#vaccine freezer

[koolbokssolarfreezer]

Optimize vaccine preservation with KoolBoks Nigeria Freezer Range, providing efficient cold storage solutions for healthcare providers. Visit now: https://www.koolboksnigeria.com/koolboks-vaccine-freezer

[squeakadeeks]

moodboard for this past week ❤️

[cyazurai]

it's so hot i don't wanna do anything... it's 88 F (31 C) degrees out.. and just the beginning of the week it was only like 58 F (14 C).. 🥵

[medicalsearcheditorial]

Maintenance and Troubleshooting for Vaccine Fridge and Freezer Equipment

Learn about maintenance and troubleshooting tips for vaccine fridge and freezer equipment, including cleaning procedures, temperature monitoring, and common issues to watch out for.

[postoctobrist]

Where should I be wearing masks? Frankly, putting them on feels insane and pointless now, and I’ve gotten pretty fucking close to believing that it IS, so I’ve tried to mitigate that by doing a bunch of weird rules lawyering around when and where I put it on

Oh man okay I’m going to get yelled at for this. So there’s this balance between minimising risk to yourself and others, and being able to live a live you enjoy and which doesn’t make you feel insane. The safest way to live is completely indoors away from everyone, but very few people like doing that unless they have to. We couldn’t stay locked down forever because it was an unsustainable change. Masks are very effective but people do not like wearing them or even seeing other people wearing them, really. Shit, I mean we can barely get people to wash their hands and that’s one of the most effective and least annoying public health interventions there is. So you can wear an N95 everywhere but I don’t think you’re going to succeed at normalising it, and people are going to stare at you etc.

Also, the risk side of the equation has changed (some people are very reluctant to acknowledge this!). Not for everyone, certainly, but covid is just endemic now, vaccinations have been very very effective, and we’re kind of back to playing the same dumb luck game we agree to play with every other transmissible illness. Is that great? Not really, but there’s only so much you can make people, including yourself, do. It also means that the consequences of transmission are, while still potentially very bad, materially not the same as the ‘freezer truck stacked full of dead bodies’ days of covid.

I think the most important situation to wear a mask in is if you know you’re ill or have just recently been ill. That does miss the bit where you’re most contagious, because you’re asymptomatic, but like I say, imperfect world. Anyway, if you have to go out and you’re coughing and sneezing all the time it’s worthwhile.

Also if you know you’re going to be in a situation where you know you’re going to be in close contact with more vulnerable people - hospital, care home - or it’s really crowded or has more recirculated air - subway, plane, etc.

And of course you should always wear one to a protest, to minimise covid transmission. Covid also hates it when you wear unremarkable clothing and cover any distinctive tattoos.

The main thing I want to get across is that it’s not the end of the world if you don’t wear a mask somewhere, whether you get sick or someone else gets sick or nobody does. One of the worst social phenomena to come out of the pandemic was this idea that blame is an effective public health tool. I simply don’t believe in morality at that scale and I don’t think it’s anyone’s fault that there happen to be weird microscopic copy machines floating around waiting to unthinkingly copy themselves all over the insides of someone’s lungs. It’s a good thing to wear a mask when you can, but it doesn’t make you a good person, or a bad one if you don’t.

You do have to keep washing your hands, though, I’m not giving up on that one.

[ersatz-ostrich]

See You Again

Chapter 2: Polestar

Jason Todd x f!reader

You and the Red Hood escape the laboratory.

[A/N]: This is the second of the two chapters I had already written. I just started writing the third chapter and putting down my thoughts for the rest of the story...oops...

read here on ao3

<< previous || next >>

masterlist

STAR Laboratories Los Angeles

9:52:03 PM PT

The Coffin

“Well, that can’t be good.” You mutter to yourself, yanking out the syringe with a hiss. When your soldier had yielded, you thought you could slip away from him. But his sudden fake-out had shifted both of your positions, creating a window for the Bat to shoot him. The bullet had come so close to your face, you had thought you could feel it brush past you and embed itself in the soldier’s exposed neck. 

