#COVID-19 Shelf

[han-solo-cant-dance]

I had to go to 3 stores to find a covid test. Felt like I was about to pass out by the time I actually got one. Anyways, its negative so I guess just the flu?

[musicshelfwithmustard]

Prepare to Lose Badly with Booze Radly

Mustard had the pleasure of speaking with Philadelphia's Booze Radly. Together we discussed their band name, what bums them out, basketball, their upcoming album "Lose, Badly", and so much more!

Photo credit: Jules Bird (@crimebird) Mustard had the pleasure of speaking with Philadelphia’s Booze Radly. Together we discussed their band name, what bums them out, basketball, their upcoming album “Lose, Badly”, and so much more! 1. Mustard is grateful to have Booze Radly join them at Music Shelf. How is everyone?We’re doing well, pretty excited about our upcoming release “Lose, Badly” set…

[webcity-technologies]

Custom ERP vs Off-The-Shelf ERP: Which is Better? | Webcity

Do you intend to buy Enterprise Resource Planning software for your company? If you answered yes, you must carefully consider whether your company should use custom ERP software or off-the-shelf ERP software. Of course, it is a difficult choice because customised ERP is scalable; as a result, many SMEs require customised ERP to run their manufacturing business smoothly. Off-the-shelf, on the other hand, is the most cost-effective option. However, keep in mind that, aside from pricing, several other factors must be considered before purchasing the right ERP software for the company.

[covid-safer-hotties]

The next pandemic is inevitable. Australia isn’t ready - Published Sept 23, 2024

(Before you Americans yell at me, It's already the 23rd in Australia. This is very late-breaking)

I thought this was a really good breakdown of the current situation given the government-approved covid denial we live in. Long, but worth a read.

By Kate Aubusson and Mary Ward

Top infectious disease and public health veterans at the nerve centre of the state’s war against COVID-19 are sounding the alarm.

NSW is less prepared today to fend off a deadly pandemic despite the lessons of COVID-19, say top infectious disease and public health veterans at the nerve centre of the state’s war against the virus.

And we won’t have another hundred years to wait.

NSW’s gold standard Test-Trace-Isolate-Quarantine and vaccination strategies will be useless if a distrusting population rejects directives, refuses to give up its freedoms again, and the goodwill of shell-shocked public health workers dries up.

A panel of experts convened by The Sydney Morning Herald called for a pandemic combat agency akin to the armed forces or fire brigades to commit to greater transparency or risk being caught off guard by the next virulent pathogen and misinformation with the potential to spread faster than any virus.

“It’s inevitable,” says Professor Eddie Holmes of the next pandemic. A world-leading authority on the emergence of infectious diseases at the University of Sydney, Holmes predicts: “We’ll have less than 100 years [before the next pandemic].

“We’re seeing a lot of new coronaviruses that are spilling over into animals that humans are interacting with,” said Holmes, the first person to publish the coronavirus genome sequence for the world to see.

“People are exposed all the time, and each time we are rolling the dice.”

The independent review of NSW Health’s response to COVID-19 opened with the same warning: “No health system or community will have the luxury of 100 years of downtime.”

Pandemic preparedness needs to be a “permanent priority”, wrote the report’s author, Robyn Kruk, a former NSW Health secretary, “rather than following the path of those that have adopted a ‘panic and forget strategy,’ allowing system preparedness to wane”.

Why we don’t have 100 years to wait for the next pandemic The World Health Organisation has declared seven public health emergencies of international concern since 2014, including the current mpox outbreak.

Climate change is turbocharging the factors that coalesce to create the perfect breeding ground for a pandemic-causing virus, including population increases, bigger cities, and better-connected global markets and migration.

“Animals will be forced into more constrained environments, and humans that rely on those environments will be again constrained in the same environments. There will be more wet markets, more live animal trade that will just increase exposure,” Holmes said.

“It was clear that we weren’t ready [for COVID],” said Jennie Musto, who, after seven years working for the World Health Organisation overseas, became NSW Health’s operations manager for the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre, the team responsible for NSW’s COVID-19 contact tracing and containment.

“Everyone had preparedness plans gathering dust on a shelf, but no one was actually ready to respond, and so everyone was on the back foot,” Musto said. “Perhaps none of us really thought this was going to happen. We were waiting 500 years.”

Who would willingly become the next doomed whistleblower? Eddie Holmes, known for his repeated assertion that SARS-CoV-2 did not come from a lab, is deeply concerned that when the next pandemic-causing virus emerges, chances are it will be covered up.

“My worry is that if the virus appeared in a small population, say, somewhere in Southeast Asia, the people involved wouldn’t blow the whistle now, given the fact that you would get blamed,” he said.

Li Wenliang, the Wuhan doctor who tried to raise the alarm about a virulent new virus, was reportedly reprimanded by police for spreading rumours and later died of COVID-19.

The global blame game, culminating in a deep distrust of China and accusations that the virus was grown in a Wuhan lab, is why Holmes believes “we’re in no better place than we were before COVID started, if not worse”.

“I work with a lot of people in China trying to keep the lines of communication open, and they’re scared, I think, or nervous about saying things that are perceived to counter national interest.”

From a vaccine perspective, our defences look strong. There have been monumental advancements in vaccine development globally, driven by mRNA technology. In Sydney this month, construction began on an RNA vaccine research and manufacturing facility.

“But the way I see it is that nothing has been done in terms of animal surveillance of outbreaks or data sharing. The [global] politics has got much, much worse,” Holmes said.

Combat force Conjoint Associate Professor Craig Dalton, a leading public health physician and clinical epidemiologist, called for a dramatic expansion of the public health workforce and the establishment of a pandemic combat force that would routinely run real-time pandemic simulations during “peacetime”.

“No one is upset with fire brigades spending most of the time not fighting fires. They train. A lot. And that’s probably how we need to move,” he said.

