Thread by @x3r0gxx

there are people at the @CDC HICPAC meeting who are clearly working from home

@cdc which is fine, i fully support work from home, until the people working from home are the ones destroying infection control practices. would love to know what their particular stances are

ok i am very brain foggy rn so a lot of this is hard for me to follow at the moment so double check anything i write here, but i guess i'm going to make this a thread of comments i have

anyway i think it's HIGHLY inappropriate for the representative from the Infectious Diseases Society of America (@IDSAInfo) to refer to infection control practices as "OCD" ???????????

gonna need to go back and check that i heard that correctly bc wtf???

also why are contact precautions but not airborne precautions being discussed for candida auris, a fungus that spreads not just via contact but via AIRBORNE SPORES?????? please

do not tell me that candida auris is not airborne, this is a 2019 paper from the UK's National Infection Service ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P…

gonna have to go back later and check that the fucking Infectious Diseases Society of America representative is in fact using stigmatized anxiety disorders to stigmatize INFECTION CONTROL PRACTICES bc i am still fucking REELING

https://twitter.com/x3r0gxx/status/1694025371967008873?s=20

@wrath_776 1970, lol apps.who.int/iris/handle/10…

there is nothing wrong with struggling with OCD btw and having OCD - ***even if your OCD centers on contamination re: diseases*** - does not automatically mean that your infection control practices and ideals are irrational or wrong!!!!

this concept is an extremely advanced topic for the average medical professional, i wouldn't expect the vast majority of them to grasp this one

@daveanthony like i am fully aware of how awful ID doctors have been throughout this pandemic but ?????????? it's like their entire field is predicated on minimizing infectious disease and enabling its spread for the benefit of corporations??? like, very explicitly, to anyone paying attention

sorry, @CDCgov

sorry, "cough ETIQUETTE" ??????????

side note the bland "professionalism" of a presentation adjucating to what extent it's ok to allow vulnerable people and in fact the entire national and ultimately global population to die and be disabled by infectious disease is MELTING MY FUCKING BRAIN

side side note the fact that the way the average person is supposed to gain any wealth or social esteem in this society is by covering their entire being in this horror-esque bland veneer of """professionalism""" is such an indictment on our society

you know i find it quite interesting how much time has been devoted specifically to a very detailed presentation on the prevention of occupationally-acquired HIV infection. i think that level of detail is fantastic. i would love to see that applied to covid!!!!

in fact i would love to see that level of detail applied to other diseases!!! especially fungal diseases which are very tricky and very contagious and very scary!! but also all other infectious diseases!!!

like how did we get to a point where we have PEP for HIV (fantastic, truly a great thing) but not other infectious diseases???

i love the fact that we've got leftists out here fighting for their materially-conditioned marx-given right to continue to stigmatize highly stigmatized mental illnesses & infection control practices lol. liberation for everyone but the disabled!!!

https://twitter.com/CorporalWingnut/status/1694036870521377077?s=20

love to be a pro-government-killing-vulnerable-people strain of leftist

also like what is this talking point "pwOCD do not have a monopoly on the use of OCD" like it isn't very specifically a clinical term???? you fucking fool lmfao

ok now they're doing airborne denial/droplets only for Nipah on a slide about HCW deaths from Nipah, but then also recommending N95s in the next slide??? "contact with bodily fluids, especially respiratory secretions" screams "droplets" to me

One professional thanked them for simplifying the measures even if they mean increased measures, and then asked why they made a dichotomy between stable & unstable patients/diagnosed patients in the next slide -

the answer was that the dichotomy is made for the benefit of facilities that have "less resources than Emory"

setting aside the fact that there is no effort made to provide necessary resources to facilities for a second -

why is the dichotomy made for "stable vs unstable patients", instead of providing guidelines for underresourced facilities? it shows they're aware that guidelines for stable pts are insufficient, & it allows for well-resourced facilities to prioritize cost over infection control

we're in the public comments phase, so far the first 2 commenters talked about insufficient worker & patient protections against covid & other respiratory protections

