Coronavirus Tidbits #191 5/8/22
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.
News
The map on the L is what CDC wants you to see. The map on the R is what you need to see. The map on the L says all but 13% of US is low risk. The map on the R says only 13% is low risk. Hosps have increased 20% over the last 2 weeks. Get boosted & wear a mask in crowded spaces. pic.twitter.com/cUDn8WMink
— Jonathan Reiner (@JReinerMD) May 6, 2022
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Important thread (see Drugs)
I'm very concerned that we are seeing rebound of active, replicating and likely infectious virus occurring frequently after COVID-19 oral treatment
— Michael Mina (@michaelmina_lab) May 2, 2022
This may call for a 8 or 10 day course of treatment rather than 5 days
Here's what I think is happening and what we should do
1/
After ending treatment, if virus rebounds w a strong positive, it is the same virus It is actively replicating/causing test to go from Neg to Pos. It should be considered infectious.
? is also if people should take Paxlovid for 10 days.
Do NOT stop isolation at 5 days. Go for at least 5 more days after stopping Paxlovid and have a negative rapid test.
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Could modifying our microbiome or its metabolites be therapeutic, including against #LongCovid? A first-rate, in-depth review of this potential targethttps://t.co/f5FnM6Dhi1
— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) April 30, 2022
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Severe #COVID19 illness ages the brain 20 years, and recovery, if it occurs at all, is long and slow.
— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) May 3, 2022
This London study follows others showing that even very mild COVID cases get brain gray mater shrinkage.
Bottom line: You do not want to get infected.https://t.co/BUL2cHiUtw
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https://twitter.com/MackayIM/status/1521706252413267968?s=20&t=gtjTg8VQiD246a9rFxtYbQ
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#Omicron as severe as other COVID variants -large U.S. study https://t.co/8KecHTX8Df
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) May 6, 2022
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There is an association of SARS-CoV-2 with appendicitis.
— Devon McDonald (@McDevonMD) May 3, 2022
Required urgent surgery. So mild.https://t.co/d3TQfuAgIzhttps://t.co/HWdUoLoGpv
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Quite the thread--worth a read on how we are grossly underestimating impact of Covid by not measuring it.
Only hospitalization for/with COVID is being tracked, so subsequent visits to hospital are unlikely to be attributed to COVID, though they are almost certainly related. Loss of her professional services/income. Cost of treatment. Absence from school. Mental health impacts. Etc.
— Devon McDonald (@McDevonMD) May 3, 2022
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Media: @JReinerMD on infections and the #WHCAdinner (https://t.co/UlDRMNSA7R): "That was an unforced error." @whca's fundraiser "is a privileged environment. Getting almost 3,000 people in that ballroom in a sort of self-congratulatory way was the wrong public health message." pic.twitter.com/tAaJdTLE6I
— Porter Anderson (@Porter_Anderson) May 7, 2022
Secretary of State Blinken tested positive after dinner. Too dangerous to have our leaders at a likely superspreader event. They did have to test that day, but still unsafe. And why did they turn down the offer of a UV light system from Don Milton at UMD?
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Herpes Zoster Risk Increased by 15% Following COVID-19
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, several case reports have been published describing Herpes Zoster (HZ) cases in COVID-19 patients.
As a SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection can result in T-cell immune dysfunction, it was hypothesized that this could trigger latent HZ reactivation.
A recent peer-reviewed study was the first large, retrospective cohort study designed to investigate the hypothesis that COVID-19 could increase the risk of HZ.
This study found that older adults diagnosed with COVID-19 have a 15% increased risk of developing HZ than those never diagnosed with COVID-19.
And the increased HZ risk was more pronounced (21%) following COVID-19 hospitalization.
