#post-Covid-19

[spongebobssquarepants]

[renthony]

Help keep COVID-19 vaccines free in the United States!

The People's CDC has created a template for sending a letter to Congress about extending the Bridge Access Program, which has been providing free COVID vaccines to uninsured people in the United States. As of time time of this posting (July 19, 2024), the Bridge Access Program will be ending next month.

My family needs the Bridge Access Program! It is the ONLY way for poor households like mine to access COVID vaccines. If this program goes away, a lot of people like my family are going to have even less access to the outside world.

My family has already had difficulty utilizing the Bridge Access Program for our updated boosters, because many vaccination locations are preemptively (and suspiciously) claiming they can't offer the vaccines for free. We tried three different locations for our most recent booster, and we still haven't been able to get it, even though the Bridge Access Program is supposed to still be in effect. We keep getting told there are "none available through the program" by pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens (who will only let us get them if we pay full price for some reason?), and the current wait for an appointment at the sliding-scale clinic is longer than the remainder of the Bridge Access Program. By the time I get in, it won't be free anymore, unless Congress is convinced to extend the program.

Vaccine access cannot be allowed to be taken from us like this. Lack of updated vaccines is why I can barely leave the house.

COVID hasn't gone away, vaccine boosters are vital, and I'm asking US residents to fill out and submit the form. It's a small way to help, but the People's CDC has had success with these campaigns in the past. I choose to cling to what slivers of hope I can right now.

[thxnews]

Subway Japan Introduces Korean Idol Cha Eunwoo as Brand Ambassador

  Reinforcing Subway's Brand Significance

Subway, developed by Japan Subway LLC, is set to launch a new brand campaign featuring popular Korean idol Cha Eunwoo as their brand ambassador. With the post-COVID-19 lifestyle influencing people's attitudes toward food and health, Subway aims to highlight its value and significance in the Japanese food market.   "Eat Fresh, Feel Good" Slogan Subway embraces a new brand slogan, "Eat Fresh, Feel Good," positioning itself as a fast food chain that offers guilt-free and uncompromising options. It supports individuals seeking a healthy and positive lifestyle, aligning with the evolving awareness and values surrounding food and health.  

Cha Eunwoo: A Perfect Fit

Cha Eunwoo, the chosen brand ambassador for Subway in Asia, represents a shining star with new values, sensibilities, and talents. His healthy image and positive energy align closely with Subway's mission. With Cha Eunwoo on board, Subway Japan aims to engage both new customers and existing fans, utilizing digital distribution, commercials, campaigns, and social media presence.   Connecting with New Customers Through the ambassadorship of Cha Eunwoo, Subway plans to connect with a broader audience, leveraging his popularity and appeal. The brand envisions engaging new customers while maintaining connections with their existing fan base. Exciting plans include digital commercials, distribution at iconic locations like Shibuya scramble crossing, and engaging campaigns on social media platforms.  

A Bright Future for Subway

As times and lifestyles rapidly change, Subway Japan remains committed to supporting and empowering individuals with new values. By embracing a fresh approach to fast food, Subway strives to become a brand that encourages healthy and positive living. Customers can look forward to Subway's continued growth and innovative campaigns.   Sources: THX News & Nippon Subway. Read the full article

[disasterhimbo]

He should NOT be at the club! There’s an airborne pandemic still killing thousands and disabling millions weekly

[dovesndecay]

Couldn't get my covid booster because CVS isn't honoring their "free for uninsured until December 31st, 2024" bit on their site and it was going to cost me $190 to get it.

So I guess I'll just die.

[prehistoricmancunt]

Please help me not die 🫶🏼

(link to article)

[reasonsforhope]

"A team of researchers at Washington University in St. Louis has developed a real-time air monitor that can detect any of the SARS-CoV-2 virus variants that are present in a room in about 5 minutes.

The proof-of-concept device was created by researchers from the McKelvey School of Engineering and the School of Medicine at Washington University...

The results are contained in a July 10 publication in Nature Communications that provides details about how the technology works.

The device holds promise as a breakthrough that - when commercially available - could be used in hospitals and health care facilities, schools, congregate living quarters, and other public places to help detect not only the SARS-CoV-2 virus, but other respiratory virus aerosol such as influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) as well.

“There is nothing at the moment that tells us how safe a room is,” Cirrito said, in the university’s news release. “If you are in a room with 100 people, you don’t want to find out five days later whether you could be sick or not. The idea with this device is that you can know essentially in real time, or every 5 minutes, if there is a live virus in the air.”

