Benjamin Veness

@sarah_sasson Looks delicious, Sarah, well done :D

@venessb @venessb like many, it was a perfect ivory dome that then buckled under the weight of a generous cream dolloping and mountain of summer fruit 😂 Tasted good tho and had both crunchy crust and marshmallow centre 😋

May the pavlova gods smile upon me, and also upon you 🤞#MerryChristmas2023

@mbismark Kindness and humanity.

@TheRMH Good on you, wearing N95 respirators to help keep your staff and patients safe! 👏

From everyone at the RMH: Merry Christmas! Our dedicated elves/nurses/docs are on duty if you need, but we would love to hear that you are safe with your loved ones at home. Stay safe, plan ahead and drink responsibly. For emergencies, please dial 000.

@thea_m_bloom @VictorianCHO Oh, how awful; I hope you and your baby recover quickly. There’s so much more that could be done to prevent disease. I don’t understand why masks are not mandatory in health facilities and the updated boosters aren’t being promoted more.

Data released today confirms that Victoria is seeing increasing levels of COVID-19 in the state, driven by the dominance of a new Omicron subvariant JN.1. Don’t let COVID spoil your Christmas. Remember the key actions that we know help to protect you and your loved ones. 1/3 🧵

The 12-week study, conducted in Chile, can be accessed here journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/…

'It’s never too late to lift: Older people can still build muscle mass' - good news from a new study, which showed resistance exercise training can increase muscle mass and function in older adults, including those aged 85 and up smh.com.au/lifestyle/heal…

Australian pharmacies and GPs are finally starting to receive the updated #Covid19 XBB.1.5 vaccines (available in the US since September). If you’re eligible (eg all adults who haven’t had a Covid-19 vaccine in 2023) and haven’t been infected recently, consider getting boosted.

@PeterTMcKenzie @nytimes @TanyaChipsanova Congrats, Pete, and great story!

Utterly unreal to be on the front page of today’s @nytimes with a story about the remarkable revival of kiwi in Wellington, beautifully photographed by @TanyaChipsanova So grateful for this moment, and in awe of Capital Kiwi for making this kiwi revival a reality!

@BigBadDenis Well said, @thisgirl_writes. Aside from opening the window, the other thing I do in Ubers is check that the driver has the air conditioning set to fresh air instead of recirculated. It makes a dramatic difference to ventilation (CO2 on recirculated is often in the thousands).

"Spare me. If you have a runny nose, stay home" By Laura Pettenuzzo smh.com.au/national/spare…

"Spare me. If you have a runny nose, stay home" By Laura Pettenuzzo #SickStayHome #COVIDisNotOver #COVIDisAirborne @thisgirl_writes smh.com.au/national/spare…

@CrabbBrendan Well said, @thisgirl_writes. Aside from opening the window, the other thing I do in Ubers is check that the driver has the air conditioning set to fresh air instead of recirculated. It makes a dramatic difference to ventilation (CO2 on recirculated is often in the thousands).

And..."If you can’t stay home, keep your distance from other people, wear a mask and meet outdoors or in well-ventilated spaces." - crucial advice.

Greens politician @DrAmandaCohn impressive speech in NSW Parliament about difficulties experienced by vulnerable (& sensible) people when accessing healthcare. She mentions patients right to safe healthcare. Please share #CovidIsNotOver #COVIDisAirborne fb.watch/ovP_wGmbCr/

“The virus was wafting through the air, set adrift in coughs and conversation, even in song. The pandemic raged for 6 months before global health authorities acknowledged that it was driven by an airborne pathogen.” Indoor air quality standards must be set nytimes.com/2023/11/20/hea…

“The original sin of the pandemic was the failure to recognize airborne transmission,” says Harvard professor Joe Allen. He believes this lag in understanding cost tens of thousands of lives in the U.S. cbsn.ws/3QiveRZ

Another study showing that mRNA vaccines in kids 1-4 years protect against #COVID, even #XBB: 63% effectiveness in fully vaccinated, infection-naive kids & 75% against reinfections in previously infected kids with at least 1 dose. We should be allowing children <5 years the opportunity for vaccination. It's a huge risk to repeatedly infect young kids, the future of humanity, with a cardiotropic and neurotropic virus. jamanetwork.com/journals/jamap…

@JulieLeask @Thou_global The point of that article is that there are actually very few absolute contraindications to prescribing Paxlovid, which is the first line antiviral.

@venessb @Thou_global Thanks - have considered this as a potential reason. Molnupiravir can still be given in place of some Paxlovid interactions.

Mystified that 86 year-old father in law with COVID diagnosed today is denied antivirals by his GP because "you don't sound sick enough".

@JulieLeask @Thou_global Older patients are more likely to be on other medications and thus Paxlovid prescribing requires consideration of drug-drug interactions and possibly temporary modifications to other medications. Here is a good piece that aimed to address this barrier medscape.com/viewarticle/98…

@Thou_global I am genuinely curious to understand why some are hesitating. Taken that they cost; come with side effects; can be contraindicated; aren't 100% effective; but is there something else?

Know a senior #leader that would make a fab #charity CEO? I'm fortunate to be preparing for mat leave from Jan24!🤰 @StudentMindsOrg has the wonderful opportunity to appoint an Interim Chief Executive ⭐PT or FT. More in this video: linkedin.com/posts/rosietre… #charityjob @ACEVO