#omicron scare

[disco-archetypes]

EMPATHY - The device is still warm from her touch -- and heavy as a brick, from the batteries inside. The company logo "Omicron" adorns its yellow plastic cover. Inside, the tape is rolling -- the girl looks at the device in your hands.

YOU - "I'm sorry you have to sit here on this coast, feeling miserable. At your age -- or at any age -- in this place... waiting for it to get dark."

ACELE - She looks you in the eye, her pupils wide, surrounded by a ridiculous amount of make-up.

YOU - "The people who built this world intended it to be better for you, but they failed. It is easier to live in their failure with this by your side." (Tap on the tape recorder.)

ACELE - The wind howls. She remains silent.

EMPATHY - It's real. Tell her.

YOU - "It is not a childish fantasy. It can be a real weapon against what's coming for you now."

ACELE - "What is...?" Her shoulders shake a little.

YOU - "Nothing, if you got this. Don't be scared."

ACELE - "Okay." Her teeth rattle. She takes the device from you and places it in her lap. "I'll stick to it."

AUTHORITY - There is little you can do to help her now, but given the chance you feel like you *should*. There is something about her. A weightiness.

SUGGESTION - Something changes between you two. She looks at you differently now -- as an equal. A fellow human being.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Hospitals Deny Immunocompromised Patients’ ADA Requests For Masks - Published Feb 13, 2024

Before a recent hospital visit, Christine Link requested that her healthcare providers wear masks because of her autoimmune disease and medications that further suppress her immune system. A phlebotomist initially refused her request, leaving her feeling “shocked, scared.”

Escalating her concern to the Mass General Brigham’s patient advocacy office, she received this response: “While the request by a patient to an employee to wear a mask is not an ADA-related accommodation, it is a patient-centered and trauma informed best practice, and we encourage patients to make this request with the provider who is ordering the testing. The provider would determine if it would be in the patients’ best interest clinically to have staff wear a mask while interacting with the patient. Then they would need to communicate the decision to all staff providing services to the patient, such as phlebotomy staff.”

The patient advocate’s response left Link feeling, “foolish for thinking that Mass General Brigham would actually care enough to follow the law regarding reasonable accommodations. Instead I was gaslit about my needs.” She added, “Each time I have an in-person appointment, I have to go through being made to feel as less than any other human being as a result of my disabilities, bullied, and forced into unsafe care as a condition of getting the healthcare I need.”

Link is not alone. She is one of the many patients who reached out to tell me about how the refusal of this simple ADA accommodation is ruining their lives. One of the most worrisome bits of fallout is that many patients now fear they will get Covid-19 in the hospital or medical office. They are delaying getting medical care, including cancer screening and infusions of drugs, putting off vital appointments. This risks seriously damaging their health.

Link knew that the ADA includes being immunocompromised as a covered condition. She is also more determined than some other patients. She called the Department of Justice’s ADA line and filed a complaint with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office in October, adapted from one made available by attorney Matthew Cortland on their Patreon page. She has not received any response from Massachusetts beyond acknowledging her submission. She has since written her state house representative, senator and governor, without getting any help.

When I reached out to MGB about its policy, I was told, “While in certain limited circumstances, wearing a mask or other Personal Protective Equipment may be an ADA accommodation, it is generally not.” The nurse advocate added, “This will be our last communication on this subject with you.”

One patient who asked for an ADA accommodation at another hospital says she woke up postoperatively to find herself unmasked. So were some of the nurses. She had tested negative for Covid-19 before her admission and became ill shortly after that. Hospital-acquired Covid-19 carries a higher mortality—33% in one study and 10% during the Omicron wave. This is due to the fact that people with more severe underlying diseases are in hospitals.

Link challenged the patient advocate about allowing “its patient-facing staff to put their personal political preferences (let’s not pretend it’s something other than political) before that of not only patient-centered care and their preferences but before the health and wellbeing of the patient.” She added, “I highly doubt that hand washing is left up to the personal preferences of patient-facing staff.” She also noted that MGB’s policy violates ADA laws, which explicitly include immune system diseases.

Other patients expressed anger at policies like MGB’s which state, “Patients can ask, but providers determine when and if masking in a particular situation is necessary.”

Some patients noted that they felt safer during the pandemic when everyone in healthcare settings was masking.

A recurrent theme was frustration that medical staff are ignoring the science—that repeat infections increase the risk of long Covid, that everyone masking is safer than one-way masking, and that N95 respirators are more protective than leaky surgical masks.

Another major complaint is being asked to wait long periods in unmasked waiting rooms for appointments, whether in the hospital or medical clinics. Patients are angry that they are refused permission to wait outside and be called in when it’s their turn. If restaurants can give people buzzers to call them in, one would think hospitals could master the technology.

Vulnerable patients are rebuffed when they want other people in a waiting area to mask—being told, “We can’t tell other people to mask,” yet if there were a case of measles, they could do so. Similarly, in an oncology or rheumatology office with many immunocompromised patients, the staff’s “right” to go unmasked trumps the patient right to a safe environment.

Patients fear retaliation and dismissal from a medical or dental practice, especially when no other options exist. Pantea Javidan, a Stanford sociologist and attorney stressed the difficulties patients experience “due to a power imbalance with physicians. They depend on doctors' expertise and can't easily question decisions such as mask-wearing.”

The Legal Perspective Julia Irzyk, attorney and co-author of Disabilities and the Law, notes that hospitals are “a public accommodation. They wouldn't have the right to say we're not going to mask in the surgery room.” She continued, “It's unacceptable to put patients at risk for a personal preference, which is all that is.”

“They are wrong on both the ethics and the law,” Irzyk concludes. “What they're doing is a violation of the ADA. What they're doing is a violation of the AMA code. And they are also destroying any trust that their high-risk patients have that they have their best health interests at heart.”

Irzyk’s father, attorney and bioethicist Mark Rothstein referenced a highly cited article by Erica Shenoy, chief of infection control for Mass General Brigham, that said that by obscuring facial expressions, masks negatively impact “human connection, trust and perception of empathy.” But, Rothstein says, the opposite is true. “When a healthcare provider refuses to wear a mask at the request of an at-risk patient, nothing can destroy trust more than that.” Rothstein adds, “One of the most important sections of the AMA code of ethics is section 10.015, which says the relationship between patient and physician is based on trust and gives rise to physicians’ obligations to place patient welfare above obligations to other groups.”

Doron Dorfman, L.L.B., J.S.D, a professor at Seton Hall Law School, described the hospital’s stance as “a little bit outrageous.” He explained, “But if the hospital's claim is that you cannot force a third person to do something to accommodate a person with a disability, that's absolutely false as well. So many courts accepted the idea of a no smoking policy that requires other people in the workplace not to smoke as an accommodation. It's very common to have people with food allergy that have an accommodation for other people not to bring allergic foods into the workplace or into school.” Similarly, regarding staff rights preempting that of the patient, Dorfman added, “There is not a right to refuse someone a disability accommodation.”

Wendy Parmet is a professor and expert on disability and public health law. She noted that hospitals all have translators now. “There should be some kind of analogous process” for patients who are requesting masking accommodations, she said, adding that a big problem with MGB is “that they don't have the processes in place” to prevent this kind of problem. Once they have the procedures outlined, then all staff should be educated. “What we want is a training program and some procedures in place because your phlebotomist should not be left to think that they can make this decision on their own.”

Boston To The San Francisco Bay The problem of getting healthcare providers to mask in response to their patients’ request is by no means limited to Boston. This type of refusal of disabled patients’ requests is also notably coming from University of California San Francisco, another leader in influencing policy.

Alice Wong is the founder and director of the Disability Visibility Project. She has multiple medical issues, including having a tracheostomy and a breathing tube in her neck. Wong recently required hospitalization in UCSF’s Moffitt/Long Hospital. She wrote a compelling essay in Teen Vogue, “Covid Isn’t Going Anywhere. Masking Up Could Save My Life.” After her January experiences in the emergency room and ICU, she wrote about her nightmarish experiences along with extensive recommendations for improving patient safety.

Senior and Disability Action, a community organizing group fighting for the rights of seniors and people with disabilities, has recently met with UCSF leadership to provide safe access to healthcare, especially for seniors and people with disabilities, who are being disproportionately affected by Covid-19. SDA’s Allegra Heath-Stout, director of emergent campaigns, said they met with UCSF leaders in October and January with a list of requests. This included that masking by health care workers continue after April, when the city’s health order requiring masking ends. UCSF,which did not respond to a request for comment on specific issues, also did not respond favorably to SDA’s requested Covid-19 safety-related accommodations, such as staff wearing an N-95 for particularly vulnerable patients or allowing immunosuppressed post-operative patients to recover in a separate room without unmasked patients, according to sources.

SDA member Beth Kenny says they encounter similar problems at Kaiser Permanente. Kenny said their physician told them not to be inside with unmasked people, yet Kaiser does not allow patients to wait outside until being called rather than in crowded waiting rooms. Kaiser also denied Kenny’s request to have labs drawn at home by a visiting nurse, so they have risked their health by skipping monthly labs.

“We support any individual who wishes to voluntarily wear a mask and to reasonably request their health care provider also wear a mask,” Kaiser said in an email.

Another SDA member observed that what UCSF does “seems to really set the tone for the Bay Area and the rest of the country in terms of what precautions are taken.”

Modest Requests What Christine and the other patients I’ve spoken with want seems eminently reasonable. MGB, UCSF, and others could start with a user-friendly system in place for patients to make requests. The ADA request should be readily visible to the staff—a flag on the patient’s electronic medical record or, in the old days, a colored tape on the patient’s chart.

As Link said, “I never thought that Harvard's teaching hospital would care so little for lives like mine.” She surmises, “It's the same kind of hostility and apathy that people with disabilities have long experienced that tells us that we are burdens, that we should pipe down and not concern ourselves with equity because our lives are not as valuable as nondisabled people.”