These findings highlight the importance of getting and maintaining HZ immunization.
https://www.precisionvaccinations.com/herpes-zoster-risk-increased-15-following-covid-19
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White House Correspondents Dinner 2022
— JusDayDa (@JusDayDa) May 4, 2022
Outdoors 2022
CO2 is 420-450parts per million (ppm)
Every exhaled breath is 20-40,000ppm
CO2 in room
800ppm ~1% previously inside other peoples lungs
1,150 ~2%
1,550 ~3%
1,925 ~4%
2,300 ~5% (WHCD exceeded this when people ate)
2,700 ~6% pic.twitter.com/R5jFUU1EtS
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Long Covid:
This is damning. 1 in 12 triple vaxxed infections develop into long COVID.
— Megan Ben Dor Ruthven (@_mbdr_) May 6, 2022
The vax lowers your chance of long COVID, but critically, it doesn't eliminate it. That's an incredibly important point for your quality of life.
Source: UK's @ONS https://t.co/0q4FH3ZETv pic.twitter.com/izdvIjTc6Z
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Online health and wellbeing program for shortness of breath using singing | EurekAlert! https://t.co/TF05iRhdfm #LongCovid cc @ahandvanish
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) May 1, 2022
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Ok. As promised, here is a super-🧵 on cognition and #LongCovid. This will be a combination of published material and things that we have observed in-clinic. This is not intended to be definitive nor epidemiological and so it is highly likely that your personal experience (1/n)
— Putrino Lab (@PutrinoLab) May 1, 2022
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Adenovirus:
https://twitter.com/HelenBranswell/status/1522695533210615809?s=20&t=gtjTg8VQiD246a9rFxtYbQ
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https://twitter.com/HelenBranswell/status/1522631045316853762?s=20&t=pJnpHA5g1qygCipkrQn7Cg
Diagnostics:
still an incredible, negligent last of testing.
Drugs and Vaccines:
Drug interactions w Paxlovid:
Many of the drug interactions with Paxlovid can be managed. @IDSAInfo created this tool to help with the most commonly prescribed meds.
— Jason Gallagher (@JGPharmD) May 6, 2022
It isn’t everything- important interactions occur with transplant meds and others. But of the top 100 meds only a few can’t be managed. 1/ https://t.co/YqJrPK77Ts
and if you are on a statin, you can stop it for the 5 days you take Paxlovid
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Rebound w Paxlovid
from Dr. Michael Mina:
When a drug is measured in a drug trial for its ability to limit virus replication in the body it isn't just the drug & virus interaction that is being measured Nope. The drug's ability to eliminate virus from the body is being measured **in context of the immune system**
This is critical bc if immunity is able to tackle some of the virus then even if there is a minimal amount of live virus left at the end of a 5 day treatment then when the treatment is stopped, those last remnants can be dealt with by the immune system
However, if the existing immunity (from vax or prior infection) is NOT good at limiting virus replication in the respiratory tract **as is the case with Omicron** Then when the drugs are stopped, if there remain some live virus, the leftover virus can start to grow quickly!
This is partly bc during the 5 day treatment, the immune system doesnt have to try so hard to find a good way to kill off the virus on it's own - the drug is doing the work for it! So, when you remove the drug, the 2 arms of the immune system may still be asleep at the wheel.
Combined 1) The immune system may be a bit asleep at the wheel (thanks to drugs doing the heavy lifting) 2) Plus we have a virus that v immune evasive even when immunity is at full steam --> any residual virus left after treatment is like a whole new high dose exposure
This is then further compounded by the fact that Omicron and the newer variants are VERY HIGHLY INFECTIOUS. They likely require only a rather low infectious dose (small amount of virus) to start replicating fast and furiously and get ahead of immunity.
w Omicron, these 3 issues are colliding in a way they didn't during trials - during Delta w Delta: 1) immunity still could take a back seat to the drug during 5 days of treatment, but 2) the virus was much less immune evasive & 3) less efficient at infection/replication
So even though Paxlovid works just as well to limit Omicron as it does Delta on a "drug to virus basis" in a petri dish... I believe Paxlovid in the trials was also benefitting from any lingering DELTA virus being eliminated better by IMMUNITY when some virus remained after
So... what to do about this? FIRST: We must study and measure the true incidence of rebound of the virus after treatment In trials, rebound was about 2% but was essentially the same regardless of whether ppl got Paxlovid or not SECOND: we should consider a 10 day course
Although a 5 day course was successful at eliminating the virus in the trials - that was with DELTA! It is likely that a 5 day course may not be sufficient for OMICRON bc the same level of immune system participation doesn't occur as effectively to clear Omicron (vs Delta).
