Coronavirus Tidbits #188 April 17, 2022
Quick links
News Diagnostics Drugs Devices Epidemiology/Infection control Tips Politics Feel good du jour Comic relief Perspective/Poem Bits of beauty
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.
New posts:
Run Into a Rabid Animal? What to Know
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/971878
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Nontuberculous (Atypical) Mycobacterial Lung Disease Challenging to Treat
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/971985
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The Gridiron Club Dinner Was a Predictable Superspreader Event
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/972051
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What’s Causing A Sudden Outbreak Of Hepatitis In Kids In Europe And The US?’
News
The 7-day average of new daily COVID-19 cases is 33,691, with 513 daily deaths, according to the New York Times tracker.
Daily case counts are up 22% in the past 2 weeks.
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Going into the holiday weekend…
East Coast has HIGH community transmission of #Covid19. It is horrifying we are heading into holiday weekend w/ no mask mandates, decreased Covid testing, and leaders misleading everyone that Covid risk is low.
— Myra Batchelder – Still masking! (@myrabatchelder) April 15, 2022
Look at the bright red East Coast below! https://t.co/iKIy68WFgy pic.twitter.com/mHgC7RFXtm
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New York reports on emergence of Omicron subvariants
The New York State Department of Health today announced the emergence of two Omicron subvariants in New York State, BA.2.12 and BA.2.12.1. Both variants are sub-lineages of BA.2, which now accounts for 80.6% of COVID-19 infections in New York. The subvariants have been estimated to have a 23% – 27% growth advantage above the original BA.2 variant.
http://outbreaknewstoday.com/new-york-reports-on-emergence-of-omicron-subvariants-81368/
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CDC extends travel mask requirement to May 3 as COVID rises
The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it is extending the nationwide mask requirement for airplanes and public transit for 15 days as it monitors an uptick in COVID-19 cases.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-04-cdc-mask-requirement-covid.html?
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COVID-19 inflammation-not SARS-CoV-2-may be behind loss of smell
Local COVID-related inflammation, rather than the virus itself, may cause the common early symptom of loss of smell, according to a postmortem study published yesterday in JAMA Neurology.
Johns Hopkins researchers led the multicenter study, which involved examining the olfactory bulb at the base of the brain of 23 deceased COVID-19 patients and 14 matched controls who died of other causes from Apr 7, 2020, to Sep 11, 2021.
lead author Cheng-Ying Ho, MD, PhD, said that COVID-19 decedents had more severe vascular injury and far fewer axons in the olfactory bulb-particularly those with diminished or total loss of smell, “strongly suggesting that these effects aren’t age related and therefore, are linked to SARS-CoV-2 infection.”
Ho said she was surprised that, despite nerve and vascular damage in COVID-19 decedents, most had no detectable SARS-CoV-2 virus particles in the olfactory bulb. “Our findings suggest that SARS-CoV-2 infection of the olfactory epithelium leads to inflammation, which in turn, damages the neurons, reduces the numbers of axons available to send signals to the brain, and results in the olfactory bulb becoming dysfunctional,” she said.
In a JAMA Neurology audio interview, Ho said that long-term loss of smell occurs in about 1% of people and may be preventable. “If inflammation is the major cause of the injury in olfactory structures, it is possible that we may be able to use anti-inflammatory agent as the treatment,” she said.
Apr 11 JAMA Neurol study and audio interview
Apr 11 Johns Hopkins Medicine press release
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/04/news-scan-apr-12-2022
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A way to prevent loss of smell and taste from COVID-19
Loss of smell and taste-a hallmark symptom of COVID-19-was not on the minds of a group of Yale School of Medicine researchers when they embarked on a study in the spring of 2020.
The scientists, led by Joseph Vinetz, MD, an infectious diseases specialist, were interested to find out if an oral medication used to treat pancreatitis could reduce the viral load (the amount of virus in your body) of SARS-CoV-2 and improve symptoms in people newly diagnosed with COVID-19.
The study, which is available on a preprint site and has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, ran from June 2020 to April 2021. It showed that the medication, called camostat mesylate, did little to lessen viral load. But, to the researchers’ surprise, it brought a different type of benefit. “The patients who received the drug didn’t lose any sense of smell or taste. That was a ‘wow’ factor,” says Dr. Vinetz.
This matters because loss of smell, known as anosmia, and loss of taste are common COVID-19 symptoms. For many, the senses return as the infection fades. But for others, the effect lingers in varying degrees. (With the omicron variant, those symptoms can still occur, but not as often as it has with other variants.)
