Okay so I would like to start masking again, but the KN-95s I have are several years old (and from Amazon so IDEK if they were effective to begin with).

What's the best way to get some KN-95s? How do I ensure they're "legit?"

Also how do y'all with POTS and similar symptoms cope with masking? I start overheating and getting out of breath extremely easily, so that coupled with sensory sensitivities is a nightmare when wearing a mask.

#Disability #POTS #ChronicIllness #COVID #COVID19 #COVIDIsNotOver #Health #PublicHealth #MaskUp @pots

the back/kidney pain is new to me with #COVID, but the little bite in my throat sounds like a bit of the razor blade strain, and that my breathing is louder than my singing takes me right back to the very start, before we ever heard of it , my nose is closed again.
.
/2

anybody else get a bad back or a bad kidney with #COVID lately?

A bit of #Vancouver epidemiology:

1. Daughter went to Phoebe Bridgers concert, didn't wear mask, infected whole family with #Covid.
2. I'm recovering a bit but canceled my music lesson today; teacher gets back to me and says “I’m having about two cancellations a day from sick students as there is Covid and a severe #flu going around.”

Be careful out there! Get vaxxed, wear masks.

Don't go to the #US. You'll be shot, get #CoViD and cancer, loose your job because you criticised #Israel, loose your job because you work in academia or public service and be locked up in a camp. #ICE

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/nov/05/trump-cancer-carcinogen-regulation

In Ontario, Canada 🇨🇦 researchers looked at flu A, flu B, RSV, and SARS2:

During the combined pandemic period (March 2020–February 2025), only SARS-CoV-2 activity predicted mortality

But maybe it predicted it weakly! How many actual deaths were due to SARS2 or sequelae to SARS2? MORE THAN 1 IN 16:

During the combined pandemic period (March 2020–February 2025), SARS-CoV-2 accounted for 6.48% (4.5–8.4%) of all-cause mortality

And no amount of "it'll become seasonal" is going to help:

SARS-CoV-2 attributable-fraction estimates were stable across modelling specifications (6.48% with versus 8.03% without seasonal adjustment),

and the authors point out that

Mortality captures only part of the societal burden of these pathogens; morbidity, quality-of-life loss, and economic costs

are large and important.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanam/article/PIIS2667-193X(26)00311-X/fulltext

via https://ohai.social/@thatkatharine/117556195077773555

#COVID #SARSCoV2 #SARS2 #COVID19 #LongCOVID #PublicHealth

katharine » 🌐 2026-11-04
@thatkatharine@ohai.social

"Respiratory-virus-attributable mortality remains substantial after the formal pandemic emergency"

New pandemic era definition just dropped. Update yr timelines.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanam/article/PIIS2667-193X(26)00311-X/fulltext

Alt...

Respiratory-virus-attributable mortality remains substantial after the formal pandemic emergency, with SARS-CoV-2 continuing to contribute materially to population mortality. These findings support sustained surveillance and continued investment in vaccination and other prevention strategies across respiratory viruses, and the transparent use of all-cause, regression-based attribution, with explicit sensitivity analyses around seasonal baselines, to quantify burden that cause-specific coding underestimates.

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

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

The West Point (WSPT) sewage treatment plant's SARS-CoV2 seven-day running average numbers went down a fair amount, but are still elevated. The last seven day running average calculation was done on 10/27.

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.

