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Steve Griffin

@profstevegriffin.bsky.social
10K followers 6.2K following 929 posts

Professor of Cancer Virology, University of Leeds. Co-Chair, Independent SAGE

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Reposted by Steve Griffin
Prof Sheena Cruickshank @sheencr.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Last year RFKJr and Trumps made wild claims about Tylenol and the risk in pregnancy of children developing autism that were not backed up by science in any way. This led to a drop in its use as women became anxious about risking their baby. Now researchers have looked at social media influence
cidrap.umn.edu
Tylenol use in pregnant women visiting ED dropped after Trump’s unfounded autism claim
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Steve Griffin @profstevegriffin.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
There were many in development, either targeting more evolutionary stable parts of spike, eg in S2, or with multiple CoV targets. I've not looked at the pharma vax clinical trial pipeline for a while, but expect many preclinical projects lost to the NIH cull 🤬 @sheencr.bsky.social will know
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CNN @cnn.com · 04/10/2026
Russian authorities are responding to an incident in which a suspected dangerous infection was released as a result of a laboratory accident in Siberia and a researcher died. cnn.it/4i2BCfj
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Mike Honey @mikehoney.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Report link: mike-honey.github.io/covid-19-gen... 🧵 ends
mike-honey.github.io
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Mike Honey @mikehoney.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Variant Hunters Federico Guelli and Ryan Hisner highlighted the mutations associated with PJ.2.1, which are growing in frequency in US wastewater. bsky.app/profile/ryan... 🧵
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Mike Honey @mikehoney.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Variant Hunter Ryan Hisner (who first spotted PJ.2.1) highlighted a new sample from New York with the advantageous Spike A475V mutation. As they noted, evolutionary developments like this will accelerate the spread of this variant. bsky.app/profile/ryan... 🧵
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Mike Honey @mikehoney.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Here's the latest variant picture with a global scope, to the end of August. XFG.* "Stratus" variants remained dominant, finishing at 46% frequency. On this thread I’ll give an update on the progress of the new saltation variant PJ.2.1. 🧵
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Mike Honey @mikehoney.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Reported samples of saltation variant PJ.2.1 doubled during the week to 92, with further samples from across North America and Spain. New Brunswick has reported a chain of recent samples. 2 of the samples reported from the US were International Travellers, arriving from Germany and Cuba. 🧵
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TheFirstGirlySwotsToJoinBlueSky @thelastgirlyswots.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
. If you're a student (or a friend or relative is) please get vaccinated against #Meningitis B! It is very serious and can lead to sepsis, amputations or even death within 24 hours... It's free at your local community pharmacy. More details from the NHS, your college/uni or x.com/TheLastPerso...
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Reposted by Steve Griffin
Prof Sheena Cruickshank @sheencr.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
He also makes it v clear that changing vax is his plan saying that he would’ve made sweeping changes “on day one” but that he had to follow the law in order to make permanent change. He must be impeached.
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Prof Sheena Cruickshank @sheencr.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
He makes wild allegations including linking many conditions including allergy for which there is zero evidence for to vaccine injury. He has been eying the vaccine compensation programme for a while and there are fears he will broaden criteria- his statements add weight to that
sheenacruickshankimmunology.substack.com
RFK Jr is systematically undermining vaccines in the US causing impacts for vaccine trust around the world.
Vaccine access and equity is being undermined
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Reposted by Steve Griffin
Prof Sheena Cruickshank @sheencr.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
RFKJr clearly feeling confident about the changes he can continue make and accelerate as he goes full anti-vaccine at the Children’s Health Defense conference
theguardian.com
RFK Jr promises anti-vaxxers a ‘friend at the White House’ amid deadly measles outbreak
The US health secretary added that he would’ve made sweeping changes ‘on day one’ but he had to follow the law
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Steve Griffin @profstevegriffin.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
The answer is simple, look at who is head of HHS, NIH, and CDC!
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Reposted by Steve Griffin
Prof Sheena Cruickshank @sheencr.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Tragic to hear that a third person has died after contracting measles in Pennsylvania. Also why must there be political gameplay over these deaths? Measles can cause a very severe illness and i don’t understand why usa powers are trying to shift blame from the virus to other factors.
theguardian.com
Pennsylvania reports apparent third measles-related death amid outbreak
Jefferson county coroner says 40-year-old woman died on Saturday, while two infants died with disease in August
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Aris Katzourakis @ariskatzourakis.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Our paper on the enigmatic alpharetrovirus lineage in bats is out! Huge credit to @emma-harding.bsky.social, and of course all co-authors involved in helping experiment, draft, analyse and discuss. @biology.ox.ac.uk @ox.ac.uk #paleovirology journals.plos.org/plosgenetics...
journals.plos.org
An ancient alpharetrovirus lineage in bats: Evolutionary insights and possible roles in reproduction
Author summary Retroviruses are important pathogens, providing constant selective pressure and sources of genetic variability throughout vertebrate evolution. Significant evolutionary leaps have been ...
