The Trump CDC is reporting #COVID in the USA in wastewater is at (near) an *all time low*.

This is awesome news! Some caveats.

The data goes back to September 2024. I argue (without direct evidence) that 2025-2026 has had lower COVID infections than prior years.

2023-2024 would be the only time you could say COVID was lower than today, and I don't buy that. I heard more about new COVID cases years ago. I tried to verify this but came up short.

This is why I say it's an all time low, because it's the lowest in 2025-2026.

I think the only way you would see wastewater data decline like this is any of:
1. Actual viral load in wastewater is declining
2. The virus is changing/mutating (maybe people shed less of it)
3. Change in number/operation of wastewater observation sites
4a. "Convenient" changes in reporting that happen to make the reports look better than they are.
4b. Fraud. A more deliberate, less justifiable version of 4a.

Although the line is ticking upwards, even the uptick is below any level in 2024-September through 2025-December.

As for what caused this, I'm going with mostly (1) with a little of (2) and (4a). But I can be convinced otherwise.

https://www.cdc.gov/wastewater/respiratory-viruses/national.html?cove-tab=1

Alt...

National American wastewater graph allegedly showing that covid cases are near an all time low this week.

I've been contacted by somebody I cut ties with years ago, because they went along with the end of Covid safety protocols with a cheerful vengeance. They're now asking if I know of a doctor who treats Long Covid. I have to figure out what to say.

I think it's a "teachable moment"? If I can find a way to get some info across without being a dick about it? Obviously "Well well well, look who's..." is not the correct option. No. #covid #longcOVID #covidIsNotOver

@benroyce @uriel

There are a bunch of reasons why the AfD are stronger in Eastern Germany. Here are some of them at the top of my head:

During the Cold War, the official stance of the East German government: "There are no Nazis here, all the Nazis went to West Germany!" Meanwhile, West Germany _did_ make some attempts at de-Nazification. They were incomplete, and only partially successful, but progress _was_ made.

And West Germany had far more immigration, which means that West Germans got far more used to immigrants from all over the world. And this close contact helped reduce bigotry.

Then, after the Berlin Wall collapsed and Germany was reunified, West Germany basically took over East Germany, and the political and economic leaders of West Germany basically treated East Germany as a bankruptcy case. This caused a collapse of Eastern German living standards, and even today most regions of East Germany lag behind West Germany. And the major employers which do exist are mostly local branches of West German companies, rather than homegrown industries.

As you can imagine, this caused a lot of resentment in East Germany against West German leaders, so there was always a lot of potential for "protest votes".

Then there were two major crises of the last two decades. First, there was the Syrian refugee crisis, which brought nearly a million refugees to Germany. Lots of Germans put in a lot of effort to help the refugees... but there was also a lot of resentment that the fascists exploited.

Then there was the #COVID pandemic, which - just like in the USA - brought out a lot of antivaxxers and conspiracy fantasists. This, too, was exploited heavily by the fascists.

And because the resentment of authority figures and potential for protest votes was greater in Eastern Germany, this was where the AfD has had their biggest successes. Including today's election in #SaxonyAnhalt .

I hope this explains _why_ the fascists in Germany had these successes, and successes in Eastern Germany in particular. Though of course, this doesn't _excuse_ the people who vote for the AfD - it is very clear what the AfD stands for, for anyone who cares to look.

And I also want to make very clear that the AfD is by no means restricted to Eastern Germany - they have numerous followers in the rest of Germany as well, even if it's not enough to take over state governments. It's not a simple case of "West Germany good, East Germany bad".

It looks like NHS England doesn’t offer COVID 19 vaccines to anyone younger than 75 (!) without an existing comorbidity or compromised immunity. The rest of us can get vaccinated at our own expense. At ~£100, I can afford it, but how can this be? #CovidIsNotOver #Politics #COVID

This week's Pandemics in BC posts:
General: https://covidbc.webfoot.com/2026/09/05/2026-09-05-general/
BC: https://covidbc.webfoot.com/2026/09/05/2026-09-05-bc/

#covid19bc #covid19 #covid #measles

Chise posted a nice thread on Bluesky about ensitrelvir, an anti viral that has been shown to prevent symptomatic #covid #covid-19 infection in people who have been exposed to it through household contacts. It needs to be given within 72 hours of the index case's initial symptoms and reduces symptomatic infections for the household contacts by two thirds. It is approved by the FDA and is marketed under the name Xocova.

https://bsky.app/profile/sailorrooscout.bsky.social/post/3mupdiuwrzc2m

The 2026-2027 #covid #covid19 vaccines are shipping. Maggie Astor has a writeup on the state-by-state availability here. #giftlink

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/27/well/live/covid-vaccines-fall-2026.html

Reminder #1: the FDA has approved the vaccines for everyone 65+ and people younger than that if they have conditions that might lead to worse outcomes for infection. You can self-attest to those conditions. The list of conditions is here: https://www.cdc.gov/covid/risk-factors/index.html.