“We need exercise training units so that every major player in pandemic response is involved in a real-time, three to four-day pandemic response every three to five years at national, state and local [levels].”

The federal Department of Health and Aged Care recently ran a health emergency exercise focused on governance arrangements involving chief health officers and senior health emergency management officials, a spokeswoman for Health Minister Mark Butler said. The outcomes of this exercise will be tested later this year.

Dalton said desktop simulations and high-level exercises involving a handful of chiefs didn’t cut it, considering the thousands of people working across regions and states. He instead suggested an intensive training program run in the Hunter New England region before the 2009 H1N1 pandemic provided a good model.

“We were ringing people, actors were getting injections, just like a real pandemic,” said Dalton, who once ordered a burrito in a last-ditch effort to contact a restaurant exposed to COVID-19.

Our heroes have had it The expert panel was emphatic that our pandemic response cannot once again rely on the goodwill of the public health and healthcare workforce.

According to the Kruk review, what began as an emergency response ultimately morphed from a sprint into an ultra marathon and “an admirable (yet unsustainable) ‘whatever it takes’ mindset”.

They were hailed as heroes, but the toll of COVID-19 on healthcare workers was brutal. Workloads were untenable, the risk of transmission was constant, and the risk of violence and aggression (for simply wearing their scrubs on public transport in some cases) was terrifying.

“We got through this pandemic through a lot of people working ridiculous hours,” Dalton said.

“You talk to a lot of people who did that and say they could not do it again.”

Tellingly, several expert personnel who worked at the front lines or in the control centre of NSW’s pandemic defences were invited to join the Herald’s forum but declined. Revisiting this period of intense public scrutiny, culminating in online attacks and physical threats, was just too painful.

So long, solidarity Arguably, the biggest threat to our pandemic defences will be the absence of our greatest strength during COVID: the population’s solidarity and willingness to follow public health orders even when it meant forfeiting fundamental freedoms.

The public largely complied with statewide public health orders, including the stay-at-home directive that became the 107-day Delta lockdown, and other severe restrictions prevented many from being at the bedside of their dying loved ones, visiting relatives in aged care homes and attending funerals.

“My worry is that next time around when those sorts of rules come out, people may say, ‘Well, don’t worry about it.’ They relax it in the future. Why don’t we just not stick to the rules?” said Professor Nicholas Wood, associate director of clinical research and services at the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance.

“I’m not sure we quite understand whether people [will be] happy with those rules again,” he said.

Dalton was more strident.

“I tend to agree with Michael Osterholm … an eminent US epidemiologist [who] recently said the US is probably less prepared for a pandemic now than it was in 2019, mostly because the learnings by health departments in the COVID pandemic may not make a material difference if faced with a community that distrusts its public health agencies,” he said.

“If H1N1 or something else were to spill over in the next couple of years, things like masks, social distancing and lockdowns would not be acceptable. Vaccination would be rejected by a huge part of the population, and politicians might be shy about putting mandates in.”

As for the total shutdown of major industries, people will struggle to accept it unless the next pandemic poses a greater threat than COVID, said UNSW applied mathematician Professor James Wood.

The risk of the virus to individuals and their families will be weighed against the negative effects of restrictions, which are much better understood today, said Wood, whose modelling of the impact of cases and vaccination rates was used by NSW Health.

“Something like school closure would be a much tougher argument with a similar pathogen,” he said.

A previous panel of education experts convened by the Herald to interrogate pandemic decision-making in that sector was highly critical of the decision to close schools for months during NSW’s Delta lockdown.

Greg Dore, professor of infectious diseases and epidemiology at the Kirby Institute, said the public’s reluctance to adhere to restrictions again may, in part, be appropriate.

“Some of the restrictions on people leaving the country were a bit feudal and too punitive,” he said. “Other restrictions were plain stupid, [for instance] limitations on time exercising outside.”

Meanwhile, the delays to publicly recognise the benefits of face masks and the threat of airborne transmission “ate away at trust”, Dalton said.

“We shouldn’t make those mistakes again,” he said.

Transparent transgressions Uncertainty is not something politicians are adept at communicating, but uncertainty is the only constant during a pandemic of a novel virus.

Vaccines that offered potent protection against early iterations of the COVID virus were less effective against Omicron variants.

“[The public], unfortunately, got hit by a rapid sequence of changes of what was ‘true’ in the pandemic,” James Wood said.

Political distrust can be deadly if governments give the public reason to suspect they are obfuscating.

The expert panel urged NSW’s political leaders to be far more transparent about the public health advice they were given before unilaterally enforcing restrictions.

There was a clear line between public health advice and political decision-making in Victoria. The Victorian chief health officer’s written advice was routinely published online.

In NSW, that line was blurred as Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant stood beside political leaders, most notably former premier Gladys Berejiklian, at the daily press conferences.

Public health experts said that they looked for subtle cues to determine the distinction between the expert advice and the political messaging during press conferences, paying attention to body language, who spoke when and who stayed silent.

“It is fine for public health personnel to have a different view to politicians. They have different jobs. What is not OK is to have politicians saying they are acting on public health advice [when they are not],” he said.

The ‘whys’ behind the decisions being made were missing from the daily press conferences, which created “a vacuum for misinformation”, said social scientist and public health expert Professor Julie Leask at the University of Sydney.

“The communication about what you need to do came out, and it was pretty good … but the ‘why we’re doing this’ and ‘what trade-offs we’ve considered’ and ‘what dilemmas we’ve faced in making this decision’; that was not shared,” Leask said.

The infodemic In the absence of transparency, misinformation and disinformation fill the vacuum.

“We had an ‘infodemic’ during the pandemic,” said Dr Jocelyne Basseal, who worked on the COVID-19 response for WHO in the Western Pacific and leads strategic development at the Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute, University of Sydney.

