Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Quote tweet friends, screenshot enemies.

But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

They punch you in the face and then start crying because their fist hurts.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

The current Supreme Court is a dangerous, rogue court.

This country desperately needs a functioning fourth estate.

Today in our ongoing national embarrassment…

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

Hi god, it’s us. Thanks a heap, you’re having a great week and it’s only Thursday!

I did not have this on my fuck 2025 bingo card.

The low info voters probably won’t even notice or remember by their next lap around the goldfish bowl.

There are no moderate republicans – only extremists and cowards.

I’d like to think you all would remain faithful to me if i ever tried to have some of you killed.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires Republicans to act in good faith.

Disagreements are healthy; personal attacks are not.

You’re just a puppy masquerading as an old coot.

To the privileged, equality seems like oppression.

The gop is a fucking disgrace.

Their freedom requires your slavery.

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

If you are still in the gop, you are either an extremist yourself, or in bed with those who are.

This chaos was totally avoidable.

You are here: Home / Archives for Healthcare / COVID-19
“COVID-19 is a novel disease for which treatment protocols are evolving and remain imperfect. With the internet’s eternal tropism towards bullshit, there will be plenty of false or misleading claims about ways of preventing, enduring or “curing” COVID-19 infections. Please don’t amplify them here. If you do have knowledge or experience you feel is of interest to the jackaltariat, please make sure you make it clear where that information comes from: sources, expertise, and so on.  It’s easy to get stuff wrong in a crisis and mistakes can create real harm. So be careful out there…and in here.”

Plagues & Pandemics Update – March 11, 2026

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MRSA, if you're listening,

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— post malone ergo propter malone (@proptermalone.bsky.social) March 10, 2026 at 1:59 PM


(Yes, there were also many snarky comments about how, out of respect for his beliefs, his surgeons would not wash their hands; that the anesthesiologists would give him a strip of leather to chew instead of some hard-to-pronounce chemical vapor; and expressing surprise that he’d chosen surgery instead of an intense course of beef tallow & raw milk… )

USA: Epidemic trend summary: Mar 6, 2026
COVID-19
As of March 3, 2026:
🔹2 states have COVID-19 infections growing or likely growing
🔹35 state has infections declining or likely declining
🔹10 states show no change
Source: cdc.gov/cfa-modeling…

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— Denis – The COVID Info Guy (@thecovidinfoguy.bsky.social) March 9, 2026 at 6:04 PM

Influenza
As of March 3, 2026:
🔹5 states have Influenza infections growing or likely growing
🔹31 states has infections declining or likely declining
🔹12 states show no change
Source: cdc.gov/cfa-modeling…

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— Denis – The COVID Info Guy (@thecovidinfoguy.bsky.social) March 9, 2026 at 6:04 PM

RSV
As of March 3, 2026:
🔹13 states have RSV infections growing or likely growing
🔹19 states has infections declining or likely declining
🔹16 states shows no change
Souce: cdc.gov/cfa-modeling…

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— Denis – The COVID Info Guy (@thecovidinfoguy.bsky.social) March 9, 2026 at 6:04 PM

Recent pandemic viruses, including #SAR-CoV-2, spread directly to people without adaptation, researchers say
The findings provide further evidence against the COVID-19 lab-leak hypothesis.
www.cidrap.umn.edu/c…

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— CIDRAP (@cidrap.bsky.social) March 10, 2026 at 2:37 PM

Up to 56,000 people died from COVID-19 or RSV last year
Respiratory syncytial virus was associated with 190,000 to 350,000 hospitalizations from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025, as well as 10,000 to 23,000 deaths, according to data published by the CDC.
www.cidrap.umn.edu/c…

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— CIDRAP (@cidrap.bsky.social) March 4, 2026 at 9:15 AM

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Plagues & Pandemics Update – March 11, 2026Post + Comments (35)

Plagues & Pandemics Update – March 4, 2026

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US #flu activity still high, with 8 more pediatric deaths
Levels of #RSV also remain high in many areas of the country, while #COVID-19 activity is waning in most of the country.
www.cidrap.umn.edu/i…

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— CIDRAP (@cidrap.bsky.social) February 27, 2026 at 3:15 PM

3. Now #flu:
More kids have died from flu, both this season & last. (Reporting of pediatric deaths to #CDC can be slow.)
8 more kids died in 2025-26, bringing the total to date to 79.
In the past 2 weeks, CDC has been alerted to 4 more peds flu deaths in 2024-25, bringing that year's total to 293!

