Love thy neighbor: wear an N95😷's Threads

Feb 19 • 6 tweets • 2 min read

Theres an entire FIELD of public health about this issue: public health promotion and behavior change.

There are proven models about how to get people to act in different ways than they have in the past, in different ways than they are used to.

#HealthBeliefModel

https://twitter.com/michaelmina_lab/status/1892231672894038450

There are other models, but the Health Belief Model is my favorite.

It essentially says:

People need to belief they are susceptible BUT ALSO that their actions will make a difference.

They need to believe it is EASY to take the protective actions, & be prompted to take them

Jan 29 • 12 tweets • 2 min read

I cant get over the feeling that what is happening on the national stage for all federal programs feels exactly like what happened under Biden to public health.

Im not bolstered knowing that in May 2021, Jan 2022 & ever since, Public Health leadership went along with it all./1 In May 2021, Biden wanted to appear to have defeated the pandemic, and removed the requirement for masks for vaccinated.
They said, “anyone who wants the shot can get one”, despite the fact that MANY people were still trying to find a vaccine appointment. /2

Dec 31, 2024 • 7 tweets • 3 min read

CDPHE's wastewater team kindly updated the WW before the holiday, which is important as things have CHANGED.

This data is through 12/26, there are limited new reports included.
The COVID median rises to 53k, Flu & RSV are also up.
COVID & Flu are skyrocketing.

The COVID median climbs to 53k from 30k last Tuesday.

That said, the two most recent single day medians (12/25 & 12/26) are sky high (333k & & 236k respectively), and required me to extend the vertical axis to 400k so both could be seen.

That said, limited data points.

Nov 9, 2024 • 17 tweets • 5 min read

Colorado COVID Wastewater analysis, a sad update:

I no longer believe in the infallibility of Colorado's COVID Wastewater data.

The @CDPHE wastewater team has changed processes repeatedly. Analysis shows the data isn't what it used to be.

/1

Ive long been beating a drum of the excellence of Wastewater as a tool to measure the burden of COVID in our state.
It didnt rely on humans being aware of the risk and choosing to take action (like seeking a test, or going to the hospital).
It just required they flush. /2

Oct 18, 2024 • 11 tweets • 4 min read

COVID Flu & RSV in Colorado update 10/17

The new dashboard is now working.

The data is presented the way you would present to epidemiologists, not the public.

We've lost:
# & trend of hospitalized COVID patients
# of reported cases
Complete Summary wastewater trends
🧵

That said, there's good data here:

Hospitalization rate is down to 1.5 from 2.13 last week.
Thats equivalent to 88 admissions, vs 124 last week.
And down from a peak of 237 on 9/7/24.

Positivity is up slightly, up to 8.7% from 8.1% last week.

RSV and Flu remain VERY low

Aug 30, 2024 • 5 tweets • 2 min read

Colorado COVID Wastewater Update - 8/30/24

Est 7day Avg Cases: 2476 (up 25% from 1980 last wk)

Est Community Transmission Level: High

Est 7-Day Incidence: 299 per 100k

The estimate climbs to its highest level since 12/23/23, and higher than most of the last 1.5 years.

The estimate places the current COVID level in the top 25% of weeks since the start of the pandemic.

The level of COVID in the wastewater is now higher than all but the peaks in:
- Nov '20,
- Nov '21 (Delta)
- Jan '22 (Omicron)
- July '22 (BA2)
- Nov '22
- Dec '23 (1 week)

Aug 28, 2024 • 8 tweets • 3 min read

COVID in Colorado Weekly Update - 8/28/24

Reported Cases climbs to 2805 from 2581, rising 9%.

Positivity drops to 17.0 from 17.9%.

Covid patients dips to 145 from 153.

There is more flattening on the dashboard, though all levels remain elevated.🧵

The wastewater data is a bit of a bright spot, with a major caveat.
Only 10 utilities remain classified as "increasing", down from 17 last week.
That said, most of the large metro utilities remain "increasing", while the tourism-associated utilities are decreasing.

Jul 26, 2024 • 4 tweets • 2 min read

Colorado COVID Wastewater Update - 7/26/24

Est 7day Avg Cases: 1944 (up 8% from 1801 last wk)

Est Community Transmission Level: High

Est 7-Day Incidence: 235 per 100k

This is the highest level estimated since the first week of the year.

The picture across the front range looks bleaker than it has in recent weeks, with almost all the front range utilities showing "steadily increasing" levels of COVID.

Jul 24, 2024 • 13 tweets • 5 min read

COVID in Colorado Weekly Update - 7/24/24

Reported Cases rises to 2043 from 1772, rising 15%, highest since 1st week of February.

Positivity rises to 18.9 from 15.9%.

Covid patients rises to 135 from 123, the highest value since mid Feb.

All indicators look quite bad.

This time last year, we were near our lowest level of hospitalizations ever reported: 63 on 7/25/23. We are now more than double that at 135, a level we did not reach until mid-late September.

Jul 22, 2024 • 5 tweets • 2 min read

I am BEGGING people repeating this narrative to question why PPE designed for use in air-conditioned, dust-free environments was used for a Poultry barn in 104F weather.

N95s don’t work when wet, even when the wetness is from sweat.

THE WORKERS NEED BETTER PPE.

ASK about it

https://twitter.com/coloradosun/status/1815380529056735416

Reporters:
Please ask if the respirators used for this work were fit tested for the employees.

Ask to see the “goggles”.

Were they this? Or this?

Jul 12, 2024 • 5 tweets • 2 min read

On Monday, @GovofCO declared a state of emergency in Weld County due to the ongoing #HPAI #H5N1 bird flu outbreak.

This is in a massive egg laying facility with 1.7 MILLION chickens.

