Update Day 40: Pleurisy is gone but still dealing with lots of inflammation and very swollen glands. Went to get checked out to ensure pneumonia was gone and got swabbed; test was negative. So remaining symptoms might be immune system in overdrive?
And I've also developed...chicken pox? I've read about COVID rashes, including "chicken pox-like vesicles" but mine are pretty much exactly like chicken pox. So maybe virus or immune response has reactivated varicella virus?
Remember when @sflecce claimed that the Ottawa bus chaos last year was the fault of incompetent Ottawa school boards? Well, here's what the Deloitte report commissioned by the former Minister actually found: 1/8 #onted #onpoli
"OSTA is projecting a funding gap of $7.0 million, which is derived as the difference between its amended and approved 2023-24 budget of $82.1 million and its 2023-24 funding of $75.1 million. This funding gap needs to be addressed."
2/8
The report goes on to note that a deficit like this requires that a board take $ out of other areas to continue providing transportation, which directly impacts the quality of education.
This is something I hear regularly from other boards who are facing the same problem.
3/8
Know why Stephen Lecce wants us all talking about cell phones (again)?
So that we’re not talking about how harmful his latest funding formula is for our kids.
A🧵.
1/16
#onted
First off, let’s acknowledge what this is once again: a funding cut. For the sixth straight year, the Conservatives’ education funding does not keep pace with inflation or enrollment growth.
2/16🧵
#onted
If funding had just kept pace with inflation since 2018, there would be $1000 more per-student in 2024-25. That represents a loss of more than *$2 billion* for our education system this year.
I’m concerned about the growing tendency in some circles to equate #LongCovid with #MEcfs. I think this is bad for both #Longhaulers and ppl living with ME/CFS. A thread. 👇
2. Before I start, let me be clear this is not a swipe at the #MEcfs community which has been hugely supportive of #Longhaulers, sharing tips & resources & lots of moral support. I am very grateful for that support.
3. Nor is this to deny the reality that some #Longhaulers have developed or are on track to develop #MEcfs. We know from the first SARS that this could end up being a significant number of #COVID patients.
1. This is a thread for my fellow #Longhaulers who are about to lose access to the #CERB on Saturday. I know some are quite worried about financial supports so this is a look at your options. As you'll see, it's quite a dog's breakfast. #COVID19#LongCOVID#ApresJ180#cdnpoli
2. The first stop is Employment Insurance Sickness Benefits. #EI eligibility was frozen in March, so if you were employed or self-employed but paying premiums and had accumulated enough hours for eligibility, you will now transition to EI sickness benefits.
3. It's not clear yet whether a medical note will be required if your illness is due to COVID-19. If it is, it can be signed by a doctor, psychologist, or chiropractor. You do not need a diagnosis to get a note (although you do need a sympathetic health care provider).
I will probably use asymptomatic for a long while rather than recovered, because as we've seen before, being symptom-free now doesn't mean they won't come back. I also remain paranoid about things like rashes & hugely swollen bug bites, although there's no reason to believe...
they're related to Covid. It will just take a while for the anxiety reflex to go away.
As for me, I'm having a really good week, including lengthy periods of the day where I have no symptoms at all and others where my only symptom is tinnitus.
Journalists frequently ask me if my family is pursuing antibody testing to prove we had COVID. Draw up a chair and let me tell you why that question is so problematic. #Longhaulers#LongCOVID#ApresJ150#CovidAntibodies
2. A negative antibody test doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t have antibodies and it certainly doesn't mean you didn't have COVID. First of all, the accuracy of C19 antibody tests has been questioned by the CDC and others. Some C19 antibody tests have a high false negative rate.
3. For instance, some of the tests authorized by the FDA have a sensitivity rate under 90% - which means if 100 ppl are tested, 10 or more will be told they don’t have antibodies when they actually do. And that’s the rate reported by the manufacturer, not the rate in actual use.