@yaneerbaryam is holding a zoom to allow more ppl to provide public comments on Thursday, August 24th at 1 pm (EST?), sign up is at

whn.global/HICPACcomments

the next commenter who is living with disability, chronic illness, & cancer, is describing how they've caught an RSV & TWO covid infections during medical treatment, including at their infusion center, bc 1-way masking is not enough,

and how HCW's refusal to mask has further disabled her, and how her requirement for medical care in unsafe spaces as a result of her illnesses is a catch-22, and in fact EUGENICS. this was a fantastic comment

next commenter is a pathologist & medical director of a training program at a well-known Boston hospital, & is urging HICPAC to include universal N95/respirators/PAPRs & ventilation controls in medical settings

she and her patient with suspected lung cancer were exposed to tuberculosis (didn't catch if they caught it). she describes how her patients have asked her if they can be their primary, and how sad it is that immunocompromised ppl like her cannot access medical care safely

bc medical staff refuse to mask upon request

next commenter is a UCLA student & research intern at Cedars Sinai, also talking about her disability after 3 infections, and how she & loved ones are delaying medical care due to medical staff's refusal to mask upon request

she mentions that it is CDC's & HICPAC's duty to prevent covid infection in medical facilities, and that continued spread is fueling viral evolution. she urges them to open meetings for public input

next commenter says that their partner has been infected by doctors in surgical masks. they're a professional investor who is discussing costs of reusable respirators, reputational damage due to lack of safety & patient avoidance, & the risk of lawsuits

their point is that airborne infection control is profitable, and that hospitals should not have discretion over the use of respirators bc they will ultimately profit from using them

next commenter is an industrial hygienist & was the safety & health director at AFLCIO until their 2019 retirement. she is dismayed at Mandy Cohen's bland response to the letter she & many other professionals signed & sent to the CDC

states that HICPAC members are not experts in aerosol transmission, industrial hygiene, & infection control practices, and that these professionals & members of the public must have a say in the development of these guidelines

she is decrying the millions of deaths of HCWs, patients, and individuals due to covid, and that infection rates among nursing home staff has increased 3x among, and 2x among residents, and that 20% of all covid deaths in the US are due to nosocomial infections

increased since june*

next commenter is a disabled person & caretaker, & is denigrating their failure to address airborne infection controls following the outcry from the last meeting. she decries their shitty wildfire messaging that ignores masking,

she decries their lack of inclusion of studies showing the benefits of N95 use in healthcare settings in preventing infection, she decries their highlighting of the "discomfort" of wearing N95s, she decries their failure to highlight the long-term effects of infection

she states that healthcare is a human right, hospitals are full of vulnerable patients, doctors should not infection patients, covid infections degrade the prognosis of hospitalized patients, among many other facts

she ends by stating that as a high-risk person - one of millions - her life DEPENDS on better infection control practices against airborne infections in healthcare settings

next patient discusses how her dad almost died of a healthcare-acquired flu infection, and how she and her dad & many others cannot seek medical care

she emphasizes that for some ppl like her dad, the only time they are FORCED to take risks with covid is when seeking medical care!! she emphasizes that the @CDCgov & HICPAC are the ones who have the power to decide whether so many of us live or die or develop further disability

she emphasizes that continuing education for the public is necessary, protecting HCWs is necessary, and that ppl with cancer, immunocompromised ppl, elderly ppl, chronically ill ppl, DO NOT DESERVE TO BE ABANDONED!!! she urges them to HELP US

next commenter is a representative from the Massachusetts Coalition for Health Equity. she states how as a vulnerable person - according to the CDC - her ADA requests for masking as a reasonable accommodation have been DENIED, & that she has thus been LOCKED OUT OF HEALTHCARE

along with countless other ppl, 200 of whom signed a letter with her. she states that the CDC's handling of the pandemic is shameful, and that HICPAC's presentations are NOT being posted publicly, in contrast to other federal committees, including those reporting to the CDC!!!

she ends by calling for universal respirators & airborne precautions including ventilation in health care settings

next commenter - Executive Director of the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards - coalition of a number of environmental/public interest/public safety groups, etc - she states that regulations in all areas of public life, including financial and environmental,

safeguard our health, safety & freedom. she is decrying their refusal to comply with FACA, and demanding they consult relevant professionals including aerosol scientists, industrial hygienists, HVAC engineers, etc, and demanding FULL transparency of meetings, including

the provision of citations/scientific evidence, meetings, notes, public comments, etc in a timely fashion, and the provision of a public docket to provide all such information

next commenter - Stanford University faculty who studies the inequity of pandemic policy, who mentions being concerned for loved ones with LC, chronic illness, & oral cancers who cannot mask during treatments!!

