Four years ago, Trump continued his dereliction of duty in the face of national crisis, telling governors they were on their own in the fight against Covid. “Respirators, ventilators, all of the equipment – try getting it yourselves,” he told them.
@rbreich About a year later, in July 2021 just as the Delta wave was getting underway in the U.S., President Ice Cream told the country, "If you are fully vaccinated, you no longer need to wear a mask." Tens of thousands of people, many of them fully vaccinated, needlessly died in that wave. A year after that, the Hair-Sniffer-In-Chief told one of the worst lies ever: "The pandemic is over." The current administration's policy, like the previous admin's, is LET IT RIP. #CovidIsNotOver
The two million deaths that have resulted from the ruling elites mishandling of the global pandemic will be dwarfed by what is to follow. The global catastrophe that awaits us, already baked into the ecosystem from the failure to curb the use of fossil fuels and animal agriculture, presage new, deadlier pandemics, mass migrations of billions of desperate people, plummeting crop yields, mass starvation, and systems collapse.
The science that elucidates this social death is known to the ruling elites. The science that warned us of this pandemic, and others that will follow, is known to the ruling elites. The science that shows that a failure to halt carbon emissions will lead to a climate crisis and ultimately the extinction of the human species and most other species is known to the ruling elites. They cannot claim ignorance. Only indifference.
As the climate crisis worsens, the political constrictions will tighten, making public resistance difficult. We do not live, yet, in the brutal Orwellian state that appears on the horizon, one where all dissidents will suffer the fate of Julian Assange. But this Orwellian state is not far away. This makes it imperative that we act now.
The ruling elites, despite the accelerating and tangible ecological collapse, mollify us, either by meaningless gestures or denial. They are the architects of social murder.
The ruling class devotes tremendous resources to mask this social murder. They control the narrative in the press. They falsify science and data, as the fossil fuel industry has done for decades. They set up committees, commissions, and international bodies, such as UN climate summits, to pretend to address the problem. Or they deny, despite the dramatically changing weather patterns, that the problem even exists.
It’s official: The CDC has weakened its COVID isolation guidelines, in a move that goes against the science, encourages disease spread, and prioritizes corporate interests, making it easier for bosses to exploit workers.
@luckytran Everyone around me knew the guidance was 5 days and then mask if you still have symptoms. It was easy. What complicates is constantly changing advice. My public school district went silent on covid in the fall- zero policy. Now my teachers union facebook page is filled with: what is the covid guidance now? Do I stay home or not? Things are about to get a lot worse. #CovidIsNotOver#MassDisablingVirus#WeDoNotHaveTheTools#CapitalismKills
My sons' music teacher contacted me to say that his return from his vacation was delayed by a Covid infection. He explained the timeline from first-symptom to first-negative-test, proactively affirmed that he'd be masking and running the air purifier I gave him, and gave the option to delay resumption of lessons.
I HELLA HEART THIS. Basic human decency. Common courtesy. Simple communication. It doesn't have to be difficult.
unlike what many in the still-COVIDing community may have you believe (where the approach is either "tons of layers of Swiss-cheese protection with dubious-at-best evidence for each" or "I put my mask on any time I even step outdoors" - or both) there's really only one principle that you need to know about preventing COVID transmission.
the only time-and-again proven route of COVID transmission is via aerosols, AKA exhaled vapors from our lungs. inhale enough aerosol saturated with virus, and you'll get COVID. it's a simple equation, and, unfortunately for us, fucking annoying, because so many places we go are saturated with these exhalations. that said, here are a few things that you can do to prevent this transmission route:
MASK UP INDOORS using a good, fit-tested N95/KN95 mask. cloth and surgical masks will not filter aerosols, but (K)N95s will. even in an aerosol-saturated room, chances are you'll be safe if you take this one step.
1A) DON'T TAKE THE DAMN MASK OFF until you're outdoors again. even if you take it off just to eat, that's an an exposure route.
SOURCE CONTROL. good masks are most effective when they're used to stop infectious aerosols at the source. to that end, push for events - especially indoor events - to be mask-required.
CLEAN AND CIRCULATE AIR in indoor spaces using HEPA filters and/or open windows.
MASK UP DURING OUTDOOR CROWDS OR PROLONGED OUTDOOR EXPOSURE TO OTHERS. again, this is a simple equation: inhale enough aerosols and you're infected. aerosols dissipate quickly in outdoor air, even with a gentle breeze (think about a fog machine running indoors versus in an open outdoor space), but you can still inhale enough for an infectious dose if you're close or persistent enough. passing by someone on the street almost certainly isn't going to give you COVID, but sitting at a restaurant unmasked or hanging out amidst a crowd of people outdoors just might.
CONTACT-TRACE, ISOLATE AND TEST if you're going to see someone outside of your bubble unmasked, especially if they don't take precautions themselves.
and... that's it. nothing else needed. no snake-oil mouthwash or nasal sprays, no goggles, no wiping down your food post-grocery store trip, no dubious supplements. just avoid aerosols and chances are* that you'll be fine.
I’m highlighting this part since it may be easily missed:
“The White House has yet to sign off on the guidance that the agency is expected to release in April for public feedback, officials said. One agency official said the timing could “move around a bit” until the guidance is finalized.”
They need to hear a ton of pushback from as many of us as possible.
An over-70 family member has symptomatic covid, their second time that I know of; at least they have all allowed boosters.
I encouraged paxlovid and rest. They responded that their doctor's office said no need for either, just wear a mask when they go out.
Incredibly frustrating and disheartening. I'm asking them to believe me over the CDC, MDs, and other public officials ... just like an unhinged conspiracy theorist.
Worldwide, there were more than 11,000 reported deaths from COVID between mid-December 2023 and mid-January 2024, and more than half of those deaths occurred in the U.S.
I think it’s important that we continue to talk about it. We understand you don’t want to hear about it. I don’t want to talk about it. But we need to because there’s more we can do. We cannot prevent all infections. We cannot prevent all deaths. But there’s a hell of a lot more that we can do to really keep people safe and save them from losing a loved one.
This level of death in the US amounts to one plane crash that kills all passengers aboard every single day. How many people would be flying in airplanes if this were our reality? What do you suppose would be the public response if a plane fell out of the sky every day across the country?
American adults! You all now have access to a FREE, 24/7 ON DEMAND TELEHEALTH system for #COVID19 and influenza so you can get prescribed #Paxlovid or anti-flu medications, any time, day or night, that you test positive.
Anyone in the US who is 18 or older can use the telehealth service to talk to a prescriber if they test positive for flu or COVID.
AND! As a special service for those who are poor, old, or a veteran, they will also ship you free COVID and flu tests if you want. Sign up in the same system.