Neither MGB, UCSF, nor Kaiser responded to specific, detailed questions as of the time of posting.

[renthony]

Just curious. How bad has Biden been at controlling COVID-19 in your view?

First: I already responded to a similar question you left on this post.

Second: Biden has been atrocious for COVID-19 safety and management. COVID-19 is still killing people, and our president has done a horribly insufficient job in mitigating that. "Better than the Republicans" is not the same thing as "good" or "effective." Biden's abysmal reaction to COVID-19 is part of why I'm so thrilled that the Uncommitted campaign for the Democratic primary has achieved some success. That particular campaign is focused on ceasefire in Palestine, but the People's CDC explained in a statement how Palestine is also very much a public health issue. We need to scare the bastard and actually do some of that "pushing him left" that people claimed they'd do after getting him elected. Though it seems to me like a lot of people just settled for, "okay, we got rid of Trump, we don't have to worry anymore."

Third: While I'm at it, people have to do more than vote. You have got to get involved. You have got to do more than participate in the presidential election once every four years. Join a union (may I recommend the IWW?), follow the guidance of The People's CDC, volunteer for your local Food Not Bombs, get involved in a tenants union like the Autonomous Tenants Union Network, read Riot Medicine, get trained in first aid and get involved in a street medic group, read up on your local politics and get involved on the small-scale, do something in addition to voting in the presidential election. Even if you're limited in how much you can personally participate, find the people who are talking about these issues and signal boost them, and share the information with others who may be more able to participate more. If you can tell people to go vote in the presidential election, you can also tell them to go do other things, too.

Now, with all of that out of the way, here are some links related to Biden's abysmal COVID-19 response:

During his 2020 campaign, Biden promised immediate $2K stimulus checks. Instead, he delivered $1,400. Sources: [x] [x] [x] [x] [x]

Velena Jones for NBC Bay Area: "‘Too expensive': Bay Area residents shocked over new COVID vaccine prices"

Reuters: "COVID vaccine manufacturers set list price between $120-$130 per dose"

Joseph Choi for The Hill: "Free COVID-19 test program to be suspended for now"

Disability activist Alice Wong writing for TeenVogue: "Covid Isn't Going Anywhere. Masking Up Could Save My Life," and the follow-up article, "COVID and the 2024 Election: What Biden and Democrats Owe High-Risk People."

Laura Weiss writing for The New Republic: "Democrats Can't Keep Ignoring Covid in 2024."

David Cohen and Adam Cancryn for Politico: "Biden on '60 Minutes': 'The Pandemic is Over.'"

Alex Skopic for Current Affairs: "COVID-19 is Still a Threat. So is Biden’s CDC."

Adam Cancryn for Politico: "Biden Appears to be Over Covid Protocols."

Paul Thornton for the Los Angeles Times: "Covid Still Rages, and the Biden Administration Isn't Helping."

Eric J. Topol for the Los Angeles Times: "The U.S. is facing the biggest COVID wave since Omicron. Why are we still playing make-believe?"

We should have free, universal testing. We should have free, universal vaccination. We should have free, universal treatment. We should have financial assistance for those of us who can't work outside the home. We should have mandated work-from-home for any job that can be done remotely. We should be emptying prisons and paying attention to the way disease and abuse proliferate inside their walls. We should have COVID-19 safety PSAs and government support for universal masking. We should have free distribution of N95s. We should have mandated masking in medical settings and public spaces. We should have a higher minimum wage. We should have healthcare reforms. We should have strong worker protections. We should have improved infrastructure. We should have a president who gives a single flying fuck about how many of us are dying.

And we have none of it.

But we sure seem to have money to keep dropping bombs, arming cops, terrorizing the vulnerable, and imprisoning innocent people to use for slave labor.

[reesespieces-org]

Fatui Harbinger Sexuality HC's

Its no secret that the Harbingers are all queer in some way, shape or form. It's just fact at this point, but I wanted to share some of my headcanons for the Harbingers + the Tsaritsa. TL;DR at the end.

Starting off with our beloved Cryo queen, I am a firm believer that she is either aroace or an asexual sapphic. The Tsaritsa is the Archon of love. It had to happen. I mostly headcanon her as aroace just for the irony of it (love goddess doesn't seek love herself type of deal), but I also don't really see her with anyone. I know her and Pierro are a popular ship, but it kind of follows along with the weird pattern of Harbinger x Archon, and it got out of hand after ZhongChi (DottoNahida scared the daylights out of me). And I headcanon all of the Archon's to be asexual, so she falls in that line too.

Second up we got the Director, Pierro! Again, aroace mostly, but I've played a little with him and Rhinedottir being past lovers (interesting concept to me, can't really explain it because of the minimal information I have of the both of them) so from time to time I fluctuate between aroace and aroflux. The one constant for him would definitely be asexuality though, cannot see this man having kids. He's a cat dad, fight me on it.

Second in line, Capitano! He's a straight ally. Definitely the supportive dad that doesn't exactly understand but he'll defend his children (coworkers) if anyone gives them any problems (not like any of them can't handle it themselves, they just like having scary dog privileges!)

Next up, our morbid doctor, Dottore! He's a little fickle, as I can see him being bisexual because of his one date with Soreh and obviously his affiliation with Pantalone. Probably aceflux, it's just not something he's really into and doesn't care for it. Just depends on his partner I suppose. In regards to his segments, all of them are asexual and go by non binary pronouns. They differentiate between one another using their names (Alpha, Beta, Omicron, etc...) and personal attire preferences, so people just refer to them as "they/them" in order to keep them separate from Prime.

For the beloved angel, Columbina, she is sapphic! Definitely a demigirl too, since she is an angel and all. Not much to say, unfortunately, but I think it's self explanatory.

Ah my lovely wife Arlecchino. Like most, I think of her as a masc/butch lesbian. Was definitely Signora's gay awakening.

Pringles man—aka Pulcinella—is a straight ally as well. Much like Capitano, he doesn't quite understand all of it, but he's happy that everyone else is happy and doesn't mind learning more.

Scaramouche is demisexual, even after he turns into Wanderer. Much like Columbina, there isn't much to say about him.

Sandrone is aroflux like Pierro. She's happy being by herself with her dolls, and doesn't feel the need to have a relationship with someone. Also a demigirl!

Signora was a closeted bisexual, since she never truly figured it out before she died. Entirely Arlecchino's fault btw. Anyway, hope she's happy with her beloved Rostam.

Pantalone is pansexual (ah, see what I did there?), and leans towards the asexual spectrum.

And as everyone knows, Childe is a raging achillean/bisexual. It's just fact.

TL;DR:

Tsaritsa: aroace/asexual sapphic

Pierro: aroace/aroflux

Capitano: straight ally

Dottore: bisexual, aceflux

Columbina: sapphic, demigirl

Arlecchino: masc/butch lesbian

Pulcinella: straight ally

Scaramouche: demisexual

Sandrone: aroflux, demigirl

Signora: closeted bisexual

Pantalone: pansexual, acespec

Childe: achillean bisexual

[reality-detective]

How OPERATION SCARIANT 2023 is being used to launch Plandemic 2.0 Plandemic 2.o is an integral piece of the Great Reset implementation plan and New World Order agenda to be executed in earnest this Fall of 2023. OPERATION SCARIANT, which features the extremely ‘scary’ Omincron subvariant known as Eris, is the main show for folks who are still captivated by this ridiculous government-sponsored but extremely serious genocidal enterprise.

Nevertheless, there are numerous reasons why the Khazarian genocidal bioterrorists are hellbent on rolling out Plandemic 2.0 this Fall. The following list presents only some of the most significant NWO goals, WEF objectives and WHO targets. (1) To cover up the massive excess death numbers directly resulting from the ongoing Covid vaccine genocide across America (and global depopulation scheme)

(2) To stealthily kill vaccinated children who are now much more vulnerable to the bacterial infections associated with Eris (aka Omicron [B.1.1.529] a subvariant of SARS-CoV-2

(3) To intensify the slow-motion slaughter of vaccinated 20 to 45 year-olds who are now much more susceptible to myocarditis, pericarditis, blood clots and other fatal heart ailments

(4) To further turbo-charge the numerous medical ailments and health conditions, chronic diseases and autoimmune syndromes, psychological disorders and psychiatric illnesses across the entire population, all of which have seen HUGE upticks post-Covid vaccination

(5) To murder as many retirees as possible in order to reduce the Social Security & Disability, Medicare and Medicaid rolls

(6) To massacre as many individuals, who suffer from multiple comorbidities and/or terminal diseases, who are still living after Plandemic 1.0

(7) To eliminate as many Baby Boomers as possible as well as the Beat Generation elderly, especially the anti-establishment types

(8) To provide maximum distraction from the many Democrat crime sprees being investigated by the House

(9) To divert the attention of the electorate from the multiple crime waves perpetrated by the Biden Crime Family and especially by the POTUS Imposter and Criminal-in-Chief

(10) To create maximum chaos, confusion and conflict throughout the last year of the 2024 election cycle so that the Democrats can steal yet another POTUS election, as well as to set the stage for a long-planned American Bolshevik revolution

(11) To provide a pretext to deploy yet another highly weaponized and lethal Covid ‘vaccine’ by which to rapidly intensify Plandemic 2.0.

(12) To significantly supercharge the previously administered kill-shots, clot-shots and cancer-shots thereby increasing SADS and SIDS as well as excess deaths across the board

(13) To sufficiently scare the American people back into the same space of extreme fear and anxiety about the COVID-19 contagion so they will fully submit to the Covid Super Vaccination Agenda (and demand that everyone they know get vaxxed to the max)

- Benjamin Fulford 🤔

[hellhound5925]

One shot - Sargent Hunter

“It’s better this way” Part Three

Incase you are new, Part one and Part two.

