@startelegram @GhostOnTheHalfShell I’ll testify that the info in this article about taste and spice sensitivity is true. Even before starting #Mounjaro, virus infections (incl. #COVID-19) dulled my sense of taste and smell. I’ve always like spicy foods, especially chiles, so it was helpful for me to dial up the heat. It is also true that some foods (e.g., anything sweet, including alcohol) are less palatable. However, the drug does not make you suddenly want more lean protein and vegetables. That’s just good dietary habit and most people who take these drugs are also trying to change bad eating habits. That’s is the key thing: these drugs help suppress bad habits of all kinds. They break the loop is how I think about it. (For safety, please consult with your doctor before trying these drugs. They affect your body profoundly and have side effects.)

The CDC was about to publish a report that the 2025-2026 #COVID #COVID19 vaccine cut the number of emergency room visits and hospitalizations for healthy people in half last winter, but acting CDC director[*] Bhattacharya has blocked its release. Excellent reporting from Lena Sun.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/04/09/covid-vaccine-report-delayed/

The WaPo app isn’t offering me a share #GiftLink button, so this is apparently outside the paywall?

[*] Fun fact, federal regulations for temporary appointments mean acting CDC director Bhattacharya lost his position last month, but he seems to be … just … not … leaving … anyway. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Has anyone in London Ontario had any luck finding Covid boosters for children? We used to be able to get a half dose of Moderna for our boy, but we've been told that pharmacies can no longer adjust the dosage amount in that way. I was boosted today, but I was told booster availability for children might be an issue until the fall.
#covid #CovidIsNotOver #YallMasking #LondonOntario

Alt...

Photo of me sitting with my son after getting a Covid booster today. We are both masking and I had stopped crying by this point. ;) My bald head is freshly shaved and I am wearing a shirt from the Colombian punk band MURO. My son has hair and is wearing a Godzilla shirt.

OK, here's a short update on the status of spring Covid boosters for children in my part of Ontario. The local health unit told me that after a certain point, they were only providing Covid vaccinations for children four years and under as that group was not being served by local pharmacies. However, they stopped being able to do even that when provincial funding dried up and the province stopped sending them vaccinations. In my experience, while local pharmacies might let you schedule Covid vaccinations online for children, there is a chance that people will be told that nothing is available for the under twelve age group upon arrival. The advice I ultimately received was to go to the provincial website (https://www.ontario.ca/vaccine-locations/) and start contacting the pharmacies listed. You'll need to call/speak to a pharmacist--not just book online--to see if they have Covid boosters for younger people. The person I spoke with cautioned that I might not be able to find anything until the fall. #Covid #LondonOntario

Covid cautious folks: what are you wearing to exercise? I am debating re-joining a gym after stopping when Covid started, but the idea of being extra hot and out of breath in a mask is a huge deterrent. #covid #MaskUp #AskFedi

Do people have thoughts on envo vs. flo for a reusable filter-replaceable respirator? Only comparison I found was AI generated. I’ve seen a lot of stuff about flo and not as much about envo. So naturally more about issues w Flo (like the condensation). Interested in personal experience #covid

@RKI
Meine Mutter (Ü70) und meine Schwiegereltern (Ü80) gehen sich jedes Jahr die Grippeimpfung abholen.
Leider laufen meine Argumente ins Leere, dass sie sich auch gegen #Covid impfen lassen. In beiden Fällen sagt der Hausarzt, dass sie das nicht mehr brauchen. Dagegen komme ich leider nicht an.

The Canadian COVID Society is urging Canadians to write their provincial representatives to demand they supply the public with the #Novavax vaccine!

#CDNpoli #HealthCanada #PublicHealth #Canada #COVID #CovidIsNotOver

https://covidsociety.ca/news/nuvaxovid-available-in-canada-this-fall/

For people in #Quebec who want #Novavax and/or for #COVID vaccines to be free for everyone again, I have created a template email to send to your MNA and the Minister of Health.

Please share and send an email!

https://drive.proton.me/urls/BYHTPNCEFM#ozyIKHVAhygS

#CovidIsNotOver #Canada

One of the things I'm most looking forward to in playing those shows next month will be the reaction to my wearing an #n95 the entire show. Dollars to doughnuts I'll be the only masked person there; 100% I'll be the only masked musician.

#covid #LongCovid #CovidIsNotOver

Good things: I had to go to the dentist this week. As I was waiting for my appointment wearing an N95 mask, the dentist peered into the waiting room to tell me she was almost done. She was also wearing an N95 mask, a 3M Aura!

Then a few minutes later she walked out again with the patient ahead of me, and that person was also wearing an N95! Three of us in one room with N95s out in the wild and not at a special masked event, it's been a while since I've experienced that!

#WearAMask #MaskUpN95 #Covid #CovidIsNotOver

@avilewis I wish you had worn an N95 mask to show all #PeopleWithDisabilities that you care more than other politicians about #DisabledLives & are against #eugenics in #PublicHealth policies. We have been failed by every single political party in Canada & are treated like none of our lives matter to any of you politicians.

#CDNpoli #FailureToProtect #CovidNeverEnded #CovidStillKills #LongCovidHealthCrisis #NDP #DisabledLivesMatter #CovidIsNotOver #CovidSafety #UnmaskedPlagueSpreaders #DoBetter #StopEugenics #Disability #Covid #LeadByBetterExample

@avilewis Bonnie Henry removing mask mandates resulted in my Dad getting infected by #unmasked hospital staff. He died from covid cardiac arrest in 2023. This was government sanctioned #murder by #eugenics policies. Every single political party has failed to protect citizens, especially most vulnerable ones. Every single politician has normalized eugenics. That will end up costing provincial & federal governments, millions, if not billions to deal with long covid & many other preventable health issues. You have an opportunity to do better & lead by a more humane, not eugenics, living example. Start by normalizing wearing masks indoors again.

#CDNpoli #FailureToProtect #CovidNeverEnded #CovidStillKills #LongCovidHealthCrisis #NDP #DisabledLivesMatter #CovidIsNotOver #CovidSafety #UnmaskedPlagueSpreaders #DoBetter #StopEugenics #Disability #Covid #LeadByBetterExample #YouShouldKnowBetter #N95sSaveLives #MasksSaveLives

The Swiss Federal Office of Public Health had to publish the procurement costs of the covind vaccines, following a Federal Administrative Court ruling.
In total, the country paid ~1bn USD.

This is good. Without transparency, there can't be trust.

https://www.bag.admin.ch/de/beschaffung-von-impfstoffen-gegen-covid-19

#covid #vaccine #mrna

You know what drives me up the wall? The number of people who see a drop in the #COVID peak every few months and think, "Great! I can't wait to go to that conference next week," or, "Phew, finally I can go out to dinner again."

Like...

Sweetheart, what do you think is causing every subsequent increase, literally every few months, since 2020?! Stop it!

This is a subtoot. #MaskUp for dog's sake.

Hello, these are (usually) the weekly #washingtonstate #kingcounty (that is, #seattle and environs) #COVID #COVID19 #wastewater toots. But it appears none of the three King County wastewater sample sites were updated this week on the dashboard. :(
There are 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@universeodon.com

Well, once again my wife and her coworkers exchanged more #covid than knowledge at their on-site meeting.