This

“The fight in the big pandemic public health story,” says Bar-Yam, “has moved from proving COVID is airborne to building a public health system that acts like it.”

A child sits at a wooden desk studying on a computer, with a desk lamp and small fan nearby and a white air purifier on the floor beside the chair.

Installing air filters in classrooms improved student test scores: math up by 0.20 and English by 0.18 standard deviations — equal to about 2.5 EXTRA MONTHS OF LEARNING.

On Monday, I'm talking with an expert about ***indoor air quality***. This is a subject I've been meaning to cover for years. Very interested in the overlap between this & pandemic prevention, climate change, economic justice, etc.

What are your questions about indoor air quality?

In case any of you can help...

Um, it's not the people still wearing masks who have undercut the vaccine messaging in America, man.

Wow.

What happens when you allow a novel pandemic virus to keep spreading and mutating, let vaccination rates drop dramatically, don't fund ventilation or filtration in schools, and reject germ theory:

People are sick all of the time and society starts to fall apart.

I don't post often, but will always reiterate that mask mandates in healthcare settings, and clean air standards in public spaces are still very much needed. Every new wave should remind us of that.

I know a doctor who said even when they personally are sick, they don't test for COVID, because their actions would be no different than if it were a cold.

That's honestly infuriating. Every transmission is an opportunity for the virus to mutate, and also for someone to be sickened/harmed.

Boosting here since I know some of you wear them regularly

If our culture wasn't so misinformed and resistant to masks as an air health protection, I would expect officials would issue air alerts and distribute masks in critical wildfire smoke zones. We see water warnings at contaminated beaches but seem to do little about contaminated air. 🤷‍♂️

Commentary: Study finds removing school mask mandates contributed to 22,000 U.S. COVID deaths in a year Critics of anti-pandemic measures prompted schools to end mask mandates, but doing so exposed millions to COVID infection, contributing to nearly 22,000 deaths.

Commentary: Study finds removing school mask mandates contributed to 22,000 U.S. COVID deaths in a year www.latimes.com/business/sto...

Mask up!

Demand cleaner indoor air in schools and public spaces to reduce risk from all current and future airborne diseases!

Air filters in classrooms reduce sick days by more than 10 per cent Putting air filters in classrooms seems to boost student attendance, which may be due to them reducing levels of air pollution, pollen, pathogens or all three

Air filters in classrooms reduce sick days by more than 10 per cent
www.newscientist.com/article/2478...

A scoping review on pediatric sepsis prediction technologies in healthcare - npj Digital Medicine npj Digital Medicine - A scoping review on pediatric sepsis prediction technologies in healthcare

It’s Pediatric Sepsis Week.

Sepsis is the #1 cause of death in kids—about 1 in 3 survivors experience chronic health challenges.

Preventing infection (clean air, hygiene, masking, vaccination) is critical.

Future digital tools may also play an important role in early pediatric sepsis response:

Thread

The truth is, we never, in any systematic way, made classrooms safe, like ensuring upgraded ventilation and air purification in schools.

And COVID ripped through classrooms. Kids fueled household spread and hundreds of thousands of them lost caregivers to the virus.

But we don’t talk about THAT.

The tragedy with school closures wasn't that they happened, but that in all the time they were closed *nothing was done to improve their safety.*

Not upgraded HVAC. Not air purification. Nothing. They wiped down surfaces and called it a day. We spend millions "hardening" schools against shooters...

How to get get COVID tests in bulk for your community

Boston! Do you know any community health group that wants *free* COVID tests from the government? Minimum order is 300. Apparently they ship very quickly (a western Mass friend ordered 400 to distribute)

Um free COVID tests in bulk. Like as many as you need

lifehacker.com/health/how-t...

Thanks!

"Investments in essential infrastructure, such as HVAC systems or pollutant removal, yield notable improvements in student performance, while expenditures on athletic facilities show no measurable academic benefit." cc: @cleanindoorair.bsky.social

The “No COVID Chandelier,” also called the “Fandelier,” a custom-made air purifier includes 18 fans and cleans the aerosols from the table, spreading clean air in every direction. It’s glowing in rainbow colors and hanging from the ceiling. In this image it is positioned on top of a star-shaped sky. The text reads: “The Sick Times: Invisible defenses: A guide for cleaner indoor air. By Gillian Neimark.”

A photo of a PM detector showing very clean air. The text reads: Complement filtration with ventilation: Ceiling fans: Disrupt vertical air layering, mixing warm and cool air. Vortex fans: Create a spiraling airflow to eliminate stagnant pockets. Pro tip: Use fans to complement filtration systems and improve overall air circulation.

A photo of a variety of clean air devices on a shelf. The text reads: Humidity matters: Aim for 40–45% relative humidity (RH): Viruses are less stable at moderate humidity levels. Avoid mold: Keep humidity under 50% to prevent mold growth in your home. Use a hygrometer: Monitor indoor humidity levels with an inexpensive device.

A photo of a living room with discreet air filters in it. The text reads: DIY air filter tips: Quiet PC fan filters: For low-noise air cleaning, use PC fans instead of traditional box fans. Travel-sized filters: Look for portable or collapsible options for clean air on the go. Placement matters: Always position filters centrally in the room for optimal airflow.

Clean air is a vital line of defense against illness, yet navigating filters and ventilation can feel overwhelming. Gillian Neimark talked with aerosol experts as well as smart laypeople who have installed filters in their homes, in the hopes of making it as easy as possible. bit.ly/49QmSdX

Netherlands: CO2 Monitors to be mandatory in all Dutch classrooms.

airspothealth.myshopify.com/a/blog/co2-m...

Thank you!

Talking about wearing masks in solidarity

You’ve Been Sick for Years…. Just Die Already. An exploration of rampant ableism and how the pandemic changed how disabled people are treated.

I’ve had a family member tell me that I’ve been sick for so long I should “die or get back to life”

As if being chronically ill is a choice (it’s not) and as if it’s acceptable to tell someone to “just die”

This is why assisted dying laws worry me. Our own families see us as better off dead:

Oh, and speaking of that, if you're planning to gather with people for the winter holidays, now is the time to get vaccinated for flu and COVID!

Or if you're not going to do that, at least test once!

Theme of this thread: ***Anything is better than nothing.*** Every infection chain prevented means lives saved down the road. COVID is still a deadly and debilitating disease, especially with so many people not getting vaccinated.

And please test twice 24-48 hours apart before gathering, especially with anyone vulnerable to infection.

There are tests now that will test for both flu and COVID
amzn.to/3APFzBx