Parenting Mishmash ۗۗۗۗۗۗۗۗۗۗۗۗۗۗۗۗۗۗۗۗۗۗۗۗۗۗۗۗۗ💜

Any mask is better than no mask, for sure. But a big leaky gap at the nose or chin means the mask is not going to be as protective as it could be, and can be improved with simple free or low cost tips, using basic principles that public health is failing at communicating 5/

🎯🧵by @parentmishmash.bsky.social on Twitter with reminders & tips for ensuring your mask/respirator is well-fitting

"Any mask is better than no mask, for sure. But a big leaky gap at the nose or chin means the mask is not going to be as protective..."

Full 🧵:
threadreaderapp.com/thread/19763...

This is how I make a seal cut at the nose on my kid's Zimi mask so that it fits better around her nose bridge, thus eliminating gaps around each side of her nose. The fit factor went way up on fit testing with this hack!

Just focus on buying a good high-CADR unit and put it wherever you have space for it. It won't be substantially more effective next to you, high/low etc. Placing it further from room occupants also reduces perceived noise levels.

YouTube video by Nukit Tempest Pro Ar Purifier CFD Model, Device Placement Test.

More data, this time using the Tempest Pro in floor/wall/ceiling mount configuration, shows that air purifier placement in a room is largely irrelevant.

youtube.com/shorts/L6dCa...

Does a beard really reduce respirator fit? Yes.

Check out this video by Pro Safety and Training in Australia. They fit tested a bearded employee, Dan, before and after shaving. The difference in mask seal is massive.

youtube.com/watch?v=dCWo...

Can you tell scam respirator ads on Facebook from legit ones?

I checked out if the fan powered respirator in this ad by PekeSafety is a total scam, an awesome deal, or somewhere in between.

Video link in next comment.

Mish, an engineer who won a Kanro Grant to build a solution for people to avoid infection during dental and medical appointments that require mouth access, created a mask chart for children— showing masks made for children, including the smallest toddlers, young children, older children, teens and small adults. Based on measurements, from Extra Small Vertical Face Size to Small Vertical Face Size, below is the list of masks Mish has included in the chart: ▪️Small Vertical Face Size ▪️SaveWo 3D Bear ▪️Lutema M94K XS ▪️Flo Mask Kids ▪️Zimi 95S ▪️WellBefore XS ▪️SaveWo 3D Meow 2-6yrs ▪️Zimi 7711 ▪️Bluna Facefit Kids ▪️Q100 XS ▪️SaveWo 3DMask KF94 2-6yrs ▪️BreatheTeg XS ▪️HappyLife XtraSmall/Youth ▪️SaveWo 3D Meow 7-11yrs ▪️Trident XS ▪️Vogmask Organic Medium ▪️Shawmut Protex Small SR9520S ▪️WellBefore Small ▪️3M 8110S/1860S ▪️Halyard Fluidshield Small 46827 ▪️Can99e Kids/Small ▪️Blox BLX-9501 ▪️Q100 Small ▪️Trident Small ▪️Champak PC520 Medium ▪️BreatheTeg Small ▪️Gerson 3230 ▪️Vflex Small 1804S ⚠️This chart is sorted by vertical mask length, but the fit is based on 3D geometry of multiple attributes. Therefore, fit testing is essential. Masks, highlighted in green, have headstraps. Even if a mask is generally the right size, adjustments such as ear savers, chin pleats, mask tape, nose foam, etc., may be necessary to achieve a protective fit. 

Kids Mask Size Chart by Parenting Mishmash @wemaskcolorado.bsky.social @parentmishmash.bsky.social
—to help you find a good fit for your child as well as what to try next when they grow.
Mish is on Facebook too.
www.facebook.com/masktogether...

it’s actually wild that, as far as i know, there’s nothing about anticovid activism on wikipedia. no mask blocs, no clean air clubs, very little mention of organized guerilla pro-social public health at all thus far.

hi yes hello please drop any and all anti-covid activism articles as responses to this post—i have many but certainly not all, and we may have some wiki wizards on the case >:)

A photo after the event showing panelist Jose Luis-Jimenez (upper left), event organizer Susan (upper middle), panelist and board member Fiona Gau (upper right), moderator Maria(lower left), and co-organizer Mish (lower right). Everyone is in respirators of various sorts, allowing each to breathe clean air as well as filtering the air that they breathe out around others.

