#i have had basically no break since my back surgery in 2022

[unforth]

Alright I'm gonna try to keep this brief but things have progressed enough that they're definitely going to impact my ability to do even my basic online shit so here's wtf has been going on.

A week and a half ago, I found out my dad was very sick. He'd been keeping it a secret. A week ago, my brother came and bullied dad to go to the hospital. He had a systemic infection that would have been fatal left untreated and he also has prostate cancer (which he knew but hadn't told us). He's been hospitalized since; he was discharged yesterday to in-patient rehab because he can't even sit up without help. He is 83 and expected to recover, though if he'll reach 100% is iffy.

His wife, my step-mother, has Alzheimers that has gotten quite advanced. Dad is her sole caretaker (surely why he risked death to stay home with her). She cannot be left alone. With him unable to care for her, my brother, step-brother, and I are juggling her care, but she threatened my brother with a knife so he won't stay with her (she didn’t know who he was, thought he'd broken in to attack her), and I live 2.5 hrs away and step-brother can't do it entirely solo (like. He doesn't drive. He can't get her to appointments or anything) . She needs a long-term not-at-home solution and while dad has been saving money to make that happen, no actual steps had been taken yet.

And I discovered yesterday that I have her power of attorney while dad is incapacitated, which means the legal decisions and responsibility for getting her help are all on me.

Needless to say, that's a lot of pressure and is time consuming, especially factoring in the distances involved - the area where we're looking to place her is 3+ hr drive for me.

And I've still got my own family, two kids, our house and life, and @duckprintspress

I. Might be just a little stressed the fuck out right now.

So. Apologies in advance if I fall behind on anything or fuck anything up. I'm stretched about as far as I can be, and then stretched a bit more just for funsies and The Bit.

[jaybleu25]

23rd of December

alright

hi

its me

jay here

so last year in 2022, i had a bit of a medical scare. it started off as a normal day; a few days before that i just got onto winter break (it was my senior year of high school at the time, just finished midterms). i was chilling in my room, minding my business, when all of a sudden i started feeling pain near my stomach. and i was like "oh, it's probably just that time of the month or something"

but then an hour passed. and another hour. and with every hour the pain just. got worse. like it just went from tolerable to feeling like i was being stabbed. it got to the point where i couldn't handle it any more, and i just laid on the floor for a while. then it got too much, and i called my parents to tell them.

after about 30 minutes, we all collectively decided it would be best to go to the hospital since the pain was really bad. i was crying at this point. mainly from the pain, but also because i was terrified since this was the first time i myself have ever had to be admitted to the hospital. so we get there, i get a quick check up at the front desk, and i'm taken to the er.

which, can i just say, was nothing like how i was imagining it. with how media portrays it and stuff, i thought it was the room where you actually got surgeries and stuff done or whatever. but no, that's a separate room. the emergency room is just a normal doctor's room but way nicer (and also has a stretcher for the patient to lay in).

it was pretty late at night at this point; no clue when it was, but i think we got there around 10 or 11 pm at night. i was there for a good few hours. they hooked me up to an iv, which i would argue was actually the most painful part of my time there (i also have a big fear of sharp things so that added onto the pain of them putting something in my arm wasn't great). but after a while it actually helped with the pain a lot. i could barely feel it after a while.

so after a good few hours, doctors or nurses (i can't recall) come in and take me to get an ultrasound done. during my stay there, i'd been kinda taking naps to help calm myself down, and also because i just didn't have my phone with me so i couldn't play games or anything to pass the time. by the time it got to midnight, my brother left the hospital since he was bored (gonna talk about that point later). but basically, there i was in a different room getting an ultrasound done, which was another thing that surprised me since i only thought ultrasounds were for people who were pregnant. the more you know i guess

after that was done, i got brought back to the room i was staying in and took another nap. woke up a little while later to hear the news,

"looks like appendicitis".