Warnings:

18+, heartbreak, smut, (I'm bad at warnings let me know if I missed anything) mentions of blood (unintentional self harm?). References to stars exploding. Female character/reader.

Summary:

The smut chapter you’ve been waiting for…that is all 😂 Wait I lied, so the lyrics to Sleep Tokens, Blood Sport is in this as well (I’m trying something new so let me know what we think). Anything that is lyrics will be written as follows: ~ Sleep Token, Blood Sport ~

I stop just outside the doors that lead out onto the landing platform - what can I even say to make up for what I did? Will he forgive me? This is Hunter we are talking about, right? He'll understand. With a deep breath, I press the button, causing the doors to slide open. The modified Omicron-class attack shuttle rests tall and proud on the platform, while the rain gently hits the heavily armored hull.

~ Stuck in a quantum pattern,

Tangled in what I never said,

You say it doesn’t matter ~

At first, there's no sign that anyone's out here, but then I notice the stairs are down and the door is open. Stepping out into the rain, I head over to the steps. The amber glow of the lights inside is warm and inviting, which makes my heart sink - I'm an awful person... Maybe I don't deserve to be forgiven. I head up the steps, getting out of the rain. The cold dampness makes it way through my clothes to my skin, sending a shiver down my spine.

~ I want to be forgiven… ~

A noise comes from he cockpit drawing my attention. I quietly make my way to the doorway, leaning against it. Hunter is on his back under the controls, tinkering with something. He continues to work without acknowledging my presence, but there isn't a doubt in my mind he knew I was here the minute I walked up the stairs. I choose to stay silent for a moment hoping he would start the conversation.

After an alarming amount of time being shrouded in the cold silence, I decide to speak up. "I came to explain myself..." I trail off seeing if he will stop what he's doing but he doesn't. I've never seen him like this before and its actually scaring me a little.

~ I want to choke up chunks of my own sins ~

"Hunter please...I need you to understand...I never meant—" I'm cut off my a loud clanging noise. Hunter drops the tool he was working with and mutters a string of curses in Mando'a. Pushing himself out from under the controls, he's looking over his hand. Without a second thought, I rush over and grab it looking it over. He's moving it, so its likely not broke and theres no blood.

Neither of us move, his hand still in mine. I gently brush my fingers over his knuckles having almost forgotten what his touch was like. Without warning he pulls away, turning his back to me "I need to finish these repairs before we ship out."

~ Would you invite me in again? ~

At his words my stomach drops into my feet. "I'll be quick then, but I need you to hear me on this please."

~ Let me pay for my arrogance ~

He sighs and his shoulder drop. Without turning around, he turns his head to the side to show me he's listening. The fact that he can't even look at me is the final strike that breaks me completely. My legs become to weak to hold me up and I drop to my knees sobbing uncontrollably, "I was so worried about losing you out there....I had no idea what I would do without you....my best idea was to pull away....Tech...he made me realize—" at this point I can't think straight or get enough air into my lungs to continue.

~ Won’t you show me your weakness? ~

Burying my head in my hands, I didn't even hear anyone approach. A hand rests on each of my shoulders, I look up to see Hunter with a concerned look etched into his handsome features only inches from mine.

"I don't—deserve forgiveness" I blurt out.

~ I made loving you a blood sport ~

He reaches towards my face, placing a hand on my cheek. The rough pad of his thumb wipes away the waterfall of tears having made their way to my lips. The taste of their salt on my tongue.

"I wish you had come to me about how you were feeling." His voice is the calm at the center of the storm. It's warm and full of life, a life I crave. He pulls me in to his chest, where I lose control once again. Rubbing circles into my back with one hand in my hair, his hold on me tightens as if I'd slip through his fingers like the sands of Tatooine.

~ I’m still your favorite regret ~

"I forgive you" his chest vibrates with his words, "and I'm sorry you were in that much pain and didn't feel like you could come to me." In that moment, the black hole I created just a day ago was gone. The very star at the center of his universe, back where it belongs. Giving its life back to the planets, it watches over.

Returning his hands to my shoulders, he pushes me back to look me in the face. "Promise me from now on, you come to me whenever you feel that way." His beautiful brown eyes roam my face as I collect myself but all I can do is nod.

~ You’re still my weapon of choosing ~

My brain is so foggy from the overflow of emotions, "I don't understand how you don't hate me?"

"I could never hate you. You mean too much to me but I wanted to respect your decision."

"Tech said I'm one of the reasons you fight so hard to come home. Is that true? You fight for me?"

There's a long pause, Hunter places his forehead against mine "I will always fight for you."

~ And out there,

Stuck in a quantum pattern,

Tangled in what I never said… ~

I'm at a complete loss for words and even thought we're so close, a need to be closer claws at my insides. My hands find their way to his face and the stubble on his jaw tickles my palms, at this angle my hands look so small. Hunter likely feeling the same way, runs his hands down my sides resting them on my hips.

He pauses for a second before pulling me onto his lap. As if we've practiced this a thousand times, my legs wrap around his lean torso, while my hands make their way over his muscular shoulders and entangle themselves in his hair. Effortlessly, he lifts the two of us off the floor, carrying me over to his bunk and gently sets me on it. Its quite messy which means he didn't stay in the shared space with his brothers last night.

~ You say it doesn’t matter ~

Hunter hesitates, still hovering over me. “I promise that whatever happens out there…I will always find my way home to you.”

Grabbing the chest piece of his armor, I pull him so our lips crash together sloppily. After a few moments we break and all the only sounds that can be heard are the pitter patter of rain on the hull and our labored breathing. The space between us still nonexistent as his lips gently brush mine, I lean into him pressing our foreheads together. His nose is pressed into my cheek and yet it still feels like theres a galaxy between us.

“I need you” I whisper into his lips and arching my back ever so slightly, pressing myself further into him.

His lips dance gently across mine and it’s almost too much to bare. Hunter knows exactly what he’s doing and at this point I deserve to be tortured. Just as he leans in like he’s going to finally kiss me, he pulls away exposing my face to the cold air between us. A smug smile makes it away across his face but before I can react, he presses me into the mattress with his body. He kisses me so deeply, it makes the darkness of space seem shallow. My hands wander over his muscular back and through his hair causing a lusty hum to vibrate deep in his chest.

Muscle memory kicks in, and armor pieces start piling up on the floor followed by a pair of GAR issue blacks. My clothes are next to follow, the cold dampness of them feels like a distant memory as the warmth of his body radiates through mine. With one finger he slowly trails my jaw line, down my neck to my chest stopping briefly between my breasts. Goosebumps erupt all over my body, as he continues his painstakingly slow journey to my thighs. I’m too caught up in a storm of blissful anguish to make a sound.

Hunter forces his way through my throbbing core, falling in rhythm with the rain creating a beautiful symphony that overwhelms my senses. My desperation to be consumed with this feeling of him inside me. We've been together like this many times before but this....it's just different. Time suddenly seems to stand still as the two of us became whole once more. My back arches involuntarily at the electricity that shoots through my body. He's almost too much for me to handle, with fist full of the sheets and my toes curled to the soles of my feet, my body trembles with pleasure. My breathing hitches as a soft whimpering gasp falls from my lips.

"Easy Mesh'la...I've got you...I always will" he purrs in my ear before nipping and kissing my neck.

I cry out as his words are the final push over the edge, white hot pleasure corses through my core with the intent to keep him there. Hunter continues, not stopping until he knows our desire has been fulfilled.

As we come down from our high he surrounds me with his closeness, his embrace. His scent washes over me and becomes the air in my lungs, his touch makes my skin shiver with pleasure. In his strong arms I feel a safeness that I have never felt before. Burying his head my hair, he inhales deeply as if to soak me in. We lay there together in silence for a moment as the soft pitter patter of the rain slowly subsides.

"I know ‘s right for both of us…We’re always better together” his words slurred like a love drunken fool.

Taglist: @cloneloverrrrr @lune-de-miel-au-paradis @idoubleswearimawriter @maybethatfanfictionwriter @savebytheodore @savebytheodoresnonjosestuff @jediknightjana @techs-goggles9902 @clonethirstingisreal

Huge huge huge thank you to @cloneloverrrrr and @lune-de-miel-au-paradis you guys are the freaking best 🫡💖

[mikascreations]

guess who frankensteined chainsaw man beat saber and phighting into one phighting oc

its like chainsaw man but instead of fusing with a chainsaw creature (i forgot how it was called) he fused with a biograft named Omicron even though he's like from playground LMAO omicron was prolly glitchin and forgot that playgrounds was a thing and now they're best friens forever yippee yay!!! 😀 the locals are scared of him (except for silly guitar because silly guitar is based LMAO)

his headphones are BEATNOTE shaped lmao!!!

i now have 2 crossfandom phighting ocs :3 (the other one is Spear which is based off of Spearmaster Rainworld)

[dreamcast641]

SCP OC: DMITRY VASILIJ MAKAROV

My boy is having a bio too finally! He is even older than claire when it comes to when I created him (2016) and he went through a lot as well. This bio will not be completely done either but otherwise I hope you like him as well. Please reminder that Dmitry is NOT a good character and It'll explain why while you read ----------------------------------------------------------------- GENERAL INFORMATIONS:

Full Name: Dmitry Vasilij Makarov Aliases/nicknames: None Age: 26-30 years old Gender: Male Pronouns: He/him Sexual orientation: Aromantic and Asexual (AroAce) Date of birth: november 2nd Place of birth: Unknown but it's somewhere in the USA Current residence: site 5c Nationality: American with slavic origins Spoken Languages: American English (main), Russian ( ONLY with his dad) , American sign language (ASL) and braille Affiliations/organizations: SCP foundation Occupation: Medical department operating as psychiatrist and researcher, specialized in oneirology. Works sometimes along with the omicron rho (the dream team) and ISD (internal security department) agent. -------------------------------------------------------------

APPEARANCE

BUILD: Skinny/slender

— Dmitry is a man of impressive height, he reaches almost two meters but unfortunately he is really thin and manages to hide it well thanks to the clothes he wears.