If this turns out to be the case, and it turns out that 10 or 15% of people are experiencing rebound after 5 days of Paxlovid (I won't be surprised) We should expect there is actually quite a high risk of becoming infectious/sick after the 5 days treatment
It will be prudent for FDA to potentially move to making the treatment duration 10 days In this case, people should be free to exit isolation once negative on a rapid test - but, critically, they should continue taking the drugs all the way through Day 10.
For now, the best you can do if you become infected and take Paxlovid is: Consider having a few home rapid tests (doesn't matter what brand) and test on days 2, 3, 4 after paxlovid. This will let you know if you are rebouding and becoming infectious and at risk again
If you do, you MAY become symptomatic. If so, you may have to, unfortunately, treat it like a new infection Yes you may be infectious May even lose sense of smell or have respiratory issues Good thing is - treatments and Vax are still working Very very well for most ppl
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Pfizer’s Covid-19 Pill Failed Study Testing Its Preventive Use
Paxlovid, authorized to treat high-risk people early in infection, didn’t meaningfully reduce illness in exposed adults
The Covid-19 pill from Pfizer Inc. failed to prevent symptomatic infections in adults who had been exposed to the pandemic virus, a late-stage study found.
Pfizer said Friday that the drug, named Paxlovid, failed the study’s main objective of meaningfully reducing the risk of confirmed and symptomatic Covid-19 infections in adults who were exposed to the virus by someone in their household.
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J&J COVID-19 Vaccine Access Limited by U.S. FDA
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced it had limited the authorized use of the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine to individuals 18 years of age and older for whom other authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccines are not accessible or clinically appropriate and to adults who elect to receive the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine because they would otherwise not receive an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.
'After conducting an updated analysis, evaluation, and investigation of reported cases, the FDA determined that the risk of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), a syndrome of rare and potentially life-threatening blood clots in combination with low levels of blood platelets with the onset of symptoms approximately one to two weeks following administration of the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine, warrants limiting the authorized use of the vaccine,' stated the FDA.
The FDA has determined that the reporting rate of TTS is 3.23 per million doses of vaccine administered.
And the reporting rate of TTS deaths is 0.48 per million doses of vaccine administered.
As of today, the World Health Organization and the European Medicines Agency have not issued similar authorization changes.
https://www.precisionvaccinations.com/2022/05/05/jj-covid-19-vaccine-access-limited-us-fda
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COVID vaccine materials written at too-high reading level
--at more than a 10th-grade reading level. At least 25% of the US population currently has very low-level reading skills and is unable to comprehend a bus schedule or medication and cleaning-product labels, the authors said.
For the general population, a 7th-grade reading level is required for understanding educational material.
May 3 Vaccine study
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/05/news-scan-may-03-2022
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https://twitter.com/celinegounder/status/1522702687061557248?s=20&t=95M16kHOn71ig7A-t-KuAg
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“Lambda interferons are type 3 interferons, which have receptors mainly on epithelial surfaces, such as those lining the respiratory tract” https://t.co/5jpUYBY36h
— Amesh Adalja (@AmeshAA) May 7, 2022
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White House documents detail a looming squeeze on #COVID19 #vaccine boosters https://t.co/sncKC7JRen via @statnews
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) May 8, 2022
Devices/Masks:
Hidden benefit: Facemasks may reduce severity of COVID-19 and pressure on health systems, researchers find
McMaster University researchers who study the dynamics of infectious disease transmission have investigated the population-level consequences of a potentially significant––and unobvious––benefit of wearing masks.
