Sherry HamiltonAug 26, 2023
Jorge Caballero, MD
It ain't the flu, folks: flu test positivity is currently at 0.87% but COVID test positivity is currently at 13.4%. If you have symptoms of a respiratory infection, kindly test yourself for COVID and wear a mask at least until the symptoms resolve. Please and thank you.
Aug 25, 2023 at 6:04pmWeb
Show threadMaggie MaybeAug 25, 2023
@DataDrivenMD Yep, there is NO INFLUENZA in 03301. There hasn’t been for months.
Show threadMaggie MaybeAug 25, 2023

@DataDrivenMD hi I feel dumb, if I turn my phone to landscape LOOK AT ALL THE OPTIONS FOR #COVID DATA

I have been playing with this website for months and I had no idea I could see what variants are in the wastewater near me

Looks like #XBB has been kicking our ass.

Show threadericattyAug 26, 2023
@maggiemaybe @DataDrivenMD what website are you using? Please and thanks!
Show threadIngAug 26, 2023
@ericatty @maggiemaybe @DataDrivenMD
I would like to know too.
Show threadgnateAug 27, 2023

@Ing_2016 @ericatty @maggiemaybe @DataDrivenMD

Appears to be wastewaterscan.org

Show threadIngAug 27, 2023

@gnate @ericatty @maggiemaybe @DataDrivenMD

Thank you

Show threadCajun_cheechakoAug 25, 2023
@DataDrivenMD well, the problem (as I see it) is that the tests seems be less reliable this time around. We were down with 'something' for over a week- fatigue, body aches, coughing - but never test positive. Treated it the same way - quarantined, then masking when out. But that really sucks, because it is very unlikely that you can get Paxlovid (which I'm sure would have helped) without a positive test ;(
Show threadGodfrey642Aug 25, 2023
@Cajun_cheechako @DataDrivenMD
Sounds like RSV.
Show threadCajun_cheechakoAug 25, 2023
@Godfrey642
possibly - not sure if that can be tested for, or do they just go by symptoms?
Show threadGrassroots JoeAug 26, 2023

@Cajun_cheechako @Godfrey642

It can. One (expensive) option - https://www.ondemand.labcorp.com/at-home-test-kits/covid-19-flu-rsv-test-home-collection-kit

COVID-19 + Flu + RSV Test Home Collection Kit | Labcorp OnDemand

The COVID-19 + Flu + RSV Test Home Collection Kit can help you find the difference between flu and COVID symptoms if you’re unsure which you may have.

Show threadCajun_cheechakoAug 26, 2023
@joeinwynnewood @Godfrey642
No kidding,$129, and then you have to send it to their lab and wait. Not sure if insurance would cover it.
Wonder how long the test samples would last traversing Alaska's mail (or UPS or FedEx) system - how long before they are unreadable?
TBH, my wife and I were down for about 6-8 days. By the time we'd get test results back, we'd probably feel better by then anyway. And you really are supposed to get Paxlovid with a few days of onset.
Yeah, no real help there ;)
Show threadJenniferAug 26, 2023
@Cajun_cheechako @DataDrivenMD but there are a lot of respiratory viruses besides covid. I was sick this month too but my symptoms were slightly different from a case of covid in March, and this month my husband and I both tested negative for covid. My home tests were positive for ten days when I actually had covid.
Show threadGstpulldnAug 26, 2023
@Cajun_cheechako @DataDrivenMD same. Are the tests working for the new variants?
Show threadCajun_cheechakoAug 26, 2023
@Gstpulldn Excellent question! And, I suppose the few home tests we have left probably just need to hit the bin ;(
Show threadJune 🩵🩷🤍🩷🩵Aug 25, 2023
@DataDrivenMD geez - seventh wave here we come
Show threadGodfrey642Aug 25, 2023
@DataDrivenMD I think ppl with ANY infection should wear a mask till it resolves. I don't want any illness.
Show threadJenniferAug 26, 2023
@DataDrivenMD my husband and I both got some respiratory crud earlier in the month and so did several friends. It wasn't covid or the flu, just some other respiratory virus. Luckily we both work at home so just stayed home until we stopped coughing.
Show threadTheAnymouseProphetAug 26, 2023
@DataDrivenMD
I recommend masking regardless as there are contagious people without symptoms, and if you are one, masking reduces your spread.
Show threadHudsonAug 26, 2023