— Dmitry doesn't take much care of his image and his being very busy often distracts him from having a correct diet. He doesn't eat often and if he does he doesn't get enough protein. it is Claire who reminds him to eat, often making time to prepare his meals.

-----

SCARS: acid burn scar all over his right side of the face

— Dmitry has a large, visible burn scar on his face and the contrast with his naturally pale skin makes it stand out even more.

— it's been years since the incident, yet he still can't fully talk about it. too many bad memories are linked to his scar and he usually avoids mirrors so as not to see his reflection in them.

------

VOICE: Cold and low

— Dmitry speaks slow, his voice seems monotonous

— His voice seems to have no soul. It is cold and emotionless. -------

EYES: Purple/pinkish and blinded

— His left eye looks purple, closer to a purplish while the right one completely destroyed by the acid.

— If before he had difficulty seeing, now he can be considered almost blind and his eyes are the reason he is learning braille. His right eye is completely destroyed by the acid, the iris is opaque and the sclera is red. The remaining eye of him is not the best, the iris transparent and the pinkish color is due to the blood vessels visible in the eye.

-------

FASHION: casual

— casual, doesn't really care for fashion.

— He just grabs the first thing he could find. He is in his office the whole day so no one really sees him. ----------------- More about his aspect: -Dmitry is 193 cm tall or 6'3ft -He suffers from albinism that make his skin completely pale and his hair, including eyebrows and eyelashes, white due to absence of melanin

FAVORITES -Color: Purple -Food: very salty fries -Drink: Black coffee -Song: Man on the moon (zella day) -Flower: Poppy and black Rhododendron -Hairstyle: Ponytail or messy bun ------------------ PHOBIAS : Atychiphobia is an intense fear of failure. It may cause you to put off or avoid any activity or scenario that has the potential for an unsuccessful outcome. Someone with this condition may be scared to try new things, take risks or embrace growth for fear of failure. Cynophobia is the overwhelming fear of dogs. ------------------------------------------------

PERSONALITY: -Moral alignment: Lawful evil -Myers-Briggs: INTJ POSITIVE TRAITS: -Smartass. To be a researcher of the foundation, one must also be intelligent and Dmitry certainly is and this is to his advantage in many areas, even when it comes to escaping from unpleasant situations. -Dedicated only to his job. So dedicated and passionate about his work that he almost forgets to eat. He loves his position as a psychiatrist, it's an area he's always had a fascination with. The human mind is so full of mysteries to him. -Great team with Claire when it's possible. The smart one and the one who gets her hands dirty. Overall the two make a good team together and are able to overcome to almost all challenges NEGATIVE TRAITS: -Empathy? What is that? Despite his work as a psychiatrist, Dmitry often finds himself not empathizing with the patient in front of him or with anyone else. -Aggressive and often cold. His personality and lack of trust in others has made him an empty shell. Most of the time he comes across as distant and very confrontational with everyone, even with who should be the people closest to him. -Manipulator...and gaslighter. Especially with his sister, Dmitry is very manipulative. He often invents scenarios that never happened just to make her feel bad about it for days. To say Claire feels bad about this is an understatement. -Silent treatment. If he's angry he doesn't say why and when he does he can be silent for days. It is a torture for the others. -Ambitious. Ambition is good but not when it comes to his own where he would do anything to achieve his goals. -Smarter and above everyone. His thinking that he could decieve everyone and everything would be his own demise at the end.

TRIVIA -He has a ball albino python named diablo. He feeds him frozen rats or the ones that the janitor gave him for the snake. -He still has morals and can't stand people doing harm towards children or animals. -NPD (narcissist personality disorder) -His office it's almost always dark as he can't stand the light. -He hates when people touch his hair. He loves them way too much to even cut them and, in fact, they are long af. -Dmitry is anomalous. -He is a psychic than can walk through other people's dreams. -He can replace memories thanks to that. -The SHRP would be the ones that kill him at the end. He stepped way too forward with his experiments and pissed the wrong people off. -Victor penz would be the one to kill him with a gunshot

SUMMARY OF HIS STORY (STILL NOT SO DONE)

Dmitry was the first of the two to be born within two minutes of his twin sister Claire. It is not known where they were born, only that their mother gave birth to them somewhere in the United States. Raised in the hostile environment of the foundation but with the loving care of their mother Mandy Ross, a former nurse in the US Navy. Their father? Locked in the same site where they were born, metal walls separating this potentially dangerous man due to the toxic, potentially lethal nature of his body. In the early years of their lives, the twins immediately reveal themselves as curious troublemakers, always looking for other children like them to socialize with and will end up bonding closely with one of them in particular: Ira Watts, whom they will consider for life as a brother. Mandy, for reasons still unknown to them, decides to leave them and the foundation to join the GOC, leaving the twins and the adoptive brother to look after themselves with claire being the main caretaker for them with the help of Maria, who Dmitry would get extremely affectionate to as she is the one to guide and assist him during his studies. As the three separates just when they reach their adolescency, Dmitry was sent for a few years to study medicine and later psychiatry at a different facility than the site where he was born. Unfortunately here, the foundation will learn of his anomaly and some experiments will begin that will cost him whole days. Unbeknownst to him, they'll make him sleep a lot to see what he can do in other people's dreams. Eventually, at the end of his studies, he will reunite with his sister and soon after the accident with his father will take place which will leave him permanently injured not only physically but also mentally. The gases that he will inhale thanks to the acid will cause him to go into a coma that will go on for a few days, where he will hear everything and especially what the doctors will say, realizing that he means nothing to the foundation. The experience will leave him completely changed, developing questionable behaviors to say the least, especially towards his sister and without any specific motivation other than that he considers her a good-for-nothing who hasn't lifted a finger to save him. Their relationship will be so ruined that it will no longer be repairable. later on the two were approached by a man from the Internal Security Department (ISD) who was determined to recruit them as they were loyal members of the foundation. The two naively accepted and it was that meeting and that assignment that led them to site 5c where they still reside nowdays.

SITE 5C STORY LINE

(coming soon)

[thesaltyace]

omfg y'all am I insane or is this healthcare professional a fucking nutjob

(Spoiler: I know she's a fucking nutjob but would deeply appreciate others chiming in because I still feel crazy 😭)

Okay, so I am still reeling from this provider interaction and feel like I'm going crazy. To sum up, she downplayed covid in general, suggested that antivirals were more dangerous than covid itself, and I believe she tried to scare me and my partner into not asking for Paxlovid at all.

Background info:

My partner and I are both mid-30s. We both have health conditions that place us in the high risk category for serious covid complications (asthma, CKD, overweight/obese, etc.).

Because we have several high risk factors, we have been super careful for the past 3+ years, and fortunately haven't caught covid at all before now (to our knowledge).

We are primarily concerned about long term damage and possible long covid. We are aware that even though omicron has lower risk of long covid, it's still around 10-14% risk. Especially considering our high risk health conditions, we want to do everything we can to prevent long covid.

We are aware that Paxlovid is an oral antiviral that received full approval a couple of months ago for high risk groups.

What happened:

My partner and I both tested positive for covid today using an at-home test, so we decided to go to the local clinic. They offered to see us together and we agreed, so we're in the same exam room.

The tech who was taking our info asked, "You tested positive with an at-home test? When?" "Yes. We took the tests about an hour ago." She seemed confused. "So why are you here?" "To…. confirm with a PCR I guess? Or to get antivirals?" She seemed annoyed and quickly left.

[Edited to add - the LVN and tech discussed between themselves, before they left the room, that the provider said a PCR wasn't necessary since we had a positive home test and symptoms.]

When the provider (CNP) came in, she started off with the same question. "Okay, so I understand that you tested positive with at-home tests. So... why are you here?" We gave her the same answer: "To get Paxlovid? ...I guess?"

She scoffed and said, "I'll prescribe you Paxlovid if that's what you want, but I don't recommend it." Well, that wasn't what we expected to hear. She explained that she doesn't recommend it because it's only authorized for emergency use and "doesn't really do as much for you as you'd like to think." She went on to explain that it interacts with "a ton of really common medications" so it can be very risky to use anyway, possibly even more risky than covid itself. My partner spoke up to say, "Yes, we saw that the only medication of mine that appears to have an interaction is amlodipine but that it isn't a contraindication." and she quickly said, "Right, but Paxlovid is just very risky if you have anything cardiovascular going on."

O…kay….

She then explained that Paxlovid isn't really for mild cases anyway, it's really just for people who are at high, high risk for severe covid symptoms and would, like, die in 24 hours without treatment. We found this odd (and in fact blatantly wrong) based on our own knowledge of Paxlovid and covid, so we didn't quite know what to say. I felt very put off and like I couldn't trust what she was telling us. It's at this point that I suspected this woman was trying to dissuade us from taking Paxlovid for… I have no idea what reason. But we live in West Texas and it's extremely red here, so… draw your own conclusion. (I did.)

She then started talking down to us (IMO) by explaining that we would still have to deal with the coughs and sniffles even if we took the antivirals. As though we were only there for a quick fix, because our little stuffy noses were so annoying. I finally spoke up and explained that we're less concerned about acute symptoms and more concerned about long-term effects and possible long covid.

This really made my blood boil. She proceeded to tell me that 1) Paxlovid won't help with preventing long covid, 2) omicron doesn't really cause long covid, that's just the original covid strain that does that, so no one is really seeing new cases of long covid, and 3) no one's getting severely sick from covid anymore anyway, and we appear to have a mild case, so I shouldn't really be concerned. You know, folks, based on my own knowledge, those are some pretty sweeping unsupported statements. So the more she talks, the more concerned I get.

