For the first time in 5 years Covid is relatively quiet during the holiday season. The XEC variant marches on, slowly advancing as % of attributable cases. Fortunately, it's not one that poses a big challenge to our now conditioned immune response
covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-t…— Eric Topol (@erictopol.bsky.social) December 20, 2024 at 10:15 AM
I know I always say this, but seriously: Just this once, read the whole (not very long!) article. An interview with redoubtable virologist Angie Rasmussen, from NYMag, “How Worried Should We Be About the Latest Bird-Flu Mutation?”
The day after Christmas, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that it had identified new mutations to the H5N1 bird-flu virus in a “severely ill” patient in Louisiana. Health workers who swabbed the patient’s throat found mutations that help H5N1 infect the upper respiratory tract, which could potentially make the virus spread more easily in humans. While the CDC noted that there is no evidence of person-to-person transmission in this case — or anywhere yet, thankfully — the mutations were similar to those found in a teenager who tested positive for the virus in Canada in November.
When the news broke, Dr. Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization at the University of Saskatchewan, offered a measure of calm about the virus. “This doesn’t really change much in terms of estimating pandemic risk,” she wrote on X. To explain her thinking — and share what does scare her about the mutations — I asked her to expand on the latest development for the virus that is wreaking havoc in American dairy and poultry farms.
How concerned should we be about the H5N1 mutation in this person in Louisiana?
These mutations are actually not the most concerning part of the report to me. And that’s because they’ve been seen before, dating back almost 20 years, emerging in patients who’ve had severe H5N1. While they do potentially allow for the use of the so-called human receptor for seasonal influenza viruses, there’s no guarantee that these mutations would actually allow for that in the real world because they’ve never actually been associated with an increase in human-to-human transmission.Also, some of this stuff in the report suggests, with fairly strong evidence, that this mutation arose in the patient throughout the course of their disease. So it was unlikely to be transmitted onto another person, and it’s not actually emerging in the birds that this person became infected by.
It’s obviously a concern when a virus has mutations that suggest it may be more capable of infecting and transmitting between people. But we have no actual evidence that that’s happening yet. There’s no evidence of onward transmission. And since these mutations aren’t appearing in nature and other animals that are predominantly the source for all the human infections so far, that bodes well in the sense that the virus itself isn’t acquiring new mutations and having them be maintained — which would make future spillovers more likely to result in human-to-human transmission.
So what is concerning about this case in Louisiana?
That we are seeing a huge increase in the number of human cases. These mutations are a good example of what happens when you have a human case. You start to see the virus begin to adapt to a human host. Even though this particular virus from this particular case isn’t a huge concern in terms of onward transmission, if we’re having human cases tick up and up and up, we’re going to give the virus more chances to develop mutations. And if that’s not detected and starts spreading in the human population, that’s a very good way to have a pandemic start out of this.The other concern is the timing of all of these cases, which are ticking up right during flu season. If you get infected with two influenza viruses at the same time — so H5N1 and a seasonal influenza strain — a process can occur that’s called reassortment. That’s essentially like shuffling two decks of cards together, ending up making new viruses that have a combination of segments from both of the viruses that were infecting the person. That can lead to really, really rapid evolutionary jumps and rapid adaptation to a new host…
How can we decrease the risk of creating a pandemic strain?