Fiona (at left) and Maria (at right) watch as Jose answers a question at the panelist table. Panelist Stephanie Williams is shown on the TV screen behind them, participating remotely. An air filter whirs behind Fiona and UV light illuminates the ceiling.

Mish stands behind the tools table, showing an array of clean air tools to help you stay safe and healthy.

All four of the Aranet CO2 monitors that the organizers and panelists brought agreed - the air in that room was extremely clean! Outdoor air tends to read in the 400s or 500s in terms of CO2 concentration, and despite being indoors the highest readings we got were in the mid-600s. We opened the sliding door and a window and had several large air filters running, as well as UV lights to deactivate viruses in the air. Our Clean Air Event lived up to its name!

Our Clean Air Event was a huge success! Recording at youtu.be/eVfbeJ8J8Ww.

The takeaway? Breathing clean air is a necessity, and we can use simple tools to provide layered protection from airborne hazards, ranging from COVlD to wildfire smoke.

#MaskTogetherColorado #MaskTogetherAmerica 😷 ❤️

He’s Puerto Rican, so is a US citizen. Still trying to learn more.

We have heard that a 20 year Navy veteran - a senior enlisted leader in the Reserves - was detained in LA, told that his military ID was fake, and held by ICE. Command tracked him down in ICE custody after he missed drill.
Navy JAG is actually now suggesting that sailors carry passports…?!?!

😷 every worker in healthcare settings is to use a respirator, no longer just HCWs

😷 patients are to be given respirators and only given surgical masks if unable to wear a respirator

😷 respirators are to be worn in all areas and at all times unless it’s an area with high air exchange rates

Here are some of the proposed changes to improve workplace safety in healthcare settings:

😷 surgical masks should not be used for respiratory protections

😷 elastomeric respirators are to be put into widespread use & there are several situations where they are the preferred option vs N95

The CSA Z94.4:2024 Selection, use and care of respirators draft standard has been posted for a 60-day public review period.

If this standard is adopted, respirators will be required in health care settings by default. Your feedback can help.

COVID research & implications Covid research & implications Purpose: This document is a running curation of Covid research cited in scholarly journals and/or trustworthy popular media, with the goal of forming a story about the i...

Here's a shorthand reminder of what SARS CoV-2 does to one's metabolism that I co-curate. Only high-quality peer-reviewed studies—each with a TLDR takeaway.

Remember—Not all studies are created equal. Particularly in regards to this slippery & politically charged plague. #LongCOVID #COVID

As we discussed
the state of the world
I told the old punk
that now more than ever
I felt I was without hope
and in response
the old punk told me:
hope
is not the belief
that things will get better,
hope
is the belief
that they might.

Colorado confirms first measles outbreak of 2025 as cases reach numbers not seen in nearly 30 years An Arapahoe County adult vaccinated against measles who tested positive for the virus may have exposed people at several locations across the Denver metro area, state health officials said Thursday.

Colorado confirms first measles outbreak as 2nd Arapahoe County resident in 2 days tests positive for measles:

www.denver7.com/lifestyle/he...

Read interview of Prof. Gillespie @mariagillespie.bsky.social by @msjulieslam.bsky.social #MaskTogetherAmerica

www.instagram.com/p/DKQh8IQMnv4/

www.facebook.com/masktogether...

Prof. Maria Gillespie, wearing an OmniMask, modified with two 3M P100 filters by using the manufacturer’s adapter and a voice diaphragm (at the bottom) taken from her Honeywell North RU8500 Half Mask. Read interview of Prof. Gillespie by @MsJulieSLam #MaskTogetherAmerica  https://www.instagram.com/p/DKQh8IQMnv4/

"I feel very safe and confident when out and about in my clear mask - and I didn't even have to take it down at the TSA!" Math Prof. @mariagillespie.bsky.social in her modified OmniMask souped-up with 3M P100 filters & a voice diaphragm from a Honeywell half mask. www.instagram.com/p/DKQh8IQMnv4/

FDA says COVlD va cines likely not available for healthy kids and adults this fall Older adults and other groups at high risk for severe illness might still be able to get va cinated, the FDA va cine chief said Tuesday. Berkeley Lovelace Jr. reports. https://nbcnews.to/44K4S4o Our quote: Meanwhile, 124 other countries voted in favor of the global pandemic preparedness agreement at the World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva on May 19.