so then the doctors/nurses tell me and my family that i'll likely have to get surgery. main reason? well, as a bit of a tl;dr, if you have appendicitis and you leave it untreated, it could cause the appendix to basically explode itself, spreading harmful things into the body and eventually likely killing the person who has it.

this is when i began to worry that i might die.

but the doctors/nurses then told me that before the surgery, i could get a CAT(?) scan done to make proper sure that i actually had appendicitis. of course, me being terrified of having to get surgery done, chose the scan. so i got taken to get scanned, get brought back to my room, doctors/nurses come back in a little while later and basically confirm,

"yep, it's appendicitis".

so now there i was in the process of getting ready for surgery. my first ever surgery. i then got rolled down in my stretcher to the recovery room where i was told to "get ready", which basically consisted of me changing into a hospital gown, washing my mouth out with some weird mouth rinse (tasted gross fyi, would not recommend), and washing myself down with wipes. then after that, i went back on my stretcher. and before they took me to go to the proper surgery room, one of the nurses came up to me, and she said something that i will never forget: "Would you like to say goodbye to your parents?" um. no??????? i don't??????? like she could've worded it so much better. i know she meant "do you want to say goodbye before you go in for surgery" as in i'll probably see them again, but the way it was worded made it sound like that was the last time i'd ever see them.

that was when i fully believed that was it.

that was when i fully believed i was going to die.

it didn't help that there were a lot of stereotypes surrounding surgery in media, with it being terrifying and such and how some people wake up mid surgery and are forced to watch it happen. thinking of that, i was terrified. especially with the thought that i was probably going to die.

so i said goodbye to my parents, and i told them i loved them, and the nurses started rolling me towards the surgery room. we went down a really long hallway, and only half of the lights were working. looked like something out of a horror movie. and the entire way down the hallway, i was thinking a lot.

"i never got to say goodbye to my friends" "i never got to say goodbye to my brother" "i never got to tell them i loved them" "i'm never going to be able to go to university" "i'm never going to become a teacher" "i'm never going to meet my online best friend" "i'm never going to see my family again" "i'm going to die" "this is it" "if this is what God wanted for me, then so be it; he knows what he's doing" i was sort of trying to come to terms with the fact that i was going to die. but nobody's ever truly ready for that. but while i was still scared, i knew i'd be at peace soon.

i think the nurses could tell i was scared, because once we started getting closer to the surgery room, they started saying casual conversation.

"it's pretty snowy outside," one said.

"yeah, it was snowing on the way here" i responded.

"looks like we'll be getting snow this Christmas," the other said.

"yeah," i responded.

then we got to the outside of the room. the doors were closed, and one of the nurses pressed a big button on the wall that opened them. they rolled me into the room, and they carried me off the stretcher and onto the surgery table. they then explained to me that i'd be under anesthesia, so i wouldn't be awake for the surgery. i was nervous of what would go down, but i went along with everything.

they put the anesthesia mask over my mouth and nose.

i took a deep breath.

i blinked.

i was in the recovery room.

it was morning, Christmas Eve. the 24th of december. it was bright outside with all the snow.

i was laying in my stretcher, kind of confused on what was going on. that was it? was that my surgery? is it over with?

it was around 8 in the morning. i laid there for a good 10-20 minutes in silence, just thinking, trying to figure out what was going on.

i was alive.

after a little while, one of the nurses who were nearby noticed i was awake, and she came over to help take care of me. she brought me back my normal clothes, and i got changed, and she helped me get into a wheelchair. i could barely stand. it hurt to stand. it hurt to move.

i was half awake at the time, but i thanked her for her help, and she rolled me down to the lobby where my parents were waiting. i got helped into our car out of my wheelchair, said goodbye to the nurse, and we were on our way back home.

getting home, i got helped to the couch, where i proceeded to lay there for an entire week. i could barely move. all i could eat was yogurt for a while since i could only eat soft things. i stayed on that couch for a while, only getting up when i needed to use the bathroom (which i rarely did since it hurt to sit up and walk around). my cats often kept me company, laying on top of me on the blanket and keeping me warm.