I think a lot of people aren’t completely aware that there is a risk, but the general public probably doesn’t have a ton of stuff to worry about. In that sense, the advice would be don’t handle dead or sick birds or animals, which is common-sense advice.People who have backyard chickens would potentially need to wear PPE. They need to call their health department or their vet right away if they start to see animals getting sick and dying off. But they should definitely protect themselves with eye protection, respirator gloves, and making sure that they’re washing their hands. Farm workers should be given eye protection at the very least and educated again about the risk in poultry operations or egg operations. They need to have respiratory protection, potentially Tyvek, and definitely eye protection. The one last thing that everybody should be doing anyways — because it’s a good idea for just health — is getting seasonal influenza vaccinations because that will reduce the risk of reassortment…
The #H5N1 #birdflu virus from a severe case in Louisiana shows it was developing mutations that could help it attach to cells in human respiratory tracts, including a mutation seen in a recent severe case in British Columbia, Canada, the #CDC reported today. www.statnews.com/2024/12/26/c…
— Helen Branswell (@helenbranswell.bsky.social) December 26, 2024 at 7:19 PM
12 more dairy herds in California have been infected with #H5N1 #birdflu, bringing CA's total to 697 since late Aug. That's 71% of the state's herds. Given the cow deaths & restocking going on, I wonder if it will be possible to get the virus out of cows there. www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-po…
— Helen Branswell (@helenbranswell.bsky.social) December 30, 2024 at 8:42 AM
Oregon avian flu cat death prompts nationwide raw pet food recall
Genetic sequencing confirmed that the virus recovered from the raw pet food, sold nationally and in BC, and the infected cat were exact matches.
www.cidrap.umn.edu/a…— CIDRAP (@cidrap.bsky.social) December 27, 2024 at 2:35 PM
If you are feeding your cat raw food (esp poultry), you might want to switch for a while. This includes raw freeze-dried treats. Cooked freeze-dried is fine.
— Jennifer Brozek (@jenniferbrozek.bsky.social) December 25, 2024 at 4:32 PM
Twenty big cats, including a half-Bengal tiger and four cougars, died at a sanctuary in Washington State after becoming infected with bird flu, according to the facility’s director. “We’ve never had anything like it.”
— The New York Times (@nytimes.com) December 24, 2024 at 7:15 PM
More avian flu confirmed in US dairy cattle and poultry flocks as Arizona reports wastewater detections
Though testing can't pinpoint a source, recent detections in Arizona have involved only the wild bird genotype.
www.cidrap.umn.edu/a…— CIDRAP (@cidrap.bsky.social) December 30, 2024 at 4:00 PM
US wholesale egg prices are shattering records as an accelerating outbreak of bird flu in laying hens slashes supplies while shoppers buy more to bake Christmas cookies and other holiday treats reut.rs/4fz86cx
— Reuters (@reuters.com) December 20, 2024 at 10:38 AM
***********
Dec 29th update:
Holiday wave is in full swing, albeit considerably lower than the past 3 winters. Mainly driven by the Midwest at this point, though all regions now rising.
🔸500,000 new infections/day
🔸Midwest: 1 in 46 people currently infected
🔸All other regions: 1 in 92— JPWeiland (@jpweiland.bsky.social) December 29, 2024 at 4:47 PM
The Northeast is the biggest outlier at this point compared to their typical December trends. Less than half the Midwest's numbers. Usually they track more closely together.
— JPWeiland (@jpweiland.bsky.social) December 29, 2024 at 4:47 PM
Thread:
How the Pandemic Increased US Deaths!
Visualized in 8 charts by @jwgale in @business1. The Covid Pandemic Fueled a 4-Year Mortality Surge in the US pic.twitter.com/H6CW6ya0sO
— Ziyad Al-Aly, MD (@zalaly) December 30, 2024
2. Heart disease has long been the leading cause of death in the US and globally. The Covid pandemic worsened its effects. pic.twitter.com/A0XHOhAMwV
— Ziyad Al-Aly, MD (@zalaly) December 30, 2024
Link here: https://t.co/ZcpTdAj8El
— Ziyad Al-Aly, MD (@zalaly) December 30, 2024
It's really unfortunate that Covid trends do not act like the Flu or RSV (at least yet). The difference between peak and trough:
🔸Flu: 200x
🔸RSV: 400x
🔸Covid: 9x
And Covid only stays at those reduced levels for weeks, not most of the year. Always around.— JPWeiland (@jpweiland.bsky.social) December 22, 2024 at 4:35 PM
=====
New from @IHME_UW GBD 2021. Covid mortality rates. No surprises: Well-vaccinated Northern European nations, Canada, Northern U.S. had lowest mortality; less vaccinated Southern U.S. fared worse; poorly vaccinated regions Africa, Russia the worsthttps://t.co/PoL7nziIyz pic.twitter.com/gyXorToCbJ
— Prof Peter Hotez MD PhD (@PeterHotez) December 31, 2024
5 years ago today: Wuhan Health Commission sends an urgent notice about unidentified cases of pneumonia. It's the first official word about COVID-19 pic.twitter.com/oum4qg7igX
— BNO News (@BNOFeed) December 30, 2024
Dr. Li Wenliang was reprimanded, went back to work and became infected himself.