The bullet could have just as easily grazed you, even killed you, had you been just an inch too close. 

You shifted your gaze to the figure in the red helmet. You hadn’t gotten the chance to examine them up close—they were tall and heavily built, even with armor on, and sported a weathered brown leather jacket that covered the huge red bat symbol emblazoned on their chest plate. “You’re Red Hood, right?” 

“That’s me.”

“What are you doing in LA? Aren’t you supposed to be from Gotham?” The Red Hood let out a modulated chuckle. You thought this would go down as your weirdest day on the job, making one of Gotham’s most ruthless crime fighters chuckle.

“I wanted to check out the warm weather here in Cali.” Something in Red Hood’s tone and posture shifted. “Now, what’s going on with that syringe?”

“Ah. Well, this was supposed to be a dose of a certain virus for the lab animals we’re testing on,” you explained.

“And this virus, it’s…”

“The Polestar virus,” you sighed. “Unearthed from somewhere deep in the Arctic, inside some early human mummies who carried the virus.” You let out a weak chuckle. “We knew it had the potential to be sold on the black market as a bioweapon should it fall into the wrong hands, but we weren’t aware that the risks were so high. And now, the virus is in my system.” 

“Are you feeling anything right now? What are the virus’s symptoms? What’s its incubation period?” His modulated voice was surprisingly soft, yet urgent.

“This virus is bad news. We found that it’s pretty fast acting, and…” You spared another glance at the syringe in your hand. “...the symptoms aren’t pretty.” 

“How fast?”

“This dose is meant for a test subject that’s a fraction of my body mass. I’ll be dead in two or three hours, give or take.”

“And the symptoms?” 

“Necrosis. A new kind that we haven’t named yet. The virus consumes soft tissue and leaves behind a metallic residue. We believe it’s because the virus leaches metals and minerals from the body and aggregates it, beginning with the extremities.” The Red Hood reached forward cautiously, as if he was afraid of startling you. He gently pulled back the fabric of your coveralls that the soldier had so unceremoniously ripped open and ghosted his gloved fingers over where the needle had once been. The blood vessels around the wound had already become blackened and distended.

“We have to get you to a hospital.” You shook your head.

“We can’t. This research isn’t public knowledge.” You hoisted yourself up, tucked in your coveralls, and adjusted your respirator like nothing had happened. “I’m already a target as it is.” You stepped over the black-clad form of one of the soldiers Red Hood felled.

“Are there any treatments?” You picked your way through the Coffin to the freezers.

“They’re still in development, but the vaccine should slow it down.” You punched some numbers into the keypad and put your index finger to the scanner on the door and the freezer doors eased open automatically. You strode over to the shelf where you had hurriedly stashed the vials and syringes, the glass and metal clouded from the cold. The vaccine was crystal pink, you realized, like the color of the phenolphthalein titration you had done back in high school. You had handled both the buret and the Erlenmeyer flask because Jason couldn’t get it right, and in return, he had done all of the calculations for the lab report. Turning over the vials in your hand, you wondered why you were reminiscing about Jason during this time. The thought made your heart squeeze a little bit. 

Jason Todd had been gone for so long. The hollowness that Jason’s absence had carved out of you seemed to sigh achingly. Years on, that hollowness was still there, not as hungry as it had been at first but smaller, still present. It still gnawed on your consciousness from time to time, on his birthday or on the day the Joker took him from you.

When you returned from the freezer, Red Hood was preparing a large metal-lined briefcase that he had taken from the incapacitated—dead?—men on the ground. He had already filled it partially with devices and weapons he had taken off of the soldiers.

“Are those the virus samples?” He inquired.

“Yeah,” you replied. “Vaccines, too. They’re labeled as such, and the vaccines are pink while the virus suspension is cl—”

“Pack them up. We have to get out of here before the police come.” His request startled you.

“Are you serious? This is property of STAR Labs and the CDC—”

“That’s been compromised. Neither you nor the samples are safe here. The police will be of no help, and they’re gonna keep sending people after you and those syringes unless we get you somewhere safe.” He gestured at the tray in your hands. “You need treatment, too. Somewhere they can’t find you.” You sighed heavily, setting the tray on a countertop.

