Coronavirus & Monkeypox Tidbits #209 9/4/22
Announcements:
First, there is now a Resources Page here for the most commonly asked questions I'm getting.
Happy to continue to answer your questions/concerns as best I can, so don't be shy about that.
Election volunteer opportunities:
NOPE Neighbors: https://www.nopeneighbors.org/volunteer
If you like calling and talking to voters, Power the Vote is assembling weekly volunteer opportunities. These are remote opportunities that you can do from home! Click on this link to find out more: https://docs.google.com/
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New post:
I was asked to write this full feature for Medscape this week. It was challenging and fun to interview these folks. I hope you enjoy it, too.
Asymptomatic Infections Drive Many Epidemics, Including Monkeypox, Polio, and COVID
News
Covid:
CDC backs new Covid boosters. Now what?
CDC’s vaccine advisory panel yesterday backed new boosters from Pfizer and its partner BioNTech as well as from Moderna that target both the original SARS-CoV-2 virus strain that all previous vaccines have protected against, and the Omicron subvariants BA.4/BA.5. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky signed off on the recommendation hours later. Sometime this weekend or early next week, pharmacies and doctor's offices will start to receive the reformulated Covid-19 boosters. More from STAT’s Helen Branswell here on the deliberations.
Meanwhile, Helen, Matthew Herper, and Sarah Owermohle answer some questions:
- Who can’t get the new booster? People who haven’t been vaccinated yet. Why? The boosters contain less vaccine, perhaps not enough to elicit good protection.
- Will I need to get a booster every year? That’s the schedule many infectious disease experts want, but we’re not there yet.
- What if I had Covid this summer? The CDC suggests waiting up to three months before getting the booster.
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37% of a group of Maryland preschoolers with COVID-19 had no symptoms
An 8-month COVID-19 screening study of 175 Maryland households with at least one child aged 0 to 4 years finds that 37% of preschoolers had no symptoms, suggesting that screening only symptomatic children may not be enough to prevent outbreaks in this age-group.
A team led by Johns Hopkins University researchers analyzed weekly symptom questionnaires, self-collected nasal swabs, and sera from 690 participants in 175 Maryland households with one or more children younger than 5 years from Nov 24, 2020, to Oct 15, 2021. The study preceded the emergence of the more transmissible Omicron variant.
Aug 31 JAMA Netw Open study
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/09/covid-19-scan-sep-01-2022
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Study: Previous COVID-19 infection offers protection against BA.5
Infections with previous COVID-19 variants offer more protection against the Omicron BA.5 subvariant in vaccinated people compared with vaccinated people who had no previous infections, according to a New England Journal of Medicine study yesterday.
The study was based on research conducted at the University of Lisbon in Portugal and is among the first studies to analyze protection against BA.5 among vaccinated and naturally infected people. The authors used the Portuguese national registry of COVID-19 cases to determine which variant likely caused infection based on date and variant predominance. Cases in patients age 12 and older were used.
The researchers found that while natural infections from 2020 and 2021 (when the wild-type strain and the Delta variant were predominant) offered some protection again BA.5, people infected with the BA.1 and BA.2 variants, at the beginning of 2022, who were also vaccinated had four times the protection as those who were only vaccinated.
The authors said their findings challenge the perception that protection afforded by previous BA.1 or BA.2 infection is very low.
"Our data indicate that this perception is probably a consequence of the larger pool of persons with BA.1 or BA.2 infection than with infection by other subvariants, and it is not supported by the data," they said.
Aug 31 N Engl J Med study
Aug 31 University of Lisbon press release
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/09/covid-19-scan-sep-01-2022
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Recent findings suggest new omicron BA.2.75 is as susceptible to antibodies as the currently dominant variant
In a recent study, researchers from Karolinska Institutet and others have characterized the new omicron variant BA.2.75, comparing its ability to evade antibodies against current and previous variants. The study, published in the journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases, suggests that BA.2.75 is not more resistant to antibodies than the currently dominating BA.5, which is positive news.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-09-omicron-ba275-susceptible-antibodies-dominant.html?
Monkeypox:
US schools, colleges see monkeypox cases
Across the United States a handful of college campuses, as well as high schools and middle schools, are dealing with monkeypox cases identified in students and staff.