Interesting. #LongCOVID #COVID https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/metformin-given-within-week-covid-19-slashes-risk-long-covid-death-53-paper-notes

Masking is mandatory at N.L. health facilities, after uptick in respiratory illnesses and outbreaks

The new rule is due to an increase of respiratory illnesses and outbreaks across facilities, says NLHS

CBC News
November 3, 2026
By Mark Quinn

https://stillcoviding.ca/en/news/masking-is-mandatory-at-n-l-health-facilities-after-uptick-in-respiratory-illnesses-and-outbreaks/

#COVID #CovidIsNotOver

[Traduit de l’anglais]

Le port du masque est obligatoire dans les établissements de santé de Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador, à la suite d’une hausse des maladies respiratoires et des éclosions

Cette nouvelle règle est liée à une augmentation des maladies respiratoires et des éclosions dans l’ensemble des établissements, selon les Services de santé de Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador (NLHS)

CBC News
Le 3 novembre 2026
Par Mark Quinn

https://stillcoviding.ca/fr/nouvelles/masking-is-mandatory-at-n-l-health-facilities-after-uptick-in-respiratory-illnesses-and-outbreaks/

#COVID #LaPandémieNEstPasFinie

Got my #covid and #influenza #vaccines yesterday and at first felt great... even woke up 30 minutes early at 3am to check the election results down south. Only had a little arm soreness in one arm so I went to the gym as usual. An hour after I got home the side effects hit me :(

Being vaccinated is worth it, I know they'll pass in a couple of days, but dang this year is tough.

Study identifies new targets for antiviral drugs against coronaviruses

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20261102/Study-identifies-new-targets-for-antiviral-drugs-against-coronaviruses.aspx

#science #biology #COVID #COVID19

REVEALED: The 30 senior Tories who referred companies through the Covid PPE ‘VIP lane’

https://leftfootforward.org/2026/11/revealed-the-30-senior-tories-who-referred-companies-through-the-covid-ppe-vip-lane/

#Covid #Covid19 #pandemic #Tories #UKpol #PPE #CovidPPE #CovidPPEVIPlane #UK #LeftFootForward

I spent all day yesterday anxious. We had our lefty book club and in between this meeting and last meeting I've been doing some #covid advocacy, trying to get people to mask and informing about the dangers of covid. I felt like nobody was hearing me and I felt invisible. Last night, SIX PEOPLE showed up in respirators. They said they felt inspired by what my wife and I had been sharing and it encouraged them to mask. We ended up having a 15 minute discussion about covid, disability justice, community care and covids impacts on us all. People received it well for the most part and want to have more discussions at the next book clubs. I got to share a bunch of resources and scientific articles in our group chat. I feel hope!

#covidIsNotOver #maskUp

Spannende Frage: welche Gruppe der Bevölkerung wird als nächstes zum Hassobjekt gemacht, wenn wir erst
eliminiert sind?
/zyn

„Impfschutz gegen Covid-19 wird aus dem Leistungskatalog der Krankenkassen gestrichen.“:

https://www.t-online.de/finanzen/ratgeber/versicherungen/krankenversicherung/id_101508858/corona-impfung-fuer-diese-gruppen-zahlt-die-kasse-weiter.html

#armut #gesundheit #covid

Today: Fiorella Mannoia: "Così ho conosciuto mio marito Carlo. Il matrimonio? Abbiamo scelto il wedding-Covid"

Passione civile, tanta musica, traguardi professionali ma anche un lungo amore che, sfidando i pregiudizi, è diventato sempre più una colonna portante della sua vita. Si sta parlando di Fiorella Mannoia. L'artista romana - in una recente intervista rilasciata al Corriere della Sera - ha...

Fiorella Mannoia: “That’s how I met my husband, Carlo. The marriage? We chose a Covid wedding.”

Civic passion, a lot of music, professional achievements but also a long love that, challenging prejudices, had become increasingly a pillar of her life. We are talking about Fiorella Mannoia. The Roman artist – in a recent interview released to the Corriere della Sera – has…

#FiorellaMannoia #Carlo #Covid #Corriere

https://www.today.it/gossip/fiorella-mannoia-marito-carlo.html

Incredible stuff from @violetblue this week - as is often the case, maybe, but this is next level. #Covid #Covid19

Alt...