@DataDrivenMD Florida positivity higher. #covid #ItsNotOver

http://ww11.doh.state.fl.us/comm/_partners/covid19_report_archive/covid19-data/covid19_data_latest.pdf

Show threadrAdio frEe mETa Aug 26, 2023
@DataDrivenMD is it true that there’s a variant circulating that doesn’t give you a fever or any of the other outward symptoms?
Show threadroque (ロク)Aug 26, 2023
@Rfm @DataDrivenMD yes (but alter to “doesn’t *necessarily*”). Or it gives you a fever low enough to be mistaken for heat sickness—a major problem this year. We had a variant in Japan a few months ago that mainly presented with pinkeye.
Show threadrAdio frEe mETa Aug 26, 2023
@roque @DataDrivenMD It's terrifying to think that the most successful variants are going to be the ones that are the least detectable.
Show threadLisPiAug 26, 2023

@Rfm @DataDrivenMD That's all of them.

They all have a certain proportion of asymptomatic infection that makes anyone a potential infection vector. Hence the importance of pervasive masking.

Show threadIAmPawsAug 26, 2023

@DataDrivenMD We never should have stopped wearing masks. Instead we let a bunch of jumped up Iron Men decide masks are weak and half took theirs off while the rest of us were ridicued.

Well here's the scoop. I walk out this door and I'm wearing one. Got something to say about it? Then say to my face.

I've watched enough murder shows. I'll shove you in the trunk and help people look for you.

Show threadOran MagalAug 26, 2023
@DataDrivenMD I would add: even if you do have the flu, still wear a mask and avoid infecting other people!
Show threadspinsterAug 26, 2023
@DataDrivenMD I was on CoV bench last week. The previous week, something like 40% of 300ish specimens were positive. Who knows what that means for the public, though. Most were symptomatic, some HCW, maybe a couple of preop.
Show threadSamhain NightAug 26, 2023
@DataDrivenMD And remember, the current strain of Covid often doesn’t show up on over the counter tests until you’ve had symptoms for a week, so it’s best to assume you have in the meantime.
Show threadNicole ParsonsAug 26, 2023

@DataDrivenMD

The kind of money that's going into covid denial is enormous. It's always the usual sources too. #KochNetwork

https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2021/09/13/covid-19-and-the-new-merchants-of-doubt/

Luckily the appearance of yet another #KochNetwork covid disinformation campaign acts as an early warning system now.

#KochNetwork funds the best data-driven malign influence campaigns and now function as a "heads up!" warning.

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/4172467-biden-to-request-funds-for-another-covid-vaccine-amid-rising-cases/

Covid-19 and the new merchants of doubt - The BMJ

How best can scientists push back against science denialist campaigns? David Gorski and Gavin Yamey suggest some evidence based strategies On 9 April 2021, Open Democracy reported that Oxford University [...]More...

The BMJ
Show threadNicole ParsonsAug 26, 2023

@DataDrivenMD

Rachel Maddow "Watch what they do, not what they say"

If #KochNetwork is spending money on amplifying a lie like "there is no new surge in covid cases", you know the opposite is true.

The shape of a lie sometimes contains data to be gleaned.

For example, it contains the paranoid fears of the Wall Street rich. ie a surge in covid means another sharp downturn in oil demand like that in 2020.
Or a sharp decrease in tourism stocks as wildfires & droughts burn down resorts.

Show threadRenderBAug 26, 2023
@DataDrivenMD Heck even if it is a flu wearing a mask and keeping some distance still is the considerate thing to do.
Show threadArtemis13AthenaAug 26, 2023
@DataDrivenMD I'm wearing a mask if I'm in public. Period. I'm not sick and I intend to stay that way.
Show threadAnn,Molly a cat and Hugo a pugAug 27, 2023
@DataDrivenMD Here in Scotland, Covid numbers seem to be rising again but no one talking about it
Show threadMiltonsandy123Nov 18, 2023
@DataDrivenMD hello