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-04-loss-covid-.html
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Vision-Threatening Retinal Condition Linked to COVID-19
– Rates of rare retinal vein occlusion jumped after infection, although overall numbers remain low
https://www.medpagetoday.com/ophthalmology/generalophthalmology/98212?
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Acute Upper Airway Disease in Children With the Omicron (B.1.1.529) Variant of SARS-CoV-2-A Report From the US National COVID Cohort Collaborative
SARS-CoV-2-positive pediatric UAI rates increased during the Omicron surge. More than one-fifth of children hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 and UAI developed severe disease. Given the high proportion of UAI cases during the Omicron period, these results appear to support recent mechanistic reports. A limitation of this analysis is that diagnosis codes will only be present for completed encounters; as such, children who are still hospitalized are not represented, and the frequency of severe disease observed in the Omicron period may be an underestimate.
Children with severe UAI are at risk of cardiac arrest from rapid-onset upper airway obstruction. They may require therapies typically provided in intensive care units, including frequent administration of nebulized racemic epinephrine, helium-oxygen mixtures, and intubation. While the rate of SARS-CoV-2 pediatric UAI is not overwhelmingly high, understanding this new clinical phenotype and the potential for acute upper airway obstruction may help guide therapeutic decision-making.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2791278
Diagnostics:
Rising infections, no more free tests: how ‘living with COVID’ could affect case numbers in England
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The FDA has issued an emergency use authorization for a device that can detect COVID-19 in breath samples.
— The Associated Press (@AP) April 15, 2022
The FDA says the device is 91.2% accurate at identifying positive test samples and 99.3% accurate at identifying negative test samples.https://t.co/wQMZHKI37n
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"MinuteClinics charge upwards of $100 for in-person or telehealth appointments to examine patients and prescribe an antiviral, if needed." "Even if they can afford it, finding treatment might be impossible."… https://t.co/K9eR1n3X2e
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) April 15, 2022
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I also looked for covid testing appointments at every single CVS MinuteClinic shown on the test-to-treat map in DC, Maryland, and Virginia, just over 100 clinics total.
— Hannah Recht (@hannah_recht) April 15, 2022
Only *half* listed any future testing appointments available.
Another software bug, per the spokesperson.
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“A simple stool test can tell recovered Covid-19 patients their risks of suffering the effects of #LongCovid with 90% accuracy, researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong have found.” https://t.co/7yyYYhR9aD
— charlos (@loscharlos) April 11, 2022
Drugs and Vaccines:
Study tracks COVID-19 antibodies over time
The antibodies generated by Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine rise more slowly and decline more quickly than those generated by the Moderna vaccine, according to a new study from UVA Health. The study also finds that older recipients of the Pfizer vaccine generated fewer antibodies than did younger recipients-but this wasn’t the case for Moderna, where age did not appear to be a factor.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-04-tracks-covid-antibodies.html?
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Fourth Pfizer Dose Averts Most Severe COVID Outcomes in Older Adults
– But expert questions what the ultimate goal of boosters should be
https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19vaccine/98200?
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Already got COVID? Vaccines, boosters up to 68% effective against hospitalization from reinfection, CDC study shows
Immunity from a bout of COVID-19 may provide some protection against the virus, but a new study suggests it may not be enough to keep you out of the hospital.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-04-covid-vaccines-boosters-effective-hospitalization.html?
Devices:
Keep masking – especially indoors. Covid’s not over!
Long Covid can follow even minor infections.
Epidemiology/Infection control:
People at risk of future heart disease and stroke may be at greater risk for severe COVID-19
New research to be presented at this year’s European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) in Lisbon, Portugal (23-26 April), suggests that people with elevated risk of developing a stroke or heart attack over the next 10 years (but without existing cardiovascular disease [CVD]) who contract COVID-19, are nearly three times as likely to be hospitalized and require treatment in intensive care, and six times as likely to die from COVID-19, compared to those at low cardiovascular risk.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-04-people-future-heart-disease-greater.html?
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Brazilian study finds COVID-19 cases and deaths higher in areas with electoral support for President Bolsonaro
In a study to be presented at this year’s European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) in Lisbon, Portugal (23-26 April), researchers from Sociedade Mineira de Infectologia and Associação Mineira de Epidemiologia e Controle de Infecções show a correlation between the Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s denialist attitude to COVID-19 and higher COVID-19 incidence and mortality.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-04-brazilian-covid-cases-deaths-higher.html?
