The Biggest Mood (KC Simpkins)

Someone forgot to take down this webpage:

www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/v...

Covid infections raise mental health & suicide risks. Even mild cases boost depression risk by 20%, regardless of vax status. Public health failed to communicate this, letting anti-vaxxers fill the gap with disinfo.

www.self.com/story/covid-...

Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif killed in Israeli attack in Gaza City Al-Sharif killed in what appears to be a targeted Israeli attack on tent housing journalists outside al-Shifa hospital.

Al-Sharif killed in what appears to be a targeted Israeli attack on tent housing journalists outside al-Shifa hospital.

UK police arrest 522 over support for Palestine Action at London protests More than 100 of those arrested over their support for the banned pro-Palestinian organisation were over 70 years old.

More than 100 of those arrested over their support for the banned pro-Palestinian organisation were over 70 years old.

Photo of Covid-19 Nowcast estimates of COVID variants by proportion of sequences. It has not been updated since 6/21/2025 and today is 8/9/2025.

As of today, August 9th, 2025, the CDC has not updated their Covid-19 variant tracking for 7 weeks straight. Nearly 2 months of no updates.

I believe it is likely safe to say that it has been quietly retired.

Researchers from around the world headed to Santa Fe for long COVID conference A few years have passed since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, but but researchers estimate millions of people are still living with the effects of long COVID. The Keystone Symposia on ‘Long COVID...

Santa Fe Keystone conference begins Sunday bringing global experts and patients together on long COVID which affects an estimated 400 million people and costs health systems $2 trillion yearly yet still has no consensus on diagnosis or treatment.

www.kunm.org/local-news/2...

A government-sanctioned "truth arbiter" will soon arrive at CBS. Their role will be to ensure that journalists do not criticize this Administration or express views that conflict with its agenda.

This is a betrayal—not just of journalistic independence, but of the public trust. 🧵

A Corsi-Rosenthal box with grey filters that need to be changed

A Corsi-Rosenthal box with fresh filters

my CR box after doing battle with wildfire smoke this week vs. my CR box with new clean filters today

Really tempted to get this fabulous doormat from IKEA...!

(It's just that no one would see it at my apartment :P )

🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉

Kind of wild that it took until 2025 for me to build a CR box!

This affordable marvel of engineering for clean air helps with covid, wildfire smoke, and allergies alike.

$80 for 4 MERV13 filters, a box fan, and duct tape. 1 hour to assemble with scissors. It will be effective for months!

Front Range friends:
Run your HEPA air filters today indoors!!
And mask up outdoors.
Wildfire smoke always makes me feel crappy.

We told you they were going to do project 2025 and it’s 2025 and they’re doing project 2025

Vinay Prasad departs the FDA Vinay Prasad, a top FDA official, is out after less than 3 months on the job.

Vinay Prasad just got fired from the FDA because he was utterly unqualified and could not meet the moment. He can now go back to making his little YouTube videos chockablock with misinformation and continue to deceive the public that way.

AI guzzled millions of books without permission. Authors are fighting back. Authors are appealing for help from Congress and the courts after Meta and Anthropic used millions of books to create AI technology, without seeking consent.

Tech firms torrented millions of pirated books to train their AI models. Now authors are fighting back.

My story on the front page of today's @washingtonpost.com: www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

The woman who cut my hair today wore a mask. I thanked her and she said, “I have my own health stuff! But even if I didn’t, I’m all up in everybody’s business all day. It’s just common sense.”

And god, I wish everyone had it.

I made this shirtpost 2 years ago and it's still perfectly accurate in the summer of 2025 😭🙃🫩

Beyond long COVID — how reinfections could be causing silent long-term organ damage | CBC Radio Scientific evidence is painting an unsettling picture: COVID infections, even if mild or asymptomatic, may be causing long-term cellular and organ damage, as well as increasing your risk of developing...

This is one of the BEST short, sweet, and straightforward interviews I have ever heard about the consequences of covid infections and long covid.

Featuring @putrinolab.bsky.social obviously!!

If you need one radio interview to share with friends, family, etc. this is 💯

www.cbc.ca/radio/quirks...

With a bit of mask tape, it stays out of the way and got me through with flying colors at my cut and color, after finally testing negative on rapids this week.

Yeah it's bright yellow. Oh well 😅🤪

Avoid getting sick or spreading illness in this airborne era, while also looking well... ✨️sick ✨️😎 💅

Did you know about Readimask? Also sold by Alliantbiotech, often with big discount codes.

Designed for firefighters and first responders, they are comfy, single use, strapless adhesive N95 masks!

Perfect for haircuts. 💁‍♀️

Pictured: Yellow Readimask worn in size large.

Reminder that for occupations where it may be essential to reveal faces, solutions exist. Transparent N95s and elastomeric respirators can be used in combination with layered protections such as clean air infrastructure, testing, and vaccines. But employers need to provide these tools for free.

Melissa speaking about the long-term effects of COVID-19 infection on set with CBC Vancouver News at 6 anchor Dan Burritt

5 years after #COVID19 turned the world upside down, what do we know about its long-term effects?
Good to join @danburritt.bsky.social tonight to talk:
👩 who's at risk
💉 how to prevent it
🦠 how multiple infections jump your risk of Long COVID from 15% to 40%
+ more.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVKp...

CDC Bird Flu Response Cuts Could Lead To Another Pandemic Cutting surveillance for bird flu, combined with RFK Jr's proposed “let ‘er rip” approach to poultry infections would be dangerous. This is why.

New Post: CDC Bird Flu Response Cuts Could Lead To Another Pandemic via @forbes www.forbes.com/sites/judyst... #BirdFlu #CDC #Pandemic preparedness.

Thx to @saskiapopescu.bsky.social and @ggronvall.bsky.social for perspective. Bonus scathing comments fr @angierasmussen.bsky.social's substack

*day 9 of isolation, day 11 of symptoms (apologies)

This is the way! 🤓

Five positive covid tests in a row, dated June 28 through July 6.

I'm on day 11 of isolation to avoid spreading my covid infection to others.

A reminder that the 5 day rule was shortened from 10 days, and then elimated entirely, because corporate interests were deemed more important than science and public health, and the rules are always made to suit capitalism.

Long COVID Rates Higher in Women: Evidence Grows New research shows long COVID strikes more women than men, illuminating more clues to how the illness works.

“Even after adjusting for clinical and demographic factors, women had a 31%-44% higher likelihood of developing long COVID than men. The risk was especially pronounced among nonpregnant, nonmenopausal participants.” #LongCovid

I am isolating, resting, taking Paxlovid, and contacted people I saw in person this past week.

I had this next week planned as vacation, but it will now be sick time :(

Please mask up and stay safe, friends!

Test when suspicious. Break the chain of transmission! Practice public health 💙

This variant is quite transmissible, even outdoors. I'm not exactly sure where I got it, but it's likely from an asymptomatic outdoor exposure in closer proximity.

Incubation was 1 to 4 days between exposure and symptoms.

Flowflex rapid test was positive immediately. Pluslife confirmed it.

The summer covid surge got me :(

As someone who is fully vaccinated, and got Novavax 3 months ago, so far this covid variant is presenting as gastritis, acid reflux, sore throat, and miscellaneous gut issues, with a small amount of fatigue and congestion.

Left: pluslife. Right: flowflex.