She then starts telling us about how there's all sorts of adverse reactions that can happen with Paxlovid. Horrible reactions that could totally ruin your life! Worse than long covid! But no specific reactions mentioned at this point - just general "Oh, it's so bad" pearl-clutching statements. We sat silently through this -- I think wondering if this was actually happening.

Our continued silence finally caught her attention. "Oh, I know, most people don't expect to hear all this!" "Uh huh." At this point, I'm trying to not to pinch the bridge of my nose and sigh. "So what are the risk factors for these reactions?" "Well, they're far-reaching effects that can ruin your health and your life! It can happen to anyone. Things like hemorrhagic stroke--" I am extremely annoyed and cut her off. "Okay, fine, but that doesn't answer my question. What are the RISK FACTORS for these reactions?" "There are none." "None? No risk factors. No correlations. For any of these reactions." "No. It affects everyone equally. Age, sex, race, doesn't matter. You aren't safe because you're young." "No specific health conditions that would put one at higher risk of these bad reactions?" "No, it affects EVERYONE the same."

^^ If y'all don't see why that kind of claim is absolute bullshit I don't know what to tell you. I'm not 100% sure, but I don't think I've ever heard of any condition/reaction that that has zero identifiable risk factors or correlations, that just somehow affects everyone equally. She pulled that out of her ass, full stop.

Anyway, we just stared at her again because what else do you say to that kind of fearmongering bullshit? She followed up with, "And this drug is only approved for emergency use, so you know, you're taking a big risk if you choose to take Paxlovid. Like, I have to confirm in our system when I send the prescription that you understand the risks. And it is a risk."

Here's the thing. I remembered seeing a couple of months ago that Paxlovid was now fully approved for high risk groups. You know, like me and my partner. She's trying to tell us that Paxlovid is somehow more dangerous than covid/the risk of developing long covid. As best I can tell based on current data, risk of developing long covid from omicron is around 10-14%. Is this woman seriously trying to tell me that Paxlovid has greater than a 10-14% chance of causing severe issues with no known correlations/risk factors, and was somehow still fully approved for high risk patients a couple of months ago? Something is seriously off here.

If I had to listen to any more of this bullshit I think I was going to lose my absolute mind and verbally rip into her. She already said she'd prescribe it if we wanted it, and I didn't want to risk that changing by pissing her off, so finally I was like, "Okay, I guess can we have a moment to discuss this together, then?" I figured we'd be able to exchange a quick, "This woman is crazy. Yes, let's ask for the Paxlovid", but she goes, "Oh, no, I'll just go ahead and submit the prescription. None of the pharmacies are open until tomorrow morning anyway, so that'll give you plenty of time to consider it. And if you decide you don't want it, just don't fill it. But if you decide you do, the prescription is already submitted."

O....kay... then...

So she leaves and soon the LVN comes in with the appointment summary printoffs. The LVN asks us if the provider discussed with us the cardiovascular risks associated with Paxlovid.

"No...? I mean, she said it can interact with blood pressure medication but that's it."

"Well, it can have some pretty nasty cardiovascular side effects. I used to work in cardio at the peak of covid and we got calls all the time about whether or not this cardio patient could take Paxlovid."

No mention about what the answer actually was for all those phone calls -- just the vague implication that it's terrifying to take Paxlovid because it might hurt your heart. Again, this just didn't match what we knew about Paxlovid, but we also aren't confident enough to call them on it ourselves.

We got out of there as quickly as we could and agreed in the car that we would look up more info online when we got home; however, our inclination was already to fill the prescription and take the Paxlovid. We tried looking up these adverse effects she warned us about. All we can find is info about medication interactions, which we already knew. We found studies stating that cardiac patients benefited more than most groups from taking Paxlovid. We found ample information suggesting, as we already knew, that with our health conditions we are absolutely recommended to take Paxlovid and that we personally have no contraindications.

It occurred to us after we got home that the provider never told my partner what to do in terms of adjusting the amlodipine while taking Paxlovid. They'll have to ask the pharmacist tomorrow and may skip the amlodepine tomorrow until they can ask their regular doctor about it on Monday. Sucks that this is happening over a weekend and the only medical professionals available will be the same folks we just saw, because they sound absolutely INSANE.

In case anyone is wondering, uh, yeah, as best I can tell, current data suggests Paxlovid helps reduce the acute illness period AND may reduce the risk of long covid. And I couldn't find a single goddamn thing about severe reactions like hemorrhagic stroke. So I don't know what the actual fuck these people were doing trying to blow smoke up our asses, but it PISSES ME THE FUCK OFF. They have done this to other people. And even if we complain, I'm sure they will be allowed to continue doing this to other people because covid deniers and downplayers are the norm here, not the outliers.

[akirakirxaa]

because i'm a sucker for angst: 26. A kiss while one or both parties are crying

[Prompt list here. Warning for Endwalker spoilers under the break.]

Akira never looked away from G'raha's face as she shook her head in denial, taking a single step back.

"No," she denied. "No, I can't do this again."

She knew the despair of this place was getting to her, could feel it weighing down on her shoulders with all the hopes and expectations of the people she left behind. Both on Etheirys and in the past.

But this might be more than she could bear.

"I know," he stepped forward with her, taking her hand. "And it's not fair. But I promise-"

"No, no more promises," her voice cracked as she braced herself against his chest. "The only promise I want from you is the promise that we'll be going home together." G'raha pulled her close and pressed his lips to her forehead.

"We will," he swore. "I know we will. Because I believe in you." Despite her best attempts, Akira felt tears slip down her cheeks. He took her face in his hands, brushing her tears away with his thumbs as he pressed his lips to hers before stepping away, turning to the giant omicron with determination in his eyes. And before she knew it, he was gone too.

She gasped for air, feeling like she was drowning. No no no no. She clutched at her head, collapsing to her knees. She could hear, as if from a distance, the twins calling out for her, but she couldn't hear clearly, couldn't see through the darkness suddenly surrounding her. No hope no hope no hope.

"Akira!" she felt a hand on her shoulder and lifted her head to see Alphinaud kneeling in front of her. "If you give up now, we'll lose all of them! We can still save them!" Akira fought to slow her breathing, feeling the panic and despair spiraling in equal measure. Alisaie pushed forward and shoved her hand in Akira's pocket, pulling out the Azem crystal and pressing it into her hand.

"You made a promise, remember?" through her own tears Akira could see Alisaie's face was wet as well, though her jaw was set and her eyes focused. "Don't you have a legacy to uphold or some such?" Akira's fist clenched around the orange crystal, not calling on its power, just reminding herself it was there. Reminding herself of all the sacrifices and pain that got her to this point. She couldn't waste it now.

The darkness receded.

~*~

Her body felt like it was floating. Or maybe like it didn't exist at all. Maybe this was it for her. Maybe it was always going to be that she and Zenos would destroy each other. She remembered her promise to G'raha, to go home, to have more adventures, to stay together, and the guilt settled in her gut.

Between bouts of unconsciousness, she realized she had a growing awareness of her body, and very quickly wished she didn't as the agony began to settle down to her very bones.

What felt like centuries later, she could hear again, hear whispers and frets and whimpers around her. Judging by her own aches, she probably looked dead. Carefully, she pried her eyes open, listening as the murmers around her rose to excited chaos. In the midst, G'raha pushed his way forward, eyes wide and distraught, ears flat against his head as he knelt next to her, tears already falling.

"Do you realize how worried I've been?" He admonished between peppering her face and horns with kisses like she might disappear at any moment. "I thought you were... Don't you ever do that again!" Akira couldn't help the small chuckle, even if it did rattle her ribs around painfully, and turned her head just so to catch his lips.

"You first," she smirked, and he sputtered as she could hear Y'shtola laughing somewhere behind them. "You all get to scare me half to death regularly. Turnabout's fair play." He glanced away in shame, and that wouldn't do. She weakly reached up and grabbed his shirt, pulling him back down for another kiss. She could still taste the salt from his tears on his lips and felt that guilt again.

"But now we're even," she said softly. "So no more self sacrifice. Never again."

"Never," he agreed.

[markrtaa]

"Is it better to get immunized by getting Covid-19 or to get vaccinated?" - Dr. Antonio Giordano

The new Omicron variant scares the world: the virus runs almost at the same speed as the progress with which science advances.

Despite the protracted lockdowns and restrictions, Covid-19 still remains a young disease, to be studied. Certainly, the steps to defeat it has been taken, but the virus is running almost at the same speed as the progress with which scientific research advances.

[binariesarebullshit]

If you said this directed at me, I'm fine for now. I got the booster about a month before this one dropped, so i plan to get it soon [qualfied for a booster in-between the release of the XBB1.5 coverage].

I just gotta find out if my insurance will cover because it might be upwards of 300$ otherwise.

Regarding my dads exposure: My dad later got a PCR and was negative [121$ out of pocket so ridiculously expensive!], and then he got the new booster. I think this scare was a kick in the teeth that he needed to communicate with me better.

The new booster covers the XBB1.5 line and may provide protection to BA2.86 and it's JN.1 line of the omicron strain.

Prior to the holidays, several news sources stated that only 20% of cases in the US came from JN.1, and now [January 5] they have estimated upwards of 60% are [with 44.1% on December 25th]. The case amounts are some of the highest we've seen since 2020 [using waste water as most states no longer track substantially]. The number of hospitalizations is lower than the largest spike, which is overall a good sign. However, 1 in 10 cases [including mild] can be long covid. So, the hospitals may not run out of beds, but the long-term effects will still require an increase in care.

Mitigation methods like wearing a well fitting mask [preferably with an N95 or KN95] and following the Swiss cheese model will provide greater protection.

You can start wearing your mask again at any time BTW. You don't have to be high risk to wear one and those who are high risk in your life thank you.

