John Rampelt

What if everyone had masked up? Analysis of app data has an answer Modelling study based on almost 250,000 positive COVID-19 tests in the United Kingdom shows that universal masking could have cut transmission markedly.

UK: What if everyone had masked up? Analysis of app data has the answer:
"Respirators would have dropped the rate of COVID transmission by an estimated factor of 9, compared with 0.6 for surgical masks. A factor of 9 is enough to put SARS-COV-2 into exponential decay!
www.nature.com/articles/d41...

I'm seeing a first modest signal that the lengthy period of low #covid activity may be ending in Ontario. This is very close to the time when a rise began two years ago. The XFG (aka "Stratus") variant has been rising and has been projected to be at 64%-85% share as of August 6. /2
(Chart from PHO)

Lmao at Putin — responsible for the deaths of thousands upon thousands of innocent people — getting an invite to cross the US border with ease, whilst the rest of us have to do backflips and risk getting detained because we might have said some swear words on social media.

Very normal country.

Ricardo Tranjan: Income inequality reached a new high. Here’s why Ottawa’s DOGE-style cuts will only make it worse The prime minister has gone from Captain Canada to Captain Cuts.

Instead of making huge cuts to public services, the government should be looking at where the money is: the uber-rich paying extremely low tax rates as wealth inequality explodes.

(From @ricardotranjan.bsky.social)

www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

Mom pleads for province to fund son’s autism therapy instead of ‘jail’-like box at school A Whitby mom says the province could likely save money by reallocating education-related funding for her 13-year-old son with autism to behavioural therapy for him

This story in @thetrillium.bsky.social hits on pretty much all the key elements around exclusion, seclusion, and restraint of students with disabilities in Ontario schools.

www.thetrillium.ca/news/educati...

This is absolutely the thing we should reorient the entire economy to focus on

"If the U.S. can't get its greenhouse emissions under control, they need to face real consequences" said the rest of the world.

A sick Canada is a losing Canada.
Let’s keep our economy and each other strong by doing our part to wipe out completely preventable diseases and keep Canada resilient.
#cdnpoli #vaccines

You may not know who around you is a survivor of cancer as you go about your day at work, at the grocery store, at the mall, at the doctor’s office, or in any other crowded indoor setting.

If you have symptoms of flu or COVID and can’t stay home, please wear a well-fitting mask to protect others.

"Fascists, despite their chest- thumping bravado, are deeply insecure.
...
They thrive on making you feel small...
But here’s the secret: they only win if
you let them.
Cats, of course, would never let them."

- Page 47, Lessons from Cats For Surviving Fascism
MagnaCata.com

If I have to explain to you why it's a bad idea to use a machine that makes shit up 15-80% of the time AND destroys the environment AND contributes to rising fascism and genocide AND puts brilliant skillful creatives out of work by stealing their work, then we're already speaking different languages

@uriebay.bsky.social @beyerstein.bsky.social @tomlevenson.bsky.social @anniegirl.bsky.social @doloresquintana.bsky.social @merlinofcanada.bsky.social @maej43.bsky.social I instantly feel better about the trouble it took to get my respirator.😌 #CovidIsAirborne #CovidIsNotOver

RFK Jr, head of HHS, is shutting down mRNA vaccine developments. The mRNA covid vaccines saved millions of lives and their safety has been proven over billions of doses and promising mRNA cancer vaccines were in development. There is no scientific basis for this ideological decision.

Every reputable expert I know considers mRNA vaccine technology to be one of the most revolutionary advances in medicine in our lifetimes. Its inventors won the Nobel Prize in 2023. Shutting it down now is pointless self-harm to humanity.

I don’t care what this adds to Canada’s deficit. Fund those scientists up here. Build whatever they need.

Why a NASA satellite that scientists and farmers rely on may be destroyed on purpose The Trump administration has asked NASA staffers to draw up plans to end at least two satellite missions that measure carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, according to current and former NASA employees.

The anti-science Trumpers may be planning to destroy two working satellites that provide vital measurements about carbon dioxide & climate (and data that forecasts crop yield, drought conditions, & more). They cost $750 million to make but only $15 million/yr to operate.
www.npr.org/2025/08/04/n...

This is amongst the most impactful two minutes of broadcasting I’ve ever seen.

By Emma Murphy, International Editor, ITV News. #Gaza

Ten or twenty years from now they will probably wonder why we didn't do more to protect children and the vulnerable from WF smoke. Simple measures like HEPA filters and respirator masks should be more generally available for those who need them, esp. places like care facilities and schools.

Canada’s the only country having over 60% with a tertiary education.

This isn’t a numbers competition: it explains Canada’s values, “Education can promote gender equality, reduce child marriage, promote peace”

Education promotes decency.

#CanadaNice

worldpopulationreview.com/country-rank...

Weather map of fire and smoke, The Weather Network

Seems every summer has high hazard wildfire smoke days now. When I grew up, we never heard of those. But we did have smog days back then. We took action on smog pollution and it has saved many lives. Hard to stop the wildfire trend without addressing the issue of greenhouse gases/planet warming.

NASA's carbon tracking satellites are on Trump's chopping block The satellites targeted for removal are the only ones monitoring Earth's greenhouse gases.

If CO₂ is plant food and so essential to life on Earth as this administration claims, why are they destroying the satellites that track CO₂?

IEA: Renewables will be world’s top power source ‘by 2026’ - Carbon Brief Renewable energy will overtake coal to become the world’s top source of electricity “by 2026 at the latest”, according to new IEA forecasts.

"Renewable energy will overtake coal to become the world’s top source of electricity 'by 2026 at the latest', according to new forecasts from the International Energy Agency (IEA)."

mRNA vaccines for HIV trigger strong immune response in people Results from early-stage trial show that 80% of participants who received one of two HIV vaccine candidates produced antibodies against viral proteins.

Two vaccine candidates using mRNA technology elicit a potent immune response against HIV

go.nature.com/4ov7WZI

😮 This is one of the deepest views ever obtained of the Universe, revealing more than 2500 sources in this tiny patch of sky! #WebbSeesFarther

Thou shalt believe women.

9.6.3.11 Surgical masks Surgical masks are not considered respirators and shall not be used as respiratory protection by HCWs. Surgical masks may be used by patients who cannot otherwise wear respirators, as determined by the Qualified Person, to provide limited source control to protect HCWs.

They HAD to write in the obvious "surgical masks shall not be used for respiratory protection" because of obstinate IPAC practitioners who claim otherwise.

Please enjoy my cartoon for Friday's Toronto Star

This list—predominantly managers of hospital infection control programs—are undermining revisions to a Canadian standard for workplace respirator personal protective equipment (PPE) that would improve safety grounded in science and engineering. /1