Looking over this list, I have to say the bar is not high. Former or current smoker? Physically inactive? BMI over 25? Have a mood disorder? I have had pets that hit a 75% pass rate on this qualifying conditions list, so surely you will find something on this list that applies to you.

Reminder #2: Washington (and many other states) have standing orders that broaden access even more. and are in effect again this year. In Washington State anyone 6 months or older who do not have vaccine contraindications can get a Covid vaccine without a prescription. Details here: https://doh.wa.gov/you-and-your-family/immunizations-and-vaccines/diseases-and-vaccines/covid-19 (but not updated for 2026-2027 yet).

Reminder #3: Are you a Washington State resident and cost is a barrier? See the "Is there a cost for COVID-19 vaccines?" section of the standing order page for information about the state's Childhood and Adult Vaccines Programs and how to access them.

Il Tempo: #iltempodioshø

La vignetta di Osho sulla prima pagina de Il Tempo di sabato 5 settembre 2026. Con tutta la buona volontà, lezioni di “sicurezza” dalla sinistra anche no. Arriva in libreria "La nostra sicurezza" del deputato Pd Roberto Speranza, l'ex ministro della Salute che nel 2020, durante l'estate di illusorio allentamento del Covid, scrisse Perché guariremo. Libro pieno di ottimismo (“il virus ha i mesi contati”, “luglio 2020 come momento in cui tutto è cambiato”) e prontamente ritirato quando a ottobre scoppiò la seconda ondata. Ora, in clima pre-elettorale, riprova.

the time goes by now

The Osho cartoon on the front page of Il Tempo on Saturday, September 5th, 2026. With all due respect, “safety” lessons from the left are unwelcome too. “Our Security” by Pd MP Roberto Speranza, the former Minister of Health who in 2020, during the illusory easing of Covid in the summer, wrote “Why We Will Heal,” is arriving in bookstores. The book is full of optimism (“the virus has counted months”, “July 2020 as a moment when everything changed”) and was quickly withdrawn when the second wave broke in October. Now, in pre-election mood, it's another attempt.

#IlTempo #RobertoSperanza #Covid #WhyWeWillHeal #second

https://www.iltempo.it/tempodiosh/2026/09/05/news/osho-vignetta-roberto-speranza-libro-sicurezza-sinistra-oggi-sabato-5-settembre-2026-49051790/

@jack_daniel @montef when the experts are just snake oil rug pulling neer do wells #covid mask advice #push it to prod friday

Hi, these are the weekly #washingtonstate #kingcounty (that is, #seattle and environs) #COVID #COVID19 #wastewater toots.

A quick reminder that this King County respiratory disease data comes from Washington State, not the federal government.

The West Point (WSPT) sewage treatment plant's 7 day running average is, well, sucky. The last 7DRA calculation was on 8/25. The only thing I can say about this is that this running average was just bouncing around, but then completely busted out in the two days from 8/23 to 8/25. It will be good to get some more data points next week to tell us if this is some super crazy outlier or not.

Also, you might notice the banner above the graph that says: "The CDC updated how it measures wastewater viral activity level (WVAL) in August 2026. Our dashboard currently uses the previous method while we work to incorporate these new updates." WVALs are the CDC categories used to describe very high/high/moderate/low/very low virus detection levels, and they get a fair amount of criticism because the category recalculations result in changing baselines that obscure year-over-year trends. I believe these WVAL categories get used in the state's "Statewide view" tab, so the CDC changes will affect that. By contrast, the facility-level graphs that I post each week are linearly-scaled graphs of seven day running averages of detected concentration levels. Whatever happens with the WVAL category definitions, it won't affect this facility-level reporting.