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Wastewater surveillance versus detected/reported cases
— Abraar Karan (@AbraarKaran) April 15, 2022
Ignoring cases is a foolish strategy pic.twitter.com/2RL8rCCFi6
Tips, general reading for public:
Ventilate.
Wear a good mask.
Ignore certain pundits telling you “We are no longer prioritizing avoiding the virus over living our lives.” Care for the most vulnerable.
2020: Stay Home
— Rod Farva's litre of cola (@RodKahx) April 16, 2022
2021: Get vaccinated
2022: Yay, Covid is over
2023: Why didn't you tell us that even a mild infection can leave a long lasting disability?
Politics:
How the Test-to-Treat Pillar of the US Covid Strategy Is Failing Patients https://t.co/OqYQRUfoEU via @khnews
— Liz Szabo (@LizSzabo) April 15, 2022
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Yesterday, I tweeted that the mask mandate on US airplane flights should not end on April 18th. Here is why. I measured CO2 on airplane flights. On boarding and exiting CO2 levels are 2,200 to 2,400ppm. This means 4-5% of the air you breathe comes from somebody else’s lungs.
— Jim Rosenthal (@JimRosenthal4) April 10, 2022
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NEW: Cities across California spent more Covid relief money on law enforcement than on housing, health, food and other direct aid. Some gave the majority or close to 100% of the stimulus funds to police.
— Sam Levin (@SamTLevin) April 7, 2022
Thread on what I found from CA's major cities ⬇️https://t.co/KtLH3qRKzz
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Eight years later:
— Leah Sottile (@Leah_Sottile) April 12, 2022
✅ cattle still out there illegally grazing
✅ two Bundy sons have run/ are running for Governor
✅ Ammon Bundy started the People’s Rights movement
✅ journalists who’ve covered this movement have aged by 1000 years https://t.co/YPLNNqSWSK
GOP
Jewish Law allows a woman to terminate a pregnancy if the mother's physical or emotional health is jeopardized. Does Freedom of Religion apply in states that have banned abortion or does the religious freedom law only apply to Christians?
— B. Malter (@BruceDoggie1) April 12, 2022
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https://twitter.com/jennycohn1/status/1513943299106684932?s=20&t=Vt6syqt1-XqPDta4wmBkVA
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Woke up to daughter's text-Good morning I was not shot on the subway.
— julia duffy (@mybadauditions) April 12, 2022
Deeply disturbed ppl can get a gun but I'm in a national registry for purchasing Sudafed.
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.@JDVance1 told me in 2016 that he thought Trump might be “America’s Hitler.”
— Josh McLaurin (@JoshforGeorgia) April 14, 2022
My, how things apparently change. https://t.co/0MQM1QwPCl
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It’s chilling to see a US Senator propose a plan in writing to ignore the will of the voters & steal an election. That’s precisely what this is. https://t.co/GrNNT3xA2I
— Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) April 16, 2022
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Trump called them 'losers' and 'suckers'. Marjorie Taylor Greene says joining the U.S. military Is ‘like throwing your life away.’ Now, tell me again, who are the 'Patriots'?
— Don Lewis (@DonLew87) April 14, 2022
Voting
How to combat voter suppression? @DavidPepper: get creative about voter registration: "Turn every soup kitchen, recreation center, health clinic, and library into voter reg. places." McDonalds in OH used to have a reg form on every Happy Meal tray. https://t.co/0rJNCT3PVV
— Ruth Ben-Ghiat (@ruthbenghiat) April 16, 2022
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He's been removed for potential voter fraud. If they prove voter fraud, what punishment will he receive? What punishment did two white guys from The Villages receive? How about Crystal Mason?https://t.co/X3pQlCV6jR
— Rena Korb (@rena_korb) April 13, 2022
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And then there's this woman, sentenced to prison: https://t.co/Bm99RJaJkR
— Patt Morrison (@pattmlatimes) April 15, 2022
Russia
"The Post’s publisher, Fred Ryan, said in a statement praising the writer’s courage, 'No one should be deceived by the Russian government’s trumped-up charges and smears, and Kara-Murza should be released immediately'."https://t.co/CNRAJZag65
— Rachel Maddow MSNBC (@maddow) April 12, 2022
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“When some leaders ask me what weapons I need, I need a moment to calm myself, because I already told them the week before. It’s Groundhog Day. I feel like Bill Murray.” Volodymyr @ZelenskyyUa : The Worst May Be Ahead of Us – The Atlantic https://t.co/9mwjghAvGB
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) April 15, 2022
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An activist in Ivanovo named Dmitry Silin has been charged with the administrative offense of “discrediting Russia’s military” because he handed out free copies of George Orwell’s 1984. Welcome to Russia in 2022, everyone. https://t.co/QPYyIJTVwp pic.twitter.com/SunXxpex09
— Kevin Rothrock (@KevinRothrock) April 14, 2022
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Last night Sean Hannity asked Trump if what Putin was doing in Ukraine was evil. Against images of dead bodies lining the streets, he couldn’t do it. And the reason he couldn’t do it is simple. Donald Trump is also evil.