Nations adopt historic pledge to guard against future pandemics (United Nations) https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/05/1163451

The U.S. Pandemic Response is Rotting.
Here's the background story on Instagram ➕ Facebook:
www.instagram.com/p/DJ_9KhOOAU...
www.facebook.com/masktogether...
Write to the FDA to fight for access to vaccines for ALL! The pandemic is not over!

Fight for our rights to multi-layered protection against SARS-CoV-2. Submit a comment to the FDA by 11:59AM ET today, May 23, 2025
www.regulations.gov/commenton/FD...
 
Subject: Federal Government G0007.

New COVID-19 variant spreads rapidly in the US, experts warn As summer travel plans take shape, health officials are warning that a new COVID-19 variant, NB.1.8.1, is spreading rapidly in the U.S.

🚨NB.1.8.1, linked to a significant outbreak in Asia, now spreads in the US. Liz Bonis @local12.bsky.social interviewed @hamcohealth.bsky.social Director Dr. Steve Feagins on a potential COVID surge this summer. bit.ly/WKRC_NB181
Layered prevention is best: 😷+💉+ 🔄+🧴 #MaskTogetherAmerica #CleanAir

Much of Europe will probably see a summer wave starting soon, with both XFG and NB.1.8.1 growing at similar rates, and the combination is already probably in the 30% prevalence range.

The data below describe how well vaccines work to reduce your risk. This risk reduction is in addition to protection you may have from previous infections with COVID-19 or from receiving earlier versions of COVID-19 vaccines. COVID-19 vaccines: Reduce your risk for critical illness (admission to intensive care unit or death) For adults ages 18 and older, the 2023–2024 COVID-19 vaccines reduced the risk of critical illness from COVID-19 by almost 70% in the first 2 months after vaccination. Protection decreased over time. During the 10 months after vaccination, the vaccines reduced critical illness risk by about 50%.6 Reduce your risk of being hospitalized For adults ages 18 and older, the 2023­­–2024 COVID-19 vaccines reduced the risk of COVID-19 hospitalization by about 50% in the first 2 months after vaccination. Protection decreased over time. During the 10 months after vaccination, the vaccines reduced hospitalization risk by about 30%.67 Reduce your risk of getting sick and needing to go to urgent care or the emergency department For adults ages 18 and older, the 2023–2024 COVID-19 vaccines reduced the risk of COVID-19 urgent care and emergency department visits by about 50% in the first 2 months after vaccination. Protection decreased over time, with little protection remaining at 4–6 months.67 Reduce your risk for Long COVID Studies show that people who got vaccinated against COVID-19 and later get COVID-19 are less likely to have Long COVID, compared to people who are unvaccinated or not up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines.89

The data tells us that everyone can benefit from getting updated Covid vaccines.

Covid vaccines reduce the risk of becoming sick, developing Long Covid, and becoming hospitalized, for everyone.

This interview (1 & 2) is worth your time & attention. Sidhwa brings a distinctive perspective/analysis - he has a firm grip on the healthcare "landscape" in Gaza bc he was there working as a trauma surgeon, & as a US citizen by birth he can fathom the many forms of US complicity that got us here.

Yes, Antarctic sea-ice extent has been crashing, with the 3-year running average recently setting a new record low, down nearly 20% from its 2016 peak and more than 10% from its long-term average.

The 3-year running average smoothes out short-term anomalies and tells the story:

Antarctica's ice loss doubles since 2020, what this means for coastal cities

Your 'moment of doom' for May 14, 2025 ~ Sooner than expected.

“We’re witnessing ice dynamics that simply shouldn’t happen on these timescales. The acceleration pattern suggests we’ve potentially crossed a critical threshold that our models didn’t anticipate until the 2040s.”

Counting Rocks! An Introduction to Combinatorics - YouTube This playlist features the re-created videos for the Open Educational Resource "Counting Rocks! An Introduction to Combinatorics" created at Colorado State U...

Remote teaching in 2020 launched my interest in high quality virtual mathematics presentation. Just today I completed this playlist for undergraduate combinatorics, the result of years of learning and a semester of hard work:

www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...