[of-substandard-parts-a]

HEADCANON // LITERATURE

Perhaps a bit unexpected, but Lore has developed a deep affection with literature. In fact, it was one of the few things that granted him solace back on Omicron Theta. Shortly after his activation, he gained access to a vast database filled to the brim with literature. One of his favourites was William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience. The nursery rhymes fascinated him, even though he sometimes failed to comprehend the semantics Blake utilised, and thus the underlying message in the poems oftentimes eluded him. However, he endeavoured to fathom the sentences, the words, and after some practice, and through extensive close-readings of the stanzas, did he finally succeed in deciphering the text and found himself relating to the stories that were being told. Therefore, it mustn’t come as a surprise that, the older he got and the more experience he garnered, he started to relate more to The Songs of Experience than Innocence, and it made him bitter and he cursed the bundle of poetry and refused to read it again; this realisation had intoxicated his brain and he desired to forget the ghastly poetry.

Henceforth, Lore diverted his attention to darker works, Frankenstein, Paradise Lost, Doctor Faustus, Shakespeare's and his contemporaries’ revenge plays, and authors such as Poe, Lovecraft, he even read Isaac Asimov’s robot stories and detested every single one of them, because they were either too close for comfort, or sheer rubbish, an unrealistic representation — mankind would never accept and peacefully co-exist with artificial beings, they were way too apprehensive, too scared this new species would replace them... Humans saw them as rivals instead of equals... As if he had any interest in replacing them, doing their dirty work. No thank you.

Lore preferred to replicate the stories in their original, tangible rendition opposed to reading digital versions — he liked the feel of turning over the leaves, feeling the weight of the book in his hands, seeing his progress, and reading sentence for sentence to soak up the story and challenge his imagination, have it do mental aerobatics to train it to envision the locations the authors were describing. Naturally, this human-like behaviour irked Soong; he had created an android to surpass the limitations infesting humanity, and catching Lore indulging himself in menial activities drove him berserk. Reason enough for Lore to seize every opportunity to read the analogue version of the stories he’d grown so fond of — just to vex his “father.”

In his terminal weeks as a functioning and coherent android on Omicron Theta, he had found himself relating more and more to John Milton’s Lucifer — he, too, felt like his creator had cast him out of Heaven and exiled him to suffer eternal damnation in Hell. In the last remainder of his life, pre-reactivation, he clung tightly onto the quote “The mind is its own place, and in itself / Can make a heav’n of hell, and a hell of heav’n.” With this quote lingering in the back of his mind, he sought a means to achieve the latter, to make a Hell of Heaven... Recalling the revenge plays stemming from the Renaissance period, he had derived one important thing from them: if none came to his aid to eradicate the injustice done to him, he should take matters in his own hands and make everyone pay for their plethora of inequity. Thus, he summoned the Crystalline Entity, and transformed every single one of the pesky colonists and their accursed heaven to dust...

[indiarightnow]

Is untreated HIV behind the emergence of Omicron?

Is untreated HIV behind the emergence of Omicron?

London: The hypothesis that the emergence of new Covid-19 variants could be linked, in some cases, to untreated HIV is “highly plausible”, according to South African scientists. To explore the link, a team of scientists have launched a probe into mutations taking place inside infected people whose immune systems have already been weakened by other factors, including, though not limited to,…

[ms-demeanor]

Hey there, I think these are some very reasonable questions to ask! One by one:

1. The whole post mostly glosses over long COVID as something we just don't have good data on yet, which, fair. That said, I think that means that the post misses a lot of the rhetoric driving COVID caution in the communities I'm a part of, which, anecdotally, are not scared of huge rates of hospitalization that the government is theoretically covering up, but are scared of high case rates that we have little insight into other than wastewater (which we agree about the unreliability of, but I feel it's hard to say conclusively either way) and the possibility that those high case rates are translating into high rates of long COVID, especially given that some data suggests that long COVID and negative outcomes in general are more likely the more COVID infections you accumulate. Do you have thoughts about the fear that we are going to see skyrocketing rates of disability over the next 5/10/15/50 years if we don't get COVID more under control? Anecdotally, the number of young children I know who have developed long-term symptoms after their second or third or fourth COVID infection is much higher than I ever remember people having long-term symptoms from the flu, and they're getting COVID more often than people ever got the flu.

Long covid is extremely complicated and the research on it is also complicated. People who got covid earlier in the pandemic (pre-omicron strains) are more likely to have more severe long covid and were at higher risk of developing long covid; perhaps as many as 10% of people who have had covid will develop long covid, but about half of the people who ever have symptoms of long covid may stop having symptoms after several months. Long covid severity is different for different people because it is not one syndrome, but many, and people who develop ME/CFS or POTS as a part of long covid will likely have to deal with lifetime disability, while people who have persistent respiratory symptoms for some months may improve over time. There are many potential causes of long covid, and some populations are more likely than others to experience long covid, and MAYBE vaccination makes it less likely and MAYBE a less severe case of covid makes it less likely but there's conflicting research on all of that. Reinfection possibly does not appear to make it more likely that someone who did not have long covid will develop long covid and you may be less likely to have long covid if you have a second case of covid (this is the NPR report on that and these are the two studies linked in that report), however it is possible to end up with more systems involved with post-viral symptoms on reinfection (but that study is necessarily on people who were infected multiple times and susceptibility to reinfection may mean you're already predisposed to long covid and there's essentially no research done on what getting a different variant of covid or having years-long periods between infections does). Also there is emerging research that long covid may be about as likely to occur as post-viral syndromes from other respiratory infections it's just that there were so many covid infections that we saw a huge bump in numbers.

Like I said, complicated. But, that said, it (so far) seems like about 4-5% of people who have covid have post-viral syndrome experience persistent symptoms, and of those some people may develop a permanent disability. I am absolutely sympathetic to people who are concerned about lifelong disability as a result of long covid and that is a thing that happens (my sister was diagnosed with POTS after having covid; I know this happens) but it isn't as simple as "If 10% of people get long covid and it gets 50% worse with reinfection, my chances of becoming disabled long-term after a second bout of covid are at 15%". It is MUCH, much more complicated than that and I think that the idea that we're going to see skyrocketing rates of disability needs to be examined. For instance this Scientific American opinion piece that warns of "a tsunami of disability" does so based on early reports that saw long covid in 25-30% of patients (higher-end estimates in current research suggests 10% and the CDC study I linked earlier found that 9% of people had had long covid at some point but about half that had long covid at the time of the study) and this American Progress article is based on the same research PLUS BLS data that there were more disabled people in the workforce which could mean more workers reporting a disability or it could mean more disabled people forced to seek jobs to make ends meet in the pandemic or it could mean more people who became disabled through means other than post viral syndrome staying in the workforce to make ends meet in the pandemic. Additionally the definitions of disability are frustratingly vague in some of these discussions; I do believe that "shortness of breath" can constitute a disability but is that person still disabled if their symptoms resolve at the eight month mark post covid? Diabetes, anxiety, and ME/CFS are all disabilities that are possible post-covid but they are also all wildly different in terms of quality of life and ability to live independently.

The entire thing is, I think, more complicated than it is often made out to be but I think there's a general message that 25% of people who have covid will end up with a lifelong disability and that in the next twenty years we will see a quarter of people who had covid become disabled and that seems to be unlikely based on data available in 2023 and beyond. That is not to say that there are no consequences from covid infection, or that it isn't "serious" if you develop diabetes after covid, or if you have persistent neurological symptoms after covid. I genuinely think that people are looking at this as "there's a 20% chance that I'll end up with ME/CFS if I get covid and that will kill me" and if that's what the picture realistically looks like then I'd agree that it makes sense to stay indoors and keep masking, but if there's a 10% chance that you'll end up with a chronic cough and tinnitus for six months and a 3% chance you'll end up with an autoimmune disorder and your chances of either of those are lower with vaccination and are lower later in the pandemic and that is IF you get covid which you can take steps to prevent (getting vaccinated, staying in well ventilated areas, masking and asking people to mask, etc) then maybe it seems a bit less like playing Russian roulette.

I can't really speak to the anecdotal information about the children you know having post-viral symptoms, but it's worth noting that part of the reason the Queensland health minister (linked above as well) thinks that we should stop using the term "long covid" is because it has cued people to look for post-viral symptoms that may not be there and has caused an increase in paranoia that is detrimental to people who are dealing with post-viral condition and to people who are worried about post-viral conditions. And as to kids getting covid more; it is pretty unlikely to get the same strain of covid more than once in a 90 day period but it is possible and there are multiple strains of covid. The flu tends to be an annual thing and people rarely end up contracting two strains in a season; you may be seeing kids getting covid more frequently than the flu, I don't know the kids you know.

2. Your post says that people who think they may have COVID should mask but also criticizes telling people that if they are sick they should assume that it is COVID. Considering that tests are very inaccessible and many COVID cases are asymptomatic, especially in the early days of contracting it, why is it not reasonable to tell people that if they are sick they should assume it is COVID? In my experience, everyone is incredibly fast to jump to "it's not COVID" with evidence such as "I tested negative once the day after being exposed to COVID" and "the only symptom I have is a cough", so, in my opinion, I do not think we are in danger of too many people assuming they have COVID.

If you catch five colds in the winter and assume every one of them is covid, it's going to make it a lot harder for you to believe it when covid numbers are down. It is also going to make you a lot more paranoid about long covid, and it's going to potentially cause you to forego treatment for what's actually happening (if you think you have covid so you stay home and isolate and monitor for covid symptoms but you are actually delaying treatment for strep that is bad).

I suppose I should clarify something: If you have any kind of upper respiratory infection I think that you should stay home until you no longer have any symptoms or a fever and I think that you should try to isolate from people in your household and I think that if you are going to go out and be among people (maybe you've got to pick up some soup) when you're feeling ill you should absolutely be masking. People don't want covid, but they also don't want your flu or your RSV or your cold or your strep or your anything. I *DO* think we should work on further normalizing isolating and masking when we're sick and I *DO* think we've actually made progress in that regard compared to where we were pre-pandemic, but man we are just never (in the US) going to be able to do that in a serious way until we give workers protection from being fired for staying home when they're sick.