“You’re right. I’m carrying the virus right now, and I’m dangerous. STAR Labs is probably gonna terminate me and the CDC will whisk me away or something. People come after me. But I can’t compromise the Polestar program.”

“It’s already been compromised. Now pack that shit up and let’s get out of here.” You flitted around the Coffin in search of something to store the samples in. You were scooping ice into a Styrofoam case when your comms unit fizzled to life again.

“This is the LAPD, we’ve been alerted of a break-in at STAR Labs. We request that all STAR Labs employees still in the building evacuate immediately. That is an order. Repeat, that is an order.” 

“Shit, we gotta go,” Red Hood muttered. You grabbed your comms and tucked the Styrofoam case awkwardly under your arm and followed him out of the Coffin and into the ruins of decon and aseptics—you had been in the Coffin for hours, and the sight of the wreckage and your coworkers in aseptics now slumped over their devices made your stomach drop. “No time for sightseeing. Hurry up.” You pushed yourself into a full sprint, stumbling in your PPE along the concrete and corrugated steel of the basement. You followed the Red Hood into the emergency stairwell. Peering through the glass of the door to the ground floor, you saw SWAT officers milling about.

“SWAT team, start sweeping the second floor.”

“Shit—” You and Red Hood hurried up the stairs, the contents in your arms rattling in its Styrofoam case.

“Guess we aren’t leaving that way. Know any other escape routes in this building?”

The top floor—your floor. The Polestar program’s home.

You didn’t want to know what kind of destruction the soldiers had left in their wake. 

“Top floor. Only way out would be the roof,” You answered.

“Roof it is.” After climbing some more flights of stairs and monitoring your comms unit for any more activity, you decided to wrench open the door to the sixth floor, breathing laboriously—when was the last time you had done this much cardio? You led the Red Hood over to a service elevator—not accessible without clearance, you explained to him—scanned your ID, and pulled him in. Once it reached the top floor, the elevator dinged and opened its doors, the hallway blessedly clear. You and Hood skulked down the corridor, which ended with the door to the Polestar offices. Hood opened the door and swept the room for hostiles before waving you in.

Your heart sank when you saw what had become of the Polestar lab.

“No…” you whispered. The laboratory had been completely wrecked. Glass fragments and papers were strewn on the floors. Pieces of equipment were left broken and overturned, spilling their contents among the mess.

Then you saw the bodies. 

You caught sight of Dr. Davis’s crumpled form on the floor, next to the comms he had used to warn you of the impending disaster. The comms unit looked like it had been crushed underfoot, exposing wiring and circuitry among shards of its outer plastic shell. You made a step towards Dr. Davis’s body, but froze when you saw the red stain on his back and the blood pooling onto the floor. 

“They…” You felt Hood’s gloved hand on your shoulder, gently guiding you away from the destruction. “...they killed everyone.”

“I’m sorry.” 

“This is…this is horrible. Unbelievable.” Your pulse quickened with your breath. You felt the tears begin to form, and your vision grew misty. “I can’t believe it. They killed everyone.” You thought you had known grief and death. But this was different—seeing your colleagues slaughtered, their blood drying before you, made you feel faint. And yet, you felt wholly ablaze with 

“Hey…” Shouts sounded from the stairwell. Your chest felt tight and your head was turning fuzzy. “...hey, hey. We gotta move.” The hand on your shoulder was not so gentle anymore, insistently pulling you toward the gaping hole in one of the windows. He handed—more like shoved—the briefcase he was holding into one of your hands and produced a terrifying-looking grapple gun from somewhere on his utility belt. “Don’t drop it,” was all he said before he wrapped an arm around your waist. Your arms instinctively flew around his shoulders, holding onto him, your Styrofoam box and his briefcase for dear life, and then you were airborne.

You squeezed your eyes shut as you soared over the street, which had become choked with squad cars and assault vehicles. You gasped in surprise when you felt yourself change direction as Hood gently and skillfully hoisted you over the ledge of a neighboring building’s rooftop.