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— Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 (@helenbranswell.bsky.social) February 27, 2026 at 11:41 AM

4. #CDC reports that 90% of the kids who died from #flu who were old enough to be vaccinated (<6 months is too young) & for whom vax status is know had not been vaccinated. Last year's death toll was record-breaking but this year Sec. Kennedy's #HHS dropped the flu vax recommendation for kids.

— Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 (@helenbranswell.bsky.social) February 27, 2026 at 11:41 AM

6. To give you a sense of what #flu is like where you are, the map on the left is for the week ending 2/21. On the right shows what things were like at the peak of the season, between Xmas and NY. Not out of the woods yet, but the end of flu season is coming. www.cdc.gov/fluview/surv…

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— Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 (@helenbranswell.bsky.social) February 27, 2026 at 11:41 AM

European regulators recommend approval of combined mRNA vaccine for flu and COVID
If the recommendation is accepted by the European Commission, Moderna's mCombriax vaccine will be available for adults 50 and older throughout the European Union.
www.cidrap.umn.edu/c…

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— CIDRAP (@cidrap.bsky.social) February 27, 2026 at 4:48 PM

WHO updates all 3 viral strains to be included in fall flu shots
The recommendation for vaccines for the next flu season includes a new influenza variant—subclade K—that started to increase last fall.
www.cidrap.umn.edu/i…

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— CIDRAP (@cidrap.bsky.social) February 27, 2026 at 7:08 PM

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Plagues & Pandemics Update – March 4, 2026Post + Comments (21)

Plagues & Pandemics Update – February 25, 2026

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Antibodies harvested from the blood of paediatricians are up to 25 times better at protecting against the common respiratory infection RSV than existing antibody therapies, and are now being developed as preventative treatments

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— New Scientist (@newscientist.com) February 20, 2026 at 1:55 AM

Moderna’s 2-in-1 flu and COVID vaccine shows encouraging results in small trial
A single dose of mRNA-1073 elicited durable immune responses through 6 months against all vaccine-matched influenza and SARS-CoV-2 strains.
www.cidrap.umn.edu/i…

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— CIDRAP (@cidrap.bsky.social) February 23, 2026 at 4:26 PM

#Flu claims 5 more US children’s lives as virus continues circulating at moderate to very high levels
So far this season, the CDC estimates that there have been at least 24 million flu-related illnesses, 310,000 hospitalizations, and 20,000 deaths.
www.cidrap.umn.edu/i…

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— CIDRAP (@cidrap.bsky.social) February 20, 2026 at 2:43 PM

USA: Epidemic trend summary: Feb 20, 2026
COVID-19
As of February 17, 2026:
🔹12 states have COVID-19 infections growing or likely growing
🔹7 state has infections declining or likely declining
🔹28 states show no change
Source: cdc.gov/cfa-modeling…

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— Denis – The COVID Info Guy (@thecovidinfoguy.bsky.social) February 23, 2026 at 6:37 PM

Influenza
As of February 17, 2026:
🔹18 states have Influenza infections growing or likely growing
🔹13 states has infections declining or likely declining
🔹16 states show no change
Source: cdc.gov/cfa-modeling…

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— Denis – The COVID Info Guy (@thecovidinfoguy.bsky.social) February 23, 2026 at 6:37 PM

RSV
As of February 17, 2026:
🔹30 states have RSV infections growing or likely growing
🔹6 states has infections declining or likely declining
🔹11 states shows no change
Source: cdc.gov/cfa-modeling…

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— Denis – The COVID Info Guy (@thecovidinfoguy.bsky.social) February 23, 2026 at 6:37 PM

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Plagues & Pandemics Update – February 25, 2026Post + Comments (24)

Plagues & Pandemics Update – February 18, 2026

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ETA: Good news, maybe?