"I’ve been compiling this weekly pandemic update and delivering it to readers for over six years now. Every single week, without fail, there is not just one but several breaking news items from the health sciences sector showing that any and every Covid-19 infection does some flavor of lasting harm to whomever it infects. It’s not my opinion. It’s a fact. Covid is the most studied disease in the shortest amount of time in all of history, and Covid vaccines are the best-studied vaccines in human history (no, really). I’m telling you all of this because we’re watching the US in its 13th wave since 2020, and similarly for other locations around the world, and healthcare still tells people to wash their fucking hands for an airborne virus that has taken literally, not figuratively, hundreds of thousands of people in every country out of the workforce and kids out of schools in just the past two years alone. And still, public health decision makers bray like donkeys to the media about how they don’t know what’s wrong with their breaking healthcare system and disability claims and lost workforce."

✅ 💉done.

Family flu/covid boosters completed for this year. 🎉

I guess this is targeting maximum protection for when the young and old are more likely to mix during the holidays.

#Vaccines #COVID #healthcare

Il Fatto Quotidiano: “Io e mio marito ci siamo sposati durante il Covid anche perché se no quando mi sposavo? Al geriatrico? La differenza di età (26 anni) ce la fanno notare gli altri, noi ci scherziamo”: così Fiorella Mannoia

Coach a “The Voice Senior”, impegnata attualmente nei teatri italiani con la tranche invernale di Anime Salve, il progetto dedicato a De Andrè e Fossati, mentre il 27 novembre uscirà proprio il disco tratto da quest’ultimo progetto discografico.
È un periodo di lavoro intenso per Fiorella Mannoia, che ha sempre messo la musica la primo posto nella sua vita, anche prima del matrimonio con Carlo Di Francesco, musicista e produttore discografico, sposato dopo 20 anni di relazione.
“Sono molto pigra, è il mio grande difetto. Il palco è la mia vita, faccio 120 date l’anno, – ha detto l’artista a Il Corriere della Sera – però per il resto del tempo me ne sto a casa sul divano: non vedo quasi mai nessuno. Per cui l’idea di organizzare il matrimonio, chi devi invitare, chi si offende, i regali… È una cosa che non rientra proprio nella mia mentalità”.
E così la decisione di organizzare tutto durante il Covid: “In quel periodo ci siamo detti che eravamo giustificati a invitare poche persone: facciamolo ora, sposiamoci perché sono 20 anni che stiamo insieme. Anche perché se no quando mi sposo? Al geriatrico?”.
Poi la confessione: “In realtà non avevo mai pensato al matrimonio: se stai con una persona, ci stai e basta”.
L'articolo “Io e mio marito ci siamo sposati durante il Covid anche perché se no quando mi sposavo? Al geriatrico? La differenza di età (26 anni) ce la fanno notare gli altri, noi ci scherziamo”: così Fiorella Mannoia proviene da Il Fatto Quotidiano.

“My husband and I got married during the COVID pandemic as well because otherwise when would I get married? At the geriatric center? Others notice our age difference (26 years), but we joke about it”: so Fiorella Mannoia.

As a coach on “The Voice Senior,” Fiorella Mannoia is currently performing with the winter season of *Anime Salve* (Souls Alive), the project dedicated to De Andrè and Fossati, while the album from that project will be released on November 27th.

It’s an intense period for Fiorella Mannoia, who has always placed music first in her life, even before her marriage to Carlo Di Francesco, a musician and record producer, after 20 years of a relationship.

“I am very lazy; it's my biggest flaw,” the artist told *Il Corriere della Sera – “The stage is my life; I do 120 dates a year – but for the rest of the time I’m at home on the sofa: I rarely see anyone. So the idea of organizing the wedding, who you have to invite, who gets offended, the gifts… It's something that doesn't fit into my mindset.”

And so the decision was made to organize everything during Covid: “During that period we said we were justified in inviting a few people; let’s do it now, let’s get married because we’ve been together for 20 years. Also because if not when am I getting married? At the geriatric ward?”

