In 1999, I worked with Abdul Qadir, Pakistan's great leg break and googly bowler, on his autobiography. It was never published
Qadir died in 2019
I'm serialising King of Spin: The Untold Story of Abdul Qadir on Substack
Critics of the methodology of the systematic reviews that form the basis of the Cass Review are displaying their limited understanding of research methods and evidence based medicine — but that’s what got us into this mess in the first place
Pakistan have travelled the world, of course to meet their financial needs, but travelled the world nonetheless to help other countries keep international cricket going during a global pandemic – yet other countries as ever are quick to dump Pakistan without hesitation
#PAKvNZ
"We, Russian doctors, nurses, and paramedics, strongly oppose the military actions carried out by Russian armed forces on the territory of Ukraine."
A brave open letter by Russian health professionals
@bmj_latest
Apparently we mustn't publish articles by "hardline scientists", "hardline experts", or critics of government policy. If the purpose of the UK's covid inquiry isn't to answer hard(line) questions about the government's pandemic policy then what is it?
A full strength Australian squad will tour Pakistan to play 3 Tests, 3 ODI’s and one T20. It will be Australia’s first tour since 1998, team will depart to Pak at the end of this month
Good that Pakistan's National T20 competition has gone head to head with the IPL. Bad that you can't see it anywhere but Pakistan. Missing out on both eyeballs and revenue.
@TheRealPCB
Critique Cass if you want but the state of the science is what it is: evidence on puberty blockers and hormones in young people with gender dysphoria is "wholly inadequate." Best now to focus on holistic care and new research that must follow
@bmj_latest
The evidence is clear: Ivermectin is of no benefit in covid-19. But here are two shocking examples (from USA and Mexico) of unethical and unlawful experimentation on vulnerable people during the pandemic.
@bmj_latest
4 BILLION EXCESS DOSES
In a recent editorial we said the rich world will accumulate 1bn excess covid vaccine doses by the end of 2021.
We called it a crime against humanity.
New data suggest that this will grow to approx 4bn by the end of 2022.
@bmj_latest
@_HassanF
@GYamey
Today’s press briefing started badly with
@uksciencechief
telling us that number of cases and deaths is decreasing when the numbers essentially show steady state. We all want the numbers to ‘come down’ but transparency and honesty build trust.
There is only one conclusion to draw from the Cummings testimony: We need an independent public inquiry and we need one now.
Avoiding and delaying an inquiry has cost tens of thousands of lives.
This clear argument for face coverings by
@trishgreenhalgh
was published by
@bmj_latest
on 9th April. More than three months later, face coverings will now be mandatory in confined public spaces.
There has been no meaningful change to the evidence base in those wasted 3 months.
From the 24 July, face coverings will be compulsory in England's shops. In this analysis (April 2020) Trisha Greenhalgh and colleagues argue that because covid-19 is such a serious threat, wearing masks in public should be advised
In happier news, loving the return of a major cricket nation to Pakistan to play a Test match in front of a good sized crowd with great coverage. Credit where it’s due to
@TheRealPCB
@CricketAus
@iramizraja
#PAKvsAUS
"There was never a more important time to be evidence based, patient centred, open, and courageous. These are The BMJ's values, and we will live by them to improve the health of people and the planet"
Thank you for each and every warm welcome
@bmj_latest
The UK, specifically England, once more sees vaccinations and boosters as the only way out of the current crisis. Re-introducing preventative measures, non-pharmaceutical ones, is common sense and not to be dismissed on political principle. Deaths are not ‘mercifully low’.
