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 higher. Looks like a (for now, modest) summer wave is upon us :( The last 7DRA calculation was on 8/11.

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

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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.

@ikuo1000 Yes, the data of the graphs is from the healthcare sector, so people have to realize this is only a small fraction of our everyday workforce. Imagine our airline pilots and air traffic controllers, other fields where our safety is in their hands. It truly is frightening the trajectory we are on when #Covid denialism is pervasive and covid reinfections continue.

#CovidIsNotOver #MaskUp

COVID-19 Hits People Before They Are Born
https://buymeacoffee.com/newscafe/covid-19-hits-people-before-they-are-born
#health #covid #covid19

Today, I was asked about effective air cleaners, because wildfires have already begun to flare in North America.

Extensive global testing has found that a DIY #CorsiRosenthalBox will outperform almost every commercial HEPA unit while costing less to run.

For the US & Canada, the best source of filters to build one is Costco: Filtrete 1900, 2200, or 2500 models with at least one 20-inch dimension.

These units also help mitigate allergens and infectious aerosols like #Covid and Influenza.

1/3

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Infographic explaining the materials and steps for assembling a Corsi-Rosenthal Box air cleaner. It is made of four HVAC filters for the side panels, a piece of cardboard for the floor under them, and a box fan placed on top with a cardboard shroud panel. All the edges where the different sides meet are taped together with duct tape to keep it rigid and to create an airtight seal. The alt text character limit is too small to include everything. So, if you would like a fully detailed description of the build process and the contents of this infographic, feel free to DM me.

Occupational-grade #RespiratoryProtection

A table or chart of NIOSH-approved air-purifying respirator cartridges manufactured by MSA by type, colour, and purpose. ( This is too much information for alt-text. )

The colour-coding by type is standardised, at least in the US.

Please remember that air purifying respirators do not supply oxygen.

A better resolution PDF is at https://media.msanet.com/NA/USA/LawEnforce/CartridgeChart/1000-37_42CFR_WallChart.pdf

#Respirators #RespiratorsWork #COVID

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A table or chart listing 47CFR84 NIOSH approved cartridge types, their colours and which hazards they are used to protect against.

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

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

Occupational-grade #RespiratoryProtection

A table or chart of NIOSH-approved respirator cartridges by type, colour, and purpose. ( This is too much information for alt-text. )

The colour-coding by type is standardised, at least in the US.

#Respirators #RespiratorsWork #COVID

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A table or chart listing 47CFR84 NIOSH approved cartridge types, their colours and which hazards they are used to protect against.

Il Fatto Quotidiano: “Da situazioni di mer*a può nascere qualcosa di buono, è scioccante quanto gli esseri umani possano essere stupidi. Pensione? Una condanna a morte”: così Ridley Scott

“Odio la parola pensionamento, suona come una condanna a morte. Disprezzo l’idea di smettere, rimarrò attivo finché sarò in salute”. Dietro la macchina da presa, Ridley Scott vuole restarci il più a lungo possibile. Alle soglie degli 89 anni, dopo quattro nomination ma nessun Oscar in mezzo secolo di regie, riceverà a novembre quello alla carriera. “Era ora, cavolo”, ha dichiarato in un’intervista a Il Venerdì di Repubblica. Ma per lui, “il successo commerciale, la longevità culturale e il fatto di garantire un posto di lavoro a centinaia di membri della mia squadra contano molto di più di un trofeo”.
Dal 26 agosto sarà al cinema con “The Dog Stars. Le stelle dopo la fine”, tratto dal romanzo di Peter Heller e con un cast in cui compaiono Jacob Elordi, Margaret Qualley e Josh Brolin. Il nuovo film è ambientato nove anni dopo che una pandemia di influenza ha decimato parte dell’umanità. “È una storia sulla perdita, la solitudine, la bellezza fragile di un mondo che sta per svanire”.
Una pellicola distopica, girata in Italia perché “mi hanno concesso un ottimo sgravio fiscale e meglio le Dolomiti che le montagne del Colorado”. E senza zombie né creature fantastiche. “Questa vicenda parla di qualcosa che ha superato il punto di non ritorno, lo stesso che stiamo vivendo per quanto riguarda il riscaldamento globale – ha spiegato il regista -. Abbiamo vissuto un’esperienza disastrosa con il Covid, con crolli finanziari, con così tante discussioni politiche su chi ha ragione e chi ha torto… è scioccante quanto gli esseri umani possano essere stupidi“.
Con altri elementi catastrofici, ha aggiunto Scott, “perdiamo il controllo e all’improvviso ci si ritrova davanti alla fine del mondo. Penso che la cosa più pericolosa sia che nessuno presti attenzione alla disperazione e alle difficoltà delle persone. Senza voler essere pessimista, spero che non sia troppo tardi“.
L'articolo “Da situazioni di mer*a può nascere qualcosa di buono, è scioccante quanto gli esseri umani possano essere stupidi. Pensione? Una condanna a morte”: così Ridley Scott proviene da Il Fatto Quotidiano.