WSPT is one of three King County(-ish) sewersheds in this dataset. You can find overviews, individual sewershed results, and a breakdown of variants for the state wastewater surveillance program, along with other metrics like case counts and hospitalizations for Covid-19 and other respiratory illnesses, at https://doh.wa.gov/data-and-statistical-reports/diseases-and-chronic-conditions/communicable-disease-surveillance-data/respiratory-illness-data-dashboard#WasteWater. If you go to the page and click "learn more" in the statewide view tab, you can find out lots of details about how these data are calculated and how to interpret them. The dashboard gets updated every Wednesday (generally). The Department of Health is here on the fediweb, at @WADeptHealth

Alt...

A screencap of the Washington State Department of Health's Covid wastewater data for the West Point Wastewater Treatment Plant. The trend line of the graph is described in the toot text.

Eek! 😷 #Covid disrupts the integrity of a human blood-brain barrier model in the absence of infection - Journal of NeuroVirology https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13365-026-01337-3

Updated #COVID vaccinations have finally been approved in #USA & should be in pharmacies soon.

This year, #CDC has approved them for people age of 65 & older. Those ages 5-64 must have a condition that makes them higher risk (or have a doctor's approval in states that allow it).

The #trump admin has made it harder to get the #vaccine. Last year, the requirements were informed consent & "shared decision-making" between patient & #healthcare provider.

1🧵
#PublicHealth
--
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/fda-just-approved-covid-vaccines-151821761.html

#COVID is up in 48 out of 50 states.

The #CDC reports "The COVID-19 epidemic trend is growing; Probability COVID-19 epidemic is growing: >99% (growing)"

But there are not many #COVID19 patients presenting in the ER (or ED, depending what you call it).

2🧵
#USA #US #health #PublicHealth

Alt...

Epidemic Trends Growing Likely Growing Not Changing Likely Declining Declining Not Estimated Data Unavailable United States The weekly percentage of ED visits diagnosed with COVID-19 is very low. The COVID-19 epidemic trend is growing. Probability COVID-19 epidemic is growing: >99% (growing) Rt Estimate: 1.10 (1.05 - 1.15) % of ED visits (COVID-19): 0.5% (Very Low) US government website: https://www.cdc.gov/cfa-modeling-and-forecasting/rt-estimates/?tab=0 Accessed: 2 September 2026 at 2015 UTC

Note the term "epidemic" (in the screenshot in previous post of 🧵) –

Not "endemic," like adenovirus, a common cold virus, though the powers-that-be often treat #COVID like a common cold.

"Epidemic" is defined by #CDC as an "unexpected increase in the number of disease cases in a specific geographical area."

Scientists have thought for a while that #COVID19 will eventually become endemic in the population.

3🧵
#USA #US #health #PublicHealth
--
https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/news/epidemic-endemic-pandemic-what-are-differences
--
https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/211738-overview#a4

ESMO 2025: mRNA COVID Vaccines Enhance Efficacy of Cancer Immunotherapy

https://bioengineer.org/esmo-2025-mrna-covid-vaccines-enhance-efficacy-of-cancer-immunotherapy/

#cancer #healthcare #covid #health #vaccines #mRNA

'COVID kan slapende virussen activeren'

"Onderzoek onder ruim 1.150 opgenomen patiënten laat zien dat vooral herpesvirussen weer actief kunnen worden. Deze virusreactivatie hing samen met ernstige COVID-19 en mogelijk ook met langdurige klachten na de infectie."

"Vooral virussen uit de families Herpesviridae en Anelloviridae werden aangetroffen.
Tot de herpesvirussen behoren het Epstein-Barrvirus (EBV), herpes-simplexvirus type 1 (HSV-1) en het cytomegalovirus (CMV). HSV-1 en CMV werden bijvoorbeeld rond twintig dagen na ziekenhuisopname opnieuw actief."

"Ook patiënten die vóór hun besmetting verder gezond waren, konden ermee te maken krijgen."

"Of deze virussen daadwerkelijk bijdragen aan post-COVID is nog onbekend. Een verstoorde afweer kan bijvoorbeeld zowel virusreactivatie als langdurige klachten veroorzaken."

https://medischdossier.org/covid-kan-slapende-virussen-activeren/

#gezondheid #Covid #Corona #PostCovid #LongCovid #cytomegalovirus #EpsteinBarrVirus #herpesvirus #Anellovirus

Small college town, Eastern WA, #Covid explosion 2 wks after students arrive,, 1 wk after public schools in session. It's an annual tradition. Why I got my covid vaccine 2 wks ago, even though it is last season's vaccine. No new fall 2026/27 covid vaccines on the shelves here yet. US public health planning always arrives too late for the party. Stay safe, folks!