“The first time is always the worst.”

“That’s implying that this isn’t the last,” You heaved out. “Holy shit. Did they see us?”

“Don’t think so. We’ll wait here, I’ll…” You didn’t hear the rest of the vigilante’s statement. The adrenaline from the jump was beginning to wane and you felt the burden of the virus and the sights you had stumbled upon while escaping the laboratory coming on again. 

“Hey." Red Hood moved to catch you as you slumped over. “Hey, can you hear me?” Illuminated by the city lights, he caught sight of your badge from where it hung on your PPE. Your name was printed in neat black font next to an unmistakable portrait. 

Under his helmet, the Red Hood’s breath caught in his chest.

“...Y/N?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[A/N]: That's all I've got for now. Hope you enjoyed! x

[starblaster]

hey please go check your freezers if you've bought any bags of frozen strawberries, frozen mixed fruit, or fruit smoothie blends from Walmart, HEB, or Costco; the brands Great Value and Rader Farms (plus Rader Farms: Fresh Start) had products recalled for hepatitis A contamination (source):

Willamette Valley Fruit Co. in Salem, OR is voluntarily recalling select packages of frozen fruit containing strawberries grown in Mexico due to the potential for Hepatitis A contamination. To date (June 13th, 2023), there have been no illnesses associated with this voluntary recall.

Company name: Willamette Valley Fruit Co Brand name: Great Value and Rader Farms Product recalled: Frozen strawberries and frozen fruit blends containing frozen strawberries Reason of the recall: Potential for Hepatitis A contamination FDA Recall date: June 13, 2023

Products were distributed via the following retailers:

Walmart: Great Value Sliced Strawberries, Great Value Mixed Fruit, and Great Value Antioxidant Blend distributed to select Walmart stores in Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, Nevada, New York state, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and Wyoming from January 24th, 2023 to June 8th, 2023

Costco Wholesale Stores: Rader Farms Organic Fresh Start Smoothie Blend distributed to Costco Wholesale stores in Colorado, Texas, California, and Arizona from October 3rd, 2022 and June 8th, 2023.

HEB: Rader Farms Organic Berry Trio distributed to HEB stores in Texas from July 18th, 2022 to June 8th, 2023.

Hepatitis A is a contagious liver disease that results from exposure to the Hepatitis A virus, including from food. It can range from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a serious illness lasting several months. Illness generally occurs within 15 to 50 days of exposure and includes fatigue, abdominal pain, jaundice, abnormal liver tests, dark urine and pale stool. In rare cases, particularly consumers who have a pre-existing severe illness or are immune compromised, Hepatitis A infection can progress to liver failure. Persons who may have consumed affected product should consult with their health care professional or local health department to determine if a vaccination is appropriate, and consumers with symptoms of Hepatitis A should contact their health care professionals or the local health department immediately.

Recalled products include the following:

Walmart: Great Value Sliced Strawberries are packaged in a 64oz (4lb) 1.81kg plastic bag with the following codes: Lot: 4018305; Best By: 7/19/2024 Lot: 4019305; Best By: 7/20/2024

Great Value Mixed Fruit, packaged in a 64oz (4lb) 1.81kg plastic bag, with the following codes: Lot: 4024205; Best By: 7/25/2024 Lot: 4025305; Best By: 7/26/2024 Lot: 4032305; Best By: 8/3/2024 Lot: 4033305; Best By: 8/4/2024 Lot: 4034305; Best By: 8/5/2024 Lot: 4035305; Best By: 8/6/2024

Great Value Antioxidant Fruit Blend, is packaged in a 40oz (2lb 8oz) 1.13kg plastic bag, with the following codes: Lot: 4018305; Best By: 7/19/2024 Lot: 4019305; Best By: 7/20/2024

Great Value Mixed Fruit, packaged in a 64oz (4lb) 1.81kg plastic bag, with the following codes: Lot: 4024205; Best By: 7/25/2024 Lot: 4025305; Best By: 7/26/2024 Lot: 4032305; Best By: 8/2/2024 Lot: 4033305; Best By: 8/3/2024 Lot: 4034305; Best By: 8/4/2024 Lot: 4035305; Best By: 8/5/2024

