We’ve had some COVID-19 news today. First, Dr. Anthony Fauci has tested positive for COVID, despite having been vaccinated twice and boosted twice.
Second, we learned that approval may finally be on the horizon for a vaccine for children as young as 6 months:
FDA advisers recommended that the Moderna and Pfizer coronavirus vaccines be authorized for children as young as 6 months old. Regulators could authorize both vaccines for use on an emergency basis later this week. https://t.co/81zxU6nB7y
— NYT Politics (@nytpolitics) June 15, 2022
That’s going to be a huge relief to a lot of parents of kids under 5 who haven’t been able to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Dr. Greg Kelly, a pediatrician, showed off the steps he’s taken to protect his baby from COVID-19:
Thread on 2 months of use of a discreet home made portable HEPA filter aka "Pram-PAPR" using unmodified off-the-shelf equipment to put a layer of #COVID19 protection around our 6 month old baby pic.twitter.com/SUhcrHo9Mi
— Dr Greg Kelly (@drgregkelly) June 15, 2022
Despite some misinformed or misguided commentary earlier it is now apparent that #COVID19 is a potentially serious, even fatal, disease in all ages
Despite this, options to protect young children remain very limited
— Dr Greg Kelly (@drgregkelly) June 15, 2022
I'm aware of the enormous privilege that it takes to protect our baby from #COVID19 in this way and that this approach is neither equitable nor sustainable – it is FAR BETTER to reduce transmission & ensure a safe environment for all
Having said that – what were our options?
— Dr Greg Kelly (@drgregkelly) June 15, 2022
Vaccines probably approved soon for 6m-5yr. Likely, as adults, to be v good against serious illness & death & less good against infection, transmission & long covid
We will definitely be getting our baby VAXED TO THE MAX ASAP but given above, other protections still warranted
— Dr Greg Kelly (@drgregkelly) June 15, 2022
Recommended
We sourced some tiny KF94 style masks from Hong Kong (Savewo 3D bear) & even though they were DAMN CUTE they were a fail because:
a) her soft baby ears kept folding forward and releasing the ear loop
b) she kept pulling them off
c) she kept sucking on the mask from inside pic.twitter.com/dAuptZ474n— Dr Greg Kelly (@drgregkelly) June 15, 2022
Cute baby.
So I started looking at PAPR-type options (powered air purifying respirator) which incidentally, is what the CDC CURRENTLY RECOMMENDS for working with live #COVID19 / SARS-CoV-2 https://t.co/3NNtCJZDLX
— Dr Greg Kelly (@drgregkelly) June 15, 2022
There's bassinet PAPR system from Dymla but our baby hated lying down in a bassinet and wanted to sit up
There are also military grade options for older kids but they're built for nuclear, chemical or bio warfare – they seemed excessive & are non rechargeable (Mira Safety) pic.twitter.com/3kbQtRaPZr
— Dr Greg Kelly (@drgregkelly) June 15, 2022
Our system uses a commercially available 3M HEPA PAPR system made for dangerous occupations like working with #COVID19 in a lab (but not anywhere else, apparently) & welding noxious materials
The unit does 150-200L/min air flow & the lithium battery lasts 8-12 hours pic.twitter.com/nlkoSLopho
— Dr Greg Kelly (@drgregkelly) June 15, 2022
It hangs in the bag on the pram handle and is very unobtrusive. The pump is almost silent. We've taken it on planes (lithium battery is ~50 watt hour, a size allowed to be taken on board aircraft)
The hose attaches to the side of the pram using a releasable 45mm cable clamp pic.twitter.com/SRym97IQHc
— Dr Greg Kelly (@drgregkelly) June 15, 2022
It's on a Babyzen Yoyo and the pram still folds easily & quickly and fits in overhead luggage compartment pic.twitter.com/ROwUcWfpgG
— Dr Greg Kelly (@drgregkelly) June 15, 2022
All that and they’d still take their baby on an airplane?
The airflow coming out of the hose is only 10km/h so is equivalent to a gentle breeze i.e. just enough to rustle baby hair. You can also see the cable clamp holding the hose. The main current problem is that our baby keeps playing with the hose and moving it pic.twitter.com/HF74gPPkjC
— Dr Greg Kelly (@drgregkelly) June 15, 2022
With the pram hood down it should take our baby out of the range of people's faces & short range aerosol transmission whilst providing a pretty good supply of highly filtered air. With the (totally unmodified) pram raincover over top it should be even better, like a PAPR hood pic.twitter.com/XTTRaBCJa3
— Dr Greg Kelly (@drgregkelly) June 15, 2022
Obviously we wouldn't do that outside in hot weather but the other risks are no more than the usual rain cover as it is the completely unmodified, tested and approved, commercially available rain cover
— Dr Greg Kelly (@drgregkelly) June 15, 2022
Obviously not perfect but is based on educated opinions about dangers of #COVID19, how it's transmitted & how to mitigate. Finally, shoutout to these Chinese parents who modified a cat carrier & did this way back in 2020, hope their family is thriving!https://t.co/xepElgagvI pic.twitter.com/5X9V5tubci
— Dr Greg Kelly (@drgregkelly) June 15, 2022
Having said that, I would recommend strongly against modifying any equipment now. Children hurt themselves in strange & unexpected ways, that's why there are strict standards. Our system is at worst, minimally effective but not dangerous, because we haven't changed anything
— Dr Greg Kelly (@drgregkelly) June 15, 2022
Huh.
Just wrap them in Saran Wrap, Doc! It's quicker.
— Aldous Huxley's Ghost™ (@AF632) June 15, 2022
— Smoke yer Pipe (@Jlisa42067) June 15, 2022
Good grief.
— Area Man (@lheal) June 15, 2022
It will take generations to heal this kind of trauma-based mass psychosis.
— A Fateful Haven (@FatefulHaven) June 15, 2022
Is this satire?
— R E (@gfyyfc96) June 15, 2022
PSA: Don’t do this
There is no studied or approved method for a baby bubble to prevent scov2
– this case cause overheating
– deprivation of sensory input
– CO2 buildup https://t.co/AUVFGD8los— Sai Medi (@Saikmedi) June 15, 2022
Me: don’t suffocate your baby
Greg: *blocks* pic.twitter.com/ymGj9CBd9v
— Sai Medi (@Saikmedi) June 15, 2022
Stereotype of neurotic people who wait until their 40s to have their first kid, and then go way too far trying to put their kid in a metaphorical or in this case literal bubble.
— River Parrish (@RiverParrish1) June 15, 2022
This is horrifying.
— David McCune, MD, MPH (@davidemccune) June 15, 2022
He’s certifiably insane. This is child abuse. Period! I didn’t think it was possible to discover a bigger, more paranoid, neurotic, germaphobic, serial alarmist, covidian doomsday cultist than @denise_dewald or @DrEricDing but @drgregkelly is the ultimate zero covid zealot.
— Frank J. Ranelli (@FrankJRanelli) June 15, 2022
Hey, it’s a parent’s duty to protect their child, but will the other protections stay once the baby is “vaxed to the max”? The vaccine doesn’t seem to be working very well in keeping adults from spreading COVID.
Related:
Slate writer explains the ‘agony’ of parents with children under 5 who can’t get vaccinated yet https://t.co/xcfRE2N1IB
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) January 13, 2022