Keelia Silvis, MPH 💗💛💙

1/ If Congress lets ACA subsidies expire, a New Yorker making just $1 over the cutoff could pay $5,000–$10,000 more per year for health insurance. For older adults, it could be much higher. I'm breaking down what this means for New Yorkers and what else is happening in #publichealth this week👇

Islamophobia is rampant this election. We have seen it plague our city, and especially seeing it here in ward 12.

This is happening in a time of escalated political violence. There is real risk that our Muslim representatives and elected officials take on when they represent this city.

With federal food aid about to dry up, counties scramble to help those who rely on it The pending loss of food aid amid the federal government shutdown could hit rural Minnesota hardest, but is also certain to be felt across the state.

More than 152,000 children and 72,000 seniors in Minnesota are expected to lose federal food benefits starting Nov. 1.

It’s not supposed to be fun.

It’s supposed to be EFFECTIVE.

Roper: How the ‘slate for change’ could upend the Minneapolis mayoral election An alliance between Jacob Frey’s challengers may prove significant in the ranked-choice election.

An alliance between Jacob Frey’s challengers may prove significant in the ranked-choice election.

I spent 4 years doing comms + PR for state gov employees & researchers, and I still do Media Outreach training/consultation.

I just added this story to my training resources + added this line to my script: "When in doubt about how to interact with journalists, do the OPPOSITE of Lindsey Halligan."

"Anna, Lindsey Halligan Here." Anna Bower Monday, October 20, 2025, 5:40 PM Share On: f X inK My Signal exchange with the interim U.S. attorney about the Letitia James grand jury.

EXCLUSIVE: One Saturday afternoon in October, my phone lit up with a notification.

I glanced down at the message.

“Anna, Lindsey Halligan here,” it began.

So began my text exchange with the woman who is prosecuting the president's perceived political enemies.

www.lawfaremedia.org/article/anna...

My mom sends this No Kings report from St. Cloud, MN

That’s my grandma at the end of the video, she turns 100 in February. She’s out there!

The protests in South Minneapolis were so safe and law-abiding protesters weren’t even jaywalking 😂😂😂

frog and chewbacca dance to brass solidarity band, the band formed by community members around george floyd square, at no kings minneapolis

Key points were:

-be proud for showing up for democracy, this is the best of America
-it’s ok to be angry about everything that’s happening and acknowledge that
-use that anger and mold it into determination to keep doing the right thing
-get organized locally

Many hundreds of people were out protesting in my sleepy corner of the burbs, in fact there were four demonstrations along a roughly five mile stretch of road going through three towns you've never heard of.

So that's pretty cool. And pretty good.

Minneapolis is showing up and showing out. #NoKings

Opinion | Once again, people are blaming mothers for their kids’ autism "While the Trump administration seems obsessed with autism, they never actually talk about the kinds of things that would improve our lives," David M. Perry writes.

"While the Trump administration seems obsessed with autism, they never actually talk about the kinds of things that would improve our lives," David M. Perry writes.

YouTube video by Lucky Tran Violet Affleck's Fiery UN Speech On COVID and Clean Air

Here's a Youtube link of Violet Affleck's full speech about COVID and clean air at the United Nations:

NORTHEAST PUBLIC HEALTH COLLABORATIVE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE 2025-2026 COVID-19 VACCINE ver: 9/15/2025 Vaccination against COVID-19 is recommended for all children 6-23 months All children ages 6-23 months should be vaccinated. Recommendations for vaccination against COVID-19 for children 2-18 years Children and adolescents ages 2-18 years who fall within one of the following subgroups should be vaccinated: o At high risk for severe COVID-19 (Table 1) o Living in a long-term care facility or other congregate setting o Have never been vaccinated against COVID-19 o Whose household members are at high risk for severe COVID-19 Healthy children and adolescents 2 - 18 years, who do not fall into the categories above, may be vaccinated. Vaccination against COVID-19 is recommended for all adults 19-64 years All adults 19-64 years are recommended to be vaccinated against COVID-19. This includes the following groups of adults 19-64 years who should be vaccinated: • Persons with risk factors for severe COVID-19 disease (e.g., chronic conditions, immunocompromised status) • Persons at higher risk of exposure (e.g., healthcare workers, congregate care settings) • Persons who are who are household contacts of persons at high risk of severe disease Vaccination against COVID-19 is recommended for all adults 65 years or older All adults 65 years and older should be vaccinated. Vaccination against COVID-19 is recommended for all pregnant persons People who are pregnant, contemplating pregnancy or have recently been pregnant and those who are lactating should be vaccinated. o Vaccination may occur in any trimester. o For lactating individuals, there is no need to stop or delay breastfeeding. o There is no need to delay pregnancy following a COVID-19 vaccine. Immunocompromised individuals should have a conversation with their primary care provider about additional doses needed.