I think this may actually be central to the issue; if you have been getting sick and you think it's covid every time, even if you're testing negative, it's going to be very, very difficult for you to believe that it's *not* covid. The pandemic is not *over* but it is *different* than it was in 2021, however if you see every allergy attack or chest cold as covid, it likely still feels quite a lot like 2021 to you.

What's more, part of the problem that we're dealing with here is institutional mistrust. And look, I understand institutional mistrust. I am probably never going to be able to fully trust the CDC on their public health advice and I think they lost that fight with me with the paternalistic masking advice in 2020.

However the background implication here is "actually covid is just as bad as it ever was and everyone around me has covid all the time and doctors are lying to us and telling us it's the flu or a cold and it's not, it's covid, it's going to be covid forever, we will never be free, we can never open up" and that is a bad, scary, and unrealistic headspace to be in that leaves people vulnerable to all kinds of charlatans and grifters and extremists. I think that people in general tend to do better when they've got accurate information; if they're testing negative for covid, I don't think that it's a good idea to say "well it's covid anyway, the tests are wrong." (and again, I think tests should be free and everywhere all the time; i want you to be able to get tests at the post office, I want them federally funded and handed out like beads at mardi gras, I should be able to get a test for zero dollars that pops out with my receipt at CVS and is paid for by my taxes and I think vaccines should be the same way; free and ubiquitous there should be a truck that drives around the neighborhood playing cheerful music and handing out vaccines and tests three times a day; this got away from me but long story short i never want there to be another f-35 i want universal healthcare and guaranteed housing; i think you would get much higher levels of testing and therefore would ameliorate some of the need for masking if you handed out tests like candy so we should DO that)

3. Why do you feel like we should be advocating for safety improvements for public spaces but that those improvements should not be masks? In my experience, it is much more feasible to make safer public spaces by requiring masks than by requiring vaccines or spending a ton of money on improved ventilation (that said, I am a huge huge proponent of improving ventilation)

It's a lot cheaper for your school district to ask students to wear masks than it is to install better ventilation. It's a lot cheaper for your boss to ask everyone to wear masks than to install good ventilation (perhaps ventilation that could meet a hypothetical OSHA standard set for exactly this purpose) and you know what fuck your boss, paying to keep your employees safer is part of the cost of doing business.

I think that better filtration and the use of masks during periods of high transmission is going to be the way to go, and since you're not going to get 100% compliance on masks (people will not do it at 100%, and even in places with high levels of mask compliance, like Japan, there is a percentage of the population - 14% in Japan as recorded in this study - that will not do it), you should do the filtration anyway and take any people who are masking as icing on the cake.

It is better to do layers of protection than it is to do one layer of protection and if we don't begin to work toward institutional protections it's always going to be individuals and security theater (because it's also cheaper to wipe down surfaces and install plexiglass shields than it is to install decent HVAC).

I think that better air filtration means more protection and that we clearly know that we're never going to get universal masking so we may as well do the one thing that we can control for.

And I think there are several large problems with making this primarily about masking.

First off, it puts the onus for maintaining *your* safety on the people around you, which has problems of its own.

Some people are not going to care

Some people are going to care but do a bad job of it (wear masks improperly etc)

Second, this makes this an issue of individual choice rather than institutional changes. We shouldn't have to rely on the one shithead in the back corner to wear his mask to keep us safe in an outbreak, we should work toward a society that is safer from communicable disease regardless of the shithead in the back corner.

Third is compassion fatigue. I know there are people who are saying "I don't know how to explain to you that you should care about people" and I know there are people who are saying "masking simply isn't that hard" but actually three years of not going to restaurants or movies or clubs and wearing masks in classrooms and offices IS hard and we're running into a point where people are saying "I feel like a bad person because I want to go to a club and have a random hookup instead of meeting people through zoom forever" and *that is genuinely hard.* Dealing with low-level discomfort and increased acne because of masking for a few years is *genuinely hard.* Having trouble hearing people or making yourself heard for years is *genuinely hard.*

Asking people to do something that is physically uncomfortable while giving up things that they like for years at a time is very clearly a losing proposition and it makes people who are at high risk for bad covid outcomes feel like nobody cares about them and it makes people who have spent years not doing things they like feel like they're bad people because they want to go back to doing the things that they like; neither of these groups are in the wrong for feeling bad OR for wanting the things they want but I think both groups could feel less bad if it we hadn't decided that only selfish monsters go to restaurants.

(If you feel that everyone who does go to a restaurant is a selfish monster who is killing you, I think that is probably not an accurate reflection of reality and also probably not great for your mental health and how you relate to people and that you are probably going to feel better emotionally and be safer physically if your wellbeing isn't predicated on convincing people not to go to restaurants, which is why in the original post I make the point that it was always going to be on immune compromised people to be responsible for their own safety)

On an individual level I do not think that it is at all unreasonable to ask for people in your life to mask around you or to test before seeing you if you are at risk and they are engaging in high risk activities.

On a societal level it feels like there is a demand to give up certain things like live music and eating indoors forever, or until everyone feels safe, and I don't think people are ever going to feel safe if they think that every cold is covid and they think that everyone is indifferent to them getting sick.

And instead duking that out as individuals who are stressed for a variety of reasons, I think it's a better idea to demand worker's rights and better indoor safety standards and universal healthcare and vaccine mandates (with testing exemptions because I know we've already lost the battle on vaccine mandates).

I want to show you another chart. This is the comparison between projected and reported excess deaths from 2020 to early 2024:

The projected deaths (the green dotted line) [ETA: "green" as in olive green; projected deaths are green/brown, actual is blue] is based on the estimates from prior years.

After the end of nationally mandated Covid tracking, after the end of mask mandates, after years of a vaccination campaign and years of people masking (and a solid year of most people not masking), excess deaths in the US are pretty close to parity with projections.

That doesn't mean that people aren't still getting covid, that doesn't mean the pandemic is over, but it does seem like a pretty clear indication that things are very different.

So if you're asking "why shouldn't we have the same expectations as we did in 2021 and 2022 as a matter of course" it's because things are not the same now as they were then.

Friends, I think we need to talk about Covid.

I want to get a few caveats out there before I start:

I am aware that there are people who need to exercise extreme caution about Covid; I live with someone who has two solid organ transplants and who is at the most immune compromised level of immune compromised. *I* have to be extremely cautious about covid.

Masking does prevent a certain level of transmission, and people who think they may have covid should mask and people who are concerned that they may be at high risk for covid should mask.

You should be vaccinated and boosted with the most recent vaccines that are available to you; covid is highly transmissible and very serious, you do not want to get covid and if you do get covid you don't want it to be severe and if you do get covid you don't want to give someone else covid and up-to-date vaccinations are the best way to reduce transmission and help to prevent severe cases of Covid.

We should be testing before going to any gatherings, and informing people if we test positive after gatherings, and testing if we suspect we have been exposed.

It is bullshit that there aren't good protections for workers who have covid; you should not be expected to go to work when you are testing positive

It is bullshit that people who are testing positive are not isolating for other reasons; if you have Covid you should not be going out and exposing other people to it even if you are experiencing mild symptoms or no symptoms.

We do need better ventilation systems for many kinds of spaces. Schools need better ventilation, restaurants need better ventilation, doctor's offices and hospitals and office buildings need better ventilation and better ventilation can reduce covid transmission.

I want to make it clear that Covid is real and there are real steps that individuals and systems can take to prevent transmission, and that there are systems that are exerting pressures that needlessly expose people to covid (the fact that you can lose your job if you don't come in when you're testing positive, mainly; also the fact that covid rapid tests should be ubiquitous and cheap/free and are not).

All of that being said: I'm seeing some posts circulating about how we're at an extremely high level of transmission and the REAL pandemic is being hidden from us and, friends, I'm pretty sure that is just incorrect and we're spreading misinformation.

I'm thinking of this video in particular, in which the claim is made that "your mystery illness is covid" in spite of negative tests. The guy in the video says that there's nothing else that millions of people could be getting a day, and that he predicted this because a wastewater spike in December meant that there was a huge spike in cases.

I've also seen people saying that deaths are where they were in 2021-2022, and that we're still at "a 9/11 a week" of excess deaths and friends, I'm not seeing great evidence for any of these claims.

I know that we (in the US, which is where the numbers I'm going to be citing are from) feel abandoned by the CDC and the fact that tracking cut off in May of 2023. But that only cut off for the federal tracking.

I live in LA county and LA county sure as shit is still tracking Covid.

If you want a clearer picture, you can see the daily case count over time compared to the daily death count:

Okay, you might say, but that's just LA.

Alright, so here's Detroit:

Right, but maybe that's CDC data and you don't trust the CDC at this point.

Okay, here's fatalities in New York tracked through New York's state data collection:

It's harder to toggle around the site for South Dakota, but you can compare their cases and hospitalizations and deaths for early 2022

To cases and hospitalizations and deaths from early 2024

And see that there's really no comparison.

Okay, you might say, but people are testing less. If they're testing less of course we're not seeing spikes, and they're testing less because fewer tests are available.

Alright, people are definitely testing less than they were in 2021 and 2022. Hospitalization for Covid is probably the most clear metric because you know those people have covid for sure, the couldn't not test for it.

Here are hospitalizations over time for LA:

Here are hospitalizations over time for New York:

As vaccination rates have gone up, cases, deaths, and hospitalizations have gone down. It IS clear that there are case spikes in the winter, when it is cold and people are indoors in poorly ventilated spaces and people are more susceptible to respiratory infections as a result of cold air weakening the protection offered by our mucous membranes, and that is something that we will have to take precautions about for the forseeable future, just as we should have always been taking similar precautions during flu season.

