"They have come under considerable criticism from several national advocacy groups over their draft guidelines, which suggest they will weaken protections, particularly for respiratory protection."
@DrJudyStone forbes.com/sites/judyston…
"Members of the World Health Network looked into the HICPAC’s charter and have filed a complaint with the Office of the Inspector General charging Xavier Bacerra, Secretary of HHS, Dr. Mandy Cohen, Director, CDC, and Dr. Alexander Kallen, lead for HICPAC, with gross misconduct.
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Important news on infections and safety in Healthcare:
HICPAC is the subject of Gross Misconduct Complaint filed with HHS Inspector General against HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, CDC Director Mandy Cohen, HICPAC Federal Officer Alexander Kallen. 1/
The membership composition of CDC’s Healthcare Infection Control Advisory Committee (HICPAC) currently stands in violation of the Federal Advisory Committees Act (FACA) and the Committee’s own Charter and has been in violation for a number of years. 2/
The Committee has also failed under FACA and its own Charter to be properly transparent to the public.
As such, HICPAC is not legally constituted. Therefore, its recommendations have no legal standing and no place in the CDC’s process of updating the Agency’s guidance.3/
Something must be happening now when a three year old paper about pervasive damage from COVID to blood vessels in children is suddenly in the news. This damage has many consequences that appear over time.
Some claim scientific studies show masks don’t work, or that surgical masks are as good as N95s. Just released paper shows this claim is false. Masks work, and N95 respirators give a much higher benefit than surgical masks.1/
The controversy about N95 respirator and mask efficacy is based on claims that studies (RCTs and meta-analyses) have no observed effect. Our paper shows these claims result from the use of incorrect mathematical equations.2/
The incorrect mathematical equations bias the results. Reanalyzing the data with the right equations show that masks, and N95s in particular, do prevent transmission.
Covid deaths are on the rise again, so what happens? Mask-wearing in hospitals is scrapped | George Monbiot
"The only masking that’s going on is that of the government’s continued failure to get to grips with the virus 1/ theguardian.com/commentisfree/…
"For some people, going to hospital may now be more dangerous than staying at home untreated. Many clinically vulnerable people fear, sometimes with good reason, that a visit to hospital or the doctors’ surgery could be the end of them.
2/
"Of course, there have always been dangers where sick people gather. But, until now, health services have sought to minimise them. Astonishingly, this is often no longer the case.
3/
“… that she throws the mask across the room and starts sobbing, then tweets about the experience. This woman might be suffering from urgent normal syndrome.
What’s that, you ask?
2/
“As Covid continues to spread worldwide, many people are finding it difficult to accept reality. They refuse to examine facts, even when they’re presented in forms that are easy to comprehend.
3/
Covid reduces quality of men's semen for months after even mild infection
"Scientists found that more than three months after suffering from mild Covid infection, men have lower sperm concentrations and fewer sperm that are able to swim.
"Professor Rocio Núñez-Calonge said that after an average of 100 days following infection there appeared to be no improvement in sperm quality and concentration, even though new sperm would have been produced in that time.
2/
“We assumed semen quality would improve once new sperm were being generated, but this was not the case. We do not know how long it might take for semen quality to be restored and it may be that COVID has caused permanent damage, even in men who suffered only a mild infection.”
3/