Great Value Antioxidant Fruit Blend, is packaged in a 40oz (2lb 8oz) 1.13kg plastic bag, with the following codes: Lot: 4032305; Best By: 8/2/2024

Costco Wholesale: Rader Farms Fresh Start Smoothie Blend, packaged in 48oz (1.36kg) plastic bag containing six 8oz plastic pouches. With the following codes: Lot: 4224202; Best By: 2/11/2024 Lot: 4313202; Best By: 5/10/2024 Lot: 4314202; Best By: 5/11/2024 Lot: 4363202; Best By: 6/29/2024 Lot: 4364202; Best By: 6/30/2024 Lot: 4017302; Best By: 7/18/2024 Lot: 4018302; Best By: 7/19/2024 Lot: 4042306; Best By: 8/12/2024 Lot: 4043306; Best By: 8/13/2024 Lot: 4060306; Best By: 8/30/2024

HEB: Rader Farms Organic Berry Trio distributed to HEB packaged in a 3lb (1.36kg) plastic bag. With the following codes: Lot: 4153205; Best By: 12/2/2023 Lot: 4283202; Best By: 4/10/2024 Lot: 4284202; Best By: 4/11/2024 Lot: 4058302; Best By: 8/28/2024 Lot: 4059302; Best By: 8/29/2024

Consumers are urged to check their freezers for the recalled product, not to consume it and either discard the product or return it to the store for a refund. Products that have different lot code or purchase dates are not subject to this recall.

In case you experienced Hepatitis A symptoms, it is important to report it. It can help to detect [and] resolve issues and prevent others from being harmed, and it enables better surveillance [of food contamination-related illnesses].

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved in our archive

By Sam Olley

There are "major gaps" in surveillance of new pathogens from animals and countries should prepare for a pandemic worse than Covid-19 in our lifetimes, the World Health Organization (WHO) says.

Covid-19 technical lead Dr Maria Van Kerkhove also said that New Zealand, being an island nation, was not protected from this risk.

It has been five years this month since scientists believe Covid-19 began to spread from animals to humans, triggering a global pandemic that the WHO estimates to have caused at least 20 million deaths and $16 trillion in lost revenue.

Van Kerkhove told 1News she did not think this pandemic needed to be as bad as it was.

"And in fact, this was not really the big one, we have to prepare for an even worse one."

WHO was not trying to scare people, she said, but instead called on them to be prepared.

"Hopefully we won't have one in our lifetime, but I am sure that we will have another outbreak and another pandemic during our lifetime."

Surveillance of new human infections has improved but the WHO is highly concerned about "patchy" surveillance of pathogens spreading between animals that could be transmitted to humans.

"Right now, we have some major gaps," Van Kerkhove said.

When asked if the loss of some specimens was a problem for pandemic preparedness, Van Kerkhove said: "I don't have direct evidence, because this is not something that's shared quite widely, that some samples that have been collected over time that are stored in freezers, some of those samples are starting to be destroyed."

"If we look at coronaviruses, we want to go back in time."

She said she was also grappling with the impact of geopolitical conflicts taking money from health.

"I do find it striking that there always seems to be money for an aircraft carrier. There always seems to be money for war, but we are yet to provide consistent funding for global health threats."

There was no place for complacency, she said, and island nations were not exempt from the risk.

"These pathogens do not respect borders."

Van Kerkhove addressed New Zealand public health experts this week at the Te Niwha conference to relay the latest updates and research from the work of the WHO.

Those attending included Sir Ashley Bloomfield who is currently the interim chief executive for the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR). Earlier this year, he co-chaired a working group for 196 countries to agree to amendments to the International Health Regulations to better protect health and safety in response to future outbreaks and pandemics.

These included the introduction of a universal definition for a pandemic emergency, a commitment to solidarity and equity on access to medical products and financing, as well of the establishment of a States Parties Committee and the creation of National IHR Authorities.

