Emily Schaeffer

@drseanmullen 100%! This is awesome, thanks for doing this! One suggestion for increasing usability - it was a bit jarring that the placement for the answer chosen in one question was highlighted in the subsequent question automatically before you selected an option, but otherwise great! 😊

Think you can spot COVID misinformation? 🤔 I just launched an adaptive exam that tests your ability to separate COVID facts from fiction. It adjusts difficulty in real-time based on your answers. Warning: The results might surprise you. I've seen PhDs score "WhatsApp University Graduate" 😅 Take the test: seanmullen.com/covidcompetenc… Share your badge - I'm curious who scores "Epidemiologist's Nightmare" (perfect score) #COVIDCompetency #ScienceLiteracy #MisinformationTest

The antivax movement is no longer a ‘fringe’ movement. It is now firmly entrenched in American health policy, and parts of Canada are seeing the growing damage due to this movement. All Canadians must stand together against medical misinformation. cbc.ca/news/health/fl…

Referring to Covid in the past tense minimizes the ongoing struggle of these workers, as Covid continues to disable or kill them in 2025.

New research indicates that #COVID19 and #flu can awaken dormant cancer cells, and there could be implications for cancer survivors. ja.ma/3UPzVWq

holy shit a public health agency actually giving you the CORRECT information after 5+ years of telling us to wash our hands 🧼

Wales’ proposed legislation would make it a criminal offence for a Parliamentarian, or a candidate for election, to wilfully, or with intent to mislead, make or publish a statement that is known to be false or deceptive. Canada needs to follow suit theconversation.com/wales-wants-to…

In this WHN Town Hall, Dr. Dick Zoutman explains why Canada’s new CSA respirator standard is so important. From COVID's toll and Long COVID risks to why N95s must be the default in healthcare, this standard could transform safety for patients, staff, and visitors. Watch the full Town Hall here: youtu.be/8QwbwppaZJs #Respirators #CleanAir #MaskUp #PublicHealth #LongCOVID #COVID #COVID19 #longcovidawareness #N95 #Canada #Healthcare #Pandemic

Today I called on the 🇨🇦 govt to guarantee universal, no-cost access to COVID-19 vaccines, including for every child under 12. Under the Canada Health Act, every Canadian deserves equal access to care no matter where they live or how badly their provincial govt ignores science.

So the BC Minister of Agriculture believes it's a good idea to fund HEPA filters & UV to protect poultry 👏👏👏 What sayeth the BC Minister of Health re: schools & hospitals?

My plea to the Canadian government: pick up the half a billion dollars in mRNA research defunded by RFK Jr. Make Canada a global player in mRNA vaccine research,

The Canadian Standards Association (CSA) has released a draft standard requiring masks (like N95s) in health care settings to stop airborne infections. This is an important step in making sure health care settings are safe for vulnerable patients. Public comments close Aug 19 – let’s make sure this passes despite pushback!

Why can't we access Novavax in Canada? Why are they always offering 2 flavours of mRNA and NOT Novavax with greater variant range and durability, and fewer side effects??? x.com/Daniel_E_Park/…

COVID can wake up dormant cancer cells.
Not enough people are talking about this. A quick thread 🧵👇

Why is the press so stupid? They are getting Long COVID because they are being infected again and again with COVID. Do you understand now? newsweek.com/why-are-so-man…

Don't assume that since govts are doing nothing to contain the spread of Covid, that means it can't be harmful. Governments are famously slow to act on proven harms – e.g. smoking, asbestos. Studies showed organ damage from covid in 2020, pre-vaccines. They're not protecting you

I don’t think people ‘get it’ when it comes to asymptomatic transmission. We’ve known since early 2020 that people without symptoms—either because they haven’t developed them yet or never will—can still spread disease. But health systems around the world keep making the same mistake: they build their entire outbreak response around people who feel sick. This review calls that out. The authors in this paper (link 👇) looked across 15 pathogens, from SARS-CoV-2 to malaria to polio, and found a messy, inconsistent landscape. Not only is there no standard language for what we mean by “asymptomatic,” but many public health strategies act like these folks don’t exist—despite being central drivers of outbreaks. Key takeaways: 1.Asymptomatic ≠ Harmless. Across nearly all diseases studied, a significant chunk of transmission comes from people without symptoms. With COVID, that’s more than half of all spread. With polio? Up to 99%. 2.This isn’t just about COVID. We’ve seen this with TB, malaria, dengue, HIV, typhoid—and even hints with Ebola. The issue isn’t the virus or bacteria—it’s the blind spot in our response. 3.The vocabulary is a mess. We toss around terms like “asymptomatic,” “pre-symptomatic,” “subclinical,” or “carriers,” but public health programs rarely define these clearly, which leads to gaps in tracking and treatment. 4.Evolution favors stealth. Some pathogens evolve to fly under the radar—transmitting more before people even realize they’re sick. Think of it as a biological strategy: don’t knock the host off their feet too early. 5.We’re designing policies for the wrong targets. Testing, isolation, vaccination strategies—all tend to focus on visible symptoms. That approach might have worked for smallpox, but it fails when your biggest spreaders don’t cough, sneeze, or even feel off. 6.Surveillance is outdated. We’re not collecting the right data. And when we do, we’re often using tools and definitions that underestimate silent spread. The paper recommends updating both methodology and mindset. Bottom line? If we keep ignoring the silent majority of transmitters, we’re playing catch-up with every new outbreak. We need clearer terminology, better detection, and interventions that acknowledge that just because someone feels fine doesn’t mean they’re not infectious. Source: sciencedirect.com/science/articl…

Scary new Covid study.👇🏽 Not overly optimistic, but I remain hopeful we can have a rational conversation about the risks of ignoring a virus that so impacts even Olympic athletes. Both why we shouldn’t just ignore such a virus… AND, why that doesn’t have to mean “lock downs.”

A new study shows that air cleaners can reduce up to 98,1 % of viral load in the air of a #COVID patient's room with confirmed positive airborne viral RNA. Rooms with HEPA ventilation had zero virus detected. 👏 #CleantheAir in hospitals and schools!👏 sciencedirect.com/science/articl…

Carney will feel he did well at the debate if he communicates well and articulates his vision for a better Canada. Poilievre will he did well at the debate if he can score a "gotcha" and burn Carney. Think about what that means and think about what you want for Canada.

"We will defend the Charter of Rights of Canadians on principle. Because it is the right thing to do." Liberal Leader Mark Carney