In an interview, he said: "If everyone paid attention to this matter at the time, there might not be an outbreak today"
Li Wenliang died from COVID on February 7, 2020
— BNO News (@BNOFeed) December 30, 2024
the logic here is that China has too much influence in WHO, which they have decided to fight by making sure America has no influence in WHO
— BeijingPalmer (@beijingpalmer.bsky.social) December 22, 2024 at 11:57 AM
Anti-Covid restrictions in St. Petersburg are extended until the end of 2025. If you're wandering why is Russia still battling Covid the answer is – it's not. The anti-Covid restrictions allow regional authorities to lawfully ban protests in Russia's urban centers. pic.twitter.com/AfH0ipz7qY
— Aleksandar Djokic (Александар Джокич) (@polidemitolog) December 29, 2024
=====
The estimated prevalence of 6.4% for #longcovid in the US is very high. Granted,this is a survey based study with the limitations that come with self reporting. It doesn't take away from the seriousness of the problem and the need for treatment options for those affected.
www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes…— BK. Titanji (@boghuma.bsky.social) December 27, 2024 at 5:24 PM
=====
I’d recommend everyone regardless of medical risk bring a mask on your airplane journey, a disinfectant wipe to clean the seat you’re in and hand sanitizer.
It’s going to be on you alone to protect your health.
Warning signs are everywhere.— Dr. Vin Gupta (@vinguptamd.bsky.social) December 27, 2024 at 2:46 PM
Has a NIH Director ever appeared in cult-funded propaganda claiming that ivermectin, a drug that doesn't work to treat COVID, was the victim of a conspiracy to obtain FDA authorization for vaccines that do actually work?
There's a first time for everything, I guess. pic.twitter.com/eJI6xsj6CZ
— Dr. Angela Rasmussen (@angie_rasmussen) December 28, 2024
For example, Dr. Bhattacharya believes that SARS-CoV-2 came from a lab as the product of dangerous NIH-funded gain-of-function research. He also believes that SARS-CoV-2 is harmless to most people despite it killing 20M people & that mass infection is superior to vaccination. pic.twitter.com/csQ9tIv8pg
— Dr. Angela Rasmussen (@angie_rasmussen) December 28, 2024
“We have a plan to hold China accountable for #COVID19.”
It involves crafting legislation with the same right wing think tank that wants to turn America into a christofascist dictatorship.
Talk all you want about bipartisanship, Clippy, you’re still simping for the kakistocracy https://t.co/iYDMeNexvK
— Dr. Angela Rasmussen (@angie_rasmussen) December 31, 2024
Since 1997, H5N1 killed nearly 500 people & millions of animals. The full scope of the cattle outbreak is unknown, & human cases are rising.
It doesn’t get more selfish than dismissing the threat as “overhyped” so Prof. Salzberg can write more blogs about how he hates virology. https://t.co/bgde2OYd4v
— Dr. Angela Rasmussen (@angie_rasmussen) December 30, 2024
On The Road – UncleEbeneezer – Eastern Sierra Fall Foliage 2024- Green Creek/Dunderberg Meadows, CA (Part 5/8)
p.a.
Ask Sweden how well mass infection worked vis-vaccination. And at least they had uni health care!
The return of the Know-Nothing Party.
(And yes, pedants, I know the original Know-Nothing Party wasn’t about anti-science.)
Nukular Biskits
Thanks, Anne!