Breaking News: The FDA reversed its decision on Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine and agreed to review it for possible approval, Moderna said.

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— The New York Times (@nytimes.com) February 18, 2026 at 8:55 AM

FDA reverses course, refuses to review Moderna’s application for new mRNA flu vaccine
The company expressed surprise and confusion about the decision, noting the FDA’s earlier support for the study plan.
www.cidrap.umn.edu/i…

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— CIDRAP (@cidrap.bsky.social) February 11, 2026 at 6:23 PM

Excellent summary of the (anti)healthcare story of the week:

… Moderna’s study included more than 40,000 adults age 50 and up and was intended to help the company get approval to use the vaccine in that age-group. In a press release, Moderna said the FDA determined that the company’s study was not “adequate and well-controlled” because the comparable vaccine used in the trial did not represent the “best-available standard of care” in the United States at the time of the study.

Neither federal rules for how drug studies must be designed, nor the FDA’s own guidance for flu vaccines, refer to the use of “best-available standard of care” in selecting comparator vaccines. Previous correspondence from the FDA to Moderna expressed a preference for the company to use a higher-dose vaccine for older adults as a comparator but stated, “We agree it would be acceptable to use a licensed standard dose influenza vaccine as the comparator in your Phase 3 study.”

The study followed a well-established framework for flu vaccine trials, according to virologist Angela Rasmussen, PhD, of the University of Saskatchewan in Canada. “The trial design they used is essentially the trial design that every single flu vaccine has used,” she tells CIDRAP news.

In an interview with The New York Times, Moderna’s president Stephen Hoge, MD, expressed surprise and confusion about the decision, noting the FDA’s earlier support for the company’s study plan. The company’s mRNA vaccine has been accepted for review in the European Union, Canada, and Australia. Moderna has requested a meeting with the FDA to understand the basis for their refusal…

Vaccine companies generally work with clear, well-established expectations of the kinds of studies considered acceptable by the FDA, Peter Hotez, MD, PhD, of Baylor College of Medicine, tells CIDRAP News.

“There was a commitment,” he said, adding that to “string Moderna along and all of a sudden say, nope, we’re not going to even review it” risks undermining confidence in FDA processes. The decision, Hotez warned, could “have an immediate chilling effect on the vaccine industry.” Vaccine makers may start to reassess whether to invest in US-based vaccine development if regulatory expectations shift late in the process.

The FDA “changed their mind,” about whether Moderna could use a standard-dose flu shot in the trial, Paul Offit, MD, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said, “which is really not fair.”…

Reporting today from STAT suggests that the decision to refuse Moderna’s application was not unanimous. Sources told STAT that Vinay Prasad, MD, director of CBER, overruled career scientists who had been preparing to move forward with a formal review.

A US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) spokesperson disputed that characterization, saying there was a “diverse set of conclusions” among staff…

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has criticized mRNA technology and has moved to scale back federal support for certain vaccine initiatives. During the COVID-19 pandemic, mRNA vaccines developed by Moderna and Pfizer were deployed widely and credited with preventing severe disease and death. The technology was recognized with the 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine.

Since taking office, Kennedy, a vocal vaccine skeptic, has terminated hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of grants aimed at developing mRNA technology…

CDC reports 6 more child deaths from #flu, as virus levels stay moderate to high
Flu, respiratory syncytial virus, and COVID-19 levels still elevated in some parts of the country.
www.cidrap.umn.edu/i…

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— CIDRAP (@cidrap.bsky.social) February 13, 2026 at 2:35 PM

3. Wondering where things stand where you live? #Flu seems to be releasing its grasp on the NE, but lots of the country are still engulfed in flu transmission — more, actually, than about a month ago (map on the right).
For more on flu, see FluView here: www.cdc.gov/fluview/surv…

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— Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 (@helenbranswell.bsky.social) February 13, 2026 at 7:20 PM

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Plagues & Pandemics Update – February 18, 2026Post + Comments (58)

Plagues & Pandemics Update – February 11, 2026

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— Doug Aoki (@nantanreikan.bsky.social) February 9, 2026 at 10:58 AM

The CDC says it's fine to resume normal activities 24 hrs after Covid symptoms are improving. A new, large prospective study with digital tracking shows recovery takes much longer than that www.thelancet.com/journals/lan…

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— Eric Topol (@erictopol.bsky.social) February 7, 2026 at 10:43 AM

USA: Epidemic trend summary: Feb 6, 2026
COVID-19
As of February 3, 2026:
🔹13 states have COVID-19 infections growing or likely growing
🔹9 state has infections declining or likely declining
🔹25 states show no change
Source: cdc.gov/cfa-modeling…

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— Denis – The COVID Info Guy (@thecovidinfoguy.bsky.social) February 6, 2026 at 5:09 PM

Influenza
As of February 3, 2026:
🔹9 states have Influenza infections growing or likely growing
🔹15 states has infections declining or likely declining
🔹23 states show no change
Source: cdc.gov/cfa-modeling…

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— Denis – The COVID Info Guy (@thecovidinfoguy.bsky.social) February 6, 2026 at 5:09 PM

RSV
As of February 3, 2026:
🔹24 states have RSV infections growing or likely growing
🔹11 states has infections declining or likely declining
🔹12 states shows no change
Source: cdc.gov/cfa-modeling…

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— Denis – The COVID Info Guy (@thecovidinfoguy.bsky.social) February 6, 2026 at 5:09 PM

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Plagues & Pandemics Update – February 11, 2026Post + Comments (20)

Plagues & Pandemics Update – February 4, 2026

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After 3-week decline, #flu cases rise across the US; #RSV, #COVID activity high in certain states
Eight more people died of influenza this week.
www.cidrap.umn.edu/i…

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— CIDRAP (@cidrap.bsky.social) January 30, 2026 at 4:19 PM

5. #CDC estimates there've been 20M #flu illnesses, 270K hospitalizations & 11K deaths this winter, compared to 16M illnesses, 190K hospitalizations & 8.3K deaths at this time last yr.
Most of the activity has been flu A H3N2 but flu B seems to be gathering steam which could account for the uptick.

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— Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 (@helenbranswell.bsky.social) January 30, 2026 at 12:47 PM

USA: Epidemic trend summary: Jan 30, 2026
COVID-19
As of January 27, 2026:
🔹11 states have COVID-19 infections growing or likely growing
🔹11 state has infections declining or likely declining
🔹27 states show no change
Source: cdc.gov/cfa-modeling…

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— Denis – The COVID Info Guy (@thecovidinfoguy.bsky.social) January 30, 2026 at 11:38 PM

Influenza
As of January 27, 2026:
🔹13 states have Influenza infections growing or likely growing
🔹16 states has infections declining or likely declining
🔹20 states show no change
Source: cdc.gov/cfa-modeling…

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— Denis – The COVID Info Guy (@thecovidinfoguy.bsky.social) January 30, 2026 at 11:38 PM

RSV
As of January 27, 2026:
🔹22 states have RSV infections growing or likely growing
🔹5 states has infections declining or likely declining
🔹22 states shows no change
Source: cdc.gov/cfa-modeling…

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— Denis – The COVID Info Guy (@thecovidinfoguy.bsky.social) January 30, 2026 at 11:38 PM

"Covid Left Lasting Rise in Deaths in Rich Countries, Study Shows"
"The pandemic left a lasting increase in mortality in most rich nations that has yet to fully unwind, according to an analysis of data from 34 countries."
Source: archive.md/GrBAz