“The public has been so confused. Where do we go for trusted information [when] everyone can now write absolutely anything, whether on Twitter [now called X] or [elsewhere] on the web?” Basseal said.

A systematic review conducted by WHO found misinformation on social media accounted for up to 51 per cent of posts about vaccines, 29 per cent of posts about COVID-19 and 60 per cent of posts about pandemics.

Basseal’s teenage children recently asked whether they were going into lockdown after TikTok videos about the mpox outbreak.

“There is a lot of work to be done now, in ‘peacetime’ … to get ahead of misinformation,” Basseal said, including fortifying relationships with community groups and teaching scientists – trusted and credible sources of information – how to work with media.

In addition to the Kruk review’s six recommendations to improve its pandemic preparedness, NSW Health undertook a second inquiry into its public health response to COVID-19, which made 104 recommendations.

NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said: “We are working hard to ensure the findings and recommendations from those reports are being implemented as quickly as possible.”

The expert panellists spoke in their capacity as academics and not on behalf of NSW Health or WHO.

The ‘As One System’ review into NSW Health’s COVID-19 response made six recommendations 1. Make governance and decision-making structures clearer, inclusive, and more widely understood 2. Strengthen co-ordination, communication, engagement, and collaboration 3. Enhance the speed, transparency, accuracy, and practicality of data and information sharing 4. Prioritise the needs of vulnerable people and communities most at risk, impacted and in need from day one 5. Put communities at the centre of emergency governance, planning, preparedness, and response 6. Recognise, develop and sustain workforce health, wellbeing, capability and agility.

[clangrogu]

DC x Reader Fic Recs

It Got Worse by @hannibals-favourite-meal (Clark Kent x Reader, F!Reader, Wayne!Reader, SFW, Pregnancy, Bruce is overprotective)

Office Crushes by @hannibals-favourite-meal (Clark Kent x Reader, SFW, A/B/O Dynamics, Omega!Reader, Plus size!Reader, Slight angst, Protective!Clark)

Playground Chaos by @kimberly-spirits13 (Jason Todd x Reader, GN!Reader, SFW)

At the Stitches by @kimberly-spirits13 (Jason Todd x Reader, Black Widow!Reader, F!Reader, SFW, Reader has magic)

To the Paparazzi by @innerwomen (Bruce Wayne x Reader, F!Reader, Batmom!Reader, Husband!Bruce Wayne, SFW, Slight angst, Body shaming, Mild swearing, COVID-19 mentions)

Keep the Doors Locked by @hannibals-favourite-meal (Bruce Wayne x Reader, Batmom!Reader, Batboys x Batmom!Reader F!Reader, NSFW, Smut, Getting walked in on, Bi!reader mention)

Just a Couple More Minutes by @innerwomen (Bruce Wayne x Reader, Batboys x Batmom!Reader, F!Reader, Batmom!Reader, Husband!Bruce Wayne, SFW, Slightly Suggestive)

Illegal by @hannibals-favourite-meal (Batmom!Reader, Damian Wayne x Batmom!Reader, Bruce Wayne x Reader, F!Reader, SFW, Implication of smut, Puberty mentions)

What Is A Mother, But The Woman Who Loves Us Most? by @ragingbookdragon (Batmom!Reader, Batboys x Batmom!Reader, Bruce Wayne x Reader, F!Reader, SFW, Angst, Hurt/Comfort)

I Have Too Many Children by @ragingbookdragon (Batmom!Reader, Batboys x Batmom!Reader, Bruce Wayne x Reader, F!Reader, SFW, Implications of sex)

I’ve Finally Found Something For My Shelf by @ragingbookdragon (Batmom!Reader, Batboys x Batmom!Reader, Bruce Wayne x Reader, F!Reader, SFW)

"You're the best thing that has ever happened to me" by @allysunny (Bruce Wayne x Reader, F!Reader, SFW, Pregnancy, Bale!Bruce Wayne)

A New Beginning by @hannibals-favourite-meal (Bruce Wayne x Reader, Plus size!Reader, F!Reader, SFW)

Slumber Party by @bippot (Adrian Chase x Reader, F!Reader, SFW, Reader is kidnapped and kinda traumatised, Canon typical violence, Minor injuries)

Now or Never by @whirlybirbs (Adrian Chase x Reader, F!Reader, SFW, Mild depiction of injuries, Reader is a retired hero)

[violetsandshrikes]

ok you have made good science and health posts. Is it worth taking a probiotic as part of my selfcare routine?

Note: Not a doctor! Not medical advice, only a summary of useful information out there.

Ehhhhh, it's one of those things that is debated. Some research points towards usefulness, other research says it doesn't do much. There's also issues with what strains are in said probiotic, if they're even useful for you, if they can even survive your digestive tract (and your personal microbiota)…science is mixed on this too.

A recent review (2024) has concluded there is evidence enough for doctors and patients to consider using specific probiotics for uses in specific people (like supporting gut function during antibiotics, reducing respiratory tract infections, etc.), but not enough evidence to recommend it unconditionally in the population as preventative medicine.

This is another recent (2024) review that's similar, but they've helpfully included a couple pages at the end of specific studies, probiotic strains used, and their specific impact/mode of action studied on specific illnesses/diseases.

Interestingly, they've also just dropped another 2024 meta-analysis that suggests probiotic use saw a 51% reduction in symptoms reported by COVID-19 patients, including cough, headaches and diarrhea. They included 9 studies (3 of which were clinical trials), so they likely will need a larger sample size to say conclusively, but that could be a promising angle in a post-COVID world.

To add another confusing angle, postbiotics are becoming of increasing interest in research. They're bioactive compounds that are produced when probiotic bacteria are feeding on prebiotic foods in the colon (like fibers), and it's beginning to look like health benefits associated with pre/postbiotics actually come from postbiotic production. I have yet to see any available on the market, but apparently they are out there. I would also be aware that as a new frontier (and product) I couldn't say much about their individual efficiency, product contamination, etc.