And semi-related: Does anyone have a list of the crackpots Trump is nominating, along with good reasons for why they’re unfit the for offices for which he’s nominated them?
TBone
Was already nauseated by reading Heather Cox Richardson first thing. This is…*shakes head. My usual sassy outlook is on vacation just when I most need it. Paging Dr. Wanda Sykes, paging Dr. Sykes! To the courtesy desk, stat!
p.a.
@Nukular Biskits: All of them Katie!
Nukular Biskits
@p.a.:
True dat.
But I was putting together a letter to my (ugh) Republican US Senators demanding they oppose nominations.
Yeah, I know, they’re gonna rubberstamp them anyway (particularly Cindy Hyde-Smith, who guzzles the MAGA Koolaid) but to at least let them know one of their constituents isn’t happy.
Baud
@Nukular Biskits:
Good for you.
TBone
@Nukular Biskits:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_appointments_of_the_second_Trump_administration
The unfit for office reasons part is gonna require more legwork. Not hard to find though.
TBone
Outlook recovery imminent.
Jay
Thank you, Anne Laurie. you have saved lives.
Thank you.
Nukular Biskits
@Baud:
Tilting at windmills is my area of expertise.
Nukular Biskits
@TBone:
Yeah, I know. The problem is I want to provide my senators with good, verifiable reasons as to why the candidates are not suited for those positions. That way they can’t dismiss my concerns as being nothing more than kneejerk Trump opposition.
Well, they’re probably gonna do that anyway but you know what I mean.
Suzanne
@Nukular Biskits:
This is a really good idea.
I have long thought that part of our communication problem is that we don’t have important information in social-media-shareable, attractive, graphical formats that can stand out in a feed. Over the summer, I kept thinking about needing some of the worst of the Project 2025 stuff in some bold, eye-catching typography. I kept meaning to take a few hours to do it myself to share, but then never found the time to sit down and do it. I regret that now.
Baud
@Suzanne:
I blame you for the election outcome.
(Seriously, I agree. My short time on Blue sky does not persuade me of the efficacy of our messaging choices.)
Suzanne
@Baud: Sharing links doesn’t work! Telling people to go look stuff up or watch a speech doesn’t work! We live in a visual culture!
Memes, emoji, TikToks, etc….. short, memorable, visually engaging stuff penetrates. Remember those few days when brat green was everywhere? And then that energy got lost?
Baud
@Suzanne:
No.
TBone
These are called memes. They’ve been around for a while. They pack a visual & emotional punch but, still, don’t penetrate the prophylaxis of a cult.
https://bsky.app/profile/mchaelenash.bsky.social/post/3lelvggjc7223
Baud
@TBone:
That’s not a meme. That’s a PowerPoint slide.
TBone
@Baud: potayto, potahto
It’s a slide if we were sitting in a conference room.
TBone
Mood meme
https://bsky.app/profile/fancysplace.bsky.social/post/3lem2uw4fpk2d
TBone
@Nukular Biskits: maybe of assistance
https://www.desmog.com/2024/12/16/6-fracking-billionaires-and-climate-denial-groups-behind-trumps-cabinet/
Gives lots of reasons to say
I DISSENT
for those individuals
satby
So, there already is a vaccine for H5n1 that I think is available for dairy and poultry workers, at least I thought I read that. Wonder if that may be released for the public?
Maxim
OT but blog-related: when I’m reading a post on the main page that has a lot of tweets embedded, it’s common for the wrong ones to show up. This post, for instance, had a bunch of tweets from Adam’s update yesterday.
When I click through to read the entire post, then everything displays properly. So it’s not a major problem, just an oddity that I thought I’d mention.
@satby — I believe the vaccine exists, but quantities are small.
Elizabelle
LOL re first time Covid is quiet during the holiday season. Except for me, every family member I spent Christmas Day with is sick, most of them with their first encounter with Covid. Aches, fever; just not well. They started getting sick on December 26, and tested positive soon after, so thinking they all got exposed to something in the days before?