Short, sharp verdict by
@trishgreenhalgh
on
@BorisJohnson
:
"On behalf of all those who are bereaved, chronically sick, clinically vulnerable, the frontline workers, and citizens who made sacrifices for the greater good...You cannot lead us"
@bmj_latest
Within 24 hours and entirely independently of each other,
@bmj_latest
and
@TheLancet
published articles arguing that SARS-CoV-2 is airborne and that airborne transmission must be taken seriously:
1
2
Covid-19: A new
@bmj_latest
investigation, informed by a whistleblower, reveals how
@FDA
failed to investigate a series of alarming data integrity irregularities during the Pfizer vaccine trial
@thackerpd
with the story
“In an overwhelmed NHS, staff are conscripted, whether they like it or not, in the soul-destroying business of delivering substandard care”
Enough of the political view and the policy expert view. Hear the anguished cry of frontline staff
@doctor_oxford
1/9) 🎙️It's been so inspiring to see this moment go that viral around the world. There's a few things I might not have got across in the moment on commentary that I wanted to explain as to what made it so special & why Nepali cricket should be so proud
A
#SpiritofCricket
thread
Poland, the first country to see mass resignations of medical advisors for being ignored by politicians.
Seems unlikely to happen anywhere else but perhaps it should?
@bmj_latest
What has cricket become? T10, T20, 40 overs, 50 overs, and T100. Small crowds, no structure, no meaning. This isn’t embracing modernity. This is a game destroying itself in pursuit of a fast buck.
Here’s my annual
@IPL
tweet.
I can’t watch it. It deliberately and selectively excludes players from one country, the country of my birth, for political reasons - and has always done so. Yet, players, writers, commentators, other boards, and ICC remain mute on this scandal 💰💰
It’s increasingly clear that when the reckoning comes, the
@10DowningStreet
mafia will land blame for their own deadly errors at the feet of their scientific advisers.
The smart ones understand this and are speaking their minds. Above all, duty to the public must come first.
"We should have gone into lockdown earlier… I think that has cost a lot of lives unfortunately," says SAGE member Professor John Edmunds
#Marr
#Covid_19
People accusing me of hindsight when I’ve been saying the same things (like a broken record) for months. Started following this virus closely in early Jan & trying to put forward constructive & data-driven analysis & recommendations in media, in research work & directly to govt.
Does
#COVID19
cause long term respiratory complications? The answer is yes, and they are substantial. We're also still learning how best to manage them
#LongCovid
@bmj_latest
Fair to say, Pakistan's batsmen didn't like the short fast stuff and didn't play the situation. This isn't a '92 scenario. There's a lack of quality in this team.
#PvWI
It took us 20 years to forget how to bat; we’re 10 years into forgetting how to bowl. Fielding we never knew. Thank God for the random geniuses that keep us afloat.
#NZvPAK
While England is ending lockdown in a rush, with little logic or proper systems in place to test/trace/isolate,
@devisridhar
and
@Adriel_KH_Chen
explain how Scotland's slow and steady approach to
#COVID19
offers hope of a 'zero covid' future
@bmj_latest
In two months, the UK has gone from the lowest rate of new cases per million in Europe to the highest. Welcome to an uncontrolled pandemic in children and people who aren't fully vaccinated.
Remarkable that a young Pakistan team beat England by 9 wickets in just over 3 days. This Lord’s win ranks with 1982, 1996, and 2016 - for very different reasons. Can Pakistan come to England every summer please.
#ENGvPAK
Biden says the pandemic is over. 3000 deaths a week in the summer say otherwise — and winter is coming
US experts in health and economics argue it’s time to redouble and refocus efforts to fight covid, not retreat
@bmj_latest
@gregggonsalves
@AbraarKaran
Bad team selection, worse decision to bowl first, moments of excellence with the ball, missed opportunities in the field, praying for rain, praying the batting fires,
@ImranKhanPTI
railing against bits and pieces players. Groundhog day for Pakistan cricket.
#INDvsPAK
#CWC19
Well played England. Your reserves performed better than Pakistan's first team. Would you believe that?
Pakistan now face a battle to qualify for the next 50-overs World Cup in India in 2023.
#ENGvPAK
A moment in time; 50 yrs of the BMJ in one photograph. I’m with the other three living editors in chief of
@bmj_latest
@fgodlee
@Richard56
and Stephen Lock.