#MaskUp #CovidIsAirborne #CovidIsNotOver

Katelyn Jetelina (“Your Local Epidemiologist”) on Pemgarda for #COVID #COVID19 protection for immunocompromised people, plus the CDC measles reporting clusterfuck[*].

https://yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/p/measles-deaths-covid-19-and-common

[*] - those of us that live in the US are in desperate need of some “juking the stats” gifs from The Wire. Pls remedy giphy ok thx.

Il Fatto Quotidiano: “Ho pensato di morire, sono rimasto appeso ad un elicottero del soccorso alpino dopo una calata di 100 metri da una montagna”: Gabriele Vagnato su DMAX con “Giorno di prova”

Gabriele Vagnato sbarca su DMAX (canale 52) da stasera, martedì 1 settembre alle 21:25, con “Giorno di prova“. Il conduttore tv, comico e content creator entra nella vita di diversi professionisti per 24 ore, mettendosi alla prova in prima persona nei mestieri più diversi. “Giorno di prova”, che online ha raccolto milioni di visualizzazioni, porta sul piccolo schermo il suo sguardo ironico e curioso sulla realtà, raccontando le sfide caratteristiche di ogni “principiante” agli inizi.
In ogni episodio Gabriele si affianca ai professionisti, segue le loro regole, affronta addestramenti, interventi e attività operative, mettendosi alla prova in contesti dove preparazione, esperienza e sangue freddo fanno la differenza. Dalle Squadre Operative di Supporto dell’Arma dei Carabinieri ai Vigili del Fuoco, da una giornata in ambulanza all’ingresso in un bunker segreto, fino al Soccorso Alpino e al Settimo Reggimento Carabinieri, ogni puntata accompagna il pubblico nel cuore di mondi che tutti conoscono, ma che pochi hanno avuto l’opportunità di vivere da vicino.
“Mi sono trasferito a Milano nel 2019, dopo il Covid e quando non arrivavano i risultati, mi sono sentito perso.- ha raccontato a FqMagazine Vagnato – In Calabria mia madre aveva perso il lavoro e avevo realmente pensato di andare via da Milano. Una piattaforma era interessata all’idea di ‘Giorno di Prova’, poi l’hanno scartata. Ho cercato di farmela produrre da una casa di produzione di Roma, ma mi hanno chiesto una barca di soldi e io non li avevo, allora ho deciso di lanciarmi da solo con 2 puntate prova”.
L'articolo “Ho pensato di morire, sono rimasto appeso ad un elicottero del soccorso alpino dopo una calata di 100 metri da una montagna”: Gabriele Vagnato su DMAX con “Giorno di prova” proviene da Il Fatto Quotidiano.

“I thought I was dying, I remained hanging from a mountain rescue helicopter after a 100-meter drop from a mountain.” - Gabriele Vagnato on DMAX with “Test Drive Day”.

Gabriele Vagnato lands on DMAX (channel 52) from tonight, Tuesday, September 1st at 9:25 PM with "Trial Day.” The TV host, comedian and content creator enters the lives of several professionals for 24 hours, testing himself firsthand in a wide variety of professions. “Trial Day,” which has garnered millions of views online, brings his ironic and curious gaze on reality to the small screen, telling the challenges characteristic of every “beginner” starting out.

In each episode, Gabriele accompanies the professionals, follows their rules, faces training sessions, interventions and operational activities, testing himself in contexts where preparation, experience and coolness under pressure make all the difference. From the Support Operations Teams of the Carabinieri to the Fire Department, from a day in an ambulance to entering a secret bunker, to Alpine Rescue and the Seventh Regiment of the Carabinieri, each episode takes the public into the heart of worlds that everyone knows, but few have had the opportunity to experience firsthand.

“I moved to Milan in 2019, after Covid and when I wasn’t getting results, I felt lost.- he told FqMagazine Vagnato – In Calabria my mother had lost her job and I really thought about leaving Milan. A platform was interested in the idea of ‘Trial Day,’ but they rejected it. I tried to get it produced by a Rome production house, but they asked for a boatload of money and I didn’t have any, so I decided to launch it myself with 2 trial episodes.”

“I thought I was going to die, I remained hanging from an alpine rescue helicopter after a 100-meter drop from a mountain”: Gabriele Vagnato on DMAX with “Trial Day” comes from Il Fatto Quotidiano.