A case was identified at a Greenwood, South Carolina, middle school yesterday, but health officials assured parents there were no close contacts or exposures and no reason for concern.
The University of Pittsburgh is the latest college to report a monkeypox case in a student. The student is recovering in isolation, and close contacts have been identified and notified of the case. Jay Darr, associate dean of students for wellness at Pitt, said the university will not issue public communications for each new case, but students will be contacted by a contact tracer if they had a possible exposure.
Yesterday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 572 more monkeypox cases in the United States, raising the total to 18,989. California has the highest case count, with 3,629, followed by New York (3,310), and Florida (1,922).
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Study raises concerns about the effectiveness of the #monkeypox vaccine https://t.co/gHyUdIr2Hw via @statnews
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) September 3, 2022
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Occupational exposure
To date, WHO and ECDC have been informed of 84 cases of MPX infection among health workers, including three cases of occupational exposure. In all three cases of occupational exposure, health workers were wearing recommended personal protective equipment but were exposed to body fluid while collecting samples. The WHO interim guidance on clinical management and infection prevention and control for monkeypox remains valid and is available at https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/355798.
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Don’t lose sight of monkeypox containment
Nature Caitlin Rivers 31 August 2022
Some glimmers of hope are emerging in the global fight against the monkeypox epidemic. Weekly case counts are trending down: 6,000 were reported from 15 to 21 August, an improvement over the 7,500 reported from 8 to 14 August. These gains are thanks to concerted efforts by public-health officials and advocates globally to extend vaccination, testing and educational messaging to men who have sex with men, the subpopulation currently at highest risk of infection.
However, a major risk now is that, as the epidemic wanes, so too will the response.
A cycle of panic and neglect shadows public health: frenzied action tends to be followed by loss of interest as a threat recedes. See, for example, the reemergence of vaccine-preventable diseases such as polio. Public-health officials, governments and advocates must not let that impulse prevail again as case counts decrease and we move into the next phase of the monkeypox epidemic.
The global public-health community must fortify its resolve to beat back monkeypox, just as it did SARS and Ebola. The virus has already infected tens of thousands of people and has footholds in communities around the world. Until this year, monkeypox circulated only in limited outbreaks in endemic regions of West and Central Africa. It should not be allowed to establish a permanent beachhead in new places now.
In most of the world, ending the outbreak means eliminating the virus. In areas where monkeypox circulates in animals, it means ending sustained human-to-human transmission and preparing for rapid containment of new human infections.
Diagnostics:
still an incredible, negligent last of testing.
Drugs and Vaccines:
Covid:
Pentagon OK's COVID-19 Vaccine that May Ease Some Religious Objections
The Pentagon said Monday it will now offer a new COVID-19 vaccine to the rank and file that claims not to have used fetal tissue or cells in development – a move that could help settle resistance among thousands of troops who have requested exemptions from the jab on religious and moral grounds.
Service members can request the Novavax vaccine – a two-dose series that, unlike its mRNA predecessors, is a protein-based vaccination with a lineage that has been tested for decades, according to a DoD press release. The Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, which have been widely available, reportedly used fetal cell lines derived from decades-old fetal tissue in the vaccines’ testing.
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Only half of eligible people in US are boosted against COVID
As of Aug. 5, approximately half of all eligible Americans aged 5 years or older had received their first COVID-19 booster vaccine, according to data published Thursday in MMWR.
According to the study, 214.4 million people in the United States were eligible for a booster by that date, having completed a primary vaccine series. Among them, only 106.3 million (49.6%) had received their first booster. This amount represents about one-third (34%) of the country’s population aged 5 years or older.
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The coronavirus variants of concern are emerging from chronic, long-term COVID-19 infections in people who may be immune compromised and unable to clear the virus, a new study by Emory and @UniofOxford scientists strongly suggests. https://t.co/RHElxxpIex
— Emory University (@EmoryUniversity) August 30, 2022
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7/"Well, do boosters do anything?"
— Nirav D. Shah (@nirav_mainecdc) September 2, 2022
Yes, they do. In June '22, people 50+ w/2 boosters had a 14X lower risk of dying from #COVID compared to unvaccinated folks.