Sir Ashley said a theme of these negotiations was that developing countries felt there was "an overreaction" from other countries around travel and trade if there was a new variant reported.

"The other issue that developing countries had is that they would often provide samples that were then used to develop vaccines that they could not access. So these are issues that collectively countries need to address."

The WHO is working alongside New Zealand health leaders to upskill new frontline workers and leaders to reduce burnout.

Sir Ashley said some people in key roles are "quite burnt out".

"They probably don't feel they would be able to make the same effort if they were called upon in the near future."

Te Niwha director Te Pora Thompson (Ngati Hauā) said: "We cannot go through subsequent pandemics — which we will, we absolutely will — with very tired, very broken people, at all."

She also reinforced the importance of a diverse workforce to reduce inequities in pandemics.

"There are a few more seats that we need to be pulling up to this table."

Asked about her own experience with burnout, Van Kerkhove said she was not necessarily the best example of this.

"I'm working through it with my family. I was not present for my kids — I have two little boys — for years."

Around the world in health systems, "we need a deep bench to be able to work with," she said.

Noting the praise New Zealand's Covid response received, she was optimistic Aotearoa could continue at a high standard in future pandemics.

"I think New Zealand can absolutely be a leader."

[zooophagous]

Respectfully, how many animals do you have currently?

I've seen birds, mice, rabbits, three cats, and a dog with behavioral issues.

It seems like a lot to manage for just one person with a full-time job. Are they all getting the attention and enrichment they need on a consistent basis? Respectfully, is adding a puppy in two months really in the best interest of the existing animals with your available resources and time?

I don't mean to be mean, I just saw you posting about Angel's passing and how it broke your budget to pay less than $300 for her cremation. And then less than 72 hours later talking about getting another animal.

Are you okay?

Hi friend, I should clarify. When I say something is not in "my budget," I have multiple budgets.

I have my business budget, my bills for running the house, and animal care. I keep these budgets separated.

While there is plenty of money for the care of the living in the house, I won't take any of that money to pay for a cremation. That money would come out of my disposable "do whatever" income.

Right now, the "do whatever" income is depleted because business is slower in December, and because I spent some time and money taking my cousin to a specialist medical appointment several hours away. I could take some of the animal care budget to take care of her, but that would mean taking from the vet care budget, and taking from that budget doesn't feel responsible when there are multiple living things that could possibly need it (and several of the living animals already have vaccines scheduled coming up anyway)

So I "can afford it," but I "should not spend that money" right now. Once the holidays end and business picks back up, I can justify spending that money.

I could go with the cheapest option, a cremation in which I do not have the ashes returned to me, but I'd prefer to wait and have her returned so I can make a nice memorial. My friend with a large chest freezer has graciously allowed me to store her remains until I can send her off.

Idk if that's the best possible way to manage my money, but it's a habit I picked up from when I was financially dependent on my parents and they scrutinized every single purchase I made constantly. So now there's like four different savings and checking accounts that are all for different shit.

[ayamari-no-goshi]

I was watching Unsolved Mysteries last night instead of going to bed.

And the one case in an area I’ve been through a few times, but instead of focusing on anything else, my brain is hung up on one weird detail.

Who the fuck puts medicine bottles in their freezer??????

I’m a pharmacist by trade. There are no meds, to my knowledge, the average person would have that need frozen. The only meds that your average pharmacist sees that do are a handful of vaccines, and those bottles aren’t handed out to patients.

It’s driving me insane.

[elinaline]

I saw your tags on the post about anthropology that you reblogged from me and. I don't know where you got your information, but: - You're referring to the James Neel scandal.

- He worked with the Yanomami/Yanomamo tribe, not "Yamamo" - The accusations that he killed people with vaccines were a hoax and has been found to be false and part of an academic slander against him and his colleague. See here and here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC384880/ and https://heritage.umich.edu/stories/the-fake-news-about-james-neel/

- What he did do was collect blood samples from Yanomami and store them indefinitiely in freezers in the US for genetic testing, against the wishes of the Yanomami people he collected it from, who had been told that they would be properly buried or cremated. - He died in 2000. What happened in 2010 was that the blood samples he took from the Yanomami people were returned to them.