Covid-19 hospital admissions rise amid record infection rates. Deaths going up too. If all you care about is the economy, then how is it good that the workforce in every sector is being affected? Public health measures protect health and wealth
@bmj_latest
Pakistan did well to avoid the follow on but there’s no escaping the fact that this was a woeful batting display. The techniques of this top order won’t travel well outside Asia and the middle order is unproven at Test level. Hard times ahead
#NZvPak
1 Covid presents with a wide variety of symptoms (see new paper)
2 NHS still only allows PCR testing for a narrow set of symptoms (see below)
3 The push is to use more lateral flow tests
Too little PCR+Too much LFTs = uncontrolled pandemic
@bmj_latest
Two million deaths but where is the political accountability for mishandling a pandemic response? Is it social murder, manslaughter, misconduct in public office? In a new editorial, I explore these issues and how accountability is possible
@bmj_latest
This is nonsense. The investigation was fully fact checked and legally checked. It’s no surprise that Pfizer and FDA are saying there is nothing to see here. There is and trial participants and the public deserve better
@thackerpd
@FreePressDean
Some of your fact check is great - i.e. statements from all the players - but where does the sentence "On Twitter, Jackson does not express unreserved support for COVID vaccines" fit into a *fact check*?
@thackerpd
@KamranAbbasi
Verdict on tonight’s
#RCPEGM
will be a damning one. It was a misjudgement of mood, safety concerns, and data. The college position of supporting motions 1-4 but opposing motion 5 is an illogical one. “The pause” may require definition but it demands exploration. A rethink needed.
“Health is deteriorating from the cradle to the grave.”
The latest paper in our BMJ Commission on the Future of the NHS, by
@MichaelMarmot
et al
@bmj_latest
. NHS and the whole of society must act on social determinants of health for a healthier future
T20 captaincy is a good place to begin. That's where
@babarazam258
should have started and left the other formats to other players.
He seemed more actively in control today.
#ENGvsPAK
If Sri Lanka, victims of the 2009 terrorist attack in Lahore, do this then it’s one of the greatest gestures in the history of sport
#MakeCricketNotWar
#WeAreOne
“Sri lanka will play one Test match in Pakistan”. Wow a wonderful news.
@TheRealPCB
should confirm it officially so we could celebrate & say thank you to
@OfficialSLC
👏👏👏
Sir Chris Whitty presents encouraging data about 'covid' deaths and wonders about deaths from all causes?
Here are the data that show all cause mortality has been running high since July, in other words from around the time the UK 'opened up'.
NZ shown as a comparator.
"As a doctor with long covid, I feel abandoned by the NHS. In medicine, being ill, being human, and looking after ourselves is still too often seen as a kind of failure or weakness."
A view that resonates
@bmj_latest
This deserves to become one of the most influential articles we’ve ever published: why and how clinical guidelines should consider “clinicians’ time needed to treat”
@vmontori
@GordonGuyatt
@bmj_latest
We will not be covering the new NHS workforce plan at
@bmj_latest
until it’s available. All we’ve seen is a press release with a record list of endorsements by college presidents and other worthies.
As we suspected yesterday, it turns out that the Royal College of Physicians of London has extensive FINANCIAL interests in Physician Associates. This interest was not declared by PRCP
@DrSarahClarke
when she published her opinion 2 days ago. Perhaps
@bmj_latest
could add it now?
Following the
@RCPhysicians
extraordinary general meeting, we asked PRCP to explicitly update the competing interests statement on this article. This is as explicit as RCP say they are able to be at this time
@bmj_latest
@trishgreenhalgh
Lots of good from the new
@TheRealPCB
but some surprising reasons for concern:
1 Appointment of Misbah as both head coach and chief selector.
2 Sacking of Sarfraz Ahmed as T20 captain.
3 Social media output that is trivial, embarrassing, and promotes crooks.
4 Odd T20 selection
In six World Cups since 1999, Pakistan have only reached the semi-finals once. A dismal record that probably most accurately reflects where Pakistan are at in international cricket.
@TheRealPCB
should be embarrassed.
@IlonaKickbusch
I may be old fashioned but the accepted way to disagree with an article is to submit a response, not to demand that we sack the editor. This is the (BMJ) way.
The question of the moment: What are the risks of
#COVID19
transmission in different scenarios? Here are the answers based on the best available evidence and common sense - all in a clear table from
@trishgreenhalgh
and colleagues. Use it, share it, stay safe
@bmj_latest
Here's the key table from our new paper in
@bmj_latest
.
Email me for the source file if you want to translate it (please acknowledge if you do, BMJ copyright etc).
Paper here
Today's result doesn't mean Pakistan are a bad team. They put in a bad undercooked performance.
We don't know whether they are a good team yet either, but we do know that Pakistan hasn't focused sufficiently on this format.
On to Lord's
#ENGvPAK
Sport has the power to bring people together. As do health and science. This is the unity, mutual respect, and friendship that extremists on both sides will condemn and not want you to see.
Kudos to the women cricketers of India and Pakistan.
Today, I'm announcing our new Commission on the Future of Academic Medicine. This will be a global commission overseen by our regional editorial boards aimed at reviving academic medicine and its role in improving the health and wellbeing outcomes of people and planet
@bmj_latest
Honoured to be included among the 50 most influential Black, Asian and minority ethnic people in health. Thank you judges and
@HSJEditor
It's great that
@HSJnews
recognises the positive impact that ethnic minorities have on people's health
Why is to so hard to give Africa the vaccine technology that Africa really wants? "Pfizer and BioNTech see this ability to save lives without help as a threat. Africa’s technological independence doesn’t fit their business plans."
My latest in
@bmj_latest
This is the most pathetic showing on a tour of Australia in living memory - and there have been some bad ones. Too much inexperience for such a tough tour. Misbah can’t continue as coach and chief selector
#AusvPak
If you want the pandemic to end, support our urgent call for global vaccine equity.
Companies aided by politicians are profiteering from vaccine inequity. It is a crime against humanity - and must be stopped.
@_HassanF
@GYamey
and I
@bmj_latest
If Pakistan do win this, considering the experience of these players, this might be the most surprising and best win by a Pakistan team in England. Yes, England are playing poorly but Pakistan's level of performance and discipline is exceptional in all departments.
#EngvPak
The big question: How does the
#covid19
pandemic end?
The answer is 'sustainable endemicity', as
@gmleunghku
@bencowling88
et al explain.
Plus the challenges and options for East Asian countries that pursued 'elimination' strategies
@bmj_latest
If you wanted to stick your knife deeper into UK’s public health response to
#COVID19
, Boris Johnson
@10DowningStreet
just did it. Perhaps this is the outcome he wants? People disregarding lockdown, the virus ‘running hot’, and folk going back to the old normal at any human cost?
Michael Marmot, world expert on social determinants of health, says
@10DowningStreet
was wrong to pin racial disparities solely on socioeconomic factors. The Sewell report 'misused evidence' to wrongly conclude structural racism doesn't exist
@bmj_latest
NEW: Public health measures (masks, distancing, hand washing) reduce incidence of
#COVID19
based on best available evidence ⬇️
Research:
Editorial by
@SusanMichie
et al examines the study's strengths and weaknesses:
@bmj_latest
What is the reason for the high transmission rate of SARS-Cov-2? When are people most infectious? What is the role of asymptomatic spread? Find out what we do and do not know in this free education article from
@bmj_latest
Airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 beyond 2m is real, and ventilation and mask wearing (surgical and face coverings) are both important
A 'rapid' expert review by Public Health England convened Feb 2021, reported last week
It deserves greater attention
If seeking answers for 200,000 pandemic deaths leads to false accusations against
@bmj_latest
of “fuelling a culture war”, then so be it. The only people “fuelling a culture war” in this case are
@Telegraph
Low O2 sats and raised inflammatory markers on hospital admission are stronger predictors of poor outcomes in
#COVID19
than the better known ones (age and comorbidities) finds new research from New York, one of 3 large datasets just published
@bmj_latest
🔴 Exclusive: Half of Britain’s imported coronavirus cases originate from Pakistan, amid calls for tougher quarantine checks on arrivals from "high risk" countries
Wind back to 1999. Twenty years of doing the right thing and long term planning results in India dominating in Australia. Twenty years of compounding errors and short term thinking means Pakistan’s humiliation in South Africa continues
@TheRealPCB
@BCCI
#TestCricket