For the study, the researchers developed a model to investigate COVID-19 "variolation"––an incidental but potentially beneficial form of immunization achieved by inhaling smaller doses of the virus than would be inhaled without a mask.
A form of variolation was deliberately used in the 18th century to control smallpox. It involved infecting a healthy individual with small doses of the live virus taken from a dried scab or pustule of a person infected with smallpox. Variolated individuals often experienced far less severe disease than those who were infected naturally, but nevertheless were immune to further infection.
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, it was suggested that people who were infected while masked might experience mild illness and could be considered "variolated".
The new mathematical model allows researchers to estimate the potential impact of this effect on the population as a whole.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-05-hidden-benefit-facemasks-severity-covid-.html
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CDC restates recommendation that all Americans aged 2 and older wear masks on public transportation; it's not legally binding pic.twitter.com/uDodAyFSJF
— BNO|Medriva Newsroom (@medriva) May 3, 2022
Epidemiology/Infection control:
International study finds nearly 13% of COVID-19 hospitalized patients had serious neurologic symptoms
Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) studied 16,225 patients from 179 hospitals in 24 countries as part of the Society for Critical Care Medicine's Viral Infection and Respiratory Illness University Study.
The researchers found nearly 13 percent
of patients admitted for COVID-19 in the first year of the pandemic developed serious neurologic manifestations. Specifically, 1,656 (10.2 percent) had encephalopathy (any diffuse disease of the brain that alters brain function or structure) at admission, 331 (2.0 percent) had a stroke, 243 (1.5 percent) had a seizure, and 73 (0.5 percent) had meningitis or encephalitis at admission or during hospitalization.
Additionally, they discovered all serious neurologic manifestations were associated with increased disease severity, greater need for ICU interventions, longer length of stay, ventilator use and higher mortality.
Black patients had an increased frequency of stroke, seizure and encephalopathy when compared with white patients.
https://www.eurekalert.org/
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Severe COVID-19 may cause 10-point IQ drop, 20-year brain aging
Cognitive impairment from severe COVID-19 is equivalent to losing 10 IQ points or 20 years of aging, and any recovery is slow at best, suggests a small study published late last week in eClinicalMedicine.
A team led by Imperial College London and University of Cambridge researchers tested 46 COVID-19 patients admitted to a single hospital 6 to 10 months earlier, from Mar 10 to Jul 31, 2020, and matched controls. Sixteen of the COVID-19 patients (34.8%) had required mechanical ventilation.
Participants underwent computerized cognitive assessment at an average follow-up of 6 months after their initial infection.
The tasks most affected by COVID-19 dealt with higher cognition and processing speed, which was qualitatively different from those of normal aging and dementia but comparable to those of advancing from the age of 50 to the age of 70. The patients' deficits began to lessen over time since infection, but the trend didn't achieve statistical significance.
In a University of Cambridge press release, senior author David Menon, PhD, said, "Cognitive impairment is common to a wide range of neurological disorders, including dementia, and even routine ageing, but the patterns we saw—the cognitive 'fingerprint' of COVID-19—was distinct from all of these. It is very possible that some of these individuals will never fully recover."
Apr 28 EClinicalMedicine study
May 3 University of Cambridge press release
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/05/news-scan-may-03-2022
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The Omicron Lineage
— Scott Gottlieb, MD (@ScottGottliebMD) May 4, 2022
From @EricTopol, a good high level, summary chart comparing relative properties of BA.1, BA.2, BA.2.12.1 and BA.4 and BA.5. pic.twitter.com/UFkg7VMuid
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Tips, general reading for public:
Ventilate.
Mask.
Vax.
Politics:
Covid:
“Stay angry, little Meg,” Mrs Whatsit whispered. “You will need all your anger now.”
