You don't realize how resistant schools are to air quality improvements until you try to offer them FREE air purifiers and they almost always turn you down, even when presented with data 🤯

https://twitter.com/DebsFrazer/status/1878058323192209461

Another example:

https://x.com/drseanmullen/status/1878074060145307926

Is now a good time to mention that last month over 25 Los Angeles schools rejected our offers of completely free air purifiers for every single classroom on their campuses? There's a widespread hostility to anyone offering solutions at the intersection of climate change, pandemics, and resource depletion. It was wild to get replies along the lines of "don't contact us ever again" when we were literally offering tens of thousands in free gear

We need to be ready for even further criminalization of mask wearing in the wake of the NYC assassination. The mayor is already ramping up his usual anti-mask rhetoric, associating masking with "criminality" and deference to the surveillance state as patriotism. Look out for any rhetoric suggesting "law-abiding people have nothing to hide" or that public safety depends on further criminalization of masks.

Privacy, community care, and self-defense during an ongoing pandemic are intertwined, and their threats will be, too.

The EPA just released new guidance on preventing viral spread indoors:

☁️ Air purifiers
☁️ Upper-room UVC
☁️ Increased ventilation

The science is so simple and so clear at this point. Let's do it.

epa.gov/indoor-air-qua… They reference the CDC's latest guidance of 5 air changes per hour as the minimum standard for clean indoor air, signaling a convergence across federal agencies.

They also reference our preferred standard, ASHRAE 241, which is MUCH safer and could actually stop the pandemic.

☁️ 50+ ways to show up for people with Long Covid & ME/CFS ☁️

Over 400 million people around the world have Long Covid, and millions more have ME/CFS. Here are concrete ways you can show up for them so that nobody gets left behind! 🧵 Before you offer help, consider these four points:

Thread of free and reduced-cost covid safety gear! 🧵 😷 MASKS

There is likely a mask bloc in your area! Check out @covidactionmap to get free high-quality masks (including KN-95 and N-95)

google.com/maps/d/u/1/vie…

Nasal irrigation is one of the cheapest covid precautions you can add to your routine! 🧵 💧Nasal rinsing is the process of rinsing a saline solution through your nasal passages to clear out mucus, debris, and allergens. It also reduces the chances you'll become infected when exposed & reduces illness severity and duration if you're infected. (citations in 🧵)

🧪 Not all covid tests are made the same!!

Would you rely on a smoke detector that only beeped during 28% of fires?

If not, then don't rely on one regular rapid test that picks up on covid only 28% of the time. 🥴

Stats below!! Citations:

1. Zhu et al., “Trial of the Pluslife SARS-CoV-2 Nucleic Acid Rapid Test Kit: Prospective Cohort Study” JMIR Public Health Surveill. 2023; 9: e48107.

2.

3. “Aptitude Matrix COVID-19 Test: Instructions for Use For Healthcare Providers”virus.sucks/pluslife_en/

✈️ A guide to Covid-Safer Flying ✈️ Before the Airport: Gear

Please treat this as a recommendation of many layers to consider, and remember that any single layer is better than none. The most important layer here, masks, can be achieved for under $5!

Links to recommended gear will be at the very end of the thread

🧪Not all covid tests are made the same!!

Some of them detect negatives *much* better than others. Check out the comparisons below, and try to use the highest accuracy testing you can afford. Citations:

1. Zhu et al., “Trial of the Pluslife SARS-CoV-2 Nucleic Acid Rapid Test Kit: Prospective Cohort Study” JMIR Public Health Surveill. 2023; 9: e48107.

2.

3. “Aptitude Matrix COVID-19 Test: Instructions for Use For Healthcare Providers”virus.sucks/pluslife_en/

🧪Here's an updated roundup of highly reliable, easy-to-use molecular covid tests on the market today!

Accuracy stats, cost per test, and citations throughout. 🧵 🏆 Coming in at #1, we have the Pluslife Minidock!

This one has an amazing 98.3% test sensitivity -- meaning if it shows a negative result, you can rely pretty heavily on that.

Read more here:

Citation: virus.sucks/pluslife_en/
publichealth.jmir.org/2023/1/e48107

Covid can damage every organ system in your body. Here is the labwork to seek out after the acute infection phase has passed. 🧵 The CDC recommends labwork organized by health concern.

1. Blood count, electrolytes, and renal function:
-CBC w/ possible iron studies
-Basic metabolic panel

2. Liver function:
-Liver function tests
-Complete metabolic panel

cdc.gov/coronavirus/20…

With the declining accuracy of rapid antigen tests for covid, we need other solutions. Here's a roundup of some at-home molecular tests that offer extremely high accuracy 🧵 CUE's at home test offers the highest sensitivity, at 97.4% (100% in clinical use). But the cost is high!

Communicating about covid needs and boundaries can be really hard. Here are some strategies that have helped me navigate this with less conflict and more success. 🧵 1. Discuss covid precautions ahead of time in a low-emotion environment.

With the weather cooling down in much of the U.S., things can get harder for covid-cautious people who avoid indoor gatherings.

Here are some tips I've learned during the pandemic for staying warm outdoors and thereby extending the season in which I can safely socialize! 1. Heated vests go a long way in keeping you warmer, longer.

tripsavvy.com/best-heated-ve…

As I dive deeper into learning about far-UV, I've noticed something: every company whose exorbitant profits depend on the performance of irreplaceable single individuals has already invested *heavily* in this tech. Capitalists are the clearest-eyed among us in many ways 🤑 The reality of all your profits resting on the performance of healthy individuals at peak performance (e.g. soccer teams) has made capitalists install far-UV in locker rooms, buses, etc. They'll still throw the players away at the end. But in the meantime they keep them healthy.

🧪 Rapid Test Reliability 🧪

Rapid antigen tests have 2 jobs:
1. Show a true positive.
2. Show a true negative.

Below is a guide to understanding how well they do each of these jobs :) Rapid antigen tests are very good at showing true positive cases of covid (average 99% reliable). This means if you test positive on a rapid test, you have covid.
).aafp.org/pubs/afp/issue…

👃🏽💦 Nasal sprays are an under-used but highly effective layer to include in your covid-safety strategy! 👃🏿 Here's a thread on 4 really effective ones: No. 1: Carrageenan Nasal Spray - with an 80% relative risk reduction, this nasal spray is one of the best I've found.

A guide to covid-safer shows: 🧵 Before: Rapid test for covid just before you head out the door. And use one of the many nasal sprays that have been shown to reduce the likelihood of infection.