luckily for me, since i was on winter break, i had the entire week to recover. granted, i wasn't fully recovered by the time the week was over, but by that point i could at least walk a little.

the next week, i had to go back to school. but i could barely walk still. because of that, the day i came back, me and my mom (she helped walk me there) went to the front office, and i was able to use the wheelchair they had there. so for that entire week while i was at school, i was in a wheelchair. there was nothing wrong with my legs, it was just whenever i put pressure on my stomach (whenever i sat up from laying down, standing, etc) it hurt a lot.

i still remember when i got to my first class that day. the school resource officer helped roll me there, and the moment i got into the classroom, everyone was surprised. they all looked at me.

"WHAT?!" they all exclaimed.

i couldn't help but laugh. i found it hilarious.

as of this being posted, it's officially been a year since i had to go to the hospital. my scars have (mostly) healed. it doesn't hurt anymore. i can walk around perfectly fine. i've fully recovered. well, aside from me now having to deal with the fact that i get sick more easily now that my appendix is gone. that's the only downside.

the appendix is actually more useful than you think.

[haechanhues]

First, happy new year! I'm actually really excited for 2024 and hope you all are too! I'm just gonna share some moments of the year with you all (some are sad and there are trigger warnings just a psa but most of them are happy.)

tw : mentions of s****de and depression. animal death, surgery and weightloss, nsfw implications and mentions of smut. this is so long that i've just kind of scrapped this other idea i had...

My 23 for 23!

This is kind of a joint December 2022 - February 2023 effort but I wrote 'Just Say It'. It's my favourite smau I've ever written and like, the absolute love I got from it and love I had while writing it too.. Will never forget the feeling.

I also underwent surgery for the first time ever. I don't exactly hide from the fact that I've had it and I can't really anyway. i had weight loss surgery at the beginning of the year and my surgeon and everyone has been brilliant in the recovery process. It's also left me feeling a lot more confident and happy and just- I actually love it.

I wrote smut for the first time, like ever and the reviews were so positive about it. In all honestly there's quite a bit of terms that I feel gross about but too be honest, there's no better alternative. I'm learning and it still makes me kind of nervous BUT yeah.

I made a post about it, but in August we had to put down my cat, Quincy. He's been with me since I was 5 and I'm 23 so aging without him has been hard. He'll always be my best friend and my through thick and thin guy. I miss you so much, Senor Quincy. I miss those nicknames and you in general. Love you. Forever.

In saying that, my mum ended up getting two little kittens. One of which looks exactly like Quincy. His name is Pai (pronounced 'pie' - I first named him 'Percy' but he responded too well to Pai to not change the name) and the other 'Nala' (named after the Lion King). Pai is this social little guy who is too curious and nosy about the world and people around him whereas Nala is this loving and cuddly pretty soul who has the softest fur coat ever. Love them both very much. We also ended up getting a dog called 'Poi' who has completely opened our family up in a way that is different and interesting. Welcome to the family our babies. Your older fur brother would absolutely hate you but we love you enough for him.

I visited Rarotonga/Cook Islands during our Winter (June/July) for my cousin's birthday. We had beautiful food, I fell in love with 5 different guys and just, such a cool time. I started planning a girls trip after that. But, so fun. It was so fucking hot too my body was so confused.

I got a new laptop! After being able to stop using a laptop that relies on a constant state of charging and basically life support, it feels amazing.

On the flip side, my phone is going through it. I've had it for about 5 or 6 years now and it's now reached it's T-Minus days, for sure. The screen is barely holding on by a thread (not joking) Fun fact, but me and my brother got new phones at the same time and he's already gone through about 9 to my 1.

My friends!! I've made some new friends and new connections and stuff this year. I'm finally a part of a GC where my friends know each other (irl two of my friends absolutely fucking hate each other) and I talk in it! But I love it and them and just everyone.

I've started watching The Sidemen on Youtube regularly. I love their humour and I know they're not for everyone but I really enjoy watching them. They're who I watch when I take a break from Kpop and just..they're great.

