Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman, who identified a chemical tweak to messenger RNA that laid the foundation for vaccines against #Covid19, were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology/ Medicine.
As this photo shows, both scientists are wearing masks and NOT relying on the "vax and relax".
I read a dad's post today about how hard it was for his kids to remain masked at school when everyone else is unmasked. It takes such courage. I made this for all the kids still masking. I applaud you and thank you. Please feel free to print it out and give it to your little heroes. #CovidIsNotOver#NotAllHeroesWearACape But they do #WearAMask#covid#maskup#heroes#resistance#solidarity
We called the rural Idaho in-laws last night. Knowing they subsist on a diet of Fox "News," we alerted them to the present COVID surge and requested that they take due precautions.
Their reply? "Well, we don't think there's much of that going around here. Usually, when cases are high, the medical staff wear masks, and we haven't seen that."
I quickly popped up the wastewater data from their county on my phone and saw a precipitous incline on the graph.
"The wastewater data in your area shows a surge," I said. "Please be careful."
When we hung up, their comment about masks stuck in my mind. They look to medical personnel for signals about the state of the pandemic. Employee masking at their doctors' offices provides a visual cue that prompts them to resume precautionary behavior. Absent the masking signal, they feel safe.
To me, this anecdote sums up why masking should be required in all medical environments. Aside from the obvious benefits of deterring the transmission of COVID (and other airborne viruses), the public looks to the medical community for behavioral guidance.
• Mask wearers are immunocompromised.
• Mask wearers are sick.
• Mask wearers are caregivers of high risk people.
• Mask wearers know that #CovidVax is not enough to stop transmission.
• Mask wearers are healthy and want to STAY that way.
TL;DR: #COVID fucks up the immune system and AGES your cells. Recovery of vital immune cells can take months, even years. Adults have a LIMITED ABILITY to create new immune cells bc our thymus is atrophied.
Your body does NOT develop immunity to new COVID strains, and “immunity debt” is a MADE-UP TERM that has absolutely NO BASIS in reality or how our immune systems actually work.
Hello, fellow US-based people. If you, like me, are alarmed at COVID tracking infrastructure being pulled offline, consider: https://data.wastewaterscan.org/
Yes, it's more useful when in concert with other metrics, but we don't really have that 'luxury' anymore :blobcat_thisisfine:
March 2020 an asshole private practice dick was trying to force me to see patients in person despite a history of clots, asthma, and pulmonary infarction just years earlier.
I refused, got an ADA excuse from my doctor.
Still "did my job."
Saw patients virtually without issue.
That attending was 43yo & went in.
He didnt live to see 44.
He died after #COVID19 & probable Covid-induced myocarditis.
This morning at 7:50 a.m., about 43 (ish) people showed up to a theatre in Seattle for a private, Covid cautious screening of Hayao Miyazaki's latest film, The Boy and the Heron.
People took a rapid test and reported results to the organizers before arriving and wore high-quality masks at all times. Folks stayed home if they or anyone in their household felt unwell. Masks and tests were available on site if needed.
Cost was about $13 per ticket after donations from #CovidCautious community members who wanted to help make the event accessible to folks.
CO2 was monitored and never got over 900.
The film was incredible. Knowing there are folks in my community who are willing to wake up early af because they haven't been to the theater in years due to #COVID19 was just as incredible.
Covid safe events aren't just possible, they're desired. Imagine how many people would have attended if it could have been on a Saturday afternoon or evening?
5 completely BS, fake reasons for masking that I’ve told strangers this week. All were better received & more socially acceptable than the real reason of wanting to protect myself and others from Covid.
I didn’t have time to do my makeup today.
I forgot to brush my teeth
Acne outbreak I’m trying to hide
I’m trying to stop smoking (was actually told “Great idea!”)
And 5. I’m still numb from the dentist and this catches the drool.
'UNEXPECTED RESULT:' COVID-19 makes you miserable by draining dopamine
Given that dopamine neuron senescence is a characteristic of Parkinson’s disease, the researchers suggested monitoring individuals with long COVID for an increased risk of developing Parkinson’s-related symptoms.
»Masking is not ‘living in fear’, it's being smart to avoid damage to your health from a deadly disease. It also protects others, which we should all be doing.«
THIS WAS PREVENTABLE! I felt unwell when I woke up Saturday. Instead of going to synagogue for #RoshHashanah, I tested for #COVID19. Positive.
Two weeks into the school year (where my daughter is one of a few who mask), and I attended two school board meetings as a trustee (where I was one of only two people masked).
Because others refused to listen to public health and #MaskUp, I now have to cancel 1-2 weeks of patients. (No, I will NOT work while sick or risk exposing any of my patients).
"COVID is back" only in the sense that media+govts are talking about it again. It never went away.
Just because you hadn't been hearing the word doesn't mean it wasn't being spoken about, knowingly or otherwise.
While the aforementioned entities don't suffer symptoms or illnesses that necessitate explanation, they do discuss delays, worker shortages, supply chain disruption, etc.
On the other hand, an individual must use euphemisms like allergies, summer cold, under the weather, out sick, fatigue, brain fog, diabetes, autoimmune disease, cancer, natural causes, etc, to gloss over new or ongoing health issues.
We act like the flu is the same as a cold when it is much more deadly. We act like #Covid is same as the #flu when it is much more deadly.
If you have any of them, you should stay home. If we all wore a mask for a while we could probably kill a lot of flu virus and covid permanently. We could be that effective antiviral we are looking for!
We already defeated one flu mutation over Covid when everyone was masking and social distancing. It's possible. #MaskUp
This has been a challenging start to the year. I have finally fully left the little remote/home based work I did because of my Long-Covid and ill health after wrongly 'pushing through' in a state of constant PEM - just varying in intensity - relying on adrenaline surges, my partner caring for me, being pretty much housebound and making myself worse and worse. I regret not stopping sooner. I regret how much extra damage I have done. Though, I understand there was a interplay of structural and agency shaping my choices. I also know I am lucky to have had the choice to 'push through' and how many would not have been able to choose that even if they had wanted to. I have now got a lot of social security applications and appointments which, coming as no surprise, is fucking tough and challenging. The questions you have to answer, the awareness of all the ways the state tries to screw you. I am lucky to have a super supportive partner helping me with this, someone from a local charity helping and can't talk highly enough about the Benefits and Work guides!!!
Solidarity with everyone who still wears a mask. Solidarity with everyone who has had friends and family turn their backs on them for being covid cautious. Solidarity with everyone who has Long-Covid and does all they can to make sure no-one else has to live through the daily difficulties we do. Solidarity to everyone fighting against ableism, eugenics, Social Darwinism and health supremacy. Solidarity to everyone who gets shouted at and abused for wearing a mask. Solidarity to everyone who keeps going despite the overwhelming hegemonic narrative that what we are living through is 'normal'. Solidarity to everyone sharing science and facts about how covid spreads and the dangers of covid. Solidarity with you.