Wondering if my sister’s Sunday, December 22 party was the superspreader event. Will have to find out how the extended family members are doing.
That was actually a first, ever since Covid raised its head.
New Deal democrat
I am glad to see JP Weiland’s forecast here. So far this year’s post-Thanksgiving wave has increased arithmetically at a lower pace than last year’s. Last year particles in wastewater increased by 4.46 particles per mL in the first 4 weeks of the wave. This year they have increased 2.80 particles per mL in that time. And this year started from an all time November low of about 1.70 particles per mL.
With probably only 2 more weeks left until a likely peak in the first week of January, we are likely to see particles only 1/2 the level of last January, and about 3/4’s the level of the peak this last summer. That translates into a peak of about 1100-1200 deaths in the peak week of January.
Since the beginning of 2024, there have only been 45,700 deaths from COVID including preliminary counts through December 21. If there are 800 to 1000 deaths per week in December as finally counted, we will probably wind up with about 48,000 deaths for the entire year. Since a typical flu year averages between 16,000 to 50,000 deaths, that would make COVID deaths this year equivalent to a bad flu year within that range.
COVID still causes far more deaths among the elderly than the young and middle aged. As a result of that, and that masking virtually eliminated the flu in 2020-21, I now wear a mask in any crowded indoor situation during the winter months.
Best wishes to all for a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year.
Matt McIrvin
The thing that terrifies me about H5N1 is political: if it does become a human pandemic, we may not be allowed to take simple steps to fight it. It’s even possible that we will have a vaccine but not be allowed to use it.
Elizabelle
@Matt McIrvin: Yes. Exactly. We are heading into the Dark Ages.
Nukular Biskits
@TBone @Suzanne @Baud:
Thanks, TBone.
Anyway, agree with each of you; i.e., how we try to communicate our messages really sucks. Let’s face it: A lot of Americans, myself included, have so many interests competing for our attention, it’s often hard to wade into the weeks to truly understand a subject, much less convey its importance.
Who am I to judge? My primary form of entertainment at night is to view stupid memes to make me laugh before going to bed.
Princess
@Baud: one of our communication problems is we’re awash in feel-good memes at the expense of information targeted just beyond the reach of our bubble, choir (whatever you want to call it — those who already agree with us and will vote). And a lot of people don’t know the difference or don’t care.
Baud
@Princess:
Yeah. I think people don’t want to admit that the message they love to hear isn’t the message that will attract new people into our coalition.
satby
@Matt McIrvin: @Elizabelle: Get your passports ready. Other countries won’t be so stupid, and medical tourism exists for a reason.
Princess
More on topic – are you all hearing anything about an uptick in flu in your circles? I’m seeing anecdata from friends that people are catching nasty influenza A even if vaccinated. Evidently this years vaxx in only 50% effective against one of the three current strains.
Soprano2
@Elizabelle: I had two different appointments cancelled on me yesterday due to illness. One said it was the flu, I don’t know about the cause of the other one. All I’ve had this fall is some kind of coughing crud that lasts for weeks. It’s not a cold or Covid, it’s some other kind of virus. I’m finally rid of it after almost a month!
OT, if I wanted to live in the Pacific Northwest I’d move there. I’m so tired of clouds and mist every day!
TBone
@Nukular Biskits: pay no attention to the wet blankets, we all need a good laugh wherever we can find it! I hope you can crib something useful for your letter from that article. When writing to my electeds, I frequently plagiarize but put things into my own words (usually cuss words hahaha).
Soprano2
@Matt McIrvin: Yes, I can guarantee that in MO they won’t be allowed to close schools or businesses at all. If they close it’ll be because too many people are sick. At least here so far they aren’t making it illegal to wear face masks!
satby
@Princess: yes. My friend’s entire family came down with Influenza A over Christmas, except for the daughter and son-in-law, who ended up positive for COVID. Everyone but my friend was vaccinated* (she hadn’t been because she was recovering from surgery).
* For COVID too.
