#vaccination clinics

[jugsjules]

‼️‼️ IF YOU NEED ANY VACCINES YOU NEED TO GET THEM ASAP ‼️‼️

RFK Jr is very likely to be in charge of public health policy come January and he has been very open with his radically antivax agenda. And Trump has said he “is open to” banning vaccines outright in the US. So if you need or want a:

• Covid Booster

• Flu shot

• Tetanus Booster

• HPV

•Meningococcal Meningitis

Or any other vaccine that you have not gotten. MOVE FAST. Some of these take multiple doses that need to be spread out over several months. At this point it is wildly unsafe to assume our country would not do something this unbelievably stupid!!!

[l3irdl3rain]

Woah. Didn’t know she was old enough to vote

[arcadea-rpg]

[gynandromorph]

WTF DOES "APATHY TO DEATH" LOOK LIKE AS A SYMPTOM IN DOGS

[thunderheadfred]

I’m gonna brag on myself for a minute because my self-confidence has been shit lately (thanks winter, for your annual crushing blow to my ego!) but I am, in fact, really good at language acquisition. Like, heretofore it was kind of a stupid superpower that I had never once thought to use for Good

which is why, when I had some kind of visitation from The Lort Almightee last summer and They were like "heyy how about you do something to tangibly improve the place where you live. and also start supporting tribal sovereignty. immediately"

I was like (falling out of my chair, trembling) "uhhhhhh I can learn languages weirdly fast??" and lo, God threw the newly-created UMN Dakota Language major directly in my face and Commanded, "GET TO WORK BITCH"

[gumjrop]

The Weather

As of September 13, 2024, national wastewater levels remain high. The CDC’s national wastewater map has contracted viral activity levels from ten grades of color to five grades of color while our map below maintains the original ten grades of color based on CDC data. We will adjust to the five grades in future reports. With schools in full session and the weather transitioning in northern regions to cooler temperatures, transmission continues to occur. Wastewater activity is either “High” or “Very High” in 37 states according to the Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) dashboard. Activity is “Moderate” in 8 states and the District of Columbia, and there is no data available for New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oregon, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam. 

According to the Wastewater COVID-19 National and Regional Trends dashboard, COVID wastewater levels have plateaued, remaining between high and very high in all regions except for the West, which is having a slight increase. The highest levels remain in the West as of 9/7/2024 (data captured on 9/13/2024). 

In order to access local COVID wastewater levels, you can refer to the CDC’s state/territory trends page as well as the WastewaterSCAN dashboard. State and local public health wastewater trackers may also be available for example in Illinois, they are reporting over 80 locations. Also, the National Academies of Medicine recently published a second report stressing the importance of a robust wastewater surveillance system and its invaluable role in infectious disease surveillance. They recommend improving the consistency and quality of wastewater surveillance for COVID and other infectious diseases.

As of September 10, 2024, COVID levels are “likely growing” in 3 states and territories according to the CDC Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics dashboard. Thirteen states have reached “stable or uncertain” levels, and 31 states are seeing “declining” or “likely declining”, while levels are “not estimated” in 4 states. 

Note, this model utilizes emergency department visit data to estimate COVID transmission’s Rt, which is an estimate of the average number of new infections caused by each infectious person. An Rt greater than 1.0 indicates that infections are growing, while an Rt less than 1.0 indicates that they’re declining.

According to the CDC's COVID Data Tracker, there has been an increase to nearly 1,000 deaths and slightly more than 1,000 deaths per week from COVID during the entire month of August 2024. The last time this occurred was during the winter months of 2024. This total count of weekly COVID deaths is likely to be an underestimate due to limited COVID testing and reporting. The loss of these lives could have been prevented if layers of protections were consistently implemented in preventing infections. 

A recent study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine highlights the importance of preventing infections especially during periods of high rates of transmission. It notes that COVID death rates were higher when healthcare systems faced a larger strain as a result of increased levels of transmission. Comprehensive policies that protect people and prevent healthcare-acquired COVID infections are needed to prevent healthcare system overload.

Variants

According to the CDC’s variant tracking dashboard, KP.3.1.1 remains the dominant variant of all currently circulating strains. Nowcast modeling projects that KP.3.1.1 will increase to 52.7% by 9/14/2024, followed by KP.2.3 at 12.2%, followed by LB.1 at 10.9%, and KP.3 at 10.6%, respectively. The most prevalent circulating variants are JN.1-derived, and closely related to both JN.1 and KP.2. Updated vaccination with any of the available options (Pfizer, Moderna, or Novavax) is recommended to better match current variants.

