#merv13

[thefirsthogokage]

If you're in an area that is suffering from wildfire polluted air, I just saw this on Twitter:

Bonus:

Here's a site I found that can tell you how to make these:

Edit: There have been some extra pointers (about open sources of water in the home, and I believe some other things) in the reblogs, so I highly recommend taking a look at the notes of this post!

Also: Cloth masks are NOT sufficient. Use KN95s or N95s!

[pierayanna]

COVID-19

We are currently in the largest COVID surge of all-time in the US.

There is also a new variant that is not protected by the previous vaccine.

Please start back masking and please get the COVID-19 booster (schedule with your local pharmacy).

Wastewater counts are obscenely high right now, belying the official case numbers. Considering that we've stopped collecting or reporting most COVID data, wastewater is the best way we have to judge the actual infection rate now. Wastewater is collected from washing our hands, going the bathroom, etc. We shed COVID into the water system and based on the concentration of COVID in waste water, we can get very accurate estimates of how many people are infected at one time.

We are currently seeing ten million new infections a week, and can expect that to greatly increase within the next three weeks.

* If you've stopped masking, please start again, for your own safety and the safety of your community. Many hospital systems are already trending toward being overwhelmed right now; wear a mask when in crowded, enclosed, or poorly ventilated areas, and keep a safe distance from others, as feasible.

* Avoid unnecessary gatherings where possible.

* Ventilate your spaces well (Corsi-Rosenthal Box).

* Reevaluate casual habits (touching face, respiratory etiquette—covering coughs and sneezes, clean your hands regularly, stay home if you are sick, get tested if you have symptoms, or if you might have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 or influenza)

Please be aware of Long Covid.

COVID impacts the immune system similar to HIV in that it hides in the body and continues to wreak havoc in the various organ system by driving inflammation and disrupting the immune response. It causes neurological, vascular, and immune dysfunction.

Patients with long COVID generally have symptoms that fall into three categories or phenotypes: fatigue, neurocognitive symptoms such as brain fog or headaches, and cardiovascular symptoms such as shortness of breath, heart arrythmias, exercise intolerance, and blood clots. Patients may have more than one type, and some also have symptoms like constipation, diarrhea, or loss of taste and smell that don’t seem to fit neatly into one of the three groups.

This is a period where we need to act with more care. Not a time to panic, but a time to be more cautious.

If you contract COVID, these are some helpful things that work to reduce viral load in the hope of minimising symptoms. And your chance of developing Long Covid:

* Brush & floss as usual

* Mouthwash (CPC (cetylpyridinium chloride, an ingredient in many/most commercial mouthwashes), cooled green tea, salt water)

* Green Tea (drink on an empty stomach if possible; can also be used for swishing/gargling once it has cooled; if green tea isn't doable for you, black tea is an alternative)

* Nasal Spray (if chemicals in nasal spray causing an issue for you, saline nasal spray also an option)

* Vitamin C supplement

* Antihistamines

* Other prophylactics to consider: Nattokinase, Grape Seed Extract, EGCG supplements

* Natto (if this is something you already eat, or would like to try. It's fermented soya beans and is popular in Japan

* Mask & Vaccinate!! A fully vaccinated individual is five times less likely to continue to have any symptoms or ill-effects three months after their initial infection compared to someone who has not been vaccinated.

Not a medical professional but compiled resources from medical professionals and individuals with disabilities including long COVID.

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[fishelfe]

[ocean-sailor]

Taylor Swift: several Covid clusters reported since her visit to Paris

"An exceptional show. From May 9 to 12, Taylor Swift provided four concerts as part of her European tour The Eras Tour, on the stage of La Paris Défense Arena. While the spectators present on site were delighted to see their idol in the flesh, others were somewhat disillusioned after the performance. And for good reason, on the following days, several hundred of them would have experienced symptoms related to Covid-19, as Le Parisien reported on Friday, May 17. Some have indeed carried out a test that turned out to be positive: "I caught Covid at the N3 (the 3rd of the four concerts)", "I got tested today and I have Covid (I was at the N3 and I've been sick since Monday)" or "Be careful it's Covid, I tested positive yesterday and a girlfriend too, we were at the Thursday concert (the N1)," we read, according to comments that the daily echoed.

Quickly, clusters were formed. "All the people I know and who went there too have fallen ill, whether it was Covid or not," says Camille, a 27-year-old teacher, to Le Parisien. If the two self-tests she performed were negative, Marine, another "Swiftie", wants to remain cautious: "We no longer heard too much about Covid but, in hindsight, we think it's logical since we were in a closed place, with 45,000 people per night... If a virus circulates, it goes very fast." And epidemiologist Antoine Flahault confirmed: "People shout, sing, are very close to each other, it's crowded... It's very conducive to super clusters."

On its official website, La Paris Défense Arena assures that "the room has been designed to manage air treatment, by guaranteeing spectators a welcome in optimal sanitary, safety and comfort conditions." It is also "equipped with 15 air treatment plants associated with seven extractors, making it possible to renew the atmosphere of the entire room in two hours."

Covid Risk Assessment:

Covid is not over and to be even remotely safe indoors, the air needs to be exchanged with fresh outdoor air/MERV13 filtered air 6+ times/hour, not once every 2 hours 🙄.

Currently 1 in 50 people have Covid. So in a venue that holds 40k people, you're sharing the air with 800 people that have Covid. And since it's an airborne virus, well... it's going to spread and there will be super clusters which will cause even more spread.

This can be mitigated by decreasing your risk of exposure. If you're going to a show, your best protection is to wear a well fitting respirator mask - an N-95, or an N-99/100 which is equivalent to an FFP2 or FFP3 in the EU. If you have the option, you can further decrease your risk by going to an outdoor show in the fresh air.