If you decide to:

You can just make sure to frequently consume probiotic foods (yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, tempeh, kimchi, etc.) although I would also suggest you make sure you're eating enough fiber to feed the friendly bacteria already inside you.

Bacteria is very specifically named. You'll have a genus, species and a strain - Bifidobacterium longum W11. All three = you got it right, and this is important because probiotics are researched down to these specific strains. It also means that when you read a probiotic bottle, if you don't see all three of those names (as a general rule), it's probably useless to you.

Check your labelling, especially generic store brands. Yogurt starter is typically made with Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus, and if they advertise these as the "probiotic benefits" they're usually full of shit - these strains usually get destroyed in your stomach by acid and don't provide any benefit.

If you have a weakened or compromised immune system, don't take probiotics without medical advice. This includes if you're having chemo, you're critically ill or you've recently had surgery.

Lots of people experience gas, mild abdominal pain and changes in stools when first using probiotics, but you're probably going to want to keep a note of that for your doctor, just in case. Plenty also have additives and digestive aids, so look out for allergic reactions and things like soy/gluten if needed.

Probiotics are measured in colony forming units (CFU) - the number of viable cells. They might say 1 x 109 for 1 billion CFU or 1 x 1010 for 10 billion CFU. Some contain up to 50+ billion CFU. A common mistake made is assuming higher CFU = better for you. Most countries only require labelling to list the total weight of the microorganisms in the product (which can include both alive and dead microorganisms, not viable ones). Probiotics can die during their shelf-life and must be consumed alive to be of use. Ideally, you're looking for products labelled with the number of CFU at the end of the product's shelf life (vs at the time of manufacturing).

If in doubt, ask a doctor or pharmacist.

[materialsscienceandengineering]

Mineral coatings could enable shelf-stable mRNA therapies

A protective mineral coating identified by University of Wisconsin–Madison biomedical engineering researchers could allow powerful messenger RNA therapeutics like COVID-19 vaccines to be stored at room temperature, making them more accessible to lower-resourced communities across the world. In a paper published in the journal Acta Biomaterialia, Professor William Murphy and collaborators in his lab detail how using an optimized mineral coating composition can maintain mRNA activity for up to six months at room temperature. With that kind of preservation, mRNA therapeutics—vaccines against infectious diseases, but also emerging treatments for cancer and tissue regeneration—could be stored on the shelf at local clinics. The rapid development of mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines was a game-changer in the pandemic. The vaccines employ mRNA to direct cells to produce a protein from the surface of the virus, triggering an immune response that preps our bodies for the real thing.

Read more.

[burritosandpeppermint]

As of November 20, 2023, residential households in the U.S. are eligible for another order of #4 free at-home tests from USPS.com. Here's what you need to know about your order:

Each order includes #4 individual rapid antigen COVID-19 tests (COVIDTests.gov has more details about at-home tests, including extended shelf life and updated expiration dates)

If an order has not been placed for your address since the program reopened on September 25, 2023, you can place# 2 orders now

Orders will ship free

[eriyu]

a new batch of free covid tests is now available for USamericans!

COVIDTests.gov

"As of late September 2024, residential households in the U.S. are eligible for another order of #4 free at-home tests from USPS.com. Here's what you need to know about your order:

Each order includes #4 individual rapid antigen COVID-19 tests (COVIDTests.gov has more details about at-home tests, including extended shelf life and updated expiration dates)

Orders will ship free, starting September 30, 2024"

[justfacilitatinglife]

Small Container Veggies for Table Decor

Hello and welcome back to Just Facilitating Life! Today, I’m excited to share a creative and practical idea that blends my passion for gardening with my professional life as a restaurant manager.

Transforming Our Patio Space

Like many businesses, our restaurant had to adapt during the COVID-19 pandemic. One of our most significant changes was setting up a spacious and inviting outdoor patio. It looks fantastic, but I wanted to add a touch of decor that would align with our brand’s emphasis on fresh, healthy, and local food.

The Initial Idea: Flowers

My first thought was to adorn the tables with flowers. They’re beautiful and add a pleasant ambiance, but maintaining fresh flowers can be quite a task. Cut flowers would need replacing every few days, which seemed impractical.

The Epiphany: Edible Decor

Then it hit me—why not grow vegetables as table decor? It would perfectly complement our farm-to-table concept. But the challenge was to do it in small, aesthetically pleasing containers.

Experimenting with Mason Jars

Initially, I considered using mason jars for a hydroponic setup. However, mason jars require a covering to prevent algae growth in the nutrient solution, which didn’t fit the rustic look I envisioned.

The Perfect Solution: Rustic Metal Milk Containers

A stroke of luck came when I visited a 99 cent store that was closing down. I found charming rustic metal milk containers labeled "Flower and Garden." They were perfect for our decor theme, and they were on sale! I bought every single one.

Overcoming the Leaky Containers

Excitedly, I brought them home, only to find that they leaked. Not ready to give up, I inserted food saver bags inside the containers, securing them with mason jar lid rings. This improvised solution worked perfectly, making the containers watertight.

Planting the Seedlings

With my containers ready, I planted a mix of lettuce seedlings. The result was adorable table decor that grows right before your eyes. I also planted a cucumber and placed it on a shelf in our patio area. The cucumber thrived, even producing fruit! I left one on the vine a bit too long, and it started to turn yellow, but that just added to the charm.

The Kratky Method: Low Maintenance

For these setups, I used the Kratky method, a simple form of hydroponics that doesn’t require pumps or electricity. Once set up, I didn’t have to refill the nutrient solution for the entire six-week lifecycle of the lettuce. It was incredibly low maintenance.