Vaccines and Treatment

Although the Bridge Access Program, covering the updated vaccines for uninsured and underinsured adults, has ended, several states including California’s Bridge Access Program and other departments of health have taken steps to partially address this major gap by either providing funding for no-cost access to COVID vaccines or using budgets to acquire a limited supply for their residents. Ultimately, the federal government must contribute resources to ensure no-cost access for all who are uninsured or underinsured. We continue to demand from the federal government to provide continued funding for the Bridge Access Program as well as the Vaccines for Adults Program. As people access the updated COVID vaccines, it is notable that a longer 1.5 inch needle may be needed for adults with higher body weights, in order to pass through subcutaneous tissue into muscle. Complete guidelines for vaccine administration in consideration of age, weight, and injection site can be found on the CDC's website.

It is important to seek treatment when facing a COVID infection. A recent study, reviewing population data of nonhospitalized individuals ages 18 and older during the period of January 2022 and December 2023, showed that nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid)—treatment for COVID—was less commonly used among those who identified as non-Hispanic Black and Latinx/e patients. Although the Test-to-Treat program prematurely ended, there continue to be programs available to ensure financial access to Paxlovid.

Wins

This is a reminder that another batch of no-cost COVID rapid antigen tests can be ordered and sent to your home address at the end of September 2024. Through the CDC’s Increasing Community Access to Testing (ICATT) program, no-cost access to COVID testing access is limited to those who are uninsured or underinsured at places including CVS, Walgreens, eTrueNorth, and other local sites as well as in New York City, which is supported by the NY Department of Public Health.

We are eagerly awaiting news on updates from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid on mandatory reporting of COVID infections in healthcare systems, which begins November 1 thanks to our community’s advocacy. It is invaluable that all healthcare systems participate as case data is paramount for keeping track with current COVID trends and understanding the volume of healthcare acquired COVID infections. 

Take Action

The National Institute of Health (NIH) is seeking public comment and feedback on the next phase of RECOVER clinical trials, which focus on Long COVID. Meetings will be held virtually and on-site between September 23 and 25 to solicit feedback and comments. Register to attend these virtual or on-site sessions by September 25, 2024. It is very important to participate and ask NIH to commit to studies that will result in developing a better understanding of Long COVID, effective treatments for Long COVID, and key approaches to preventing Long COVID. 

Amid ongoing COVID spread, masking in healthcare remains central to safe access to healthcare. As we await implementation of COVID hospitalization reporting and prepare for CDC’s next Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee meeting in November, you can use this letter campaign to ask your elected officials to take action for healthcare masking.

And finally, because all of us need access to the updated COVID vaccines regardless of our insurance status or ability to pay, use our letter template to demand free COVID vaccines for uninsured and underinsured adults nationally.

[redeyedryu]

There's nothing quite like getting a call from the vet you've been struggling to get a hold of for months, finally reaching out to you... a week after your cat has passed away.

[hafwen]

Tonis check up went amazing. Everyone loved her because she's wonderful and she got a clean bill of health

[brigitttt]

women want me, women also want my big herringbone wool work coat and where I got it from

[lostryu]

hey, unfriendly reminder to always vaccinate your pets for rabies bare fucking minimum. i don’t care about what you say otherwise. go to a shelter or a low cost vaccine clinic. if you can’t afford vaccines, don’t have a pet. i am begging you, please just fucking vaccinate your pets BARE MINIMUM for rabies. i don’t care if your dog or cat is indoor only. things happen, and when they do, your pet gets decapitated and you cannot get the body back. you don’t get the ashes back. trust me, just get a rabies shot for your pet.

[neosatsuma]

headache and sore throat punching through 550 mg of naproxen, if I'm getting covid AGAIN I'll blow this building up

[pochapal]

in the Horrors bonanza year that has been 2024 nobody expected the oldest and dearest Horrors of all (covid horrors) to make a third act comeback

[feyres-divorce-lawyer]

being an immigrant sucks ass ngl

[topoet]

Doctor At Last

pull up a chair I happy to say I’ve finally, after a year, gotten a family doctor. The one I had for years retired some ten years ago & I haven’t bothered to replace him. When I had my high blood pressure experience this time last year the medical staff at the Garron were instant that I get a replacement. Until I did the ward doctor was willing to continue to see me but she was clear about not…

[buggyinsect]

What did Lovejoy put in their water to make Warsaw this addictive holy fucking SHIT

All their songs slap but I'll be doing something around the house and once I register Warsaw is playing my brain goes haywire and I stop everything to dramatically hop around to the beat it's so good

[fazcinatingblog]

oh yeah, there's a new cat doctors opening near my work. like a vet who sees cats, but also could be a bunch of cats who are doctors now i think about it