- I genuinely don't know what you mean when you say "anthropology dropped the word ''science'' from its statement and" but the American Anthropological Association very much does say "science" in its formal statements, including its statement of ethics: https://americananthro.org/about/policies/statement-on-ethics/

- I don't know anyone who's calling anthropology a pseudoscience except the kind of STEM scientist who thinks all social sciences are fake? I have literally never heard this.

Yes, anthropology has a long history of being used to further colonialism and scientific racism. That's something we grapple with a lot, and discuss a lot, and devise ethical standards to try to avoid. The same thing is true about biology, medicine, ecology, psychology... many sciences have been applied to colonialism and racial prejudice. But the misinformation you put in my notes isn't helping challenge that, it's just spreading misinformation.

Ah my bad it seems I searched for absolutely incomplete information I'll delete my tags. As for the people calling anthropology a pseudoscience though, I've seen a bunch of french researchers in social sciences doing so, so I wonder if it might not be a same name for slightly different fields thing. Apologies.

[medicalsearcheditorial]

Guide to Choosing the Right Vaccine Fridge and Freezer

This article provides a guide to choosing the right vaccine fridge and freezer, covering important factors to consider such as capacity, temperature control, and energy efficiency.

[nimblermortal]

Nimblermortal's Covid Survival Tips 2023

because what's the point of having this if I can't make it easier for the next person?

First symptom for me was a mild sore throat. This started around noon; the next morning I woke up with no symptoms but feeling terrible, which I interpret as the medical "sense of impending doom" that is a real symptom.

Charmin toilet paper. This stuff is softer than Kleenex. Get you a whole roll and a shopping bag. Don't have a runny nose for a symptom? Don't care, it'll come.

Blankets you can kick on and off. I spent two days "cycling" - chills, fever, then lucidity. You need to be able to both vent and huddle.

If you are scientifically inclined: Keep a thermometer nearby. I regret not taking my temperature during the cycles, I'm really curious about whether I was running hotter or colder during the hot stages. That said, you will definitely not have enough energy to take your temperature during these stages.

Some sort of infinite podcast. It doesn't matter what it is. Honestly I recommend Critical Role even if you don't like D&D live plays. You do not care what is going on here, the point is white noise that you don't have to change. Make sure the device is plugged in. I could only nap while there was white noise happening - and when I say 'nap' I mean 'I don't know if I slept or not, just that I was face-down and some time passed'.

Advil. This will lower the fever. If you can, wait until the second day - the fever helps burn out the disease, but this only applies to the first 24 hours. But don't let the fever get too high. I ran a steady 101 F/38.3 C for two days, which is fine. You can take one every 4 hours up to 6 times a day. For me the best effects only lasted 2 hours and I was ready by the fourth (but also a stubborn pig who tried to hold out; there's no advantage to this after the first 24 hours).

Small dishes. People kept trying to feed me and I couldn't finish anything. Small dishes, plain foods, let yourself have the ability to win at meals. (Note: this may not apply to you, but I'm the sort of person who used to be sent to elementary school with a single small potato because the cafeteria was too noisy for me to eat but I needed to win at lunch.) If you're preparing just-in-case, you could put some in the freezer

Immune boosters. My aunt swears by Sambucol, which is elderberry and vitamin C and zinc. Zinc matters more if you are male. My take on the Sambucol advantage is elderberry taste good.

Non-caffeinated tea. Something that goes down the throat easy. I had a sore throat to start with, then after the cycling I've got a progressively increasing cough; warm beverage nice. (I also craved a masala tea in the middle of the cycling, so caffeine might be nice, but you probably want to let yourself sleep.)

Vicks vaporub. Apply directly to the forehead liberally once the coughing starts. The package says you can do this 3 times a day.

Don't worry about cough medicines unless you have one you trust implicitly. Mum says they're not very effective, so you want that sweet, sweet placebo effect.