I went back onto SSRIs and I did partake in therapy for awhile because I was really down in the dumps. i cut a part of my hair at the back and if that isn't a cry for help. Like, my state of health...my neglect of haircare and the disinterest in life and all in it, it scared me. But I'm doing a lot better and I hope you are too.

Girl groups have this chokehold on me lately. Like, the amount of fondness I have for them right now is insane. Discographies, songs etc. They're tearing up the music industry at the moment for me right now. Women in general. Like yess.

I rewatched some of my favourite shows/movies and I loved it all the same. The Empress is an amazing German show, I've loved it as much as when I watched it the first time. Enola Holmes has some of my favourite aesthetics and she's so pretty and smart and Tewksbury is a wonderful 'boy boy'. Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade is my fave out of the movie series. Again...such a cool aesthetic. Harry Potter was a needed rewatch this year and I loved it. Brooklyn...Just amazing. Love this.

My favourite in-New Zealand trips of the year... I went to Auckland and to a casino for the first time (randomly picking up my cousin who was hungover and going through it) I won over 1k that day. I went to Wellington to watch NCT Nation and told the whole cinema who my man was. I went to the yearly trip to my cousin's bach and even though it fucking pissed down until the last day. It was an amazing holiday as per usual.

My favourite books of 2023 that I read this year was; The Song Of Achilles - Madeline Miller (finally read it and it was amazing). Binding 13 - Chloe Walsh (The angst was so good). Book Of Days - Patti Smith (the inspiration awakening). Magnolia Parks - Jessa Hastings (some good stuff). Once Upon A Broken Heart - Stephanie Garber (that cliffhanger had me by the balls) and The High Mountain Court - A.K. Mulford (Perfection.)

I got the opportunity to do paid research for my iwi and for my people and to learn and enrich our knowledge and community. It's hard to explain by vague explanations but I don't want to go too much into detail.

My favourite Kpop songs were - 'I Don't Understand But I Luv U' by Seventeen, 'Eve, Psyche & The Bluebeard's Wife' by LE SSerafim, 'Ditto' by New Jeans, 'S-Class' by Stray Kids and 'Down (Juicy Juicy)' - Jo Yuri. I just realised it's a Hybe/JYP fest in here. But they were so addictive.

My favourite songs that weren't Kpop were - 'Collide' by Justin Skye, 'Agora Hills' by Doja Cat, 'Utua' by Maimoa, 'Greedy' by Tate McRae and 'Be Your Light' by Victor Ma. So pretty.

My favourite albums of the year were - 'GOT THE BEAT' by GOT THE BEAT. Rose was my favourite of the album. 'Dark Blood' by ENHYPEN. Woke my love up for them and the dance is fucking amazing. Background dancers and without. Chaconne is my favourite. 'Playgirl' by Lolo Zouai. Such a pretty voice. My favourite is a choice between 'Picking Berries', 'Open The Door' 'VHS' and 'Crazy Sexy Dream Girl'. 'The World Ep. FIN' by ATEEZ. My BOYS. Started the year with them and finished the year with them. Favourite song off the album is still undecided but Crazy Form is part of my daily. 'Unlock My World' by Fromis_9. Love the album. My Night Routine. Attitude. Prom Night. Beautiful voices. Insane. '3 Of Us' by FLO. New addition to my favourite Western groups but holy shit welcome to my heart.

My favourite movies; Howls Moving Castle (bully me about it - why didn't you watch it earlier?), All Quiet On The Western Front (so fucking sad and heartbreaking), Coco Reo Maori (good movie and the fact it's in Te Reo Maori? Fucking AMAZING. The Black Phone (not a horror movie girly, but such a good movie and I'm obsessed). It (again, not a horror movie girly but Loser Squad <3)

My favourite shows (not Asian); Ginny and Georgia, Grown-Ish, The Time Traveller's Wife, The Summer I Turned Pretty and Love 101.