— Madeleine L'Engle (@MadeleineLEngle) May 3, 2022
A Wrinkle in Time
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Add to this, below, that Test-to-treat also requires people to go to a drug store (while ill) and mingle with many other (likely unmasked) people. Incredibly stupid.
https://twitter.com/dianaberrent/status/1520920108801175552?s=20&t=gtjTg8VQiD246a9rFxtYbQ
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Abortion/Supremes:
Let me make something very clear to everyone in the retweets wondering why.
— Elizabeth C. McLaughlin (she/her) (@ECMcLaughlin) May 3, 2022
Peter Thiel has already sold data tracking the locations of marginalized people to the government.https://t.co/j7iCjQCdqa
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The Supreme Court has voted to strike down Roe v. Wade, according to an initial draft majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito and obtained by POLITICO.
— POLITICO (@politico) May 3, 2022
“We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” Alito writes. https://t.co/nl3JFLx9xg
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So let me get this straight- one leak from the SCOTUS and the marshal is called in to investigate by Chief Justice Roberts but a sitting justice's wife literally plotted to overthrow the government and no investigation? Interesting.
— David Hogg ☮️ (@davidhogg111) May 4, 2022
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The fact that I know more about Johnny Depp’s and Amber Heard’s relationship than I do about the crimes committed by Ginni and Clarence Thomas shows exactly what is terribly wrong with today’s political mainstream media.
— Andrea Junker (@Strandjunker) May 2, 2022
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As we’ve warned, SCOTUS isn’t just coming for abortion - they’re coming for the right to privacy Roe rests on, which includes gay marriage + civil rights.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 3, 2022
Manchin is blocking Congress codifying Roe. House has seemingly forgotten about Clarence Thomas. These 2 points must change https://t.co/5Isec0osV0
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Alito's draft opinion explicitly criticizes Lawrence v. Texas (legalizing sodomy) and Obergefell v. Hodges (legalizing same-sex marriage). He says that, like abortion, these decisions protect phony rights that are not "deeply rooted in history." https://t.co/4690k0KG1F pic.twitter.com/urF7A02INU
— Mark Joseph Stern (@mjs_DC) May 3, 2022
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861 people died as a result of pregnancy in 2020. This number is up 18% compared to 2019.
— Dr. Theresa Chapple (@Theresa_Chapple) May 3, 2022
We cant be forcing carrying pregnancies when we cant even keep people alive during childbirth.
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A reminder: Two presidents who became president despite losing the popular vote appointed five of nine Supreme Court nominees, including Samuel Alito, who wrote yesterday’s leaked draft opinion.
— Julia Ioffe (@juliaioffe) May 3, 2022
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Thinking about the many times Justices Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett assured the Senate Judiciary Committee and the American people that Roe v. Wade was “established precedent.” I didn’t believe them, but they said it under oath.
— Rep. Don Beyer (@RepDonBeyer) May 3, 2022
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What does it mean for rule of law in America if nominees to the Supreme Court feel free to say things that they may not actually believe during public confirmation hearings and to Senators in private as a tactic to get confirmed?
— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) May 3, 2022
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They lied. Amy Handmaid Barrett and Keg Kavanaugh lied under oath. That’s perjury and a motive for impeachment. Clarence Thomas is involved in right wing politics via his wife who encouraged a coup to overturn an election, motive for impeachment. https://t.co/wHOGjgUyaA
— Jamie Schler (@lifesafeast) May 3, 2022
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You can’t understand the court overturning Roe without understanding the role racism has played in the rise of the religious right and no reporter should report on this without talking about what may come next: Rulings against civil rights.
— Ida Bae Wells (@nhannahjones) May 3, 2022
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Any right-wing state powerful enough to jail you for having an abortion is powerful enough to compel you to have one and sterilize you.