So I want to go point-by-point through some of the arguments made in that video because I'm seeing a bunch of people talking about how "THEY" don't want you to know about the virus surge and buds that is just straight up conspiracism.

So okay, first off, most of what that video is based on is spikes in wastewater data, not spikes in cases. This is because people don't trust CDC data on cases, but I'd say to maybe check out your regional data on cases. I don't actually trust the CDC that much, but I know people who do tracking of hospitalizations in LA county, I trust them a lot more. Wastewater data does correlate with increases in cases, but this "second largest spike of the entire pandemic" thing is misleading; wastewater reporting is pretty highly variable and you can't just accept that a large spike in covid in wastewater means that we're in just as bad a place in the pandemic as we were in 2022. We simply have not seen the surge of hospitalizations and deaths that we would expect to see in the weeks following that spike in wastewater data if wastewater data was reflective of community transmission.

The next claim is that "there is nothing else that is infecting millions of people a day" and covid isn't doing that either. The highest daily case rates were in January of 2021 and they were in the 865k a day range, which is ridiculously high but isn't millions of cases a day.

But what we can see is that when people are tested by their doctors for Covid, RSV, and the Flu, more tests are coming back positive for the Flu. Covid causes more hospitalizations than the other two illnesses, but to be honest what the people in the video are describing - lightheadedness, dizziness, exhaustion - just sound like pretty standard symptoms of everything from covid to the cold to allergies. There are lots of things your mystery illness could be.

The video goes on to talk about the fact that people aren't testing, and why their tests may be coming back negative and I'd like to point out that the same things are all true of Flu or RSV tests. People might be getting tested too early or too late; getting a negative test for the flu isn't a good reason to assume you've got covid, getting a negative test for covid isn't a good reason to assume you've got the flu, and testing for viruses as a whole is imperfect. There are hundreds of viruses that could be the common cold; there are multiple viruses that can cause bronchitis; there are multiple viruses that can cause pneumonia, and you're not going to test for all of these things the moment you start feeling sick.

He then recommends testing for multiple days if you have symptoms and haven't had a positive test (fine) and talks about the location of the tests (less fine). Don't use your rapid tests to swab your throat or cheek unless it specifically says that they are designed to do so. Test based on the instructions in the packet.

He points out that the tests probably still pick up on the virus because they're not testing for the spike protein, they're testing for the RNA (good info!)

The video then discusses something that I think is really key to this paranoia about the "mystery illnesses" - he talks about how covid changes and weakens your immune system (a statement that should come with many caveats about severity and vulnerability and that we are still researching that) and then says that it makes you more susceptible to strep or mono and that "things that used to clear in a day or two now hit you really hard."

And that's where I think this anxiety is coming from.

Strep throat lasts anywhere from three days to a week. A cold takes about a week to clear. The flu lasts about a week and can knock you on your ass with exhaustion for weeks depending on how bad you get it. Did you get a cough with your cold? Expect that to take anywhere from three to eight weeks to clear up.

I think that people are thinking "i got a bad virus and felt really sick for a week and haven't gotten my energy back" but that just sounds like a bad cold. That sounds like a potent allergy attack. That doesn't even sound like a bad flu (I got a bad flu in 2009 and thought i was going to straight-up die I had a fever of 103+ for three days and felt like shit for three days on either side of that and took six weeks to feel more like myself again).

Getting sick sucks. It really, really sucks. But if you're getting sick and you're testing for covid and it's coming back negative after you tested a few times, it's almost certainly not covid.

The video then says "until someone provides evidence that it's not covid, it should be assumed to be covid because we have record levels of covid it's that simple" but that's not simple. We don't have record levels of covid and he hasn't proved it. We have record high levels of wastewater reports of covid, which correlates with covid cases but the spike in wastewater noted in december didn't see a spike with a corresponding magnitude of cases in terms of either hospitalizations or deaths, which is what we'd have seen if we had actual record numbers of covid.

He says that if you want to ignore this, you'll get sick with covid, and that about 30-40% of the US just got sick with covid in the last four months (which is a RIDICULOUSLY unevidenced claim).

He says that we need to create a new normal that takes covid into account, which means masking more often and testing more often and making choices about risk-avoidant behaviors.

Now, I don't disagree with that last statement, but he prefaces the statement with "it doesn't necessarily mean lockdown" and that's where I think the alarmism and paranoia is really visible here. We are so, so far away from "lockdown" type levels that it's absurd to discuss lockdown here.

What I'm seeing right now is people who are chronically ill, people who are immune compromised, and people who are experiencing long covid (which may not be distinct from other post-viral syndromes from severe cases of flu, etc, but which may be more severe or more notable because of the prevalence of covid) are talking about feeling abandoned and attacked and left behind by society because covid is still out there, and still at extremely high levels.

I am seeing people who feel abandoned and attacked because the lgbtq+ events they are attending don't require masking. I am seeing people who are claiming that it is eugenicist that their schools don't have a negative test policy anymore.

And this comes together into two really disconcerting trends that I've been observing online for a while.

The claim that the pandemic is still as bad as it's ever been and in fact may be worse but we can't know that because "they" (the CDC, the government, capitalist institutions that want you back in the office, the university industrial complex that wants your dorm room dollars) are covering up the numbers and

Significant grievance at the fact that people are acting like number one is not true and are putting you at risk either out of thoughtlessness (because they don't realize they're putting you at risk) or malice (because they don't care if the sick die).

And those things are a recipe for disaster.

I think I've pretty robustly addressed point one; I don't think that there's good evidence that there's a secretly awful surge of covid that nobody is talking about. I think that there are some people who are being alarmist about covid who are basing all of their concern on wastewater numbers that have not held up as the harbinger of a massive wave of infections.

So let's talk about point number two and JK Rowling.

Barnes and Noble is not attacking you when it puts up a Hogwarts Castle display in the lobby. Your favorite youtuber isn't trying to hurt you when they offhandedly mention Harry Potter.

If you let every mention of Harry Potter or every person who enjoys that media franchise wound you, you are going to spend a lot of your time wounded.

People are not liking Harry Potter at you.

Okay.

People are also not not wearing masks at you.

You may be part of a minority group that experiences the potential for outsized harm as a result of majority groups engaging in perfectly reasonable behaviors.

There are kind, well-meaning, sensible people who go out every day and do something that may cause you harm and it's not because they want to hurt you or they don't care about whether you live or die, it is because they are making their own risk assessments based on their own lives and making the very reasonable assumption that people who are more concerned about covid than they are will take precautions to keep themselves safe.

We are not at a place in the pandemic where it is sensible to expect people with no symptoms of illness to mask in public as a matter of course or to present evidence of a recent negative test when entering a public building in their day-to-day life.

I think now is a really good time to sit down and ask yourself how you expect things to be with covid as an endemic part of our viral ecosystem. I think now is a good time to ask yourself what risk realistically looks like for you and for people who are unlike you. I think now is a good time to consider what would feel "safe" for you and how you could accomplish feeling safe as you navigate the world.

I'm probably going to continue masking in most indoor spaces for years. Maybe forever. There are accommodations that SHOULD be afforded to people who have to take more precautions than others (remote learning, remote visits, remote work, etc.), and we should demand those kinds of accommodations.

But it is going to poison you from the inside out if you are perpetually angry that people who don't have the same medical limitations as you are happy that they get to go shopping with their faces uncovered.

So now I want to talk to you about my father in law.

My father in law had a bone marrow transplant in 2015. That's the most immune compromised you can get without having your organs swapped out.

The care sheet for him after the transplant was a little overwhelming. The list of foods he couldn't eat was intimidating and the limitations on where he could go was depressing. It cautioned against going to large events, it recommended outdoor gatherings where possible but only if he could avoid sunlight and was somewhere with no history of valley fever. It said that he should wear masks indoors any time he was someplace with poor ventilation and that he should avoid contact with anyone who had an illness of any kind, taking special note to avoid children and anyone recently vaccinated for measles.

It was, in short, pretty much what someone immune compromised would need to do to try to avoid a viral infection. Sensible. Reasonable. Wash your hands and social distance; wear masks in sensitive contexts and don't spend time in enclosed places with people who have a communicable illness.

This is what life was always going to be like for people who are severely immune compromised, and it was always going to be incumbent upon the person with the illness to figure out how to operate in a society that is not built with them in mind.

It is not the job of every parent I encounter to tell me whether their child has been vaccinated against measles or chicken pox in the last three months. That isn't something that people need to do as part of their everyday life. However it IS my responsibility to check with the parents I'm hanging out with whether their children have been vaccinated against measles or chicken pox in the last three months so I know if it's safe for my immune compromised spouse to be around them.

If you want an environment in which you feel safe from covid, at this point in the pandemic (when the virus is endemic and not spreading rapidly as far as we can see from case counts) it is your responsibility to take the steps necessary to make you feel safe. Some of those steps will involve advocating for safety improvements in public spaces (again, indoor ventilation needs to be better and I'm personally pretty extreme about vaccination requirements; these are things we should be discussing in our school board meetings and at our workplaces), some of those steps will involve advocating for worker protections, guaranteed sick time, and the right to healthcare. But some of the things you're going to need to do to feel safe are going to come down to you.

If you are concerned about communicable diseases you have to be realistic about the fact that our society doesn't go out of its way to prevent communicable diseases - norovirus among food service workers pre-pandemic is pretty clear evidence of that. You are going to have to be proactive about your safety rather than expecting the world to act like Covid is at 2021-2022 levels when it is measurably not.

[todaynewsguru]

Omicron scare: Uncertainty hits yr-end travel plans

“Pent-up travel demand continues to be strong despite high occupancy and rates/air fares, and our domestic demand is even higher than pre-pandemic levels,” shares Madhavan Menon, managing director of Thomas Cook India group. Just when we thought we are seeing the end of the pandemic, news of the Omicron variant has put the world back on alert. What might be affected most are year-end travel…