My favourite Asian dramas; Love In The Air (the hottest show I've ever seen), Twinkling Watermelon, Hidden Love, When I Fly Towards You and Himitsu No Ai Chan, Dangerous Romance. They're fucking masterpieces.

I'm sorry to end this on a sad note but Christmas Eve, my cousin committed su***de and it was hard to climb over the wall grief had built about it. His older sister told me all these lovely things and it was the first kind of cry I had over him. I'm a little angry but also sad. It's hard because then I got COVID.

Welcome, 2024!

[stitch-n-time]

Y’all, I honestly need help

I posted a GoFundMe link almost 2 months ago. The original goal was met, but I SEVERELY underestimated how much we would need.

It’s to help after having ankle surgery. I missed 6 weeks of work, am back part time, and between the man thing (my partner) and I we’re not making enough to pay all of the bills. Plus the bills for the emergency room visit, the actual surgery, etc. are starting to come in.

We’re trying to make it until I can either work full time at the current job, OR can get another full time job that I can do with my foot elevated. (We’re both hoping for the better job.) Right now we have enough to pay rent on the first, the electric and internet bills, the phone bill, and get food for the month. Which leaves us short credit card payments, car payment, insurance, and a couple of other smaller things.

Here’s the link for the fundraiser. It hasn’t seen a donation in a week as of today.

CURRENTLY AT $8370 OF 12000

update, 19 July 2022

Screws are supposed to be straight.

If you're keeping up with the GFM updates, you'll know that I fell on Friday. The ER doctor took x rays that afternoon, and decided there was "something wrong" but decided it wasn't "that serious" and I should just make an appointment with the orthopedic specialist.

The orthopedic specialist looked at the images they took this morning (these ones - it's a printout, which is why there's a fold line in the middle one) and went immediately to "yep, going back to surgery".

Surgery the Second is scheduled for Saturday morning.

I'm not working again.

Help would be appreciated. Even if it's no more than spreading the word.

UPDATE: 5 AUGUST 2022

OK, I’m slacking at keeping this reblogged. But!! Passed the 3/4 mark!!!

9790/12000

The second cast is scheduled to come off in 4 days! It may be the last appointment I can have for the injury, though - the company I work for is “downsizing” some 750 people* and I’m one of them. The notice came in on the 20th, surgery was the 23rd. Woo!

That being said, I will not be stretching the goal. It’s not fair and not right to do that. But I have been filling out job applications on a daily basis basically since the first break happened. Something’s got to come up sometime, right? RIGHT???

Thank you. Every last one of you who reblogged, signal boosted, put the link on other social medias, donated, etc. You’re the people that got things this far, and you’re all amazing!

*I had said 1000 people earlier, and have gotten a more accurate count since then

[bearygentle]

Quick year in perspective:

Holy shit. This year sucked ass and WAY too much happened in a concentrated time but most of that stuff will never happen again, so at least there's something:

Last semester of highschool. Dual enrollment was the worst mistake of my life holy shit those classes were picked bc nobody wanted to pay for em [we had no choice] and it SHOWS

No coincidence that I split a new alter around this time [hi rusty]

Turned 18

Scheduled a surgery for that summer, apparently it's my bad for assuming anyone at college would communicate. At all. [Announced a last minute policy change: my program can't enroll in classes until after we did in-person orientation/tour... which I COULDN'T DO BECAUSE OF THE SURGERY RECOVERY]

Graduated highschool. Won't get my diploma until I complete this early college bullshit tho. Can't drop out. GED for one credit is too stupid, but it tempts me regardless

Close online friend cut all contact the day after graduation in the second-douchiest way possible [first place goes to my ex]

Semi-major foot surgery, exactly a week after that. Tough break!

Couldn't go outside/walk/even drive for most of the summer because of this [suuuuper isolated, fucking hated it]

Our cat, who we've had since I was 9, had to be put down july 24th. We think it was cancer.