— Rep. Jamie Raskin (@RepRaskin) May 3, 2022
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A woman dies every 8 minutes from an unsafe abortion. -@WHO
— Dr. Aditi Nerurkar MD MPH (@draditinerurkar) May 3, 2022
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The Supreme Court won’t force you to wear a mask in a pandemic — but it’ll force you to bear a child.
— Tristan Snell (@TristanSnell) May 3, 2022
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So let me get this right: I don’t get to tell you to wear a mask during a pandemic… but YOU can make me carry a pregnancy I don’t want or that isn’t safe to term (and then of course be solely financially responsible for the baby)? Oh. Cool cool.
— Jodi Picoult (@jodipicoult) May 3, 2022
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One thing I’ll say about @politico: they don’t hold vital reporting hostage until a book release
— Sam Sanders (@samsanders) May 3, 2022
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Wanted to share this piece which has a lot of local abortion funds to donate to, if you have the means and are looking for a productive way to channel your rage.https://t.co/CJ0sGHsQnj
— Arghavan Salles, MD, PhD (@arghavan_salles) May 4, 2022
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https://twitter.com/alidreith/status/1521489352370573315?s=20&t=gtjTg8VQiD246a9rFxtYbQ
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Across the country, a covert network of activists is preparing for the possibility //UPDATE: near certainty// of a post-Roe future. In @TheAtlantic’s May cover story, I reported on the abortion underground: https://t.co/WUBOfScGzF
— Jessica Bruder (@jessbruder) May 3, 2022
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BREAKING: Canada says it would allow American women to go to the country for an abortion if Roe v Wade is overturned
— PoliticsVideoChannel (@politvidchannel) May 3, 2022
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Your daily reminder that, as sovereign nations, the Supreme Court has no jurisdiction over Indian reservations, the Bureau of Indian Affairs does. Also, the BIA cannot take away a woman’s right to an abortion. #RoeVWade
— Lakota Man (@LakotaMan1) May 3, 2022
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https://twitter.com/Marcatanas1216/status/1521632900546023424?s=20&t=gtjTg8VQiD246a9rFxtYbQ
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Today is also a good day to delete any dating apps - gay or straight.
— Andrea (@BraveBosom) May 3, 2022
Because if you don't have a right to privacy, and those data can be used against you too. https://t.co/mvt3KJbXuK
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Feels like this has been largely overlooked, but Alito's draft Supreme Court opinion on abortion uses the phrase "domestic supply of infants." It's real, on page 34. DOMESTIC SUPPLY OF INFANTS. pic.twitter.com/VuQWTJ4NHd
— Brandon Friedman (@BFriedmanDC) May 6, 2022
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They’re making abortion a felony in states where felons can’t vote. It’s not a coincidence.
— Santiago Mayer (@santiagomayer_) May 7, 2022
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Credit to trashman56 on Reddit. pic.twitter.com/Y2QjBgRuFv
— Burrellh (@burrellh) May 4, 2022
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Message to SCOTUS and GOP:
Contraception:
Louisiana is voting on a bill to criminalize IUDs, and plans on charging women with murder for using them.
— Pam Keith, Esq. (@PamKeithFL) May 5, 2022
Musk:
https://twitter.com/DearAuntCrabby/status/1520491716461142018?s=20&t=gtjTg8VQiD246a9rFxtYbQ
Amazon:
Amazon ends paid leave for U.S. workers with COVID-19, replacing it with 5 days of excused, unpaid leave - Reuters
— BNO|Medriva Newsroom (@medriva) May 1, 2022
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Reuters: Amazon has told staff it will pay up to $4,000 in travel expenses annually for non-life threatening medical treatments including abortions.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) May 3, 2022
Starbucks:
Starbucks is running a scorched earth union busting campaign all over the country, feel like this should be a bigger story pic.twitter.com/k9g7mKCdpc
— Ken Klippenstein (@kenklippenstein) May 6, 2022
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GOP:
Important Reminder: @gaslitnation has a helpful 2022 Survival Guide on how to protect our democracy https://t.co/UibiNwP78J
— Andrea Chalupa (@AndreaChalupa) May 3, 2022
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Collins and Murkowski voted for a filibuster carve-out five months ago.