“From shit situations can come something good, it’s shocking how stupid humans can be. Pension? A death sentence”: so said Ridley Scott.

I hate the word “retirement,” it sounds like a death sentence. I despise the idea of stopping, I’ll remain active as long as I’m healthy. Behind the camera, Ridley Scott wants to stay there for as long as possible. At the threshold of 89 years old, after four nominations but no Oscar in half a century of directing, he will receive one for his career in November. “It was about time, damn it,” he said in an interview with Il Venerdì di Repubblica. But for him, “commercial success, cultural longevity, and the fact that I’m guaranteeing a job for hundreds of members of my team matter much more than a trophy.”

From August 26th, he will be in cinemas with “The Dog Stars. Le stelle dopo la fine,” based on the novel by Peter Heller and with a cast including Jacob Elordi, Margaret Qualley and Josh Brolin. The new film is set nine years after a flu pandemic decimated part of humanity. “It’s a story about loss, loneliness, the fragile beauty of a world about to disappear.”

A dystopian film shot in Italy because “they gave me an excellent tax break and the Dolomites are better than the mountains of Colorado”. And without zombies or fantastic creatures. “This story is about something that has passed a point of no return, the same as what we’re experiencing regarding global warming – he explained the director -. We’ve had a disastrous experience with Covid, with financial crashes, with so many political arguments about who is right and who is wrong… it’s shocking how stupid humans can be.”

With other catastrophic elements, Scott added, “we lose control and suddenly we find ourselves facing the end of the world. I think the most dangerous thing is that no one pays attention to people's despair and difficulties. Without wanting to be pessimistic, I hope it's not too late."

The article “From shit situations something good can come out of it, it’s shocking how stupid humans can be. Retirement? A death sentence”: so Ridley Scott comes from Il Fatto Quotidiano.

#RidleyScott #Oscar #TheDogStars #Lestelledopola #PeterHeller #JacobElordi #MargaretQualley #JoshBrolin #Italy #Colorado #Covid #Scott #IlFattoQuotidiano

https://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2026/08/16/da-situazioni-di-mera-puo-nascere-qualcosa-di-buono-e-scioccante-quanto-gli-esseri-umani-possano-essere-stupidi-pensione-una-condanna-a-morte-cosi-ridley-scott/8480007/

Have you ever had covid?

#covid

Analysis of competing hypotheses (ACH) style chart comparing evidence for origin of COVID-19. https://bsky.app/profile/dutchtreat.bsky.social/post/3mt4y4lvrms2a #COVID #virology #epidemiology Go to the link and then open the image in a new tab to zoom in.

Biologist David Relman is not a crank or a MAGA water-carrier. He's a respected researcher with a decorated career.

"Six years later, despite much mudslinging, each of these possibilities [spillover or research accident] remains viable, supported by circumstantial, but not dispositive, evidence. The virus has not been found in nature, nor in a lab."

I understand why he is calling for more work to find the origin of the covid-19 pandemic but I'm pretty sure it's going to be a dead end. There were many reports that China destroyed evidence related to the early cases.

#covid #covid19 #biology

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/15/covid-19-origins

COVID-19 reactivates dormant herpesviruses in the body — potentially worsening symptoms in new ways
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/covid-19-can-reawaken-dormant-viruses-in-the-body-which-might-worsen-symptoms-of-the-respiratory-illness-study-suggests-180989322/
Most people carry a sleeping virus in their bodies, such as the herpesvirus that causes mononucleosis, or the “kissing disease.” A new study hints that Covid-19 triggers their reactivation, which…
#science #covid #virology