Got a kitten the same fucking afternoon, literally 4 hours after, because the barn across from the vet's office had kittens and apparently this was instruction for mom from god. This has been a reoccuring theme for the past few years. [Kitten's a total sweetheart, I do love him but. If you're freaked, imagine living here (￢_￢;) ]

Quit all my meds end of july. Probably the cat was my breaking point. Switched to a mild version of adderall

Quit therapy early august, usual therapist was on maternity leave + the replacement gave me an 'off the books' bpd diagnosis after a 10 question quiz a week after the 'friend' situation. Completely switched gears & got super clinical/aloof, so I ghosted 1 appointment post-cat loss. Fuck you. Shoulda done it earlier.

August's 'late' orientation wasted a whole day for 30 minutes of information. First time alone in public since march 2020. Super nerve-wracking. [Registering took over a week total bc of multiple holds + the hideous website]

Somehow also had the time for an extended derealization episode for basically all of late august/september/october, don't remember much. Might've fucked up my disassociative barriers with that one

Possibly started or finished a split partway thru this semester too, idk nothing noticable came of it but it felt like something cracked in my brain

Endured my first 'real' college semester, super burnt out, too many classes, but guess what!! I have to take the same number this semester OR I WON'T GRADUATE & I LOOSE MY HIGHSCHOOL DIPLOMA. Parents won't let me drop out. But I want too. So. So bad.

Oh also got goldfish + mystery snails! The only positive besides the kitten. A snail passed away a few weeks later, but the other two [+ all fish] are doing fine. [on finals week too, because of course it had to kick it then.] Planning on getting their full-size tank this spring.

Didn't draw, like, at all. My art year in review is half blank because of all this but I somehow did improve significantly so that's a plus???

Conclusion: summer of hell!! Semester of hell!!! Also Reigen the kitten was there. I can't think of anything else that could realistically go wrong, so maybe I'm in the clear.

Hopefully in 2022, I'll go back to therapy [already scheduled appointment with the normal therapist], graduate college with an associates (one semester left + already registered), and keep up the 'getting back into drawing' [especially fanart]. Everything else is up in the air. Also odd taxi movie + spiderverse 2 + maaaaybe mob psycho s3...?

I'm desperately hoping to have my comic starting sometime and do art shit to save up for moving out [no way in hell I'll have the energy for a real job]. Since all my plans fell through, I just need to keep pushing forward and figure out something. I'm still too fucking drained to hold regular conversations, so obviously that needs to be high priority because I feel really bad about ignoring my friends, and I really wanna branch out again. One step at a time, I guess.

At least it's over. I can handle aftermaths.

[covid19updater]

COVID19 Updates: 08/05/2021

UK:  Vaccines to be required for open travel ‘for evermore’, says Shapps LINK

RUMINT (UK):  I lost a close friend to covid yesterday. He lost his battle after a four week ordeal two weeks in a ventilator. RIP John. Never forgotten.

Maryland:  An epidemiologist from Johns Hopkins walks into a maskless party with 14 fully vaccinated friends… 11 of 14 got breakthrough #COVID19   —so yes, even some epidemiologists had severely underestimated #DeltaVariant. @CDCgov definitely made a grave mistake. LINK

World:  JUST IN - Moderna #COVID19 vaccine: Third "booster" dose will likely be necessary prior to the winter season.

Arkansas:  This AR hospital is so short on nurses in this newest Covid-19 surge, it's offering a $25,000 signing bonus. LINK

US:  MODERNA PRESIDENT BELIEVES THERE WILL A LONG-TERM ENDEMIC MARKET FOR COVID-19 VACCINES

RUMINT (Arkansas):  My friend's husband got covid in September. He was listed as a "recovery". He is now a 52 year old man that has dementia. He worked as an accountant. He can no longer work, and they're about to lose their home. His wife, my friend, now has no feeling in her left hand. My cousin had to go on a ventilator. Thankfully, he pulled through, but he can't remember things and has difficulty remembering simple things. He's 45. Also counted in that 99% recovery.