Someone to watch over you. Partly to make sure you don't get it worse than I had. Mostly because when I'm weak and sick I get clingylonely and I need someone to assure me I am loved. I had the same problem with the vaccines - shivering under the blankets calling weakly for Hyacinth because I was alone and Sad. Honestly the covid has been less intense but longer.

Recovery time. Covid heals a lot slower than comparable sicknesses. Whatever you think your return-to-work day might be, add at least two days to it. (I thought I was getting away with something last Wednesday, tried to work Thursday, and survived for one hour.)

More recovery time. This thing heals very slowly. I haven't had symptoms in a week - aside from having to plan for being able to do single-digit numbers of tasks in a day. And 'digesting a meal' is a separate energy task from 'eating a meal' is a separate energy task from 'preparing a meal' is a separate... (No really, I had to plan energy expenditure for digestion.) At a week out, I am still having to make room for daily hour-long naps and activities interspersed with lying down - though at least now I can embroider with a TV show during these periods. Give yourself lots of time, even when it feels stupid.

[wolfiemcwolferson]

well, here we go, ig.

Charles opens his front door to find a cardboard box that's been taped shut with that clear packing tape, but there are holes cut into it and someone has written BITES in captial letters and it's been underlined for emphasis.

Goddamnit he thinks as he leans down over it, cognizant of the holes on the side. He isn't sure what kind of creature is in here, but it could be anything really. Someone once left a crow on his doorstep.

Hadn't he just been bragging to Alex that he hadn't had an animal drop-off for three whole weeks. Well, now he's got one.

Nothing darts out the side holes and there's not noise coming from the inside, so he picks it up carefully, feeling the weight of it in one corner.

"Hello," he coos, feeling guilty that he's got to get the poor thing in the exam room in the barn of his place before he's willing to open it. That's how he almost got hit by a truck on the highway - chasing a damn chicken because he opened the box.

No, he's learned his lesson.

"I know, sweetheart." He says again, "Just gotta get you round back and then we can see what's happening."

He hurries around the side of the house, kicking the side-door open that doesn't need to be locked at night and sets the box down on top of the freezer, digging for his keys when he hears the tiniest meow.

"Well, fuck." Charles abandons the keys, quick to rip the tape from the box and pull the flaps back to find one orange cat huddled in the corner of the box, staring up at Charles with wide eyes and flat ears. "You're just a little kitten, huh?"

The cat hisses.

"Okay, well, you're a big kitten. Vicious. Biter, huh?" Charles has turned back to his keys, inserting the right one in the lock before typing in the code to unlock the door.

"I need a mouser." Charles says, talking to the cat because he's in the habit of doing that - talking to his patients like they're human and can understand him. He's always done that. Alex says it makes him crazy. Charles invited him to become a rural vet and then tell him he's crazy.

"You could stay and by my mouser," Charles picks up the box where the cat is still huddled in the corner. "I'll give you a check-up," Charles tells them. "You can get all your vaccines and I'll feed you one can of wet food a day in exchange for mice from the horse barn, how does that sound?"

Charles now sets the box done on his desk, shaking his mouse to check his appointment book and also to pull a can of wet food from the filing cabinet behind him.

He sneaks a hand inside, trusting that this stray cat isn't going to bite him, just gives one knuckle to smell, and Charles is shocked when the cat bumps their head against it. "Oh, you're a darling, aren't you?"

Another weak meow from the cat and they unfurl, sitting up a bit straighter and Charles notices they look well fed - taken care of even. "I'll get you some food, yeah? Get you something to eat and then you'll let me examine you?" He turns towards the filing cabinet, unlocking it with his keys to dig a can of cat food from the back. "Make sure you're healthy? And then maybe we can find you a nice place in the barn, yeah? I have some blankets -"

Charles shrieks because the coffee mug on his desk shatters against the floor and a shard hits him in the back of the leg - dull and blunt - but he twists to find a man - a naked man.

Bright blue eyes, light brown hair mussed on top of his head, and completely fucking naked. He's got one leg over the other, perched on the edge of Charles' desk with feline grace.

"Well," he says softly but full of something like teasing, "Since you've agreed to let me stay forever."

Charles blacks out.