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Prof Sheena Cruickshank @sheencr.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
More political gameplay over tragic deaths by RFKJr as the CDC abruptly change how death information is counted and continue to avoid fully acknowledging the 3 recent fatalities of people infected with measles as being due to having the infection. Measles is preventable - please do get a vaccine
theguardian.com
Trump administration changes how it counts measles deaths amid Pennsylvania outbreak
CDC announces changes to how it reports measles deaths as Pennsylvania continues to confirm more cases
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Reposted by Steve Griffin
Aris Katzourakis @ariskatzourakis.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Wrote up a piece for @theconversation.com on whether ancient smallpox can be brought back from 500 year old smallpox DNA (I wouldn't worry about that) and what the smallpox samples from the Chilean burial sites show us. theconversation.com/can-an-ancie...
theconversation.com
Can an ancient virus be brought back to life? What 500-year-old smallpox DNA reveals
Smallpox DNA from two people buried in Chile reveals the virus’s arrival through European colonisation – but recreating it would require deliberate laboratory work.
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Steve Griffin @profstevegriffin.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Excellent stuff from Paul, as ever...I'm sure certain folks are up in arms about the fact that evolution is more powerful than faked GoF plots!
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Reposted by Steve Griffin
Aris Katzourakis @ariskatzourakis.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
"Such events are, therefore, likely commonplace in coronavirus populations of a size that occurs in nature."
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Aris Katzourakis @ariskatzourakis.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Neat experiments, with a conclusion that shouldn't surprise: "We found numerous examples of potential furin cleavage site acquisition and replacement through insertion mutation during the normal course of coronavirus replication." www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
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Dr Zubaida Haque @zubhaque.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
One important principle that risks being lost in polarised debate following Jason Arday’s tragic death is this: intent is not the test for discrimination or institutional racism. The more important Q for any institution is whether its processes, practices and actions produced discriminatory outcomes
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Steve Griffin @profstevegriffin.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Ultimately, he only beat a "joke" candidate 2:1 in the heartlands of his immigration-dominated power base... No wonder he didn't show up...again... www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c5... Nigel Farage wins Clacton by-election that major parties boycotted - live updates - BBC News
bbc.co.uk
Nigel Farage wins Clacton by-election that major parties boycotted - live updates
The Reform UK leader won 22,239 votes while Count Binface came second with 9,455.
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Reposted by Steve Griffin
Prof Sheena Cruickshank @sheencr.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
This is SUCH important research. Many vaccines require storage at cold or ultra-cold temperatures which limits shelf-life once thawed AND is exceptionally challenging in shipping vaccines and for resource poor countries. This research shows potential for dried vaccines that don't need cold storage!
bbc.co.uk
Half of vaccines are binned - this plant could change that
Scientists have kept vaccines stable at room temperature for a year, which could transform global vaccination.
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Trish Greenhalgh @trishgreenhalgh.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
😡
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Martin McKee @martinmckee.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
And some people want to include clinical trials in prediction markets… what could possibly go wrong? www.npr.org/2026/08/07/n...
npr.org
Kalshi and Polymarket bets on clinical trials criticized as 'ghastly'
Researchers warn betting on clinical trials could incentivize insider trading and interfere with drug development. But Kalshi and Polymarket say they provide valuable information to patients.
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Kit Yates @kityates.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
At least, Essex police have confirmed they didn’t advised any candidate to not stay away from the count: “We have a proportionate and robust policing operation to ensure the safety and security of all participants in the count.” 2/2
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Trish Greenhalgh @trishgreenhalgh.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
😂😂😂
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Aris Katzourakis @ariskatzourakis.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Interested in endogenous viral elements? Then this meeting next February should be your diaries! Pleased to be invited as a speaker! royalsociety.org/science-even...
royalsociety.org
Endogenous viral elements | Royal Society
Theo Murphy meeting organised by Dr Katy Brown, Dr Emma Harding and Professor Rachael Tarlinton
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Steve Griffin @profstevegriffin.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Bhattacharya was talking scientifically illiterate 💩 in 2020, and some things don't change. Why he feels his sham position at NIH gives him licence to criticise Tony Fauci is beyond me. Clearly politics, not policy, as with all things GBD/AIER related.
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 11/08/2026
a stammering NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya criticizes Dr Fauci: "He leaned into the mandates, denying natural immunity" 🥴
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Steve Griffin @profstevegriffin.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Spot on, Zubaida 👍
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Dr Zubaida Haque @zubhaque.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
We need to separate two distinct failures: 1/Schools stayed closed longer than they needed to bec the govt failed to put in strong mitigation measures to make them safe 2/Johnson failed to invest properly in helping children recover – a failure that led Sir Kevan Collins to resign as “catch‑up tsar”
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Dr Zubaida Haque @zubhaque.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
There are other important factors too. Nearly 40% of pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds. Many lived in communities disproportionately exposed to covid-19, with higher risks of severe illness and death before vaccines. Children do not live in isolation from their families/grandparents.