But here's the thing: they also had a 3X lower risk of COVID death vs. people w/1 booster dose.
Boosters work. pic.twitter.com/FP36ikthJS
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You should still consider masking (I do), but if you only choose one intervention, make it a vaccine. A vaccine will save your life if you do get infected.
— Dr. Angela Rasmussen (@angie_rasmussen) August 29, 2022
Vaccines also significantly reduce transmission. That will likely improve with bivalent boosters.https://t.co/zzoRL86R8g
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Three COVID-19 vaccines may provide greater protection from COVID-19 infections than two
Two vaccine doses provide only limited and short-lived protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection with the omicron variant. A study publishing September 1 in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine by Mie Agermose Gram at Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark and colleagues suggests that a third COVID-19 vaccine dose increased the level and duration of protection against omicron infection and hospitalization.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-09-covid-vaccines-greater-infections.html?
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Monkeypox:
Intradermal Vaccination for Monkeypox — Benefits for Individual and Public Health
The New England Journal of Medicine
John T. Brooks, M.D., Peter Marks, M.D., Ph.D., Robert H. Goldstein, M.D., Ph.D., and Rochelle P. Walensky, M.D., M.P.H.
August 31, 2022
Intradermal vaccination delivers antigen into the space between the epidermis and the dermis. This space is an anatomically favorable site for immune stimulation, enriched in a heterogenous population of dendritic cells, macrophages, and monocytes that endow this tissue with a potent capacity to detect and respond robustly to immunologic stimuli, including those present in vaccines. For these reasons, the role of the dermis in adaptive immunity has been exploited for allergen testing and tuberculosis skin testing. And smallpox vaccination was developed by Jenner using something similar to intradermal administration: variolation, or the practice of scratching immunizing material into the skin.
Intradermal vaccination has been extensively studied for prevention of a wide range of viral diseases, including influenza (for which there is a licensed intradermal vaccine), Japanese encephalitis, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, human papillomavirus disease, polio, rabies, varicella zoster, and yellow fever. In the 1970s, Germany’s smallpox eradication campaign deployed it for vaccinating more than 100,000 persons with modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA), which forms the basis for the JYNNEOS vaccine currently being used to combat monkeypox.
Among the advantages of intradermal vaccination is that it can generate immune responses equivalent to those achieved with subcutaneously or intramuscularly administered vaccine but with as little as one fifth to one tenth the dose, while avoiding the rare risk of nerve, blood-vessel, or joint-space injury. To address the technical challenge of shallow administration with a needle, technologies have been developed to ensure proper vaccine placement in the intradermal space, and some have been approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, such technologies must be tested with each specific category of vaccine before being deployed, to ensure that the vaccine’s potency and safety are maintained. The robust response generated by intradermal vaccination can also sometimes lead to increased and prolonged skin irritation, induration, granuloma formation, and discoloration, but these effects are most often temporary. Also, people who have had keloids should not receive intradermal vaccination.
JYNNEOS (also sold as Imvamune and Imvanex) vaccine contains a live but attenuated nonreplicating MVA strain and is licensed for prevention of both smallpox and monkeypox. It was developed and added to the Strategic National Stockpile specifically for smallpox vaccination of immunocompromised persons for whom the alternative smallpox vaccine, ACAM2000, may not be appropriate because it contains attenuated but replicating vaccinia. JYNNEOS was thus neither intended nor scaled up for use in a national monkeypox outbreak. But its intradermal administration at one fifth the standard dose is an attractive option that could ameliorate current supply shortages while ensuring similar levels of immunogenicity. In a randomized, controlled trial, a one-fifth dose given intradermally achieved levels of neutralizing antibodies similar to those produced with standard doses given subcutaneously on the same FDA-approved schedule,1 though by some measures cellular immunity levels were lower.2 A dose-finding study using a different but closely related MVA vaccine showed that even a one-tenth dose of MVA given intradermally was as immunogenic as the full dose given subcutaneously or intramuscularly.3
There are no data from clinical trials specifically evaluating the effectiveness of JYNNEOS against monkeypox using either route of administration, and we don’t know what level of immune response in someone given the vaccine as pre- or post-exposure prophylaxis would correlate with functional immunity against monkeypox infection or protection against severe disease. But there are no a priori reasons to doubt that JYNNEOS will be effective by the intradermal route, and we have reasonable evidence that intradermal dosing will be similarly immunizing as compared with subcutaneous dosing, at least in the short term, as a means of outbreak control to break chains of transmission.