One of the first actions the Northeast Public Health Collaborative has taken is to issue their own COVID vaccination recommendations, based on professional medical societies.

coronavirus.health.ny.gov/system/files...

Map of Regional Public Health Coalitions Northeast Public Health Collaborative (Blue) West Coast Health Alliance (Yellow)

IT'S OFFICIAL: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York State, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and New York City have formed the Northeast Public Health Collaborative.

The collaborative will issue their own vaccine recommendations and coordinate public health efforts.

SERIOUSLY.

I was venting to a friend about this yesterday, and he summed it up perfectly: “I know you have taken every step to remove me from your consciousness but have you considered the great replacement theory?”

I can't. I just can't for my mental health.

Democrat Xp Lee wins special election to succeed Melissa Hortman He won 60% of the vote against Republican challenger Ruth Bittner.

The Minnesota House of Representatives is back to an even 67-67 split after Democrat Xp Lee won a special election Tuesday to fill the seat left by slain DFL leader Melissa Hortman.

Why did doctors refuse to wash their hands? A new study explains - Uppsala University

It’s worth noting that for many years doctors refused to wash their hands, not because there was a lack of evidence for it being a life-saving measure, but because it challenged established norms. We are seeing the same regressive phenomenon with masks now.

Twitter/X notification feed showing notifications from Dr. Aaron E Carroll and Lawrence Gostin followed by an unwanted suggested post from Elon Musk.

...Having the legitimate notifications from public health expert communicators Dr. Aaron E. Carroll and Lawrence Gostin followed by unwanted pushed posts from health conspiracy ghoul Elon Musk is so ironic I could choke on it.

A screenshot of a Twitter/X notification feed. The top notification is from actual follows, public health communicators Aaron E Carroll & Lawrence Gostin. The rest are unwanted suggestions of Elon Musk posts.

Why I no longer use Twitter/X summarized in a single picture.

I apparently have to re-block Elon Musk's account & mute his name every time I log in. Idk how many times I've done it, but he keeps pushing himself into my feed. 🙃

Your Local Epidemiologist | Katelyn Jetelina | Substack Providing a direct line of "translated" public health science to you, so you can take action for your community's health. Click to read Your Local Epidemiologist, a Substack publication with hundreds ...

11/ This is an excerpt from my weekly newsletter, which breaks down this issue and more. To read the full version with information on Covid rates, the fourth measles death, and more, click here 👉 yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com

Love,

The YLE Team 💖

No joke, having masking be even slightly socially acceptable has been a game changer in my health!

I have chronic insomnia & other illness which affect my immune system, so I've suffered from frequent colds & flus my whole life. Masking has cut that down to ~20% previous infections each year!

Keelia Silvis, a white woman with blue eyes and pink hair, points emphatically at her N95 mask while sitting on a bus.

It is 89F and humid as a swamp in the Twin Cities today, but I'm on public transit so I am MASKING.

I never stopped masking in public transit, groceries, pharmacies, and medical settings. And that habit is probably more important now than it's been since 2020.

Even if you aren’t masking anywhere else it still makes sense to wear a mask in medical settings & pharmacies because there’s a greater chance of being close to someone contagious & there are more people who are at higher risk in these places. Masking in these settings both protects you & others.

From @ylepidemiologist.bsky.social: “If you’re under 65 and not high risk, the window to get a Covid-19 vaccine is right now—before the FDA label changes (possibly this Friday). Once it happens, access will be limited immediately.”

With COVID vaccine access likely to become restricted soon, now would be good time to get back in the habit of wearing a mask more frequently again if you haven’t been doing so lately.

Live: Rep. Melissa Hortman assassinated, others shot in ‘targeted’ attack Authorities said suspect impersonated a police officer, and a “manifesto” was recovered with lawmakers’ names.

Rep Hortman was an incredible leader, this is such a loss 💔 I'm in shock www.startribune.com/brooklyn-par...