herid @herid@qoto.org

It's deeply concerning to see signs that many countries around the world are moving from viewing the virus as a Pandemic to accepting it's Endemic. In other words, it's here for decades or longer. "Let it rip" has been a disastrous failure of government public health policy because "hybrid immunity" is a myth. It always was.

Our best hope of eradicating the virus in our lifetime is development of an omnivalent COVID vaccine. That said, it's more likely that permanent protection from COVID will instead be an option that's taken-up only by people who are well-off, educated, and not immune-compromised.

For those who still look at stats, roughly speaking, it seems like the Reff is hovering around 1.0 with fluctuations from approximately 0.8 to 1.2 depending on seasonal cycles and the yearly social/work/school calendar. I know a number of people who've caught COVID two or three times, and I'm certain that some of them are catching it again right now now due at xmas/NYE events and holiday travel.

For the foreseeable future, the majority of people will catch COVID once or twice a year. It's like how people think it's "normal" to catch a serious cold or the flu every year. It's because people aren't taking enough precautions with masks and isolation, and governments and business aren't working to set good standards for ventilation.

Getting sick with COVID carries about a 20% chance of it leading to chronic illness or some form of Long COVID. Catching COVID multiple times means you gamble and roll the dice every time to see if you get Long COVID.

In 2023, it's important that you keep-up:
- Wearing a mask when indoors in public.
- Working from home if possible.
- Doing a RAT if you have any symptoms.
- Caring about people with chronic illness.

#COVID #COVID19 #COVID19Aus #CovidIsNotOver #Pandemic #Endemic #COVIDEndemic #LetItRip #LongCOVID #HybridImmunity

Non ho l'età - Gigliola Cinquetti

https://youtu.be/SWM4MOjhlw4?t=125

#SongOfTheDay
#FavoriteMusic 44/

👉​ Nurses voices:

"If there's one thing you must fight with all your might, it is #privatization of healthcare....

...Senseless and preventable deaths, all because of the greed of evil politicians. We must fight privatization at all costs.

#Ontario is en route to privatizing healthcare.
We must expose it & stop it at all costs. Don't be fooled.

Brigit Uwaila Umaigba, ICU/ER Nurse, Ontario

For more of her clearly-spoken #healthcare commentary: @Birgitomo

"What is the link between winter storms and global warming?" by Lucie Aubourg for @afpfr / @RawStory: https://www.rawstory.com/what-is-the-link-between-winter-storms-and-global-warming-2659036599/

👉​ 5,613 people have died of COVID in Ontario this year as of Dec. 17, 2022.

And our government's messaging is:

"Wear a mask, if it's right for YOU."
- Kieran Moore, Chief Medical Officer of Health, #Ontario.

#PublicHealth #FordFail #VentilateOurSchools
#CovidIsNotOver #TheKIdsAreNotOkay

https://www.publichealthontario.ca/-/media/documents/ncov/epi/covid-19-weekly-epi-summary-report.pdf?sc_lang=en

Clean indoor air is variant-proof and always will be.

There’s an absolutely astonishing story brewing in the medieval manuscripts world of a Potemkin Village scholarly institute built out of plagiarism and stock photos. I can scarcely do it justice except to link to Peter Kidd’s thorough deconstruction of #receptio #receptiogate

Part 1: https://mssprovenance.blogspot.com/2022/12/the-receptio-rossi-affair-part-i-staff.html

Part 2: https://mssprovenance.blogspot.com/2022/12/the-receptio-rossi-affair-part-ii.html

Part 3: https://mssprovenance.blogspot.com/2022/12/the-receptio-rossi-affair-iii-my.html

Part 4: https://mssprovenance.blogspot.com/2022/12/the-receptio-rossi-affair-iv-my.html

Part 5: https://mssprovenance.blogspot.com/2022/12/the-receptio-rossi-affair-part-v.html

My main gripe with Mastodon is that, besides usernames, you can only #search for hashtags cross-server. No #plaintext cross-server search.

Meh.

29 December 1923 | Hungarian Jewish woman Lily Ebert was born in Bonyhád.

In July 1944 she was deported to Auschwitz. She was then transferred to an ammunition factory near Leipzig where she was liberated.

Today she turns 99.

“I never thought I would survive Auschwitz and have another birthday. At 99, I celebrate to show that the Nazis did not win!”
(Lily Ebert)

Photo: courtesy of Dov Ebert

#Auschwitz #birthday #survivor #otd #people #woman #Hungary #Jews #99 #Remember #memory

Putin’s desire to finally save Ukrainians from other Ukrainians so strong he’s just had another 120 big missiles fired at Ukrainians.

Well done, ⁦‪@washingtonpost‬⁩. A definitive description of just some of the action contributing to UKR success in Donbas & Kherson. Rehearsals, intel-driven operations, precise targeting, good leadership, soldier courage all needed for this success. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/12/29/ukraine-offensive-kharkiv-kherson-donetsk/

This is a color-enhanced photo of the plains near the south pole of Mars, in spring. Water ice and carbon dioxide ice - 'dry ice' - are both active in this landscape.

Water ice frozen in the soil splits the ground into polygons. In the spring, frozen carbon dioxide below the surface turns into gas and shoots out through vents here and there. The gas carries along fine particles that drop to the surface in dark fan-shaped deposits.

(1/2)

Street artist Jim Bachor fills potholes with incredible #mosaics of famous #art.

https://mymodernmet.com/jim-bachor-pothole-mosaic-art/

Is there anyone in pharma working on mRNA VHH (nanobodies) against #covid-19 #SARS2?

This one is the first I've seen show promise in mice (there may be others! It's just the first I have seen):

3-2A2-4, which protection against infection from either Omicron or Delta. This nanobody targets to a unique and highly conserved epitope between the cryptic and outer face of RBD, preventing the transition from "down" to "up" conformation. #scicomm

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-35642-2

Original concept arts from Howl's Moving Castle (2004) by Hayao Miyazaki.

The journey about battle, love, and curse.

🏰

#ghibli #studioghibli #スタジオジブリ #anime #howlsmovingcastle #howl #calcifer #markl #sopphie #sketch #design #mastoart #painting #conceptart #artbook