Rachel Thomas (@math

Rachel Thomas

10.2K posts

Rachel Thomas

@math_rachel

R&D at answer ai | fast ai co-founder | past: math PhD, immunology MS, early eng at uber, prof at USF Data Institute

Brisbane, Australia

Joined May 2013

Pinned
Rachel Thomas
@math_rachel
Aug 22, 2020
Data Ethics course: ethics.fast.ai Deep Learning course: course.fast.ai Data Science blog: fast.ai/topics/ Diversity blog: medium.com/@racheltho NLP: bit.ly/fastai-nlp Talks: bit.ly/rachel-videos Medicine, AI, & Bias: bit.ly/MLmed
Rachel Thomas
@math_rachel
Jan 1, 2022
“Covid zero is impossible with omicron, so what’s the point in even trying to reduce/slow transmission?” My answer: 🧵 1/
Rachel Thomas
@math_rachel
Jan 26, 2022
Before 2020, I never wore a mask during flu-season. This is NOT bc I had done an analysis and decided that preventable flu deaths were "acceptable". It is because I didn't know, and if I had known, I would have started wearing a mask during flu season ages ago...
Rachel Thomas
@math_rachel
Jan 1, 2022
Replying to @math_rachel
Many seem to be assuming that covid provides lasting immunity, even though we already know it does not. Each covid infection raises the risk of creating a new "pre-existing condition" that will make subsequent infections more dangerous 5/
Rachel Thomas
@math_rachel
Jan 1, 2022
Replying to @math_rachel
Even if EVERYONE does get covid, delaying WHEN we do so has benefits. The longer we can wait, the greater the chance of new treatments being developed, more effective vaccines, better anti-virals, scaling production of paxlovid, etc. 7/
Rachel Thomas
@math_rachel
Jan 1, 2022
Replying to @math_rachel
(your regular reminder: "mild" covid can still involve damage to the vascular, immune, & central nervous systems) 4/
Rachel Thomas
@math_rachel
Jan 1, 2022
Replying to @math_rachel
Not everyone is going to get omicron. And the difference between 80% vs 60% (both still very big) of a population catching it would be a huge difference in absolute numbers of people that wind up permanently disabled. 3/
Rachel Thomas
@math_rachel
Jan 1, 2022
Replying to @math_rachel
Due to bad messaging, many people misunderstand: - Severity & prevalence of LongCOVID - Airborne spread Many may voluntarily choose to change their behavior if they better understood (particularly if given options: free N95s, work-from-home when possible, etc) 9/
Rachel Thomas
@math_rachel
Jan 1, 2022
Replying to @math_rachel
Adults deserve to be told the truth. Too much public health messaging about covid has been infantilizing, patronizing, & flat-out inaccurate. 8/
Ryan Hisner
@LongDesertTrain
Dec 17, 2021
1/ Can't put it better than @micah_arsham does here. The CDC treats the public like 1st-graders. Their job is to inform & advise the public, warning of any imminent dangers, & they've utterly failed. People will be blind-sided, with grim consequences. x.com/micah_arsham/s…
Rachel Thomas
@math_rachel
Jan 1, 2022
Replying to @math_rachel
Not everyone's immune systems will be able to take the repeated hits. In a population, getting covid 1x (on average) over the next 2 years vs. 3x (on average) over next 2 years is likely to result in significant differences in how many end up permanently disabled. 6/
Rachel Thomas
@math_rachel
Jan 1, 2022
Replying to @math_rachel
False binaries are harmful, and don’t lead to good reasoning 2/
Rachel Thomas
@math_rachel
Dec 21, 2021
Harmful false binaries: - covid cases either die OR recover - our only options are lockdowns OR no mitigations at all - covid zero OR there's no point reducing transmission - you think vaccines are *all* we need OR you are anti-vaccine
Rachel Thomas
@math_rachel
Jan 1, 2022
Replying to @math_rachel
It is ableist to ignore the many people (including some children) who are high health risk and more likely to die or experience extreme illness if they get covid. Again, any reduction in transmission can save lives. 11/
Rachel Thomas
@math_rachel
Jan 1, 2022
Replying to @math_rachel
Not everyone is going to get omicron. And the difference between 80% vs 60% (both still very big) of a population catching it would be a huge difference in absolute numbers of people that wind up permanently disabled. 3/
Rachel Thomas
@math_rachel
Jan 1, 2022
Replying to @math_rachel
The intervention (vaccines) changed our goal. Vaccines are great at reducing hospitalization & death, but not at reducing transmission. But "mild" cases can still result in long-permanent disability, so reducing transmission remains crucial 10/
Jennifer Brea🦒
@jenbrea
Dec 20, 2021
Replying to @jenbrea and @mattyglesias
In fact, we aren’t even talking about transmission reduction anymore! Most of the focus is severe disease prevention, because that is what vaccines do. The intervention has shaped the goal. If vaccines did something different, then that would be the goal.
Rachel Thomas
@math_rachel
Jan 30, 2022
I don't want empty reassurances about how omicron is peaking, "it's almost over", just push through. This short-term thinking from leaders is exhausting & deadly. 1/