Rotating the Crops

Today, I’m refreshing our decor by replacing the lettuce with bok choy, dwarf tomatoes, and ornamental Thai chili pepper seedlings. These new plants will not only enhance our patio’s aesthetic but also spark conversation among our guests about our commitment to fresh, local produce.

Final Thoughts

Creating these small container veggie displays has been a rewarding experience. It marries my passion for gardening with our restaurant’s ethos, providing a unique and sustainable touch to our outdoor dining space. I hope this inspires you to think creatively about how you can incorporate plants into your decor, whether at home or in your business.

Stay tuned for more gardening tips and stories from my journey. Until next time, happy growing!

[ralfmaximus]

IMPORTANT! If you have expired covid tests laying around, there is a good chance they are still usable.

Turns out, in the early days of pandemic production the expiration dates posted on the tests were best guesses based on... well, guessing. There wasn't enough time to accumulate data on the shelf life of these tests, and there was an emergency, so they just slapped a conservative date on there and shipped the tests.

But now we know better! The USFDA has been accumulating data and can now better project real expiration dates for existing tests. And the news is good: many tests that are "expired" are in fact good for another six months or so.

For example, the Abbot tests I have here that "expired" in July 2023 are now rated to be good through February 2024.

Go visit the site to see the specifics for each manufacturer.

[posttexasstressdisorder]

This link takes you to a page with info about the "home test kits" we all got from the gov't, and the fact that they are probably still just fine to use. There is a table at the bottom, with pictures of the boxes, and they show if it has an "extended" expiration date, and the full "Shelf life" of the tests.

PSA/FYI

[aaronstveit]

jaaaaamie i need book recs pretty please; you know what i like :) (also HOW ARE YOU ILY)

hiiii arwen my beloved!!!! i'm good, how are you? 💛💛

this is truly so much pressure.... i genuinely have five tabs open just to answer this ask, it's that serious. i don't know if you've read some of these but i hope there's at least something on this list you enjoy!!

first things first you can always check out my book recs tag or my goodreads <3 i have an all-time favorites shelf and shelves of my favorites each year if you're interested!

putting the recommendations beneath the cut because this got longggg omg

Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand — Young adult, horror, mystery, LGBTQ+. Three teenage girls come together to fight a dark and magical force that has been killing young women on Sawkill Island for decades.

Cover Story by Susan Rigetti — Adult, contemporary, crime. A young woman becomes trapped in a con artist's elaborate web.

To Break a Covenant by Alison Ames — Young adult, paranormal horror, LGBTQ+. A group of close friends investigate the haunted mines beneath their town.

Hangsaman by Shirley Jackson — Coming of age, historical, understated. A young woman leaves home to attend a women's college. (Jamie's note: the summary of this book says it's loosely based on a real-life disappearance. There's no evidence this is true other than the fact that Shirley Jackson lived in the same town as the missing young woman and her husband taught at the college the young woman attended.) This a strange book with little actual plot — it's much more a character study of our main character, Natalie. That said, I really loved this book. It's very fascinating to try to piece together what is really happening in Natalie's life and what is her imagination running away from her as a coping mechanism.

56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard — Adult, mystery thriller, contemporary. Over the course of 56 days at the very beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, two people go from strangers to living together - and then one of them is murdered. This is one of the strangest and twistiest books I've read in the last few years and I am still not completely sure how to feel about it.

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill — Adult, mystery thriller, story in a story. Four strangers are sitting together at a table in the library when a scream sends the building into lockdown. While they wait to be cleared to leave, the strangers become friends. Later that day, a dead body is found in the library. One of the four characters from the table is the killer. But how, and why? And then, of course, there's the other story.... This book genuinely creeped me out. The dual storylines aren't for everyone but I personally loved it.

Rules for Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall — Young adult, paranormal horror, LGBTQ+. In the faux-documentary style of The Blair Witch Project comes the campfire story of a missing girl, a vengeful ghost, and the girl who is determined to find her sister—at all costs. A group of teens disappear into the woods in the middle of the night to play a game that will help them find the ghost of a lost girl and the main character's missing sister. I believe my review of this book describes it as "a mindfuck and a half."

The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd — Adult, contemporary fantasy, mystery. A famous cartographer is murdered and his estranged daughter, whose academic reputation he singlehandedly destroyed, begins to investigate his death. This book has rare maps, one of the most original magic systems I've read, second-chance romance, dual storylines (with flashbacks that I found, at times, more interesting than the modern storyline) and a main character named Nell. What isn't to enjoy?

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson — Adult, mystery, humor. A man attends a family reunion at an isolated ski lodge where the members of his family are slowly but surely being murdered. I believe I've recommended this one to you before! It was silly and definitely a love letter to golden age mysteries. A little outrageous at times, but it definitely kept me interested.

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley — Young adult, mystery, romance. A teenage biracial Native girl witnesses a murder and is thrust into an undercover investigation inside her close-knit community. This book made me cry approximately a billion times. I have my problems with the romance portion, but this book truly blew me away. It's a slow-build that tackles a lot of topics but ultimately I think it does a phenomenal job.

I'm the Girl by Courtney Summers — Young adult, mystery thriller, LGBTQ+. A teenage girl discovers a dead body on the side of the road and quickly finds herself thrown into a world of luxury, opulence, and violence. It's dark and uncomfortable, but it's also a powerful and emotional read. Also includes a nod to Summers' earlier novel, Sadie. (If you haven't read Sadie, I also highly recommend it! Very gripping and dark YA mystery novel.)

Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li — Young adult, crime, contemporary. The story of a group of young Chinese American adults who plan to steal back stolen Chinese art on the dime of a mysterious benefactor. This story is a lot more about the characters and their lives than it is about the heists, so make sure you're ready for that going in. This is a stunning, fast-paced novel with multiple POVs and characters you can't help but love.