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HHS providing $11M to Michigan manufacturer for domestic monkeypox vaccine production
Grand River Aseptic Manufacturing (GRAM) of Grand Rapids, Mich., secured its place as the first face of domestic manufacturing for the JYNNEOS smallpox and monkeypox vaccine this week, thanks to an award of approximately $11 million in support from the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
The vaccine is produced by Bavarian Nordic, a biotechnology company based in Denmark. While its European facilities were already working to fill supply agreements with the U.S., cooperation between Bavarian Nordic and GRAM will allow it to offload and hasten much of its vaccine production schedule and open up more possibilities for other nations. GRAM will aid the fill and finish manufacturing portion of things through a recently expanded facility. With the funding from HHS, though, it will be able to purchase even more equipment for JYNNEOS production, as well as recruit and train additional staff for operations.
BARDA estimates GRAM’s vaccine production capabilities should be online later this year, shaving months off the usual timeline.
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Polio:
Very good article explaining the pros and cons of the different polio vaccines, and what may happen over the coming weeks. There are no easy answers here. https://t.co/g6wYtEHZaH
— Helen Jenkins (@jenkinshelen) August 22, 2022
Devices:
Of the HCWs in the study, 749 (26%) were infected with COVID-19 while positivity was 13% in HCWs without patient exposure. For HCW exposed to patients, positivity was 21% for those using respirators and 35% for using surgical/mixed masks. 3/
— Dr. Jeff Gilchrist, PhD (@jeffgilchrist) August 29, 2022
Epidemiology/Infection control:
Covid:
Its fascinating how officials and the media talk as if child covid hospitalizations and deaths were not dramatically higher in the 2021-2022 school year versus the 2020-2021 year. The way they talk you'd think these outcomes had declined from the previous year. https://t.co/dj7VwzbV1R
— wsbgnl (@wsbgnl) September 2, 2022
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https://twitter.com/MackayIM/status/1563719306764242944?s=20&t=_Cid1PMTPoR_4ie3gwb_WQ
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https://twitter.com/drclairetaylor/status/1563591144172568579?s=20&t=MlWfPCnCQSDGINOz_q9W4A
2/ we are finding clots in people months/years after Covid. NICE guidance says do a pro-bnp. Fine-but usually it’s negative. More important is to check for clot with d-dimer. However if clinical suspicion is still strong please arrange a CTPA.
3/ medics If GPs contact you worried about PE please take patient and do a CTPA. If a sit to stand test causes a drop of sats of 4% or more this is exertional hypoxaemia. We are seeing this months after Covid. Don’t rely on outdated VTE scoring systems.
4/ pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33817609/ Dual energy CT depicted proximal arterial thrombosis in 5.4% of patients and perfusion abnormalities suggestive of widespread microangiopathy in 65.5% of patients. Lung microcirculation was abnormal in 4 patients with normal lung parenchyma.
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We need to prepare for large increases in cardiovascular, neurological & mental health disorders in countries affected by the #SARSCoV2 #pandemic https://t.co/9Lx0320Qy4
— Soumya Swaminathan (@doctorsoumya) August 30, 2022
Study finds long COVID-19 in children less common than in adults
A new study conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) RECOVER Pediatric Electronic Health Records (EHR) Cohort and authored by Suchitra Rao, MD, infectious disease specialist at Children's Hospital Colorado, found that the risk of post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), or long COVID, in children appears to be lower than what has been reported in adults. However, more children have long COVID than those kids who are hospitalized with acute COVID-19. The study is featured in JAMA Pediatrics.
"We concluded that many of the symptoms children experience post-COVID-19 are similar to what is seen in adults, but there are some features more unique to children, such as myocarditis, abnormal liver enzymes, hair loss, skin rashes and diarrhea," said Rao. "There has been a critical need to understand the impact of COVID-19 in children both in the short as well as long-term. This is one of biggest studies we know of to explore what the post-acute sequelae look like in kids. Studies using electronic health record data are a great way to explore research questions that require further confirmation in longer term prospective studies."
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-08-covid-children-common-adults.html
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Monkeypox:
https://twitter.com/benryanwriter/status/1564382069932937218?s=20&t=MlWfPCnCQSDGINOz_q9W4A
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10 key questions about #monkeypox the world needs to answer https://t.co/jWBC4nZHel via @statnews
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) September 3, 2022
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Brazil: Domestic puppy in Minas Gerais contracts monkeypox, Lived with confirmed human case
The Ministry of Health has been notified of the first confirmed case of monkeypox, also known as monkeypox, in a domestic animal...
This is a 5-month-old puppy that lived in the same environment and had contact with a confirmed human case of the disease. The animal started to show symptoms on August 13, it started with pruritus (itching), with lesions and crusts located on the back and neck.
The Minas Gerais State Health Department instructed the Juiz de Fora Municipal Health Department to isolate the animal and disinfect the site with bleach. It was also instructed that, whenever the owner needed to come into contact with the animal (for food and hygiene of the place), to use gloves, mask, long-sleeved shirt and pants (skin protection).
There are two reports in the world about the infection being acquired through human transmission: in the United States and in France.
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Other:
Same group had previously shown similar benefit for coffee
— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) August 29, 2022
Conclusions for both "Black tea/coffee can be part of a healthy diet"https://t.co/vLpig80f0b
Tips, general reading for public:
Ventilate.
Mask.
Vax.
Politics:
Covid:
A friend's middle school daughter is still Covid positive 10 days in. The school told her more absences won't be excused if she doesn't return immediately "per CDC guidance." The administrator said "There is no reason to excuse absence after 5 days."
— laurie allee (@laurieallee) August 31, 2022
My rage knows no bounds.
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As a doctor I can't go back work post COVID+ until asymptomatic and RAT (-).
— Michael Warner (@drmwarner) August 31, 2022
As per Dr. Moore, my wife and kids can go back to work/school post COVID as long as no symptoms, even if RAT still positive.
Sending infectious individuals back to work/school does not make sense.
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Latest NCHS report says 31.2 million (11.5%) Americans under the age of 65 are uninsured, many of whom are concentrated in Southern states (see map with HHS ASPE data here). Polling from last year showed that many were unaware the vaccine was free.https://t.co/rirzCH3QEC pic.twitter.com/P1lT9BMdxx
— Benjy Renton (@bhrenton) September 1, 2022
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Monkeypox:
TFG/Espionage:
I’m not shocked at what Trump did. I’m shocked that he wasn’t indicted in the middle of his presidency for such a reckless act of Espionage. https://t.co/atTEj28tqa
— Dash Dobrofsky (@DashDobrofsky) August 28, 2022
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Trump dangling full pardons to January 6 terrorists is a signal to his supporters to commit violence now (“there will be riots”). He’s saying fight for me and I’ll take care of you. https://t.co/CPv6I9bcLI
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) September 2, 2022
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Trump stole documents on confidential informants in January 2021 and 9 months later CIA Counterintelligence sent a top secret cable warning an unusually high number of confidential informants had been killed, captured, or compromised. I feel like more people should mention that.
— Andrea Junker (@Strandjunker) August 28, 2022
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I like how Kevin McCarthy & the rest of the GOP feigns outrage when saying the 'FBI raided Trump's home' it's a freaking 126-room, 62,500-square-foot mansion that allows the public to buy memberships. It's not a home, it's an espionage fulfillment center.@GOP
— NoelCaslerComedy (@caslernoel) September 1, 2022
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BREAKING: this is actually a stunning revelation. This is the newly unsealed more detailed inventory. pic.twitter.com/GWMRWJF1Cd
— Mueller, She Wrote (@MuellerSheWrote) September 2, 2022
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.@JohnJHarwood, the veteran journalist said the following at 1030 am today. Every word is true. Indisputably true. It is as true as the words Murrow spoke from London during the blitz and to America about McCarthy. The difference is Murrow wasn’t fired. Harwood was. pic.twitter.com/GKc4If40ee
— Steve Schmidt (@SteveSchmidtSES) September 2, 2022
Fascism:
With all the arguments over whether MAGA Republicans are fascists, I reread William Shirer’s “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich” to see how much the rise of Hitler and the rise of MAGA smell similar.
— Mark Jacob (@MarkJacob16) September 2, 2022
Conclusion: They do. This thread lists 10 ways. Please take a look. pic.twitter.com/bgTLn4OLgb
Jan 6/Elections:
BREAKING WaPo: Ginni Thomas pressed lawmakers to overturn Joe Biden's 2020 victory not only in Arizona, as previously reported, but also in a second battleground state, Wisconsin, according to emails obtained under state public-records law. https://t.co/ocXKPml5TW
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) September 1, 2022
Abortion:
SC Republicans blocked an amendment to allow voters of SC to decide if abortion remains legal in SC. Talk about a tell. They’re afraid of the public voice. And they should be. Women are coming.
— Vicki Ringer (@vickiringer) September 2, 2022
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A South Carolina legislator who went viral for expressing regret over passing a six-week abortion ban just voted for an even stricter ban on the procedure. "I fully understand the comments are about to be all negative," Rep. Neal Collins wrote on Facebook. https://t.co/BHFGfIqhTa
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) September 1, 2022
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Three weeks ago, I had a miscarriage. I was six weeks pregnant. I live in Texas, a state that has effectively banned abortions.
— Janneke Parrish (@JannekeParrish) May 9, 2022
A thread about what it is to cease to be pregnant in a state where abortions are banned:
The doctor asked me about pregnancy, going into consolation mode. They asked me if I’d been trying to get pregnant, if I’d been pregnant before. I told them I had been pregnant, once before.
“How many kids?” they asked “None,” I answered. “Miscarriage?” they asked. “Abortion,” I answered. And the conversation shifted dramatically.
I’d had an abortion when I was 19. Upon hearing that, this doctor in Texas rattled through a list of drugs, asking if I’d taken any of them in the last six weeks. They asked about my activities, what I’d been doing, if I’d intentionally injured myself.
Intentionally or not, it felt like I’d become a suspect in the death of something I didn’t know existed.
Eventually, it stopped. They were satisfied that I hadn’t known I was pregnant and induced an illegal abortion in Texas. I left, though not without the fear that because I’d gone for medical help, I’d now be reported, per Texas law.
10 – 15% of known pregnancies end in miscarriage. 40% of fertile people will experience a miscarriage at some point. Miscarriages are incredibly common. https://t.co/q9BUjk5r9K
— Janneke Parrish (@JannekeParrish) May 9, 2022
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FTC Sues Kochava for Selling Data that Tracks People at Reproductive Health Clinics, Places of Worship, and Other Sensitive Locations https://t.co/t1else6JoN #privacy #security
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) September 3, 2022
Guns:
A staffer of mine—who’s 1 month into her job—received a call from a man saying he’s coming to our office w/ an assault rifle to kill me. I hesitate to share this but how else do I tell you we are in violent times, & the architects are Trump & McCarthy. Bloodshed is coming.
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) August 30, 2022
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Climate:
I apologize for tweeting so much about this particular heatwave, but OMFG, it just gets more terrifying with every GFS run. We are now seeing widespread 115-120 towards the end of next week. pic.twitter.com/VVKtWBbQG8
— Prof. Eliot Jacobson (@EliotJacobson) August 30, 2022
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It is frankly terrifying that one third of Pakistan is underwater, China is experiencing its worst drought in record, as are the olive-producing regions of southern Spain, and we’re currently only at 1.2C of warming.
— Donna Lu (@donnadlu) August 29, 2022
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Floods in Pakistan have killed over 900 people since June, with 500-700% more rain than usual.
— AJ+ (@ajplus) August 25, 2022
Officials call it a "climate-induced disaster."