Arkansas:  West Memphis family mourning 11-year-old who died from COVID complications LINK

Maryland:  No New Mask Mandate Despite Surge In COVID-19 Cases, Gov. Larry Hogan Says – CBS Baltimore LINK

Philippines:  JUST IN: At least 113 health workers from Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital, Ilocos Norte’s biggest public hospital and major COVID-19 treatment center, have been infected with COVID-19, the hospital says in an advisory.

Thailand:  Thailand reports daily record of over 20000 COVID-19 infections LINK

US: Doctor:  Many of us doctors think sending the children back to school during the delta surge is insane. We have no idea what the consequences for their long-term health will be.

US:  NEW: Number of Americans hospitalized with COVID-19 tops 59,000, highest since February

UK:  BREAKING: Not wearing a face mask on the Tube should be a CRIMINAL offence says Sadiq Khan

RUMINT (US):  A mild case involved struggling for breath, constant fever, agonising chest pain and other horrid symptoms for 6+mos. Now, 16 months later I’m left with dysfunctional breathing, tinnitus, hernia, dysautonomia, waking insomnia and cognitive impairment. 49, previously super fit.

UK:  WELLS FARGO DELAYS OFFICE-RETURN PLANS TO OCT. 4 FROM SEPT. 7

Libya:  #Libya records 1,996 new Covid-19 infections, 28 deaths in 24 hours

Georgia:  Tyler Fairley, 17, high school student, football player, beloved son, Douglasville, GA, died of #COVID19 on August 1, 2021. He was known as a gentle giant. Tyler would have started his senior HS year soon; planned on going to college & continuing his promising football career. LINK

California:  COVID cases surge at highly vaccinated nursing homes - WEHOville LINK

US:  Rolling 7-day average of daily coronavirus cases in the U.S.: 4 weeks ago: 15,219 3 weeks ago: 26,894 2 weeks ago: 41,205 1 week ago: 66,633 Today: 97,522

California:  Los Angeles County reports 3,734 new coronavirus cases, the biggest one-day increase since February

Thailand:  Thailand reports 20,920 new coronavirus cases, the biggest one-day increase on record, and 160 new deaths

Japan:  Tokyo reports 5,042 new coronavirus cases, the biggest one-day increase on record

Louisiana:  Kids and COVID—Dr Mark Kline at Children's Hospital New Orleans: "#DeltaVariant is every infectious disease specialist's worst nightmare. There was a myth—that children were somehow immune—It has become very clear that children are heavily impacted"

Hawaii:  Twenty hospitals from across the state report they’re in desperate need of help. LINK

RUMINT (Arkansas):  I just found out that my great-nephew is in the ICU unit in Little Rock with COVID. He’s a week old. A tiny, innocent little baby who now may never have a chance. I’m holding lawmakers responsible for this. Never dreamed I would see politicians sacrifice children for re-election.

Florida:  As COVID admissions spiral, Memorial Health in South Broward suspends elective surgeries

California:  L.A. will consider requiring vaccine proof at restaurants, gyms, indoor sporting events LINK

World: Lambda Variant:  yes, a few countries and areas reporting more Lambda, including some bits of Spain

Philippines:  Lockdown reimposed in Manila from midnight, to slow spread of Delta variant across capital, adjacent provinces may be pulled into LD, if health facilities are overwhelmed. Thousands arrived to try to sites before curbs come into force for next two weeks;

China:  Large-scale events and exhibitions are being cancelled or postponed in China’s capital, Beijing, as cases of the coronavirus continue to grow in the country. The Beijing government has today stressed events taking place in August should be cancelled, and public places such as parks, cinemas and libraries should now start limiting the number of visitors they have.

World:  Azithromycin in patients with Covid-19; a systematic review and metanalysis Conclusions: These results presented in this review do not support the use of AZM in the management of Covid-19. They also show that any harm caused to the patient who received it is unlikely. Future research on treatment for patients with Covid-19 may need to focus on other drugs. LINK

World: More Data Point to Lambda Variant’s Potential Lethality LINK

US:  Florida and Texas recorded one-third of all US #COVID19 cases in past week, latest figures show. @marthakelner reports from Jacksonville where the number of unvaccinated young people hospitalised with coronavirus is on the rise. 