— Sawyer Hackett (@SawyerHackett) May 6, 2022
The entire Democratic Party should be pointing out that they have the power to nullify this decision right now by codifying Roe with a filibuster carve-out.
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As I log off, I will remind you all that the order of operations for conservative SCOTUS was important. They had to take away voting rights by eviscerating the Voting Rights Act BEFORE they could take away abortion.
— Elie Mystal (@ElieNYC) May 3, 2022
They're counting on voter suppression to blunt the backlash.
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Glad this is more out in the open and people are learning about the GOP plan to dismantle our public school system that teaches 90 percent of American kids. https://t.co/nNqf77DKeC
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) May 1, 2022
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Funny how all the “pro-life” people don’t care if Americans can’t afford life-saving insulin.
— Jack Cocchiarella (@JDCocchiarella) May 3, 2022
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.@SenRonJohnson This is a lie. You know it is a lie.
— Jay B. Varkey (@jaybvarkey) May 3, 2022
Have you no decency? Have you no honor?
Before becoming a doctor and epidemiologist, I was born and raised in Wisconsin. Your constituents deserve better. Shame on you. pic.twitter.com/NdBEbKivp3
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NEW: A photograph of Oz casting a ballot in Turkey's 2018 presidential election is rankling national security experts -- particularly after recently saying he has "never been politically involved in Turkey in any capacity."https://t.co/YEWACA4O9v
— Will Steakin (@wsteaks) May 4, 2022
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He won while in jail. A role model for Republican candidates. https://t.co/ryB28ExSrr
— Barbara Malmet (@B52Malmet) May 6, 2022
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11-year-old girls under GOP old enough to:
— Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@QasimRashid) May 6, 2022
Legally marry?
—YES, Tennessee HB 233
Charge with homicide for an abortion?
—YES, Louisiana HB 813
Learn about racism?
—NO, 31 states pass bills to ban dialogue on racism
This isn’t hyperbole. It will get worse. Vote GOP Out.
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Want to get more depressed about election shenanigans? Read this thread on the expired consent decree and voter intimidation. Start here:
https://twitter.com/DempseyTwo/status/1522554116668628992?s=20&t=gtjTg8VQiD246a9rFxtYbQ
Florida:
https://twitter.com/AaronParnas/status/1520590955660943362?s=20&t=gtjTg8VQiD246a9rFxtYbQ
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BREAKING: The Florida Retirement System invested $300 million in Russian assets. They've now lost $200 million of that. Ron DeSantis oversaw the loss of 2/3 of the pension of the state of Florida. TWO THIRDS!
— Steve Hofstetter (@SteveHofstetter) May 6, 2022
The only Russian asset still in Florida is Ron DeSantis.
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Please take 2 minutes out of your day and watch @PeteButtigieg perfectly articulate why Republicans behave the way that they do, and how it harms people more than it could ever help.
— VoteVets (@votevets) May 6, 2022
So well said, Pete. Thank you. pic.twitter.com/xe51z4I3Qy
Texas:
NEW: Texas is now losing out on a rail line from Mexico because of Greg Abbott’s border stunt— Mexico’s Economy Minister said, “We’re now not going to use Texas. We can’t leave all the eggs in one basket and be hostages to someone who wants to use trade as a political tool.”
— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@NoLieWithBTC) May 1, 2022
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Watch this space: Texas might raise the next jaw-dropping challenge to #SCOTUS -- eliminating federal mandates for public education of children, regardless of their parents' immigration status. https://t.co/0fAcRQZ6VC
— Laurie Garrett (@Laurie_Garrett) May 7, 2022
TN:
We probability shouldn't ignore the fact that USPS has an entire surveillance arm that could easily be weaponized against those pursuing this option.
