Precautions That Feel Comfortable
Story by Mary Edgelord and Samson Bartlett

Photo from Unsplash
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Colin Furness MISt PhD MPH @furnesscolin.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
A second hanta-rant in as many days. I'm concerned. That we can't apply what we have learned in dealing with this stricken ship. First objection: ignoring rodents, when rodents are the usual disease vector. Person-person transmission has been assumed AND that rodents aren't involved. Naive. 1/8
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Colin Furness MISt PhD MPH @furnesscolin.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
Sigh. After a few years of post-COVID peace & quiet, I did two hantavirus interviews today. So here I am. First, to be clear, human-human transmission of hantavirus has been reported several times, but NOT actually proven - in every case those people also had some other exposure in common. 1/7
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Reposted by Colin Furness MISt PhD MPH
The Rundown @therundowntvo.bsky.social · 02/02/2024
“We should be looking at COVID as... enough of a threat... to actually take school safety seriously. I’ve been very disappointed that we continue to keep our heads and bury our heads in the sand.” — @furnesscolin.bsky.social
amp.tvo.org
Breathing room: Why parents and experts are calling for a clean-air revolution in schools | TVO Toda...
Research shows there are simple interventions that could help protect students and staff from illness and other harms. Advocates say Ontario needs to do more.
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Colin Furness MISt PhD MPH @furnesscolin.bsky.social · 26/01/2024
On Monday I provided a deputation to the Toronto District School Board Planning & Priorities meeting. My 5-minute bit starts at 24:50 (below). Then some Q&A. I felt a readiness to listen at the TDSB. Glad I was given the opportunity. www.tdsb.on.ca/Leadership/B...
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Colin Furness MISt PhD MPH @furnesscolin.bsky.social · 26/01/2024
I'm not a morning person, but I had perhaps my best-yet radio conversation before 7am this morning with Jonna Brewer (CBC New Brunswick) about public awareness of Long COVID. www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...
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Colin Furness MISt PhD MPH @furnesscolin.bsky.social · 26/01/2024
Day 1 for me on Bluesky, although I insist on pronouncing it as it if were a Russian name. I'm going to duplicate Twitsky posts on Bluesky for the forseeable.
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