US:  The United States is working to give additional COVID-19 booster shots to Americans with compromised immune systems as quickly as possible, as cases of the novel coronavirus continue to rise, top U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said Thursday. LINK

US:  Amazon is delaying its return to the office for corporate employees until 2022, adding to the wave of companies adjusting their plans amid a Covid-19 surge LINK

Singapore:  From 16 Aug, Unvaccinated persons to wear a unique visual identifier at all times at worksites (Nazi Germany, anyone?)

Texas:  COVID-19 cases continue to climb in Taylor County, newest deaths include young mother who gave birth in ICU LINK

Spain:  Over 2,000 people who attended three major music festivals without social distancing last July later tested positive for Covid-19 Health authorities have since regretted authorizing the events LINK

Florida:  Official: State refuses to give daily coronavirus data to Seminole County LINK

Texas: Harris County Manager:  NEW: I’ve ordered our COVID19 threat level to be moved to RED due to severe and uncontrolled spread in Harris County. If you’re unvaccinated please stay home. Everyone please continue to wear a mask in public.

US:  BREAKING: Number of Americans hospitalized with COVID-19 tops 60,000, highest since February

Op/Ed:  As experts have been saying all along, “A #vaccine-only strategy is short-sighted and reckless”. Ventilation, test/trace/isolate and masking are all necessary. So basically, not trying to stubbornly return to “normal” before it’s safe to do so. #COVID19

World:  CVS Health Embraces mRNA Vaccines LINK

South Africa:  To date, 17 members of South Africa’s parliament have died due to #COVID19

US:  Republican lawmaker Ralph Norman, who's suing Pelosi over a $500 fine for not wearing a mask during a floor vote, says he has Covid-19  (via AP) LINK

Florida:  Florida children's hospitals see pediatric COVID-19 cases soar LINK

World:  Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc (REGN.O) reported a more than tripling of its quarterly profit on Thursday, buoyed by robust demand for its COVID-19 antibody cocktail. LINK

Italy:  Italy makes COVID-19 health pass mandatory for teachers LINK

September:  NEW: California will now require workers in healthcare settings to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by September 30th.

UK:  Reduced service on Manchester Metrolink trams due to COVID-19 absences

Canada:  Alberta reports 397 new COVID-19 cases, 1 death LINK

UK:  An estimated 945,000 people experienced self-reported long COVID in the 4 weeks to 4 July (where symptoms persisted more than 4 weeks after the first suspected infection) LINK

Israel:  Doctor: "95% of the severe patients are vaccinated". "85-90% of the hospitalizations are in Fully vaccinated people." "We are opening more and more COVID wards." "The effectiveness of the vaccine is waning/fading out" (Dr. Kobi Haviv, earlier today on Chanel 13 @newsisrael13 )

Massachusetts:  Mass. reports 1,046 new COVID-19 cases, 2 new deaths (http://Boston.com) The state also reported 264 hospitalized COVID-19 patients. 

Alabama:  Alabama’s COVID positivity rate at all-time high. Health leaders want to see it under 5%. The state is currently over four times that rate. Back in June, for one day Alabama’s positivity rate dropped down below 4% to about 3.8%. This week, the state is setting records just about every day. “On the worst day of the pandemic, we were at 22.6%. Yesterday, we exceeded our previous record and Thursday we exceeded yesterday’s record,” said Dr. Don Williamson with the Alabama Hospital Association. Alabama is now standing at 23.6% - an all-time high.

US:  NEW: Number of Americans hospitalized with COVID-19 tops 61,000, highest since February

Australia:  NSW recorded 291 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.

New Jersey:  Gov. Phil Murphy is set to announce that New Jersey students in grades K-12 and staff will be required to wear masks in schools. It's a reversal from a few weeks ago when Murphy said it would take a “deterioration” of COVID-19 data to require masks. LINK