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé — Young adult, mystery thriller, dark academia. Comped as "Get Out meets Gossip Girl," this is the story of (the only) two Black students at a private school with a sinister secret.

The Girls I've Been by Tess Sharpe — Young adult, thriller, LGBTQ+. Seventeen-year-old Nora, her girlfriend, and her best friend are trapped in a bank while it's being robbed. Or are the robbers trapped in the bank with Nora?

The Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould — Young adult, paranormal horror, LGBTQ+. A book about a small town, the things that lurk in the dark, and two teenage girls who team up to discover what is haunting their home and killing their friends.

Check, Please! by Ngozi Ukazu — Graphic novel, sports, LGBTQ+. This series follows Eric Bittle, a gay hockey player at a liberal arts college. There are few series that hold as special a place in my heart as this one. It's got found family, a cast of the most lovable characters you'll ever meet, baking, vlogging, romance, and more. Just writing this recommendation makes me wanna reread right now.

Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales — Young adult, romance, LGBTQ+. A teenage girl who sells love advice anonymously is hired by a classmate to help him win back his girlfriend. This book is for the bisexuals. It's also probably my favorite YA romance in the world.

okay this is getting out of hand so i'm gonna end it here. i hope there's something here that you enjoy <3333 and i also hope you haven't read all of these because that would be so awkward </3 anyway ilysm arwen!!! 💕💗

Trigger warnings: (Preface to the trigger warnings: I'm listing these a while out from reading them so these lists may be incomplete, I recommend checking out reviews as well to get a more complete picture.)

Sawkill Girls: murder, death of a parent, death of a sibling, grief, grooming, body horror, child abuse and neglect, suicidal ideation, misogyny

Cover Story: car accident

To Break a Covenant: death, loss of a loved one, gore, animal death, mention of suicide attempt, child abandonment

Hangsaman: implied sexual assault, misogyny

56 Days: murder, suicide, death of a loved one

The Woman in the Library: murder, mentions of sexual assault, stalking

Rules for Vanishing: death, loss of a loved one, murder

The Cartographers: murder, death of a loved one, fire

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone: murder, death of a loved one, death of a child, drowning

Firekeeper's Daughter: murder, suicide, rape, drug use and addiction, gun violence, grief, kidnapping, racism, misogyny

I'm the Girl: Murder, sexual assault, grooming, death of a loved one, grief, suicide

Portrait of a Thief: generational trauma, colonialism

Ace of Spades: racism, homophobia, stalking, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, murder, car accident, forced outing, bullying, panic attacks, gun violence

The Girls I've Been: listed by the author here

The Dead and the Dark: murder, drowning, major character death, homophobia, hate crimes, grief

Check, Please!: homophobia, anxiety, overdose, sports-related injuries, sports-related violence, internalized biphobia, bullying

Perfect on Paper: biphobia, underage drinking, divorce, cheating

[midnightprelude]

Senseless, Pt. 2

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Finally, three years later, I tested positive for COVID-19. Of course, I couldn't suffer alone, so @oftachancer humored me in inflicting the disease on Dorian so we could write Anders taking care of him (and falling in love). This is a 4-part fic which will post daily! You can follow the #senseless da fic to get updates. Written for @30daysofdorian!

I entered three separate rooms before I found the blasted kitchen. The man had two stoves. Two. Each one probably cost more than my car. And an entire walk-in refrigerator that was nearly empty. I could have fit my entire apartment in that kitchen, not even counting the fridge or the pantries. My little tub of Neapolitan seemed so lonely, sitting on its otherwise empty wide shelf. I stocked the groceries away, placing the various medicines I’d picked up in a line on the counter.

Something for the fever, the cough, the congestion. A veritable panoply of pharmaceuticals. I brought them back up with a large glass of water and a tablespoon, dragging a chair to Dorian’s bedside.

“How’s the patient?” I asked, as cheerfully as I could manage for two in the morning.

Dorian stared at me, bedraggled and somehow glamorous despite his red nose and the dark circles under his eyes. “My throat is staging a rebellion and the reading lamp is now officially too bright. How are you?”

“Tired,” I admitted, offering him pills and measuring out liquids. “But I’ll sleep after you do.”

“You’re welcome to the coffee. There’s a sealed container of a pleasant Antivan roast and a press.”

“Is this your way of asking for some?” I asked, tilting my head.

“It’s my way,” he paused to cough into a washcloth I’d given him earlier, “of offering you coffee.” He closed his eyes. “I’m quite capable of asking for what I want.” 

“Good. Yes. Alright.” I glanced down at my hands. “I might make myself some, then.” I glanced down at the test waiting on the nightstand. Well. There was an answer, at least. “You tested positive, I’m afraid. But that means we know what we’re dealing with.”

“I followed all the protocols,” he sniffed, accepting the spoonful of cough medicine with barely a grimace. “I haven’t seen anyone but delivery drivers since the start of this bloody thing. Delivery drivers and one student, but we masked- Damn it, Colette.” He took the pills I handed him and the cup of water. “I should call and see how she’s getting on.” He peered at the pills. “None of these are the drowsy-making ones, are they?”

“The cough syrup is,” I admitted, “but you need the rest. If you try and work through this, it’ll take you three times as long to get over it.”

“…not work?” Dorian looked up at me perplexed. “What, at all? The virus knows if I’m thinking?”

“You need sleep,” I insisted, lifting my brows. “Much of the body’s repair mechanisms are most active during sleep. You should try to keep from doing anything strenuous, mentally or physically, for at least a week.”

Dorian continued staring at me, as though the sheer force of his personality might change the facts or at least my opinion of them. “…surely some activity is healthy. What am I meant to do? Stare at my ceiling?”

“Watch movies. Do a puzzle. Read something light, if it doesn’t make your head hurt.” I frowned. “It will probably only last a week, Dorian. What’s a week to a lifetime of working?”