TBone
Here in Pennsyltucky, there is a nasty norovirus making the rounds right now. Blech.
https://triblive.com/news/world/nasty-norovirus-is-back-in-full-force-with-u-s-cases-of-the-stomach-virus-surging/
p.a.
Next four years gonna be a good test of “The Power of Prayer” for the usual suspects.
Suzanne
@Nukular Biskits:
Mr. Suzanne sends me something from Imgur probably once a week. It’s all good.
Spawn the Elder is much more into Instagram and TikTok, and he finds great and incredibly weird stuff. It makes me muse on the fact that humor is so generational. Like, SuzMom and her siblings just will laugh their asses off over some stuff, and when I see it, I’m like, “Uhhhh, did I miss the part where it’s funny?” I am sure the Spawns feel the same way about their parents!
Princess
@TBone: yes, I’m hearing some norovirus cases too, in Europe and on the west coast.
Matt McIrvin
@satby: Most likely, my state will be doing everything in its power to protect people. But they could be pushing against federal authority. And I know people who live in Red America will be not so lucky, especially if it’s a purple-red state like Texas or Florida whose government goes out of its way to be red-meat obnoxious to prove its bona fides.
There would be upsides and downsides to this thing being a variant of flu. People are more familiar with flu, and on the one hand they think of it as no big deal, but on the other hand getting flu shots is more socially normalized; it’s not seen as a strange experimental thing, it’s a thing a lot of people do. So it’d be harder for the government to say “yes, flu shots are a thing you’ve been getting for decades but THIS one is somehow super scary and wrong.”
And, of course, a vaccine already exists, it’s just a matter of producing and distributing it at scale and whether that will happen.
MomSense
Welp, I live in cowtown and all my neighbors have backyard chickens. They also don’t “believe” in masking or COVID or anything else that might burst their bubble. Fortunately one of the big dairy farms in town is run by a Democrat who spoke out about the importance of immigrants to our local farms.
I went to the local health food store and it was full of raw milk and Jesus quotes. Ugh.
sab
@Matt McIrvin: Th epolitics around this scare the jell out of me. Trump’s crew fucked up so badly in 2019.
In a similar pattern, Information about 1918 flu pandemic was surpressed because of the WWI war effort. We called it the Spanish flu although it actually started in Kansas and spread through our troops and then nearby communities.
TBone
@MomSense: hugs
Professor Bigfoot
@TBone: ermagherd
https://bsky.app/profile/fancysplace.bsky.social/post/3lelz6zpjms2g
I’m now regretting whatever I did to get that one to block me… whatever it was…
sab
Cats are delicate little critters. Everything is toxic for them. Who the fuck would feed their little guys raw meat? Also another reason not to have them outside catching and eating raw animals.
My dad’s cat went blind from some disease he caught from eating raw squirrels and chipmunks.
Matt McIrvin
@Soprano2: I have somehow avoided getting sick at all this year, so far. In 2023 I got COVID at the end of January and then again at Christmas–my whole family had COVID for Christmas so we had to delay our extended-family visiting until mid-January ’24.
Matt McIrvin
@sab: This is the first I heard of giving your cat frozen raw meat. Seems like a bad idea that people would do for dumb pseudoscientific reasons.
Professor Bigfoot
@Baud: Alas, I fear that the message that will attract new Americans* to our coalition is the one that will kick marginalized communities out of it.
Straight white Christian male supremacy seems to be the order of the day.
*see Toni Morrison
Nukular Biskits
@Princess:
Great. I got my flu shot back in October. Haven’t gotten vaxxed for COVID yet.
bluefoot
@Elizabelle: same thing with my family. Current thinking it was one of the folks who flew caught it on the plane. For two of us, it’s our first time with Covid. Fever, aches, headache, cough. Ugh. I got the booster in early October, so this is better than it could have been, which has me taken aback. On day two of paxlovid since I have some risk factors.
Matt McIrvin
@sab: I think Trump got elected again in part because, once the immediate crisis had receded, most people decided they preferred his bullshit over COVID to real counter-pandemic measures.