is asking them to take seriously the HUNDREDS of experts in relevant fields who insist - with scientific evidence - that airborne protections are required. she finds it troubling their lack of transparency & failure to rely on well-evidenced data

she further finds troubling that HICPAC guidance is taking us backwards in defiance of all the evidence on airborne-transmitted infectious diseases, and urges them to recognize the horrific power dynamics patients including those with oral cancers are faced with in medical care

she urges them to center the most vulnerable

next commenter - member of the public, opens with discussing the risk & impact of LC, and that he is concerned that developing LC will impact his livelihood and joy in life (he is correct)

he is horrified that he has had to not only PLEAD his own providers to mask, but has had to EDUCATE them on airborne respiratory protection

he mentions that airborne respiratory protections are also necessary for other airborne respiratory diseases beyond covid, and to protect HCWs, and that there should be guidelines for sick HCWs!

he urges them to listen to ALL OF US demanding the right to have more input in the development of HICPAC guidance

the public comment period has ended

in their summary they mention that the CDC is working on a "respiratory viral index" to capture information on incidence of "several" respiratory viruses before respiratory virus season starts "in earnest" this fall

"guidelines will undergo public comment in the federal register in September or October when it's ready and working toward publication in February 2024". not 100% sure if this was referring to the total guidelines or a specific guidelines re: HIV, think it's the latter?

they said they'll see each other again in november. only 14 commenters in total

going to highlight this again and encourage everyone to show up to this - HICPAC & CDC members were also invited, I suppose we'll have to see if they show up

https://twitter.com/x3r0gxx/status/1694045375387128167?s=20

I urge everyone to also put some thoughtful, high-quality, pro-airborne protection comments here at the bottom, the ones that are there right now aren't great. not sure these are "official" like the ones in the zoom call blogs.cdc.gov/safehealthcare…

vote on the first draft will be in november, apparently, also according to the link above

i should point out that there is a place for comments to be placed in the official meeting register or something, i'm just not 100% sure if the comment section at the bottom of this link is that or just another comment section. would love confirmation

https://twitter.com/x3r0gxx/status/1694056588175139086?s=20

also tldr re the comments in the zoom call; they were all decrying covid eugenics and demanding airborne precautions IN UNISON; every single one was on the right side here, which is awesome

pretty sure this was @pjavidan, her comments were fantastic & much appreciated

https://twitter.com/x3r0gxx/status/1694052912467517610?s=20

thought this was important to note

https://twitter.com/OliveSiffleur/status/1694060522646143244?s=20

@CindyGlasgow @heartSFbaseball @cdc Also that's an excellent point, I haven't heard anyone bring this up in this context, if you're able I would def bring this up either in the WHN zoom on thursday or try to get it registered in the official CDC comments for this meeting, or both

@CindyGlasgow @heartSFbaseball @cdc this is the WHN meeting btw

https://twitter.com/x3r0gxx/status/1694045375387128167?s=20

important update!!!

https://twitter.com/x3r0gxx/status/1694087145831440520

also pls see this thread which discusses some finer points about the actual guidelines, which I did not feel I had the sufficient preparation to discuss in depth at this time

https://twitter.com/micah_arsham/status/1694027591316021506

we have a recording of one of my favorite commenters (here: ), that she recorded herself, and I really encourage everyone to listen - the @CDCgov and the medical profession should be ASHAMED for everything they’ve put her thru, similar to many of us x.com/x3r0gxx/status…

https://twitter.com/chain_sol/status/1694093383382315168

@CDCgov These comments were from Jocelyn @CovidCautiousTX btw, and you can find some clips of her comments (and those of others) edited by @LazarusLong13 here: x.com/lazaruslong13/…

https://twitter.com/x3r0gxx/status/1694050393074856021

@CDCgov @CovidCautiousTX @LazarusLong13 Important instructions for sending in public comments to the CDC!

https://twitter.com/covidcautioustx/status/1694145134533988383