— Rob Reiner (@robreiner) April 14, 2022
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Meet the activists who projected a giant Ukrainian flag on Russia's Embassy in D.C. https://t.co/S0ncLSytBJ
— toomas hendrik ilves (@IlvesToomas) April 15, 2022
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— Ukrainian Memes Forces (@uamemesforces) April 14, 2022
Texas
Remember when Abbott said he’d eliminate rape?
— Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) April 4, 2022
Since he took office, the rate for solved rape cases has dropped by nearly 50%. Over 5,000 rape kits are sitting untested. And he banned abortion even in instances of rape.
His proclamations and symbolic gestures aren’t cutting it. https://t.co/OKZ2KRPZtk
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Now, Ms. Herrera should sue the absolute shit out of the hospital and individual staff members who violated her right to medical privacy under HIPAA and falsely and maliciously accused her of the commission of a crime.
— The Hoarse Whisperer (@TheRealHoarse) April 10, 2022
Sue those assholes into the ground. Go for their licenses. https://t.co/4zScrjWPU6
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https://twitter.com/antifaoperative/status/1512807847947644929?s=20&t=Vt6syqt1-XqPDta4wmBkVA
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By weaponizing hospitals, Texas has ensured the deaths of women frightened to go to the E.R. with the onslaught of a miscarriage or excruciating pain of an ectopic pregnancy.
— Shelby Kent-Stewart ™ (@ShelbyKStewart) April 10, 2022
This is not pro-life, it's pro-murder.
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Children in foster care are 42% more likely to die than children in the general population, according to a study referenced in a Texas report that says more than 100 children have died in Texas since 2020 while in the state’s child welfare system. https://t.co/ElxN8tRib7
— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) April 10, 2022
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All commercial traffic both into and out of Mexico has been halted at the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge — the third busiest land port of entry in the country — due to @GovAbbott’s declaration that trucks be inspected by DPS after crossing & passing thru CBP inspections. pic.twitter.com/Ks9R71ht90
— Dina Arévalo (@PhotogDina) April 11, 2022
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This is what it looks like when a Republican governor sabotages supply chains in order to hurt a sitting Democratic president. pic.twitter.com/R3BulX1WtQ
— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@NoLieWithBTC) April 14, 2022
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BREAKING: Supermarkets nationwide are facing fresh produce shortages within days — over $150,000,000 worth of produce is halted at the Texas-Mexico border right now because of Greg Abbott. The United States relies on Mexico for over half of its vegetables, per @business.
— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@NoLieWithBTC) April 14, 2022
Florida
Heads up: The Republican-controlled Florida legislature will not redraw its congressional map — the GOP yielded its redistricting role to Ron DeSantis, who will draft a version that he himself will then sign.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) April 12, 2022
DeSantis wants to carve up two largely Black districts.
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Top to bottom, this is the best letter to the editor of the week in my red county Florida
— Cathy (@CathyNotToday) April 16, 2022
Nailed it pic.twitter.com/G6OtoouKdT
Mississippi
NEW: Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves has signed a proclamations declaring April 2022 as Confederate Heritage Month.
— Ashton Pittman (@ashtonpittman) April 12, 2022
He is simultaneously declaring April as Genocide Awareness Month, though without mentioning American slavery or Native American genocide.https://t.co/6foGTVrEhh
Nebraska
NEW: The Trump-endorsed candidate for Governor of Nebraska, Charles Herbster, has just been accused by 8 women of groping, including teenagers. The incidents include reaching up women’s skirts in public and forcibly kissing them. One of the women is a Republican state senator.
— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@NoLieWithBTC) April 14, 2022
LGBTQ
https://twitter.com/Esqueer_/status/1512571612880588805?s=20&t=Vt6syqt1-XqPDta4wmBkVA
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First Florida. Then Alabama. Now, lawmakers in Ohio and Louisiana.