Pakistan produces less than 1% of global carbon emissions but is one of the countries most vulnerable to the climate crisis. pic.twitter.com/fERGNiGwZU
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Homelessness:
A township in New Jersey just cut down the trees that provide shade in its town square to keep homeless people from spending time there https://t.co/kY2bc034pD
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) August 30, 2022
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Race/Identity:
This is the most wonderful book. When my son saw the cover the first thing he said is "mom it's a book about me." Instantly my heart melted. Thank you @Kaepernick7 pic.twitter.com/J40dqJ3vgz
— Thea (@TheaWakanda) September 1, 2022
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Student loans:
"Burying students in debt wasn’t an accident caused by some sort of technical policy mistake. It was a deliberate choice made by conservatives." https://t.co/5LRWvH3wyW
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 31, 2022
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Jesus. Did he just say they intentionally keep Americans poor and unable to pay student loans so they will join the military? pic.twitter.com/R0O7XPljoR
— Kathy Jones-Hospod (@JonesHospodTX) August 25, 2022
Florida:
BREAKING: Ben Paris, the chair of Florida's Seminole County Republican Party, was convicted of illegally setting up a fake progressive candidate to siphon votes from Democrats in the 2020 election. https://t.co/sZurGeo8DA pic.twitter.com/n3GWNBzuzy
— Matthew Sheffield (@mattsheffield) September 1, 2022
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Georgia:
It is unbelievable that he is polling neck and neck with Warnock. How embarrassing for that State to elect this man who is obviously not well.
— blue dot in DeSantistan (@SheSailsFL) September 2, 2022
Michigan:
The Michigan Republican Party on Saturday nominated two candidates for statewide office who have denied the results of the 2020 presidential election https://t.co/SStnjxyYvF
— CNN (@CNN) August 28, 2022
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WILD in Michigan: advocates submitted a record number of signatures to put an abortion rights measure on the ballot, & Bureau of Elections confirmed it should qualify. But Republicans on Board of Canvassers just refused to allow that, throwing measure off: https://t.co/Vb91cs5OEC
— Taniel (@Taniel) August 31, 2022
Mississippi:
Stay tuned for more developments on this folks. The corruption among those in power in Mississipi is just stunning, and it has been that way for a long time.
— Doug Jones (@DougJones) September 1, 2022
The nation's poorest state used welfare money to pay Brett Favre for speeches he never made https://t.co/n8524juodG
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Earlier this month, Gov. Reeves returned $100 million in federal rent aid that would've helped poor, elderly and disabled Mississippians afford housing.
— Ashton Pittman (@ashtonpittman) August 31, 2022
He called it a "experimental socialist program being pushed from Washington."https://t.co/r3RZb4Z5IQ
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For those who want to help, check out this thread from @MaisieBrownJxn with lots of ways to donate and assist folks on the ground in Jackson #jxnwatercrisis ⬇️⬇️⬇️ https://t.co/z8JbPhjGa6
— Brittany Brown (@isthatbritt) August 30, 2022
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More people need to be talking about Jackson, Mississippi. The city ran out of bottled water to give residents yesterday. It’s the largest city in Mississippi. It’s 80% Black. Their water system is failing because of years of neglect. This is environmental racism.
— Kat Tenbarge (@kattenbarge) August 31, 2022
Thread of ways to help. Notice how members of the community are helping each other. The government allowed this situation to deteriorate past the point of emergency. It will cost billions to fix the Jackson water supply. We don’t have time to wait! https://t.co/FcZfURdaoW
— Kat Tenbarge (@kattenbarge) August 31, 2022
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Oklahoma:
BREAKING: Education Secretary Ryan Walters has asked the state board of education to revoke former Norman Public Schools teacher Summer Boismier’s teaching license immediately. pic.twitter.com/fsV1BfqBH0
— Max, loyal sidekick to the Grinch (@MBryanOK) August 31, 2022
In a statement given to the media, NPS said they want teachers to teach students to think critically, not tell them what to think.
— Max, loyal sidekick to the Grinch (@MBryanOK) August 31, 2022
Boismier said the classroom is an inherently political space, and that she can't fully teach indigenous, Black and LGBTQ stories without discomfort.
Pennsylvania:
First of all the convictions were pardoned, second more politicians should hire rehabilitated ex offenders to show that rehabilitation works and to set an example for business. They’re excluded from a lot of trades and professions for one mistake.
