⬆️

#PM2_5 #PM2p5

holy hell almost the whole state of Oregon is on fire    didn't know about this until now

#Wildfire
#wildfires
#Oregon
#pm2_5

Good Afternoon SARS2PAians!

Once again, I am requesting you accept my apology for shifting some posts to Monday instead of Friday. The past few weeks were...somethin'.

And I hope you are enjoying your SUMMER! ☀️

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 Wastewater

Nothing has really changed tho, wastewater numbers are going WAY UP nationally and kids aren't even back to school yet.: https://ibb.co/X555c7w

Wearing a quality respirator should be considered in crowds, in places of low ventilation AND in ANY close contact...even outside.

Controlling this stuff at the source (which is other people already infected) NOW will prevent LEARNING LOSS this winter.

We don't want LEARNING LOSS.....do we? 🤔

While regionally, our Northeast region is still doing much, much better than the rest of the country, and Chester is doing much better than a few weeks ago, Harrisburg is still AT THE TOP of wastewater results for our region. Please respirator-up and be aware of social contacts in H-burg!: https://ibb.co/bHXf3SP

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  Other Pathogens

🔴Mpox

There's....um...still quite a lot going on that's not SARS2.

Mpox has been declared a Public Health Emergency of international Concern (PHEIC) by the World Health Org.

This is NOT...N O T the same beast as in 2022.

This is a different clade (Clade I) which is many times more deadly than the 2022 version.

***EDIT: CLADE I IS THE NEWER VERSION OF MPOX AND I'VE ALSO EDITED THE REDDIT POST.***

Mpox Clade II has been separated out on WastewaterSCAN and you can see testing results for it there.: https://ibb.co/WDMzmjM

Yes there are some vaccines for it,: https://x.com/sailorrooscout/status/1824100811351244818

and they are both from smallpox as Mpox is in the same family and they are genetically similar enough to be cross-effective.

One is JYNNEOS (Imvanex, IMVAMUNE) which is non-replicating and pretty much safe for everyone. The ACTUAL smallpox vaccine is live virus which makes it...not really all that ideal because you have to be soooooo much more careful with it, but STILL effective for life as long as exposure remains low.

Mpox is not new and there are effective antivirals against it; however this clade is NEW and its high death rate is of concern.

We MUST ramp up vaccine production against this disease.

🔴H5N1

H5N1 is a version of Influenza A and is also separated out on WastewaterSCAN.: https://ibb.co/LZpj7pT

There are still new herds testing positive for H5N1 (Bird Flu/Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza/HPAI).

We MUST pull out all the stops and keep testing our food supply chain, especially pigs. Pigs are asymptomatic against H5N1 (which is like the woooooorst news I will probably learn this entire year) and yet they are the ideal mix of human-like and animal-like genomes that could trigger dangerous mutations.: https://ibb.co/HBNpXVW

DO NOT consume non-pasteurized dairy.

DO NOT consume undercooked meat and eggs (no dippy eggs, y'all!)

You might want to consider Ultra-Pasteurized dairy instead of "pasteurized" dairy and plant-based meat replacements.

🔴Cats have an especially VERY high death rate from H5N1, with end results similar to rabies (massive brain swelling and damage). Please keep your kitties indoors and away from dead birds.

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 Fire/PM2.5

So far so good with wildfire smoke over here in PA. While most of Canada is enveloped in lower air quality, we are so far not in the windpath of it.

Keep those Corsi-Rosenthal boxes handy in case the wind takes a turn for the worst for us. Keeping windows tightly closed is good for wildfire smoke but terrible for pathogen control. CR boxes can make up for this loss of filteration!

Honestly, everyone should have a CR box at home, and every classroom should have one. Especially this winter.

  This winter is going to be...somethin'...if we don't do some source control NOW.

 We can do this with some empathy and a LOT of source control!

Please have a safe Summer and upcoming Fall! ☀️🍁☀️

#COVID19 #COVID #COVIDisNotOver #SARS2PA
#Pennsylvania #PA #KP3 #S31Del

#Mpox #Wastewater

#H5N1 #HPAI

#pm2_5 #Fires #wildfires

#WearAMask #CleanTheAir #WashHands
#VaccinesSaveLives #StayHomeIfSick !

Good Morning SARS2PAians!

I hope you're staying cool. Or at least dehumidified in this murky summer air. 😖

Reminder: I'll try to be better "approving" posts on Reddit in the future. I've approved of all previous posts so they should be more accessible now. I apologize not doing this sooner, I had a whole six months of family emergencies (not COVID) and those details kinda got lost along the way.

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VOCs

Nationally, the fastest mover so far, KP.3.1.1, has taken over the top slot in the variant leaderboard between Friday and today.

Friday: https://ibb.co/3Cx513s
Today: https://ibb.co/QCx4LPW

Genetic shift and waning immunity is causing a substantial uptick in ED visits in most States on the Eastern half of the contiguous US.: https://ibb.co/SncRcpj

There are still no new variants on the horizon that can compete with KP.3.x.y. so far, but it is blazing fast and immune resistant due to genetic mutations.

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Wastewater

Nationally, levels are now HIGH on every monitoring site, and in most States. They're actaully pretty much even with what is usually a winter outbreak.

The wastewater levels by HHS region keep rising, though the Northeast is the lowest of all regions.: https://ibb.co/hmYGbJ8

Please consider wearing a quality respirator in enclosed rooms and crowded areas so we can get these numbers down.

Compared to other areas though Pennsylvania is doing well, well below national averag: https://ibb.co/N9SM8Rb

but the Harrisburg area is getting hit particularly hard right now.: https://ibb.co/JnYLNVx

JN.1/KP.2 vaccines are supposed to be available starting late this month or September for all major manufacturers (Pfizer, Moderna, Novavax).

 PLEASE GET VACCINATED as soon as these are available.

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Other Issues

The fires in Canada and Western US are underway and spreading dangerous pollutants. PM2.5 levels are tolerable in PA right now, but remember respirators and Corsi-Rosenthal boxes will definitely help if things get out of control again.: https://ibb.co/ZhDFzvb

We are getting closer and closer to human-to-human transmission for H5N1, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI/H5N1).

 Please consider reducing dairy products in your diet and DO NOT drink or eat raw or undercooked animal products AT ALL.

  Consider moving up from "pasteurized" to "ultra-pasteurized" milk.

  Consider replacing meat with plant-based alternatives. (They can be delicious too!)

I hope we can cooperate NOW to make this winter healthy and safe for all of us.

We can prevent so much life, economic, and learning loss with jsut a little precaution and oding SOME form of source control.

Have a great (and dehumidified UGH) week! 🔥☀️🔥

#COVID19 #COVID #COVIDisNotOver #SARS2PA
#Pennsylvania #PA
#KP3 #S31Del

#HPAI #H5N1

#Wildfire #CanadianFires #FireMonitoring #PM2_5

#WearAMask #CleanTheAir #WashHands
#VaccinesSaveLives #StayHomeIfSick !