It was as though I’d told him he would be in traction for months: the sheer horror in his expression. “I can’t be alone doing nothing for days.”

“…you need to rest. Really. It’s crucial.” I lifted my brows, then sighed. “…I don’t have another shift until Tuesday. I’ll need to leave to feed my cats but- I can stay with you if you-“

“Excellent, yes, thank you.” Dorian swallowed the pills and handed the empty glass back to me. “That would be best.”

“You really don’t like being alone, do you?”

Dorian shuddered. “I can’t imagine anyone does. This whole experience has been abhorrent.”

It had been for me, too, but for entirely different reasons. I felt like I’d barely been alone for weeks. I’d been looking forward to my three days off. Maybe I could rescue my poor, neglected herb garden. I simply patted the man’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. It’s been hard on everyone.”

“Yes, of course it has. People put on brave faces; I don’t see why. It’s miserable being chopped off from the world without so much as a by your leave. I had appointments and events planned. There was a lovely little cruise to the Rivaini islands I’d been planning for months. Then some little beastie comes along and there's panic in the streets and silence. Silence, even when you play as much music as you can muster-” He broke off in a coughing fit. 

I rushed to the bathroom to fill his glass with water again. A pitcher. I should find a pitcher next time I ventured off into the maze. I placed the cool glass into his palm, handing him a tissue to dab at his lips. 

“You’re alright,” I murmured. “Maybe we should save the speeches for another time.”

Dorian nodded, grimacing, and cleared his throat into his fist. “I appreciate your presence,” his usually velvety voice scratched as he spoke. “…if you let me know what you need, I will… place the appropriate orders. Which- ah.” He rolled to the side, opening the drawer of the side table and returned with a crisp stack of cash. “There you are.”

“…should I ask why you have a bundle of money in your nightstand?” I stared at the bills, blinking. Maybe I should make more extracurricular house calls.

“One keeps these things around in case the need arises,” Dorian waved a hand wearily. “Was it more? I can forage.”

“…Dorian, I wasn’t planning on asking you for anything. The groceries were only about forty bucks.” This had to be at least five hundred dollars. “I really don’t need you to pay me for my time; I’m happy to play nurse for a little while-“

“Medicines and the like are quite expensive and I’ve been given to understand people are spending thousands for toilet paper. Take it. I’ll only use it as tissues.” He sighed, cuddling under his blanket. “Could you put another cloth on my head? That was nice.”

“Yeah. I can do that.” I sighed, shaking my head with a chuckle. Sweet, the way he hugged the pillows, his usually immaculate mustache grown in and smushed against the covers. I always tried to keep from having crushes on my patients, but I was only human. Mostly. In this way, at least. “I can even do a step better, if you’d like.”

“Oh yes?”

I nodded, wetting the wash cloth again. “Just scoot down a little bit so I can sit against the headboard. You can rest your head in my lap. Keep your tissues handy.”

Dorian opened his mouth and closed it, hummed slightly, and studied me. “That’s very generous. Although, I should warn you, if you don’t think that counts as a strenuous activity, I’m afraid you’ve been doing it wrong.”

I laughed, surprised, then rolled my eyes. “I was going to massage your sinuses.”

“That’s the first time I’ve heard that euphemism. I did have a lovely tutor teach me to ‘play the flute’ when I was in secondary school.”

I coughed. That seemed like something to unpack when Dorian wasn’t on six different medications. Or to never mention again. “Oh, yes. Snot. The sexiest of bodily fluids.”

Dorian sniffled, blinking blearily. “It was your suggestion.”

“I meant it in earnest.” I laughed again, unable to help myself. “To help with the congestion. The massage,” I added quickly, “not the euphemism.”

“Ah, well. One easily trips into hope. A massage is also appreciated.” He shifted down the bed and looked up expectantly. “I was wondering what the tissues were for.”

“Dorian?” I asked softly, placing a pillow on my lap and running my fingers through his hair. I knew enough not to expect he’d feel the same after his fever subsided. Sickness could make a three look like a ten. “Ask me again in a week, if you’re still interested?”

He sighed under my hands, his silver eyes peering up at me. “Ask you… what, precisely?”

“On a date. Or a different type of massage altogether.” I smiled slightly, rubbing circles against his temples. “I’ve got a policy against seeing my patients, but since you’re not technically that- When you’re feeling better, if you still want to see me, I’m not saying no forever, just for now.”

Dorian’s brow lifted, his lips curling. “You can’t say no; I haven’t asked you anything.” He dabbed his tongue to his lower lip. “You can ask me, if you like. You’ve already turned me down twice. A third would be too much for my fragile sensibilities.”

“…twice?”

“Hmm. Yes. At Hawke’s Disco Ball and Varric’s reading. I’m not surprised you don’t remember. Insulted, but not surprised.”

“What, I-“ I stared at him, bewildered. Then frowned. “You were being- Oh.” Had what he’d taken for drunken jokes been- “You were talking about me?”

He chuckled, closing his eyes. “When I asked if you’d like to get a drink later? Did you imagine I was having a conversation with your shadow?”

“Excuse me, you didn’t use those exact words.” I lifted my brows. Something about how I’d intended to spend my evening? To which, like an idiot, I’d answered honestly: falling asleep to a tacky Wintersend movie with a bowl of ice cream. I had no idea he was even remotely interested in me. Why should he be? All he’d have to do is crook his finger and get anyone he wanted. “…I’m sorry,” I murmured, massaging the sides of his beautiful, beautiful face, feeling the heat rise in my own. “I didn’t realize.”

“Didn’t you?” He opened his eyes just enough that they were like mercurial crescents beneath dark thick lashes. “I’m rarely accused of being subtle.”

“Ah, well,” I chuckled, shaking my head. “I’ve always been a bit of a slow learner.”