This is the 3rd poultry producer in the last week w/affected birds /1

colorado.gov/governor/news/…

This after no affected poultry producers in 4 full months.

Weld county is one of the counties where human testing of symptomatic dairy cattle workers was performed, indicating it is one of the areas where dairy cattle are impacted by h5n1 in colorado.

/2

https://twitter.com/oscarcontrarius/status/1803577030459445599

Jun 27, 2024 • 9 tweets • 4 min read

COVID in Colorado Weekly Update - 6/26/24

Reported Cases rises to 1115 from 943, rising 21%, and above 1000/wk for the first time since March.

Positivity drops to 7.6 from 9.3%.

Covid patients rises to 87 from 84.

Most indicators are looking bleak this week.

The wastewater picture is looking particularly concerning. The trend numbers havent updated on the COVID Dashboard yet, but hand counting them yields this:
Steady Increase: 40
Increase: 1
Plateau: 8
Decline: 2
Steady Decline: 4

Jun 12, 2024 • 9 tweets • 4 min read

COVID in Colorado Weekly Update - 6/12/24

Reported Cases rises to 900 from 781, rising 15%!

Positivity drops to 6.2% (from 7.8).

Covid patients rises to 96 from 82.

The wastewater data continues to show steep rises.

The wastewater picture is concerning.
This is the most number of "increasing utilities" since the first week of January.
MOST of the front range utilities except those in Colorado Springs are reporting increases.

May 19, 2024 • 14 tweets • 5 min read

Is there #HPAI #H5N1 Flu in our Meat?

We know it has been found in our milk & dairy cattle, & wastewater.

@USDA & @CDC have been mum about its presence in beef.

What do the data show us?

There's an overlap of elevated Flu A in wastewater with slaughterhouse locations.🧵

Disclaimers
1) Correlation isnt causation
2) I havent tested the meat or wastewater
3) CDC Flu A in Wastewater levels don't indicate variant. The virus may be any Flu A variant
4) I dont know how/where each slaughterhouse's waste is treated
5) This is a call for more testing
/2

Apr 26, 2024 • 5 tweets • 2 min read

Colorado COVID Wastewater Update - 4/26/24
AMAZING NEWS!

Est 7day Avg Cases: 367 (down 20% from 463 last wk)

Est Community Transmission Level: MODERATE!!!!

Estimated 7-Day Incidence: 44 per 100k

Lowest level EVER! (approx equivalent to June 2020!)

The estimate dips into the level equivalent to "Moderate Community Transmission", a level for which the CDC suggested it was safe for vaccinated people to be unmasked indoors.

Apr 10, 2024 • 9 tweets • 3 min read

COVID in Colorado Weekly Update - 4/10/24

Reported Cases rise to 673 from 628, rising 7%.

Positivity rises to 3.6 from 3.2%.

Covid patients rises a snoodge to 86 from 85.

Admissions are up slightly, but low.

Wastewater continues to dip.

Wastewater continues to decline, with declining utilities now the third highest ever.

Mar 31, 2024 • 17 tweets • 5 min read

N95s are an occupational tool that prevents a TON of challenges for everyday, persistent, including hair type (especially with the “rubber band straps).

They are an AMAZING tool, but here are some very real things that could be fixed to make them better for persistent use: 🧵

https://twitter.com/nukittobesure/status/1774328203500564721

More Sizes!
I love the aura. Its an amazing n95. I pass a fit test in the 1870 & 9210.
But I’m not comfortable in it all day, its a snoodge too small. (Insert big head joke here) there should be a large, a small, and even an xsmall if we want people to use these all the time /2

Mar 24, 2024 • 9 tweets • 4 min read

When it was announced that @CDCgov was likely changing the Covid guidance, I wrote to the @WhiteHouse because #CovidIsntOver and i wanted them to hear my voice.

I just received this obnoxious and antifactual response. Let me break down some of the issues: 🧵

The weight of the pandemic has been difficult to bear for those who campaigned for you based on your promise to stop the pandemic, not just sweep it under the rug. For healthcare & public health workers, abandoned by your failure to follow public health practices, …/3

Jan 12, 2024 • 4 tweets • 2 min read

Colorado COVID Wastewater Update - 1/12/24

Est 7day Avg Cases: 2800 (up 27% from 2197 last wk)

Est Community Transmission Level: HIGH

Estimated 7-Day Incidence: 338 per 100k

The rise in Est'd cases returns, but not as high as before Christmas, a possible reason for optism/1

The median of all reporting utilities is dipping slightly, with a few low reports in the last couple days.

The median remains above the level for the entire fall, and still very much looks like it is in "surge" territory.

But it looks possible that our surge may be receding.

Jan 11, 2024 • 10 tweets • 4 min read

COVID in Colorado Weekly Update - 1/10/24

Cases dip to 3077 from 3202, dropping 4%.
Positivity dips to 9.8% from 9.9%.
Covid patients jumps 15% to 246 from 213.

Fewer cases, but hospital admissions are up (near the year's highs) & Wastewater is still rising.

(corrected 🧵)

The wastewater picture is still bad, though a slightly smaller number of utilities are showing as "Increasing" than last week.

More than 3/4s are still "increasing" though, so we are not out of the woods at all.

Jan 5, 2024 • 14 tweets • 5 min read

I normally don’t respond to rude responses like this one, but I’ve decided to engage.

Firstly: why is this rude? you claim I didn’t read the entire thread or your article as a way to undermine perfectly reasonable commentary.

I read it. Its full of issues.

Let’s go:

https://twitter.com/angie_rasmussen/status/1743062786987504107

You say you are not opposed to robust safety regulation. But right here, you say EXACTLY that you are opposed to “too much regulation”.

You are quite clearly trying to limit and determine what safety regulation virology work is subject to.

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