Mike Hoerger, PhD, MSCR, MBA

I was trying to post COVID updates from Mississippi and was blocked from doing so. I spend as much time there as possible, which unfortunately is far too little.

I live in New Orleans. 🙏

Two screenshots against a background of orange leaves on green grass with purple shoots. The first is a map of the US showing COVID transmission, with states colored pale yellow to maroon depending on severity. Oregon is grey, which means “No Data”. The second is text that reads, “85% of Oregon community wastewater treatment centers were positive for SARS-CoV-2 on the most recent sample.”

Happy Wastewater Wednesday! What’s the current sitch with COVID? Well, it’s kind of hard to tell, on account of the federal shutdown.

Thank you to @michael-hoerger.bsky.social for the map and graph, and OHA for continuing to track the data coming from our wastewater treatment centers!

You can find our COVID-related updates at pmc19.com/data

In 1-3 weeks, we expect to see a significant departure from the lull.

We also post updates routinely on IG, Twitter, TikTok, and occasionally LinkedIn. 🙏

It's troubling to me that so many people fled to BSky over the politics of social media apps but care so little on this issue. It's a critical failure in the overall strategy of BSky's management if they cannot fund basic legal services or simply do not care about people in the Deep South.

In the same way that one would disapprove of BSky theoretically blocking NY or CA, one should be troubled by any app that cuts off access to specific states with such apathy.

People in Mississippi cannot post or read about climate events, food drives, or COVID on BSky. That's troubling.

As a scientist working to promote health equity in the Deep South, I do not use BSky much b/c they have blocked access to Mississippi.

They disagree with a Mississippi age verification law (me too) but have failed to note any strategy to counter the law, increase access, or acknowledge they care.

I was attempting to post public health updates from Mississippi here *while vacationing on Labor Day weekend* when learning of the ban. They do not let people in Mississippi post. They do not let people in Mississippi access PMC updates here. Bsky has not indicated spending $1 to fight this issue.

I posted that I was taking a 1 month boycott of bsky because they blocked access to Mississippi and are doing nothing to fight for geographic justice. Working in the south, my job is fighting for geographic justice, so I have no interest in this app.

Thanks for demonstrating the very issues I describe!

This prevented readily sharing PMC COVlD updates. If Bsky blocked underdeveloped nations, there would be outcry, but blocking U.S. people of the south is tolerated. Treated as non-human.

This is a part of a broader pattern of Bsky users posting prejudiced & racist views on geo-spatial COVlD maps.

We have more transmission than during the majority of the pandemic, not the peak of the pandemic.

Keep the windows open if possible. At the very least keep the back window or window closest to him open. Turn of the A/C's recirculation feature. Wear well-fitting high filtration masks.

Yes, that's all it is. It's been more of an issue than usual of late.

It is very high in several places including Hawai'i and the CA bay area. Boycott them too?

Thanks Becky!

It urges in different places at different points in time.

Wish I knew

It surges in different parts of the country at different parts of the time.

That's okay. Early-40s vision changes here. I can't even see the typos. 😂

Thanks for sharing. It's very difficult to understand the particulars when not there myself.

Stay safe! I worry what we're seeing in a few states will soon be more widespread.

Lol?

We are at about 1 in 65 now. Still "High." The real-time numbers are getting retroactively corrected upward or downward any given week though. Not good.

The key metric is infections, which are correlated with Long COVID and excess deaths.

Wastewater COVID-19 State and Territory Trends CDC’s National Wastewater Surveillance System, U.S. state trends

Oregon has good coverage by the CDC, no?

www.cdc.gov/nwss/rv/COVI...

I don't tolerate geographic prejudices in my feed.

Yes. COVID remains a pandemic, as much as people would like to pretend otherwise.

I am not at the CDC. We make this report because they do not provide data in a way useful to most people.

Higher the cfm the better. I'd recommend getting an Aranet4 to track when CO2 levels fall. Opening windows helps a lot especially with fans on. I think with no ventilation sars2 is out of the air in about 4 hours, so I don't personally take time precautions beyond that.

My kids all wear the Flo Mask in most settings.

My oldest got his the week it came out. My twins got theirs for their 2nd birthday. 🤣