The Omicron variant might have killed the Biden administration. Up to that point it seemed like an almost miraculous save was happening–the vaccine was basically all we needed to stop the pandemic; it was way more effective than anyone predicted and it’d give you your life back. But Omicron would readily infect vaccinated people, and the vaccine might keep them from getting mortally ill, but the picture was more complicated. And people don’t like complicated. It gave demagogues like DeSantis an opening to say that the government was lying about everything.
Elizabelle
@satby: That has occurred to me. The jet set Decameron.
Elizabelle
@bluefoot: Ah. Wishing you a speedy recovery. Hope you are able to read or watch some good shows; to distract yourself.
And think how differently we would be feeling if we had President Kamala incoming. We would feel that science and research and intelligent compassion would help us with anything coming our way.
Matt McIrvin
@satby: How can we travel to other countries if the border is shut down? If this gets as bad as COVID, they’ll be turning people away.
Nukular Biskits
@Matt McIrvin:
That’s what I keep asking these idiots who keep demanding the border be closed.
Actually “closing the border” isn’t a one-way deal.
sab
@Matt McIrvin: That’s why mine only eat the brands (major companies) that the vet recommends.
Our grocery has a freezer section in the pet aisle. I wonder sometimes what is in there but I wouldn’t feed the cats or the dog anything from it. Does the labelling even say if it’s cooked or raw?
sab
@sab: Typos. Sorry.
Baud
On the bright side, this time when the right wing says “it’s just the flu,” they’ll technically be correct.
Nukular Biskits
@Baud:
That’s some really dark humor if that’s the bright side. LOL!
arrieve
I’m on a ship on my way to Antarctica and South Georgia right now and we had our biohazard prep inspections this morning. They are a lot more stringent than they were even seven years ago the first time that I went to Antarctica. It’s not just scrubbing and disinfecting our boots every time we leave the ship—we’re no longer allowed to kneel or crouch when we’re ashore, or to put bags or backpacks on the ground. And this is all because of avian flu. It has been killing not only birds like albatrosses and penguins, but also large numbers of seals. Very scary.
MomSense
@Matt McIrvin:
There is also the pesky problem of the evangelical Christians not believing in evolution and a virus mutating is real time evolution. It’s like banging your head into a wall trying to explain that as the virus spreads it mutates and the vaccines can’t keep up with the pace. They cannot comprehend this.
Elizabelle
@arrieve: Wow. Way to ring in the New Year! Will look for your OTR photos.
Stay healthy and safe, seals and ocean birds. Penguins, hang in there.
Elizabelle
@Soprano2: I think there’s some Arctic air incoming for you. Your weather will change!
Bill Arnold
@Matt McIrvin:
Masks (good masks, like N95 or better) and hand/etc hygiene will offer a very large level of protection for the willing.
Influenzas, even novel ones, have <2 R0, like 1.2 for seasonal, and 1.6-1.8 for novel pandemic strains.
Wild strain covid was like 2.5 and variants got much worse over time, though less than measles.
sab
@MomSense: And a lot of evangelicals are farmers, some raising livestock, all of which have been bred for specific traits.
ETA Also too plant crops.
TBone
@Professor Bigfoot: if you can “read only” despite that blockage, more power to ya! Not everything there is primo, but as NotMax says (channeling Spencer Tracy remarking on Kate’s physique), a lot of “what’s there is cherce!”
ColoradoGuy
Definitely a good time to stock up on N95 masks. Fortunately, they last a long time in storage, so nothing wrong with stocking up. Also agree 100% that masking in airports (or any crowded place) is a real good idea.
TBone
@arrieve: Godspeed or, if you prefer, go with my best hopes for grace!
TBone
@ColoradoGuy: I bought scads of ’em from
WellBefore dot com
Fully stocked for now…
VFX Lurker
It can happen by accident, too.
We give our cats freeze-dried chicken breast as treats. This month I noticed “raw” on the bag.
Now I have to find freeze-dried chicken breast treats that AREN’T raw.