— NPR (@NPR) April 10, 2022
Across the United States, at least a dozen states are considering legislation that mimics Florida's new controversial law, referred to by some opponents as "Don't Say Gay."https://t.co/mLQ5PD23rW
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In an unusual move, the U.S. military service is offering medical and legal aid to affected personnel — or a way to leave those states entirely. https://t.co/1YOvP7VNmb # via @HuffPostPol
— Drew Lewis (@drewlewismd) April 15, 2022
Khashoggi/Jared
Six months after leaving the White House, Jared Kushner secured a $2 billion investment from a fund led by the Saudi crown prince, a close ally during the Trump administration, despite objections from the fund’s advisers about the merits of the deal. https://t.co/FDlmrzvYdw pic.twitter.com/OHfyPVHsHN
— The New York Times (@nytimes) April 10, 2022
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https://twitter.com/JoyAnnReid/status/1513694086682849292?s=20&t=Vt6syqt1-XqPDta4wmBkVA
Amazon, PG&E, corporations
“”He's not smart, or articulate."
— Saeed Jones (@theferocity) April 2, 2022
Those were the words used by a top Amazon lawyer to describe former warehouse worker Chris Smalls.” https://t.co/2IdJly43Jf
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PG&E caused four deadly fires in California over the last decade.
— Dan Price (@DanPriceSeattle) April 12, 2022
Then last year the company caused the state's 2nd-biggest fire ever and it paid a $55 million settlement to avoid criminal charges.
Its CEO was rewarded with a $51.2 million pay packagehttps://t.co/EPOrUrAmLo
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Inflation is rising, yes.
— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) April 12, 2022
But corporations are using it as a smokescreen to hike prices even higher and pad their wallets. https://t.co/pvOln296DA
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Rapid PCR tests at the airport cost $250 a pop and insurance doesn’t cover them. Our state government no longer tests unless you have symptoms. PCR results are required for travel. The pandemic has officially become a giant opportunity for price gauging and profit accumulation.
— Thea Riofrancos (@triofrancos) April 14, 2022
Feel good du jour:
https://twitter.com/dodo/status/1514619497277177856?s=20&t=Vt6syqt1-XqPDta4wmBkVA
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Betty White on her sixth birthday, 1928. pic.twitter.com/59molQbapL
— Jerry Whitney (@theharpoonman) April 12, 2022
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Cars were killing salamanders. A student got the road closed to save them https://t.co/BQ67GfZucl
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) April 17, 2022
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This dog knows 40 commands and can play cards. A hospital hired him. https://t.co/TglyROi0pc
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) April 17, 2022
Outreach work such as visiting primary schools is not really valued in UK universities & at least part of that is that you can't slap a simple metric on the outcome.
— Dr Susannah Lydon (@susieoftraken) April 9, 2022
There is simply no way I can measure the long-term impact I have on a class of 5 year olds.
2/3
Comic relief:
pretty funny thread
Someone on Quora asked “Why do some British people not like Donald Trump?” Nate White, an articulate and witty writer from England wrote the following response:
— James Tate (@JamesTate121) April 13, 2022
A few things spring to mind. 1/15
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This is Penelopii. She just discovered trampolines. Why did no one tell her about this? 14/10 pic.twitter.com/6nwS8ZC2sx
— WeRateDogs® (@dog_rates) April 5, 2022
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https://twitter.com/buitengebieden_/status/1515397416001970184?s=20&t=kl2-3lIZm6yVeV_SvdrYMQ
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https://twitter.com/buitengebieden_/status/1513609813384650759?s=20&t=kl2-3lIZm6yVeV_SvdrYMQ
Perspective/Poem
Why we can't stop saying gay, a story
— Rhian Beutler (@rhiankatie) April 6, 2022
On the first day of my senior year of high school, a new boy showed up in my AP English class.
He had transferred from a prestigious private school to my public school, and I was confused.
I asked him why he moved and he shrugged
1/x
Excellent thread. Rest here: https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1511774723335618562.html
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Rana Arab-Jewish women’s Choir – “Had Gadya” / 15th Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day Ceremony
Listen all the way through…or start ~3:30 for a new take on this traditional Passover song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPzG62Y3l4M
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Please read this Wendell Berry: pic.twitter.com/2tJPEIYxtl
— Maya C. Popa (@MayaCPopa) April 14, 2022
Bits of beauty:
