Whenever I catch up on the UK Covid inquiry - I’m horrified by how much denial and ignorance is on display.

By the fact that they’re discussing the death and disability of millions - yet continue to refer to the pandemic in the past tense.

The only mask I’ve seen was on Cathy Finnis - a clinically vulnerable patient who testified as to how difficult it is to access safe care. No one else in the room masked to protect HER.

Perhaps the most galling example of denial is this video of Matt Hancock - where he talks about the importance of vaccination because without it healthcare workers may unintentionally infect someone in their care.

They’re literally infecting people in their care now. The NHS has discouraged healthcare workers from testing - and IF they do test positive they don’t have to isolate. There’s no requirement to test negative before returning to work. They can treat patients knowing they have covid - and they aren’t even required to wear a respirator.

Hospital acquired covid has a 10% fatality rate and yet many facilities are doing absolutely nothing to protect the most vulnerable among us.

Patients like me didn’t ask to be clinically vulnerable. We didn’t get a choice in being high risk. We can’t “stay home” from the hospital. We go for life saving care - only to have our lives and baselines put at risk because no one is mitigating the spread of Covid.

It would be so easy to mandate masks in healthcare. To upgrade air quality and ventilation to reduce the spread. To have regular testing and ensure those who are positive are isolated.

They just don’t want to. We’re acceptable losses. Expendable. Not worthy of protection.

After all - how many times have we heard “only the vulnerable are at risk” as a means of justifying a whole host of risky and unjustifiable behaviour?

At this point I find it hard to say that infecting patients is “unintentional”. I desperately want to give people the benefit of the doubt - but we are five years into this and we KNOW it’s airborne.

If you’re working in healthcare and choosing not to test, isolate or mask - is it unintentional when you infect a patient? Or inevitable?

These questions keep me up at night.

I feel absolutely sick knowing people like me can no longer access safe healthcare. I feel deep unyielding pain when I think of all those we’ve already lost. I feel anger and rage when I consider how easy it would be to change course - and how few people care enough to even bother to try.

We can do better. We must do better. We all share the air - we’re not safe until everyone is safe.

#ukcovidinquiry #masksinhealthcare #sarscov2 #pandemic #covidisairborne #covidisnotover #keepmasksinhealthcare #WearARespie #ableism #eugenics #disability #clinicallyvulnerable #LongCOVID #chronicillness

Enhanced immune #evasion of #SARS-CoV-2 variants #KP311 and #XEC through N-terminal domain #mutations

Source: Lancet Infectious Diseases, Correspondence, https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(24)00738-2/fulltext?rss=yes

{Excerpt}

KP.3, a subvariant of JN.1, has rapidly emerged as the dominant strain of SARS-CoV-2 in several countries, and has been designated as a Variant Under Monitoring. Previous studies indicate that the unique Q493E substitution in KP.3 Spike glycoprotein enhances its receptor ACE2-binding affinity and immune evasion, enabling it to outcompete KP.2.1–6 Notably, KP.3.1.1, which only carries one additional S31 deletion compared to KP.3, has surpassed KP.3 to become the new dominant strain globally (figure A; appendix p 4).7 Meanwhile, XEC, a recombinant variant of KS.1.1 and KP.3.3, shows strong potential to become the next dominant strain, rapidly expanding across Europe and North America. Compared with KP.3, XEC has only two additional spike mutations, F59S and T22N (appendix p 4). Both S31del and T22N introduce potential glycosylation on the N-terminal domain. Consequently, there is an imperative need to characterise the antigenicity and infectivity of KP.3.1.1 and XEC.

(…)

____

#abstract #coronavirus #covid #COVID19 #health #pandemic #research #sarsCov2

UPDATED: Metro #Vancouver est.'d #COVID19 cases, wastewater #SARSCoV2 load.

According to #BCCDC ww. data: on average, from 10/24 - 10/30, there would've only been 109 & 402 cases/day in the Van. Coastal & Fraser HAs (⬇️ 135 & ⬆️ 375, 10/17 - 10/23).

https://anarchodelphis.tumblr.com/BCWastewater 2/4

🧵UPDATED: #BritishColumbia est.'d #COVID19 cases, the same per 100,000 pop. by health authority.

According to #BCCDC wastewater #SARSCoV2 data: on average, from 10/24 - 10/30, there would've only been 812 cases/day in #BC (⬇️ 864, 10/17 - 10/23).

https://anarchodelphis.tumblr.com/BCWastewater 1/4

A few months ago a friend told me I needed to stop “being a burden” on those around me & find somewhere with round the clock care to live & accommodate my disabilities. Knowing no such place exists for someone like me - I gave them a challenge.

I told them that I had looked for such a place many times - and I’ve come up empty because people like me (relatively young with unstable chronic illnesses) fall through the cracks. We aren’t considered when care homes are being established.

We have homes for the elderly, rehab centres and hospices but almost nothing for a young person who isn’t imminently dying but also has no expectation of improvement. I challenged this friend to find me a place - within a reasonable budget - and said if they did I would move.

Of course they were unable to find anything - and in fact even when they tripled their budget they came up empty. There was one contender that provided a brief glimmer of hope - but as soon as they discovered my heart condition they said no.

The reason? “She’s too unstable and we don’t have adequate monitoring. She should be in hospital or try hospice.” Most chronically ill people know that hospitals are short term solutions & will often discharge you before you’re strong enough to be on your own.

And hospice? You can’t enter hospice unless you are imminently dying. So around & around this friend went… hitting all the same roadblocks I’ve hit time and time again. Finally they asked if I considered private in home nursing?

In home nurses where I am start at around $36/hour. If you need round the clock care that’s just over $6000 a week. Clearly not an option for the vast majority of people.

Finally my friend conceded that I was right and there was no magical place where I could have round the clock care & cease being a “burden” to those around me. They were flustered and apologetic & kept saying “I just assumed you hadn’t really looked”.

Therein lies the problem for so many of us - our friends & family always seem to assume they know better and/or that we have simply failed and not “tried hard enough”. The reality is we often spend all our energy looking for solutions - but those solutions simply don’t exist.

I thanked my friend for apologizing & for their efforts in trying to find a place - but I also asked them to consider how it feels to be called a “burden” just for needing support to survive. To be told you needed to go away & stop “bothering” friends & family?

Of course my friend didn’t have an answer - just uncomfortable silence followed by some muffled apologies. I share this story to implore people to stop assuming disabled people haven’t already tried the things you’re suggesting.

This doesn’t mean it’s wrong to make suggestions. But if we tell you we’ve already tried it and it’s not an option - believe us. It’s exhausting spending your days dealing with chronic illness - we don’t need to be explaining ourselves to people who should have our back.

Lastly - disabled people are NOT a burden. There’s nothing wrong with needing help to survive. Telling someone they should feel bad about receiving that help is an unkind thing to do. Please offer help or keep quiet. Most importantly - believe us when we say we’ve tried.

#CovidIsAirborne #CovidIsNotOver #CovidCautious #sarscov2 #maskup #WearAMask #CleanAir #Pandemic #Disability #accessibility #DisabilityRights #N95s #Ableism #CommunityCare #Eugenics