— ContextFall (@ContextFall) May 6, 2022
They already use fake social media profiles and Clearview AI for facial recognition.
DeJoy shouldn't be underestimated. https://t.co/CWqhtpc56g
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And herehttps://t.co/4F0rwgASO8
— ContextFall (@ContextFall) May 6, 2022
Russia/Ukraine:
“KGB officers paid American agents to paint swastikas on synagogues to show that the United States was inhospitable to Jews. The KGB’s New York station even hired people to desecrate Jewish cemeteries…” https://t.co/MCGXEl3lhK
— John Sipher (@john_sipher) March 24, 2022
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Good to see @60Minutes covering this. The blunt truth is that the Russian invasion will kill not only Ukrainians and Russians but also children in Ethiopia and Madagascar and Bangladesh who perish from malnutrition because of grain shortages and consequent higher prices. https://t.co/cxbk51RnoV
— Nicholas Kristof (@NickKristof) May 2, 2022
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⚡️ Pope Francis willing to go meet Putin in Moscow, rules out travel to Kyiv.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) May 3, 2022
The Kremlin didn’t answer the Vatican’s offer. Pope Francis said he tried to understand Russia’s motivation to launch the war, adding that NATO’s actions may have been the cause.
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American cartoon warning that European energy dependence on the USSR would fuel Moscow's war machine, 1982. pic.twitter.com/tfHtBWhNkw
— The French History Podcast (@FrenchHist) April 29, 2022
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Russians plundered $5M worth of farm vehicles from Ukraine -- to find that they've been remotely disabledhttps://t.co/I89xvrJboX
— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) May 2, 2022
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Residents of Hostomel in Kyiv region, a town that has been a target of an initial Russian assault, painted flowers around the bullet and shrapnel holes on their fences. Yet another sign of Ukrainians' defiance and resilience.
— Olga Tokariuk (@olgatokariuk) May 3, 2022
📷 Alla Beletskaya via @HromadskeRadio pic.twitter.com/nlIBnvayKA
Feel good du jour:
The $100 bill she gave two sisters on a plane 23 years ago changed their lives. Now finding them has changed hers - CNN - Above all, be kind https://t.co/vGgPpzSlxE
— Judy Stone (@DrJudyStone) May 3, 2022
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It gets better…our @TexasChildrens vaccine center has also transferred our COVID19 vaccine technology to @biofarmaID in #Indonesia in the hope that as a vegan vaccine it might become halal as well https://t.co/A1n8UJwR0F
— Prof Peter Hotez MD PhD (@PeterHotez) May 5, 2022
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“A nonprofit organization paid the landlord $2.6 million for the property in February 2022, and plans to eventually hand it over to the tenants, who will be able to buy their apartments for $2,500 each.”
— Huaisi Cen (@HuaisiCen) May 6, 2022
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Full story here. Tenant organizing gets the goods! organize with your neighbors 🔥https://t.co/QxjHmU5sBr
— Read Abolish Rent (@JoshuaPHilll) May 6, 2022
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Perfect wave touching the clouds.. pic.twitter.com/93RsgS3YvC
— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) May 3, 2022
Comic relief:
This man built a rail cart and rides it along abandoned railroad tracks in Southern California pic.twitter.com/PPzAY4Cv0A
— Mark Tomasovic (@MarkTomasovic) May 6, 2022
My dog looks like he’s about to share a really bad political opinion pic.twitter.com/5Mo5QR1Ssx
— Rani Molla (@ranimolla) May 4, 2022
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https://twitter.com/buitengebieden/status/1522933703030321152?s=20&t=pJnpHA5g1qygCipkrQn7Cg
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https://twitter.com/buitengebieden/status/1522534962926338049?s=20&t=pJnpHA5g1qygCipkrQn7Cg
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https://twitter.com/buitengebieden/status/1522284051457052672?s=20&t=pJnpHA5g1qygCipkrQn7Cg
Perspective/Poem
Bits of beauty:
