The CDC’s reported COVID wastewater levels by state show that viral activity is currently “Very High” in Hawaii and “High” in Utah, Wyoming, and Maine. Wastewater levels are “Low” or “Minimal” across all other reporting states and territories as of May 23
War in den letzten Jahren irgendwas, was einen explosionsartigen Anstieg von Pflegebedarf verursachen könnte?
Irgendeine systemische pan- und dann endemische Infektion, deren Eindämmung wir komplett aufgegeben haben? Die bei einem geringen aber sich aufsummierendem Anteil von Patient*innen Langzeitfolgen verursacht? Gerade auch bei älterwerdenden Menschen?
My experiments going out with my CO2 monitor are discouraging. Tonight, with COVID in wastewater at its lowest in 11 months in my city, we went out to eat. We hoped for outdoor dining, but it rained, so we sat inside. CO2 readings:
4:30 pm: 50% crowd in a brewpub: 1548
5:45 pm: 75% crowd in a Mexican restaurant: 1341
7:45 pm: Long line at ice cream shop: 1896
I thought businesses upgraded air filtration & ventilation, but these readings encourage me to stay home. #COVID19 taught us nothing.
BTW, not many people are participating, so data is spotty, but I am taking time to update my C02 readings to https://www.co2trackers.com/home. You might see if folks in your area are sharing CO2 readings in businesses. #COVID19
@augieray there is no incentive - either tax provisions, encouragement by public health, grants, or even public pressure
the entire clean air movement is being actively suppressed, you can't bring C02 monitors into schools in British Columbia, as a staff member or student - school boards, local, provincial and national politicians run away at the very suggestion
and it's literally the cheapest and simplest thing they could do
🇳🇿"New Zealand is experiencing its highest peak in COVID-19 cases since December 2022, professor Michael Baker says."
"Despite the recommended isolation period now only being 5 days, Baker suggested people still getting a positive Covid-19 test wait to test again on day 6 or 7 before going back into society."
"The biology hasn't changed," Baker said, but there was more pressure for people to go back to work and school."
It's to celebrate the founder's birthday, so the coupon code is “KEVSTURNING45”.
I'm happy with my Flo Mask—it's the most comfortable well-fitting mask for me as a glasses-wearer. Good protection with minimal fog. (I recommend getting the optional foam condensation insert, which also helps reduce fogging.)
The colder it gets, the worse the #COVID19 impact. STUDY:
"Results showed that every short-term drop in daily temperature of more than 3°C led to an increase in the number of hospitalizations due to a worsening of disease progression in infected individuals with a 1–3 day lag."
I can't access the entire study. I wonder if cold air does something to the virus, or if it's just that colder weather means more time indoors and greater exposure.
A STUDY finds what many of us suspected: #COVID19 antigen tests are less accurate than they used to be.
“The overall sensitivity of the ADT decreased from 63% in the Delta period to 33% in the Omicron period. This decrease was highly statistically significant (p < 0.001), and no decrease in viral load was detected at the RNA level. The nasal site presented a significantly higher viral load than the oral site during the Omicron wave.”
"In the 1990s, the long-term impact of job losses after rapid deindustrialisation was not persistent unemployment, but instead higher rates of economic inactivity due to long-term sickness, according to the Resolution Foundation. The thinktank says the long-term sick are now disproportionately concentrated in post-industrial and coastal areas of the country as the “hidden unemployed”..
A couple of weeks ago, I noted that new #COVID19 variants were rising and were likely to cause a modest rise in US infections this spring and summer. It appears this has now started, but thus far only in the West region. Viral activity is High in Utah and Wyoming and Moderate in Montana and Nevada. Most states are still low and minimal (including Wisconsin), but we can expect infection risks to rise in the month ahead. (1/5)
I still expect the US increase to be modest and mitigated by more outdoor summer activities. That said, some nations in the Northern Hemisphere are seeing a more substantial rise in #COVID19. Nations like Singapore and Spain have reported an increase in infections and hospitalizations. Spain has reintroduced mandatory masks in hospitals and health centres, and the Singapore Ministry of Health has issued an advisory to wear masks. (2/5)
As always, there is a constant flow of new #COVID19 research studies indicating repeated infections are a rising risk for Long COVID and can damage brains, hearts, immune systems and other organs. My spreadsheet now contains more than 610 studies. (3/5)
We can continue to pretend it's 2019, ignore the risks from #COVID19 infections that known, and see what happens with our fourth or fifth infection in the years ahead. Or, we can take some caution, avoid crowds, opt for outdoor activities, and wear masks when we can. The choice is yours. So are the consequences. (4/5)
Risks of infection are quite low right now, but that still means an estimated 10 million Americans (1 in every 30) will be infected with #COVID19 in June. More than 1 in 20 American adults report they are currently experiencing symptoms of Long COVID. Just as we do with exercise, seatbelts, and helmets, we can take modest precautions that considerably improve our chances of living a long, healthy life. https://pmc19.com/data/
Here's a study that challenges one of my assumptions about air travel. I thought once in the air, #COVID19 risks were lower due to air filtering. Apparently not. This STUDY is based on flights before vaccines were available.
"Compared to short flights without masking, medium and long flights without masking were associated with 4.66-fold increase and 25.93-fold increase in incidence rates, respectively..." (1/2)