How It Works

The team combined expertise in biosensing with knowhow in designing instruments that measure the toxicity of air. The resulting device is an air sampler that operates based on what’s called “wet cyclone technology.” Air is sucked into the sampler at very high speeds and is then mixed centrifugally with a fluid containing a nanobody that recognizes the spike protein from the SARS-CoV-2 virus. That fluid, which lines the walls of the sampler, creates a surface vortex that traps the virus aerosols. The wet cyclone sampler has a pump that collects the fluid and sends it to the biosensor for detection of the virus using electrochemistry.

The success of the instrument is linked to the extremely high velocity it generates - the monitor has a flow rate of about 1,000 liters per minute - allowing it to sample a much larger volume of air over a 5-minute collection period than what is possible with currently available commercial samplers. It’s also compact - about one foot wide and 10 inches tall - and lights up when a virus is detected, alerting users to increase airflow or circulation in the room.

Testing the Monitor

To test the monitor, the team placed it in the apartments of two Covid-positive patients. The real-time air samples from the bedrooms were then compared with air samples collected from a virus-free control room. The device detected the RNA of the virus in the air samples from the bedrooms but did not detect any in the control air samples.

In laboratory experiments that aerosolized SARS-CoV-2 into a room-sized chamber, the wet cyclone and biosensor were able to detect varying levels of airborne virus concentrations after only a few minutes of sampling, according to the study.

“We are starting with SARS-CoV-2, but there are plans to also measure influenza, RSV, rhinovirus and other top pathogens that routinely infect people,” Cirrito said. “In a hospital setting, the monitor could be used to measure for staph or strep, which cause all kinds of complications for patients. This could really have a major impact on people’s health.”

The Washington University team is now working to commercialize the air quality monitor."

-via Forbes, July 11, 2023

-

Holy shit. I know it's still early in the technology and more testing will inevitably be needed but holy shit.

Literally, if it bears out, this could revolutionize medicine. And maybe let immunocompromised people fucking go places again

Also, for those who don't know, Nature Communications is a very prestigious scientific journal that focuses on Pretty Big Deal research. Their review process is incredibly rigorous. This is an absolutely HUGE credibility boost to this research and prototype

[halorvic]

Wear a fucking mask!

[charredpages]

[Alt text] ten screenshots of text posts by the user themme_fatale on Instagram. The text reads:

(1/10)

Do you remember the exact moment that anti-masking stopped being a far-right talking point

And became advice you were willing to follow?

(2/10)

I try to make the ways I communicate about COVID as compassionate and non-judgemental as possible because I understand that we have all been failed in this and my primary anger is always upwards.

BUT

I also need you to understand - if you are not taking precautions, you are aligning yourself with eugenicists.

The person who actively says “fuck disabled people they deserve to 💀” and never masks, and the person who never masks because “It’s annoying and besides-no one else is” are BOTH devaluing people’s lives.

(3/10)

And that might feel confronting for some of you, and I know the knee-jerk reaction is probably going to be to deflect by accusing me of “shaming people” or whatever.

I’m not shaming anyone though - it’s just uncomfortable to sit with because if you’re the kind of person who follows me chances are you don’t actually want to be engaging in eugenics.

And re-engaging with the idea that COVID is not only still around, but still actively dangerous is asking a lot of you when the alternative is the comfort of denial.

Especially when so many of the tools to keep ourselves and each other safe have been taken away from us. But the thing is none of that is actually a reason not to act.

(4/10)

There are people IN YOUR COMMUNITY relying on you to take precautions so that they don’t d1e.

(5/10)

With love, and compassion for the fact that this shit is hard - ignorance is running out as an excuse. It’s time to do better, and help your mates do better too.

People in your community shouldn’t have to constantly remind you not to put their lives in danger. Surely you can see that’s a pretty fucked up dynamic, right?

(6/10)

We shouldn’t have to push so hard on “it’s good for you to protect yourself too!” Like it still absolutely is, but saving the lives of people in your community should actually be enough to motivate you to act.

It’s genuinely fucked up to be ok with a whole proportion of the population being either being locked in their homes indefinitely or at risk of 💀 on the daily.

(7/10)

It should be considered more socially awkward to engage in eugenics by k1lling and isolating disabled people in your own community than it is to put on a mask

The fact that it’s not should embarrass all of us until we change it.

(8/10)

It should be considered more selfish to put people’s lives at risk than to ask to be kept safe

Your choices can change or reinforce that culture.