“Unlikely.” Dorian watched me drowsily. “If you had realized… would it have changed your answer?”

“If I’d realized you honestly wanted to take me out-“ I met his gaze, as solemn as he’d been when he’d announced his impending doom. “I’d have said yes. I will tell you, though: I don’t really drink alcohol anymore. There are better ways to my heart.”

“Are there?” he asked, yawning into the pillow. “Like what?”

“The fact that I was the person you called when you thought you were on your deathbed.” I hummed, massaging the bridge of his nose, handing him a tissue. “Blow.”

He did, sighing pitifully. “The only other doctor I know is miserable and went into hiding a few years ago.”

“I suppose you’ll need to make do with me, then.” I squeezed his shoulder gently. “How’s your breathing, now?”

“I feel like I swallowed very sour brandy. Very strong, sour brandy. Is that breathing?” Dorian grimaced. “I do dislike medicated drowsiness.”

“It’ll help you sleep through the coughing,” I said, by way of apology.

“You know best.”

“I do.” I watched the furrow in his brow ease over long minutes. “Sleep well, Dorian.”

[covid-safer-hotties]

Pediatricians scale back on COVID shots amid declining interest from families - Published Sept 7, 2024

By: Jackie Fortiér

Unlike other vaccinations, COVID shots aren’t required for kids to attend school.

When pediatrician Eric Ball opened a refrigerator full of childhood vaccines, all the expected shots were there — DTaP, polio, pneumococcal vaccine — except one.

“This is where we usually store our COVID vaccines, but we don’t have any right now because they all expired at the end of last year and we had to dispose of them,” said Ball, who is part of a pediatric practice in Orange County, California.

“We thought demand would be way higher than it was.”

Pediatricians across the country are pre-ordering the updated and reformulated COVID-19 vaccine for the fall and winter respiratory virus season, but some doctors said they’re struggling to predict whether parents will be interested. Providers like Ball don’t want to waste money ordering doses that won’t be used, but they need enough on hand to vaccinate vulnerable children.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that anyone 6 months or older get the updated COVID vaccination, but in the 2023-24 vaccination season, only about 15% of eligible children in the U.S. got a shot.

Ball said it was difficult to let vaccines go to waste last year. It was the first time the federal government was no longer picking up the tab for the shots, and providers had to pay upfront for the vaccines. Parents would often skip the COVID shot, which can have a short shelf life compared with other vaccines.

“Watching it sitting on our shelves expiring every 30 days, that’s like throwing away $150 repeatedly every day, multiple times a month,” Ball said.

This year, Ball slashed his fall vaccine order to the bare minimum to avoid another costly mistake.

“We took the number of flu vaccines that we order, and then we ordered 5% of that in COVID vaccines,” Ball said. “It’s a guess.”

That small vaccine order cost more than $63,000, he said.

Pharmacists, pharmacy interns, and techs are allowed to give COVID vaccines only to children age 3 and up, meaning babies and toddlers would need to visit a doctor’s office for inoculation.

It’s difficult to predict how parents will feel about the shots this fall, said Chicago pediatrician Scott Goldstein. Unlike other vaccinations, COVID shots aren’t required for kids to attend school, and parental interest seems to wane with each new formulation, he said. For a physician-owned practice such as Goldstein’s, the upfront cost of the vaccine can be a gamble.

“The cost of vaccines, that’s far and away our biggest expense. But it’s also the most important thing we do, you could argue, is vaccinating kids,” Goldstein said.

Insurance doesn’t necessarily cover vaccine storage accidents, which can put the practice at risk of financial ruin.

“We’ve had things happen like a refrigerator gets unplugged. And then we’re all of a sudden out $80,000 overnight,” Goldstein said.

South Carolina pediatrician Deborah Greenhouse said she would order more COVID vaccines for older children if the pharmaceutical companies she buys from had a more forgiving return policy.

“Pfizer is creating that situation. If you’re only going to let us return 30%, we’re not going to buy much,” she said. “We can’t.”

Greenhouse owns her practice, so the remaining 70% of leftover shots would come out of her pocket.

Vaccine maker Pfizer will take back all unused COVID shots for young children, but only 30% of doses for people 12 and older.

Pfizer said in an Aug. 20 emailed statement, “The return policy was instituted as we recognize both the importance and the complexity of pediatric vaccination and wanted to ensure that pediatric offices did not have hurdles to providing vaccine to their young patients.”

Pfizer’s return policy is similar to policies from other drugmakers for pediatric flu vaccines, also recommended during the fall season. Physicians who are worried about unwanted COVID vaccines expiring on the shelves said flu shots cost them about $20 per dose, while COVID shots cost around $150 per dose.

“We run on a very thin margin. If we get stuck holding a ton of vaccine that we cannot return, we can’t absorb that kind of cost,” Greenhouse said.

Vaccine maker Moderna will accept COVID vaccine returns, but the amount depends on the individual contract with a provider. Novavax will accept the return of only unopened vaccines and doesn’t specify the amount they’ll accept.

Greenhouse wants to vaccinate as many children as possible but said she can’t afford to stock shots with a short shelf life. Once she runs out of the doses she’s ordered, Greenhouse said, she plans to tell families to go to a pharmacy to get older children vaccinated. If pediatricians around the country are making the same calculations, doses for small children could be harder to find at doctors’ offices.

“Frankly, it’s not an ideal situation, but it’s what we have to do to stay in business,” she said.

Ball, the California pediatrician, worries that parents’ limited interest has caused pediatricians to minimize their vaccine orders, in turn making the newest COVID shots difficult to find once they become available.

“I think there’s just a misperception that it’s less of a big deal to get COVID, but I’m still sending babies to the hospital with COVID,” Ball said. “We’re still seeing kids with long COVID. This is with us forever.”