Also, ensure your Covid vaccination is within the last 6 months, ideally 3 months, as immunity starts to wane. It takes ~ 14 days from the injection date to mount a full immune response so plan accordingly. If you're going to be in a crowded area, it's better to have stronger protection. In many places, you can receive a booster 3 months after your last one, especially if you or a family member are more vulnerable.

Please protect yourself and everyone around you.

[direquail]

if anyone is looking for something to make their air a little more breathable and has the money for things, here are the tools i wish i’d had before wildfire smoke ruined my lungs:

You want a mask. Respro remains my go-to. Note that this is the specific type of filter you want for whatever mask shell you purchase—charcoal filter + hepa.

Why HEPA? Because you want things rated PM2.5 (that’s rated for particulate matter 2.5 microns or less in diameter. That’s small enough to get into your bloodstream after you inhale it and cause the kind of damage that gave me, a person with no family history of asthma, absolutely shitty asthma and chronic pain on top of it.

Any amount of work you’ll be doing outside? Wear a mask. Wear a mask, wear a mask, wear a mask. I don’t know if KN-95s for viruses will work as well for smoke as things like a respro, but if it’s what you’ve got, wear it, because that’s better than nothing.

You might also be able to find PM2.5-rated masks at hardware stores, in the US.

You want the Coway Airmega AP-1512HH Mighty. Packs a hell of a punch cleaning up your air. Keep it in whatever room of your house you happen to be in, but especially the room you sleep in. Sleeping in smoke will fuck you up, and irritated lungs will keep you from sleeping, which will make everything worse and less comfortable, which is a vicious cycle.

Always have to mention Corsi-Rosenthal boxes. They’re basically DIY HEPA filters. While they often cost less than manufactured air filters like the Coway, the cost of the RIGHT materials is in total not a ton less expensive than the Coway (although it still was less expensive last I checked) and the Coway allows you to clean, maintain, change filters w/o building a new one etc. However, CR boxes are verified to work against viruses and smoke and have caught on in a big way as DIY air filtration to protect yourself from covid:

In all, the key words are “HEPA” and “PM2.5”

[blowery]

For those of us in the path of the smoke from the fires in Canada, a homemade CR box does a great job cleaning the air. Just make sure you get Filtrete 1900 filters that can handle and filter smoke and soot.

[lemmming]

Okay here's a helpful link for box fan filters for everyone on the east coast currently dealing with what the west coast deals with every year. There's like 5000 variations but they all work pretty well. The main concept is:

1) box fan

2) furnace filter(s)

3) tape

4) breathe better

There's some details and stuff with the testing that apparently makes it work better (the shroud for example, using the box a new box fan comes in).

I've built a one-filter one with the box as a spacer. It was easy and worked great. It's like $40 HVAC. Ran it in a lab that had a window cracked open during last year's wildfires and the filter was THICK with soot after a day, and it was shockingly more breathable in the lab.

[jerrininfo]

When searching for the right filter, you’ll usually encounter the term “MERV”, or Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value. It’s important to understand what that exactly means so that you can choose the air filter that’s right for your air quality needs.

[anotherdayforchaosfay]

@hater-of-terfs I have a useful link for making CR Boxes.

For those unaware: these serve as air filters.

[filterlot-blog]

Get high quality MERV 8, MERV11, MERV13 Air Filters that is designed for protection of Furnace and central air. These filters have proven to be the most common filter and controlling humidifier dust, lead dust, vehicle emissions, and welding fumes. Shop by brands, MERV ratings, and sizes of air filters for your home.

[welcometofigtown]

100% cotton 2 layer mask with a MERV13 filter, but make it fashion 💃🏻🕺🏻 https://www.instagram.com/p/B-ieYJHFit1/?igshid=kivulg3a86ev

[ocean-sailor]

Covid-19 Update:

The World Health Organization (WHO) Dashboard shows daily case counts reported by individual countries.  Note:  This is underestimated in many places as Public Health has chosen to restrict access to PCR lab tests. These numbers do not include individuals using rapid tests for personal/work use.  Please keep in mind that the actual numbers are likely much higher when considering your risk. x

How does Covid spread?  A reminder:

Protective Measures:

- Get primary vaccine doses and boosters when eligible.

- Improve indoor ventilation - open windows to create a cross breeze, buy a good air purifier for air filtration that is sized appropriately for the room (Hepa, Merv13 filters are best). 

- Outdoors is lower risk but not zero risk.

- Evaluate your risk before going out eg. Crowded indoor spaces are the highest risk. Q: What can you do to decrease the risk?  A:  Do you have to go?  If so, wear your mask and limit the time you’re exposed.

- Protect yourself by wearing the best mask you have available.  The Omicron variant has overtaken Delta and the original wild strain in most countries.  The times on this chart reference Omicron BA.1.  Omicron BA.2, BA.4, and BA.5 are more transmissible so the exposure time to reach an infectious dose will decrease.         

And please stay home when you’re sick.  No one wants Covid!!  

[hereistheend]

Tweet from Lynn (@RadicalSister15)

Lynn (@RadicalSister15) Tweeted:

@TRyanGregory I'd be more specific about getting HEPA filtration into home, work & community spaces including low cost, DIY Corsi-Rosenthal boxes that are as or more effective than commercially made HEPA filters. Here's a link with instructions & videos:

https://t.co/c2W9C7qZMp https://twitter.com/RadicalSister15/status/1507688847647387652?s=20&t=7dUUA-3q7Tg2UN7oPbawVA

[handypolymath]

DIY box fan air filters – Corsi-Rosenthal box - Clean Air Crew