Then came the confession: “Actually, I had never really thought about getting married: if you're with a person, you are and that’s it.”

The article “Me and my husband got married during Covid also because if not when was I supposed to get married? At the geriatric ward? The age difference (26 years) is noticed by others, we joke about it” is from *Il Fatto Quotidiano*.

#COVID #FiorellaMannoia #TheVoiceSenior #DeAndrè #Fossati #first #CarloDiFrancesco #Covid

https://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2026/11/02/mi-sono-sposata-durante-il-covid-anche-perche-se-no-quando-mi-sposavo-al-geriatrico-la-differenza-di-eta-ce-la-fanno-notare-gli-altri-cosi-fiorella-mannoia/8557356/

Email your MNA and the Minister of Health of #Quebec to make the #Flu and #COVID vaccines free again.

Currently, it costs you over $200 to get vaccinated with both doses this respiratory virus season.

Now that the election has passed, I've updated my email templates & addresses.

Use this link to find your MNA, the Minister's email, and copy-paste the template to demand free access to vaccines!

Templates are available in EN & FR!!!

https://bit.ly/4pqFU1F

If you still mask regularly what mask do you use most often?

(I know that the n95 is comparable to the FFP2, but for sake of reducing confusion, just put whatever is on the box that you buy)

Please boost.

#masking #masks #covid #measles #mondkapje #mask

Got a pest problem? Don’t call me.

My #COVID-safe #Halloween costume turned out well.

And I guess I made it canon that Jarvis Vaulk owns a pest control company. IYKYK.

Alt...

Man in baseball cap, respirator mask, and coverall covered with insects. The badge on the coverall says Vaulk Pest Control Experts.

Since being diagnosed with lupus, my biggest symptom is post exertional malaise. Only that's not a symptom of lupus - it's a symptom of long covid. This week I pressed both my rheum and my kidney doc for answers.

My rheum shrugged away the question, but my kidney doc's answer blew my mind: "It's because you had long covid when you first came in. Your lupus is a manifestation of long covid, and you have symptoms for both."

#lupus #longCovid #Covid #autoimmune

1/2

There is now a working definition of long Covid, and my 2 year gap no longer matters. And this is what blew my mind: lupus is listed as a way that long Covid can manifest!

It’s not proof of cause, but my doctor thinks lupus is how my immune system responded to long Covid. This doesn’t change any treatment protocols, but it deeply informs why I can’t take more than 3000 steps a day without ending up with a fever and throwing up!

Mind is blown.

#lupus #LongCovid #Covid #autoimmune

2/2

This week's Pandemics in BC:
General: https://covidbc.webfoot.com/2026/10/30/2026-10-30-general/
BC: https://covidbc.webfoot.com/2026/10/30/2026-10-30-bc/
#covid19bc #covid19 #covid #vaccines #measles

Huge study on long COVID suggests that it is much less common than previous modeling suggested.

https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2604414123

#COVID #longCOVID #bugstodon #bugsplaining

(Please read the whole thread before replying to disagree or I'm just going to block you)

La Stampa - News, inchieste e approfondimenti La Stampa: Calderone: “Dal welfare alla Sanità, un errore mettere in competizione i giovani e gli anziani”

La ministra del Lavoro all’evento “Vivere a lungo, vivere meglio” organizzato da La Stampa a Torino: «Dopo il Covid per i ragazzi è cambiato tutto. La sfida è tenere insieme cinque generazioni»

Calderone: "From welfare to healthcare, it’s a mistake to put young people and seniors against each other."

The Labour Minister at the “Live Long, Live Better” event organized by La Stampa in Turin: “After Covid, everything has changed for young people. The challenge is to bring together five generations.”

#Calderone #LaStampa #Turin #Covid

https://www.lastampa.it/torino/2026/10/30/news/calderone_welfare_sanita_giovani_anziani_evento_la_stampa_torino-15783336/