Professor of Cancer Virology | Viroporins, Antivirals, Viral Oncology, Immunotherapy | Own views | @IndependentSAGE @LongCovidKids @projecthalo #VaccinesPlus
University of Leeds, England
Joined April 2018
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The vax hesitant need knowledge and support, not vilification.
Pushing Anti-vax 💩 is unforgivable
Here's my attempt at an accessible vax FAQ
Thanks so much to @LongCovidKids, @Nat_Elodie_A_N
and @jneill for brilliant and patient help with this! 🙏❤️
longcovidkids.org/post/covid…
Stephen Griffin retweeted
This is basically a classical dangerous Gain of Function (dGoF) experiment. I wish the US government would shut it down.
A while ago, Stacey Schultz-Cherry and I wrote a commentary (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/article…), that ends with this sentence:
US: Bird flu has been spreading for around two months on a Utah mink farm holding thousands of animals. None have been culled, workers aren't being monitored, and the USDA says it doesn't regulate mink. So thousands of animals are exposed, workers could be at risk, and nobody seems to be taking responsibility.
theguardian.com/us-news/2026…
Stephen Griffin retweeted
Thanks to the #bluewashing ethics crisis at the CDC, Very High COVlD levels in Maryland (WVAL=7.81) are now classified as "Moderate."
That's a 2-category downshift.
The CDC downshifted the category labels for all current and past COVlD levels in mid-August. See below.
ALT CDC COVlD map (bluewashed version shown)
NBC has picked up the #bluewashing story.
On August 14, the CDC downshifted how they categorize wastewater levels to make all current and historical COVlD levels lower.
Stephen Griffin retweeted
Decent Americans: haven’t we had enough of this man trashing our reputation globally as he attacks ally after ally in the name of either corruption or his vanity and ego?
WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE
President Trump escalated his invective against Norway, calling it a ‘shit house country’ and saying Norwegian immigrants are not welcome in the United States because the Nobel committee, based in the capital Oslo, has not awarded him a Peace Prize reut.rs/3U1joSt
Stephen Griffin retweeted
#PuertoRico is experiencing its highest COVID levels in over 2 years.
Levels are deep into the burgundy (Very High or Muy Alto) category.
They just updated wastewater levels after significant delays. This graphed levels are depicted using the CDC #bluewashing system, which downshifted all current and historical levels nationwide as of Aug 14, so in you're mind's eye, shift all levels upward on the graph.
Shortcut: pmc19.com/puertorico
Direct: datos.salud.pr.gov/covid-19/…
Bluewashing information
PMC: pmc19.com/bluewashing.mp4
The Sick Times: instagram.com/reels/DcloNi1R…
Forbes: forbes.com/sites/judystone/2…
NBC News: nbcnews.com/data-graphics/cd…
ALT Line graph described in post
Stephen Griffin retweeted
PMC COVlD Update, Oct 26, 2026
🔥44 states with COVlD outbreaks (see Alt)
🔥Double wave peaks, both at an estimated 950,000 new daily infections
🔥6th week in a row of massive CDC upward retroactive corrections going back to early July
THREAD (1/4)
ALT The US has at least 44 states and territories with COVlD outbreaks, a figure identical to last week. The CDC continues to make large, upward retroactive corrections, and we are in a secondary wave peak. States with observed outbreaks include Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawai’i, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia. Additional states with poor monitoring likely have outbreaks based on high levels in bordering counties in adjacent states.
Stephen Griffin retweeted
PJ.2.1 has now been detected in Andalusia 🇪🇸, adding to previous detections in Catalonia, the Community of Madrid, and the Basque Country. Another region reporting PJ.2.1 as it continues to spread across Spain. #PJ21
Stephen Griffin retweeted
Looking for SARS-CoV-2 surveillance resources around the world? 🌍
I’ve brought the resources I previously shared together in one easy-to-use map.
Explore it via the link below - and let me know what’s missing or could be improved!
dpz.eu/infektionsbiologie/fo…
Stephen Griffin retweeted
SARS-CoV-2 Primary Care Surveillance in England
Data from the RCGP Sentinel Surveillance system of around two thousand GP Practices.
In Week 42, ending 18 October 2026, the RCGP national average COVID-19 incidence rate for England (all ages) increased…
(RCGP data & chart)
Stephen Griffin retweeted
Spain maintained substantial baseline SARS-CoV-2 sequencing and rapidly scaled up in response to PJ.2.1.
This novel saltation variant is spreading internationally, raising questions about the protection provided by updated vaccines and potential differences in host-cell interactions compared with previous variants.
A strong example of why sustained genomic surveillance matters. #PJ21 🇪🇸
Stephen Griffin retweeted
RFK Jr: The polio vaccine “killed many, many more people” than polio ever did.
What absolute garbage
I still can't believe he said this
Stephen Griffin retweeted
New lineage to add to the 'active' list.
The TX lineage reappeared (BA.1-derivative); hadn't seen it in a year.
Classic mutations: K1795Q, K417T, H182D, S37P, s2M-fix, etc.
Cryptic (gain-of-function) lineage update.
There are currently 7 cryptic lineages in the US that I consider ‘active’.
This is a rundown.
Warning, I’m going into the weeds.
Nerds only.
1/
xitter.cf/SolidEvidence/status/2…
Stephen Griffin retweeted
PJ.3.2 seems to be hitting the accelerator. These are the wastewater samples deposited in just the last week where it was present (based on 439K marker).
Stephen Griffin retweeted
PSA. Flu season is starting very early this year.
WW numbers aren't very high yet, but they are a couple of months ahead of schedule just about everywhere. Almost entirely H1N1.
If you are getting a flu shot, don't put it off.
Stephen Griffin retweeted
There is something really concerning (and disappointing) going on in the US right now.
A dangerous and preventable situation.
Let me explain.
nextstrain.org/avian-flu/h5n…
1/
Stephen Griffin retweeted
No medicine is perfect, including vax. But, vax outcomes are driven by medicine AND host.
Humans are genetically diverse, so individual responses to the same stimus vary.
Most vax responses are effective with minor side effects, but a VERY small minority are the opposite.
Stephen Griffin retweeted
Had mRNA Covid jab Tues, last night high heart rate and arrhythmia warnings on monitor - told GP shouldn’t have it as heart condition but immunosuppressed and no Bimervax available. Where is the mRNA alternative @UKHSA @YvetteCooperMP @cv_cev @pippaheylings @NHSEngland
Stephen Griffin retweeted
This is the successful "wild to mild" campaign that Kennedy canceled upon ascension.
The money was already paid, BTW.
#Flu can be wild, but a flu #vaccine can help tame severe symptoms, reducing the risk of serious illness, hospitalization, and death.
#GetVaccinated to help #FightFlu and learn more at: nfid.org/flu
Stephen Griffin retweeted
I know. It’s unbelievable how they’ve corrupted every learning from the Covid Inquiry.
And don’t miss the follow-up🧵 about how the new guidance completely fails to take a ‘cautious approach to transmission risk’, which was the 1st recommendation from the Inquiry M3 report…
Stephen Griffin retweeted
18/22 sequences from New Brunswick, Canada, uploaded today are PJ.2.1. First time we've seen this level of dominance in any region.
Four of the PJ.2.1 have S:A475V, a major class-1 antibody escape mutation that has emerged several times independently in PJ.2.1.
Stephen Griffin retweeted
With sequencing spotty & often delayed, wastewater is the most up-to-date and accurate measure of variant growth. PJ.2.1 is steadily growing in British Columbia and is on a trajectory that would make it the dominant variant fairly soon.