(9/10)

Government inaction puts a weapon in your hand

Pretending it’s not there puts us all in danger

(10/10)

Why do you require a mandate to care about other people?

[milf--adjacent]

Salmonella is "a part of life" too, but y'all don't go around forcing others to lick raw chicken. Why have you given up all caution around covid and other airborne diseases?

[selfindulgentcompetition]

TRYING AGAIN WITH CLEARER WORDING. PLS READ BEFORE VOTING

*Meaning: When did you stop wearing a mask to a majority of your public activities? Wearing a mask when you feel sick or very rarely for specific events/reasons counts as “stopping”

[More Questions Here]

[renthony]

The thing that pisses me off the most is that even if covid WAS over, disabled people still fucking exist and deserve to participate in things. The brief period of time in which everyone was doing virtual and hybrid events, people could work from home, social events were actually accessible...all it did was show that we could be doing these things, and just don't fucking care.

Hybrid events should be the STANDARD. Including people who can't leave their houses should be the STANDARD. Some basic fucking consideration for the disabled should be the STANDARD.

And it's just. Not.

[fixing-bad-posts]

be on the lookout for symptoms of covid the respiratory virus

---

source on hospitalizations: - government of canada - cbc news

[vergess]

GOOD EVENING EVERYPONY LONG COVID FINALLY HAS AN OFFICIAL MEDICAL DEFINITION WOOOOO

Not sure why this matters?

It's the first step in creating accurate diagnosis which is critical on researching how to improve recovery outcomes.

You can read more here:

As always, remember to mask up and stay vaccinated.

[disasterhimbo]

Everyone should watch Unrest (2017). It has captions and subtitles in many languages, so you can probably watch it even if English isn’t your first language. Please, if you ever have an hour and a half of spare time, please watch this movie:

It’s all about ME/CFS, an often-debilitating chronic illness that’s one of the most frequent conditions people develop after acute covid infections. The filmmaker, Jennifer Brea, has it, and she interviews many other people who have it, their families, and doctors, as well as going into the history of the illness. It’s important to watch this to support your friends who have it, and at this point, some of your friends probably do have it.

Edit: content warnings for discussion of suicide and suicidal ideation in the movie (but it ends on a hopeful note).

[agitateandeducate]

Just some reminders because COVID NEVER WENT AWAY! Wearing a N95 grade mask consistently is a baseline level of protection and necessary whenever you're out in public. Thanks covidsaferpdx for creating and sharing these amazing mask graphics! ❤️

-- -- -- -- Image Descriptions -- -- -- --

6 square graphics. ID 1: light pink background with two toned pathogen illustrations in the top left corner. There’s a darker pink rounded rectangle in the middle with white text that reads: Reminder - wearing a N95 or higher rated respirator can save not just your life, but the lives of those around you! Beneath the text is an image of two N95 respirators, one in black and one in pink. End id.

ID 2. light purple background with two toned pathogen illustrations in the top left corner. There’s a darker pink rounded rectangle in the middle with white text that reads: Reminder - anyone can get covid-19. Regardless of their health and vaccination status. Yes, even you. Beneath the text is an image of a kn95 ear loop purple respirator and a purple 100 respirator. End id.

ID 3: light teal background with two toned pathogen illustrations in the top left corner. There’s a darker pink rounded rectangle in the middle with white text that reads: Reminder - wearing a mask is a proven layer of protection; engage in multiple layers of protection during an ongoing pandemic. Beneath the text is an image of a green kn95 ear loop mask and a N95 white respirator. End id.

ID 4: light pink background with two toned pathogen illustrations in the top left corner. There’s a darker pink rounded rectangle in the middle with white text that reads: Reminder - covid is airborne. It will not build your immunity. It will compromise your immune system with each infection. Beneath the text is an image of a pink kn95 ear loop mask and a white N95 3m aura. End id.

ID 5: light purple background with two toned pathogen illustrations in the top left corner. There’s a darker pink rounded rectangle in the middle with white text that reads: Reminder - we’ve been abandoned for profit but we can protect each other by wearing a mask. We keep us safe! Beneath the text is an image of purple N95 3m aura and a dark mauve p100 respirator. End id.

ID 6: light teal background with two toned pathogen illustrations in the top left corner. There’s a darker pink rounded rectangle in the middle with white text that reads: Reminder - Back to normal is a blood-soaked lie We must take care of each other and that means masking up! Beneath the text is an image of a blue p100 respirator and a white N95 respirator. End id.