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— Denis – The COVID Info Guy (@thecovidinfoguy.bsky.social) January 29, 2026 at 8:59 PM

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Plagues & Pandemics Update – February 4, 2026Post + Comments (26)

Plagues & Pandemics Update – January 28, 2026

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World mourns death of public health icon William Foege
Foege led the global effort to eradicate smallpox, widely viewed as one of the greatest public health achievements in history, and later ran the CDC.
www.cidrap.umn.edu/p…
Photo: Dean Hesse / Task Force for Global Health

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— CIDRAP (@cidrap.bsky.social) January 26, 2026 at 4:42 PM

William Foege has died. He was a central architect of smallpox eradication, pioneering surveillance-driven ring vaccination when vaccine supply was limited. That strategy helped eliminate the deadliest human pathogen we’ve ever known.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/u…

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— BK. Titanji (@boghuma.bsky.social) January 25, 2026 at 2:38 AM

Gift link:

… Among public health professionals, Dr. Foege was almost without peer — the grand old man of public health, a field that many feel is under siege by the Trump administration. His successors at the C.D.C., the nation’s primary public health agency, often sought his counsel. In 2012, President Barack Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest honor given to a civilian.

As director of the C.D.C. under two presidents — Jimmy Carter, a Democrat, and Ronald Reagan, a Republican — Dr. Foege put forth an expansive vision for the agency. He had it focus on leading killers beyond infectious disease, including auto injuries and gun violence, the latter bringing the C.D.C. into conflict with the National Rifle Association and Republicans on Capitol Hill.

After leaving the agency in 1983, he created programs that sharply increased childhood vaccinations on a global scale. Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, a former New York City health commissioner who later ran the C.D.C. under Mr. Obama, invoked a baseball superlative when preparing Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg for a meeting with Dr. Foege.

“I said, ‘Basically, he’s the Babe Ruth of public health,’” Dr. Frieden recalled.

Tall as an N.B.A. forward (he was 6-foot-7) and graced with a patient manner as the son of an Iowa minister, Dr. Foege was serving as a Lutheran Church missionary doctor in Africa when, in 1966, the World Health Organization launched an international program to eradicate smallpox…

Smallpox remains the only human disease eradicated. That achievement reflects science, humility, and global cooperation values Foege championed throughout his career. His legacy feels especially urgent in an era of vaccine denial and fragile systems.

— BK. Titanji (@boghuma.bsky.social) January 25, 2026 at 2:38 AM

US flu activity declines for 3rd straight week but remains elevated
The CDC estimates 19,000,000 illnesses, 250,000 hospitalizations, and 10,000 deaths due to flu this season.
www.cidrap.umn.edu/i…

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— CIDRAP (@cidrap.bsky.social) January 23, 2026 at 4:48 PM

USA: Epidemic trend summary: Jan 23, 2026
COVID-19
As of January 20, 2026:
🔹5 states have COVID-19 infections growing or likely growing
🔹26 state has infections declining or likely declining
🔹15 states show no change
Source: cdc.gov/cfa-modeling…

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— Denis – The COVID Info Guy (@thecovidinfoguy.bsky.social) January 23, 2026 at 7:55 PM

Influenza
As of January 20, 2026:
🔹27 states have Influenza infections growing or likely growing
🔹7 states has infections declining or likely declining
🔹11 states show no change
Source: cdc.gov/cfa-modeling…

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— Denis – The COVID Info Guy (@thecovidinfoguy.bsky.social) January 23, 2026 at 7:55 PM

RSV
As of January 20, 2026:
🔹14 states have RSV infections growing or likely growing
🔹13 states has infections declining or likely declining
🔹17 states shows no change
Source: cdc.gov/cfa-modeling…

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— Denis – The COVID Info Guy (@thecovidinfoguy.bsky.social) January 23, 2026 at 7:55 PM

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Plagues & Pandemics Update – January 28, 2026Post + Comments (18)