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Dr Zubaida Haque @zubhaque.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
But it was never simply a question of “should schools be open or shut?” during the pandemic. The key question pre‑vaccine was: were schools safe enough to be open - for teachers, vulnerable children and whole communities – given the wholly inadequate mitigations the Johnson government put in place.
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Dr Zubaida Haque @zubhaque.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
As someone who sat on the Education Policy Institute’s working group on disadvantage gaps during covid, I’m under no illusions about the enormous educational and psychological harms of school closures – especially for working‑class and BME children. Those impacts are real and must not be downplayed.
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Trish Greenhalgh @trishgreenhalgh.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Hey @lewisgoodall.com here is our Lancet article on Long COVID. Happy to chat. www.thelancet.com/action/showP...
thelancet.com
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Steve Griffin @profstevegriffin.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Also, had the government been pro-, not reactive, the lockdowns needn't have been as harsh, long, or numerous.
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Steve Griffin @profstevegriffin.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Lewis, the COVID measures had profound impacts, of course. However, the extent of the damage was due to a decade of austerity and NHS cuts. The poverty gap is obscene and we were reactive, not proactive. Also, schools open vs closed was a false binary, the solution was to make them safe.
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Martin McKee @martinmckee.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
FGS … We wrote this right at the beginning. For many of us, it never was. However we also knew that a failure to interupt transmission would kill on a massive scale. www.bmj.com/content/369/...
bmj.com
Mitigating the wider health effects of covid-19 pandemic response
Countries worldwide have implemented strict controls on movement in response to the covid-19 pandemic. The aim is to cut transmission by reducing close contact (box 1), but the measures have profound ...
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Reposted by Steve Griffin
Martin McKee @martinmckee.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
And we also calculated that imposing restrictions a week earlier would have saved tens of thousands of lives pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35421094/
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Estimating the effects of lockdown timing on COVID-19 cases and deaths in England: A counterfactual modelling study - PubMed
Our modelling supports the claim that the relatively late introduction of social distancing and lockdown measures likely increased the scale, severity, and duration of the first wave of COVID-19 in En...
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Steve Griffin @profstevegriffin.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
The COVID vaccine programme is unlike any other in history, Lewis. Probably worth considering why.
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Steve Griffin @profstevegriffin.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Try this, Lewis. I would pay particular attention to the section by Peter Hotez. Comparing adult and childhood disease is a common strategy used by those with an agenda on this issue. It is deliberately avoiding the fact that kids are less likely to die, at all. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org
COVID-19 and children
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Steve Griffin @profstevegriffin.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Try this, Lewis. I would pay particular attention to the section by Peter Hotez. Comparing adult and childhood disease is a common strategy used by those with an agenda on this issue. It is deliberately avoiding the fact that kids are less likely to die, at all. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org
COVID-19 and children
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Prof Christina Pagel @chrischirp.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
yup. i added this as a separate post - feel free to add more recent papers (the linked one is from 2024)! bsky.app/profile/chri...
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Aris Katzourakis @ariskatzourakis.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Also eally surprised to see @lewisgoodall.com 'just asking legitimate questions' about the covid lab leak theory. We really are well past that point now.
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Prof Christina Pagel @chrischirp.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
4. Support for children in disadvantaged communities, inc devices, connectivity, food, safe spaces to learn, catch-up teaching 5. Dedicated and planned mental health and social support if school closures become necessary 6. Build capacity to generate evidence more rapidly for the next time 11/12
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Prof Christina Pagel @chrischirp.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
2. Clean indoor air: helpful in a pandemic and good for health and learning at all times (and not just in schools but other buildings too) 3. Effective public health measures: testing, contact tracing, support for isolation, communication, etc 10/12
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Prof Christina Pagel @chrischirp.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Keeping schools open is a goal not a policy. A blanket "never close schools" is a bad lesson. I suggest these: 1. Do not prejudge next pandemic which will be a different virus and could have very different age profile of who it attacks 9/12
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Prof Christina Pagel @chrischirp.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
And covid was not harmless to children. Being at lower risk than adults does not mean harmless. There was acute illness needing hospital, late onset rare but serious inflammatory disease, Long Covid and 13,000 UK children who lost a parent. (more details in substack post at end) 8/12
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Prof Christina Pagel @chrischirp.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
In fact, modelling on contact and case data estimated that if schools had remained open during the final Jan-March 2021 lockdown, it would barely have brought R below 1. I've already written about that devastating wave in which 87,000 people died. 7/12 christinapagel.substack.com/p/the-uk-cov...
christinapagel.substack.com
The UK Covid Inquiry has laid bare the avoidable horror of the second Covid wave
It is becoming ever clearer both how devastating the second wave of winter 2020/21 was, and how much of that devastation could have been avoided.
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