#100-meter #GabrieleVagnato #TestDriveDay #Gabriele #Carabinieri #theFireDepartment #AlpineRescue #theSeventhRegiment #Milan #Covid #FqMagazineVagnato #Calabria #TrialDay #IlFattoQuotidiano

https://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2026/09/01/ho-pensato-di-morire-sono-rimasto-appeso-ad-un-elicottero-del-soccorso-alpino-dopo-una-calata-di-100-metri-da-una-montagna-gabriele-vagnato-su-dmax-con-giorno-di-prova/8493643/

I recently had my first doctor refuse to wear a mask for me.

They confidently told me “new science shows you only have to wear one when you’re sick”.

I reminded them that asymptomatic transmission is real and that I’m immunocompromised & have been hospitalized for a cold…

They still refused.

I’ve only had one other healthcare worker refuse and it was a tech so I was able to request a different person perform my test (I have masks required as an accommodation in my medical chart).

Sadly I can’t just request a different doctor.

Interestingly this was one of the only appointments I’ve had where I haven’t brought a man with me.

Male friends usually accompany me and just sit in the room wearing a mask and it tends to increase compliance.

Once again misogyny in medicine rears its ugly head.

I was fortunate to be wearing a fitted N99 and have a laminar flow air purifier, so I was as protected as possible. This is a privilege not afforded to everyone.

But I also have no natural defences.

I shouldn’t be expected to risk my health to get healthcare.

There was no logical reason the doctor couldn’t put on a mask.

They had them in the clinic.

I had extra N95s in my bag.

They just didn’t want to.

They found the idea that they might infect me to be offensive.

I am begging healthcare workers to stop doing this.

You should be masking by default.

With everything we know about how COVID is transmitted it’s ridiculous we don’t have mandatory masking in healthcare.

At the bare minimum, you should mask mirror.

You shouldn’t put the onus on the patient to beg for you to do the right thing.

You shouldn’t be spreading misinformation about how masks are only needed if you’re sick.

You shouldn’t be risking your patients health.

The imbalance of power is real and needs to be respected.

I had no options in the moment. It was care I urgently needed and I couldn’t simply walk out.

I was confident enough to push the issue a little, but not past the point where it might compromise my care.

I had to do a quick risk analysis and decide to take my chances.

No patient should have to do that.

We need masks and clean air in healthcare.

We need doctors to show us they understand the science of airborne transmission.

No one should ever have to choose between care and covid.

#covid #COVIDisAirborne #sarscov2 #disability #ableism #healthcare

FYI... 💡

CVS is taking reservations for the 2026 - 2027 Covid vaccine... 💉 ⚕️

#Covid #CVS #Vaccine #Vaccines

Domani: Cosa succede nel settore vinicolo: alla radice di una policrisi

Nel 2025 il consumo di vino ha toccato il livello più basso dal 1957: pesano la pandemia di Covid, le tensioni internazionali e una cultura che guarda agli alcolici con comprensibile sospetto. Ma la contrazione non è uniforme e rappresenta la somma di fenomeni anche molto diversi tra loro

What’s happening in the wine sector: at the root of a multi-crisis

In 2025, wine consumption reached the lowest level since 1957: the pandemic of Covid, international tensions, and a culture that views alcoholic beverages with understandable suspicion weigh heavily. However, the contraction is not uniform and represents the sum of phenomena that are very different from each other.

#Covid

https://www.editorialedomani.it/idee/cultura/cosa-succede-nel-settore-vinicolo-alla-radice-di-una-policrisi-alb09uue

"Michael Hoerger estimates that approximately 1 in 95 Americans was actively infectious with COVID using CDC data from 8/22/26 and Biobot data. Many places in the U.S. have much higher levels of COVID in wastewater. Hoerger introduced a new Interactive US map on the PMC COVID-19 Dashboard which shows COVID risks for each county in the United States. For example, 1 in every 33 people is currently infected with COVID in Santa Clara county, California"

#Covid #Covid19

https://pmc19.com/interactive.php

Auch wenn die #COVID -Prävalenz in Deutschland _deutlich_ unter den Vorjahren liegt, wollte ich mich auch diesen Herbst wieder impfen lassen.

Weiß jemand, ob eine neue #Impfung in Vorbereitung ist, und wann die erhältlich ist?

Und sind derzeit irgendwelche neuen Varianten unterwegs von denen man was wissen sollte?

https://robert-koch-institut.github.io/Abwassersurveillance_AMELAG_-_Wochenbericht/#/