— “J” the lyricist. (@Alvinthe1st) September 1, 2022
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We have the same issue, in WI. Resistance to 'curing' an absentee ballot ENVELOPE!
— K Fernholz (@k_fernholz) September 2, 2022
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Texas:
I saw where Texas is paying $1,400 per person to bus immigrants to New York. I wonder if anyone has checked to see which of his supporters owns the bus line that has already been paid over $12,000,000. Follow the money👀👀
— bamamike1104 (@mstone1104) August 31, 2022
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This passage still just gets to me.
— Chris Hendel (@chrishendel) August 29, 2022
"Last year, @propublica and the @TexasTribune contacted more than 100 Laredo residents to ask if they were aware of the risk posed by the plant.
All but one said they didn’t even know the plant existed." https://t.co/6Y94bu9KzJ
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Texas’s penalty for rape is 5+ years prison and a $10K fine
— Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@QasimRashid) August 25, 2022
Under GOP’s new abortion ban, Texas’s penalty for providing an abortion to a woman impregnated by a rapist is life in prison and a $100K fine
Texas GOP: Protecting rapists, punishing doctors who support rape survivors
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Background here from @PoojaSalhotra: https://t.co/gMIpA2MHuc
— William Melhado (@williammelhado) September 1, 2022
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Carroll ISD rejected "In God We Trust" signs that were created by current and former students that were designed in rainbow colors and in Arabic language.https://t.co/XXfwvAze8X
— Pixi Vaxxed (@Pixie1665) September 2, 2022
Finland:
As Ann Richards said, "Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did. She just did it backwards and in high heels."
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 28, 2022
Here's me in Cartagena while I was there for a meeting as Secretary of State.
Keep dancing, @marinsanna. pic.twitter.com/btAtUFOcNV
Is Russia behind attacks on Finland's Prime Minister?
Feel good du jour:
https://twitter.com/buitengebieden/status/1563629951852724224?s=20&t=MlWfPCnCQSDGINOz_q9W4A
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A bird telling a hedgehog to hurry across because it's dangerous🦔🕊 pic.twitter.com/3POcD2eLpj
— Tansu Yegen (@TansuYegen) August 31, 2022
(Alternatively, bird wants to eat hedgehog)
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This little girl has autism. She brought her stuffed-puppy to the dog show.
— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) September 1, 2022
One of the judges stopped, walked over to her, and asked if she wanted to show her dog as well.
This is what happened.. pic.twitter.com/15clqgtx18
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https://twitter.com/TansuYegen/status/1565408122684030976?s=20&t=MlWfPCnCQSDGINOz_q9W4A
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Again... It's actually from a zoo in Slovakia. The cubs were confiscated from a circus which treated them badly. The woman in the video is an employee of the rescue who raised them. The lions are 3 and 4 years old in the video and she still visits them around 3 times a month.
— Tweeter and the Monkey Man (@ButTheMonkeyMan) September 1, 2022
Comic relief:
“I know you think you’re being funny, but honestly Dave, it’s just hurtful.” pic.twitter.com/L2bDsMvLPA
— Uncle Duke (@UncleDuke1969) August 26, 2022
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https://twitter.com/buitengebieden/status/1563655361176944643?s=20&t=MlWfPCnCQSDGINOz_q9W4A
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https://twitter.com/TheWoofWorld/status/1563882303528570880?s=20&t=MlWfPCnCQSDGINOz_q9W4A
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https://twitter.com/buitengebieden/status/1564659764931575809?s=20&t=MlWfPCnCQSDGINOz_q9W4A
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Today I learned that aggressive goats have to wear pool noodles and it feels like information I should share pic.twitter.com/0trO6HpyD9
— Today Years Old (@todayyearsoldig) September 1, 2022
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https://twitter.com/buitengebieden/status/1565751427737305090?s=20&t=MlWfPCnCQSDGINOz_q9W4A
Perspective/Poem
I have put Twitter back on my phone specifically to show you these circular arrangements of petals i found around multiple dead bees. if you are a scientist who knows what the hell is going on here, please tell me! pic.twitter.com/h3D8u89WxG
— sophie klahr (@sophieklahr) August 28, 2022
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& @Myrmecos ants bury their prey to hide it from the competition.
Bits of beauty:
