she/her, international development and human rights professional, community organizer, pop/queer/fandom culture enjoyer, illness avoider, clean air enthusiast
Not that I have many followers but whenever someone follows me because of something I randomly tweeted it always feels like someone showing up at my apartment on a day that I haven’t had a chance to tidy up. Welcome to my mess, I guess?
Y'know how a lot of younger people can't read cursive and apparently its not taught in some schools/ countries anymore? I hadn't really given it that much thought and it just hit me why it's important: if you can't read cursive you can't read primary source historical documents!!
Americans: Did you grow up in the United States?
Me: No.
Them: Did you go to college in the United States??
Me: No.
Them: Why do you speak English so well???
Me: IDK, imperialism?
I can’t believe anyone would defend the dismal state of public transportation in the Philippines. Even if you’re rich and you have your own private car you’re still wasting hours of your life in traffic. The situation is bad for everyone to varying degrees. I used to have a car
@elle_carnitine
My mom was so weird about the HPV vaccine. She’s not an anti-vaxxer, I got all the childhood vaccines. I think it had to do with HPV being sexually transmitted and she’s super Catholic and just didn’t want to think about it.
I’m literally no one, just some random person who doesn’t even have many followers, but occasionally one of my masked selfies will do numbers and anti-maskers will be all up in my comments calling me “sheep.”
I can’t even imagine what it’s like be that lone woman in the black respirator showing up to work everyday to the fucking CDC and be the only person who seems to actually give a shit about fighting infectious diseases.
Whether fighting infectious disease, ensuring we are ready to respond to health threats, supporting the health of young families, or improving mental health, CDC is working hard to protect health for all Americans 💪
(This epiphany was brought about by me reading legal documents from the 1800s detailing a custody battle between my greatx2 grandparents for their 5 children, which my sister emailed to me with the subject line SCALDING HOT HISTORICAL TEA)
German health minister Karl Lauterbach urges people to 😷 on buses and subways, advises against indoor Christmas parties, thinks those who can work at home should do so, and advises the elderly and vulnerable groups to get additional 💉
If this extremely fit and healthy billionaire who has access to all sorts of experimental medical treatments can’t biohack his way out of long covid I don’t know how anyone else who is casually getting multiple reinfections a year expects to escape serious damage/disability/death
I’m begging everyone to read at least one book about the AIDS crisis. For the people who remember or know this history, watching people “mysteriously” fall ill constantly and decline steadily is familiar and terrifying.
This is all getting so eerie. Like in the 1980s people would be sick with pneumonia, losing weight, but they didn’t say it was AIDS. Now we have this “mystery illness” folks can’t shake but no one is naming COVID. The silence is for different reasons, but the outcome is similar.
Wore a ReadiMask (strapless N95 ) to my salon appointment so that no straps get in the way of my stylist! Protects me from any airborne pathogens, plus I don’t have to inhale all the strong salon chemical smells that trigger my asthma and allergies. 😷💅🏻
I’ll stop masking when the world’s leading researchers on Long C0vid do.
Prof. Akiko Iwasaki: "I'm still wearing my 😷 everywhere."
Michael Peluso, MD: "I'm very strict, actually, about 😷."
Ziyad Ai-Aly, MD: "Yes, primarily because of Long C0vid. I don't want Long C0vid."
Full of DEEP INSIGHTS ABOUT LONG COVID. At 1:01:15, panelists were asked if they continue to be covid-cautious by wearing masks 😷(even though many at infectious disease conferences no longer do), all three nodded yes with a smile 😃 and they MASK TO AVOID LONG COVID (1/3)
@MaldivesBlues
I mean I feel like reading historical documents should be things regular people should also be able to do to some extent? Like even documents in your own family history
As someone who used to work on the crisis management team under the office of the president several more competent presidents ago, I am offended on multiple personal and professional levels by this complete shitshow.
Folks be pressed about the strangest things. 1) I’m not forcing anyone to learn it. 2) I didn’t say that reading cursive means you’ll be able to read any & all historical documents until the beginning of time. 3) Learning Latin/other languages is good too. 4) Why are you so angry
I see friends with kids talking about how their kids are constantly bringing germs home and how they’ve been non-stop sick and how their immune systems pick up everything after not being around other kids for years I want to say something but I hate being that person that’s like,
If you’re perplexed that you can’t read the document in the 3rd tweet it might not be because you can’t read cursive but because you can’t read Spanish. (I’m sorry, I forgot to mention it’s in Spanish.)
About to board a long haul flight to visit my elderly, immunocompromised, high-risk parents. I PCR tested and am wearing a FFP3 respirator w/ a SipMask installed so I can hydrate without taking off my mask. Just being responsible and doing my best to keep myself & my family safe!
Covid: 29 million deaths in 4 years
AIDS: 40.4 million deaths in 43 years (since 1981)
You can be HIV+ and have no symptoms for years but would anyone ever consider their HIV infection “mild”? Why do most people think covid is mild when it kills and disables in great numbers?
Still masking in 🇸🇪 because I belong to a high-risk group and out of pure spite I intend to outlive and be a constant thorn in the side of the people who are deliberately causing harm to vulnerable populations with their bad public health policies and minimizing propaganda.
Still masking in Jordan because it’s a simple and effective layer of protection against an airborne infectious pathogen that has been shown to have deleterious long-term health consequences.
#CovidIsAirborne
🧵 My favorite portable air filters: QT3 has highest CADR among popular brands* w/ built-in batteries. ADH70 is almost 2x CADR of QT3, slightly higher HEPA filtration, slightly quieter, but no built-in battery (have to plug in/use powerbank). QT3 slightly smaller, more portable.
I can’t believe we’re at the point where we’re downplaying the seriousness of diseases we’ve previously tried to eradicate like measles and the bubonic plague because public health minimized covid and now everything is “mild.”
Then you shouldn’t have ended the Public Health Emergency,
@WHO
, cos when you declared the PHEIC over, what people heard was “C0VID is over” when clearly it is not. Please model wearing respirators while you’re at it; your messaging is so bad it’s like it’s confusing on purpose.
We’re being told/conditioned/pressured NOT to mask but we do it anyway because we understand the situation better than most. The unmasked folks are the ones who conform. How are we the ones not thinking for ourselves in this scenario?? It makes no sense.
My mom and her friends are in their 70s. They went on holiday to South Korea together equipped w/ 3M auras, portable HEPA, and a PowerPoint presentation from me on pandemic safety protocols. Masked indoors/in crowds, outdoor dining only. They had a fabulous time, no one got sick.
@GahNotThisAgain
I think most elderly would rather risk dying without facemask being used. Its disgusting and disgraceful that this is being allowed to continue to OUR elders. 🤬
Roses are red
Violets are blue
If you’re still masking
I appreciate you!
Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone still doing their best to keep themselves, their loved ones, and their communities safe. 💕
Seeing N95-only discourse again so here’s your friendly reminder that N95s were designed primarily for male caucasian faces; fit varied across individuals, races, and genders; and different countries have different standards, it doesn’t make them inferior.
Some people are saying we’re not winning over any religious conservatives; it’s “bad optics” for the SOGIE equality bill advocacy. The thing is though, basic human rights shouldn’t depend on whether or not a minority group conforms with the dominant group’s sensibilities.
“Thank you for coming to church!”
This was former Drag Den Philippines contestant Pura Luka Vega’s caption in a tweet together with a video of her drag performance where she was dressed in Jesus’ costume while jamming with a crowd to the Catholic Mass worship song Ama Namin.
uhm, c ovid (re)infections weaken the immune system and it’s still out there and has made y’all more susceptible to flu, RSV, bacterial pneumonia, etc and m asks prevent all airborne illnesses but you gotta wear them consistently and if you’re taking them off to socialize indoors
Hey guys rates of cholera are low so we’re gonna stop treating the water supply! Go ahead and chug that unfiltered water, gotta stop living in fear! ✌️
My pandemic fatigue is watching people who presumably share the same values as me, who wouldn’t deliberately harm other people or themselves, be complicit in spreading a deadly and disabling virus because they’ve been gaslit so hard into disbelieving the magnitude of risk & harm.
My pandemic fatigue is the folks who said disabled and immunocompromised people should take extra precautions and yelled at us to “stay home if you’re so worried” and then tell us we’re mentally unwell for doing so. Read a peer reviewed journal, Susan.
#gaslighting
The people who are keeping up to date with the covid research is a small group (and people with resources to utilize extra layers of protection smaller still) but it seems like there’s enough of us that Blisk12 probiotics across various brands keep selling out.
inevitably you’re gonna catch something. Multiple times. But everyone’s mostly back to living their pre-pandemic lives and there’s barely anything from gov’t or mainstream media and I just sound like the paranoid conspiracy theorist who is weird for still being so cautious.
Y’all this is why I have trust issues 😷 Up to 60% of c🦠vid cases are asymptomatic so these folks don’t know they’re sick, and then you have to deal with the 75% of folks who have symptoms and who know they’re sick and are out there willfully and selfishly infecting others.
‘People sick with infectious illnesses face negative social outcomes, like exclusion, and may take steps to conceal their illnesses from others. About 75% reported concealing illness in interpersonal interactions, possibly placing others in harm’s way…
Because it’s
#NationalHeroesDay
, I’m sharing this photo of the statue “In Honor of the Filipina Woman” at the Filipino Heroes Memorial in Corregidor as an example of how NOT to honor our female heroes.
Pinoy Twitter please help. Employee has symptoms, reported it to brgy tanod, was told not to report it to
@DOHgovph
for fear that baranggay will be placed on lockdown. Called DOH, was told to report to brgy. How does one get medical attention in this scenario?
#COVID19PH
🚨
@rearidinghood
I’m currently not employed and the last time I flew out of NAIA a few weeks ago they didn’t even ask me anything. I think I get by purely on “Inglisera privilege” and while that’s great for me, it’s kind of gross that it’s a thing. It makes me very uncomfortable.
They’re talking about how dealing with waves of constant illness are exhausting and how so many kids are always absent from their children’s schools. I don’t have kids but if I did this would be really concerning for me? This isn’t normal!
I live in the “herd immunity” capital of the world 🇸🇪. No one else is wearing a mask. No one is telling me to mask; they actively discourage it. Some people have stopped masking even if they know better because social pressure is too great. How am I the sheep in this scenario?
Violet Affleck’s respirator game is 🔥 previously she’s been seen in 3M Auras, now she’s rocking a
@flo_mask
. She ain’t playing, she’s read the research, she knows. One of us! 😷✊
There are people who identify as progressive and are outspoken on Palestine who DO NOT MASK on my Facebook feed sharing this, somehow oblivious to the fact that the poem is very specifically calling them out. 🫠
problems have existed for decades before he was even elected; they’ve just gotten worse over time. Like why are you so determined to defend living under shitty circumstances.
Kudos to my spouse for finding this secluded area in Arlanda terminal 5 with great IAQ. Also, there was a Swedish couple a bit older than us in the security check line who were also wearing FFPs! We made meaningful eye contact; game recognize game.
You are correct sir, so why aren’t you wearing a respirator? Especially as a high risk person recovering from yet another infection? Especially while addressing people who’ve come to give testimony about how their lives have been destroyed by long covid?
Met up with a covid conscious Twitter friend for a coffee and a walk outside, even though it’s quite chilly and windy in Stockholm today. It was very nice to talk with someone who just *gets it* and you don’t have to feel self-conscious or explain yourself. 💜
I have to wonder about these people who are bristling at criticism of the PH transport system; many of them aren’t poor and have traveled and have seen what it’s like in other countries. Bakit ang baba ng standards niyo. It’s not even a criticism of their president; these
in Manila. I don’t have one in Stockholm. My quality of life has improved so much just not having to deal with traffic and reliably take a bus or train to most places I need to go. Going to and from the airport is NBD, there’s a ton of options. I love not needing a car.
Y’all I designed that banner and it was right outside the BAFTAs!!! 🎭 David Tennant saw it! David Tennant met my friends!! He took a long covid info card and awareness ribbon!!! 😭💕
#ProtectTheHeartOfTheArts
So I’ve been taking BlisK12 as part of my SARSCov2 prevention routine and as an additional benefit I’ve noticed that my allergic rhinitis has improved a lot! Since I was a kid I’ve had morning allergies (sneezing, runny nose, mild post nasal drip) but these days it’s mostly gone!
Wild that we’ve stigmatized mask wearing so much that even a 70+ year old cancer patient who is also the monarch of one of the world’s most powerful nations won’t wear a respirator to protect himself from airborne 🦠 that put that his health at great risk cos it’s bad optics. 🫠
“And Charles will sit with Queen Camilla but apart from other Royals to shield him from infection during his treatment.”
Where to start with this.
1. SARS2 is airborne. This won’t work for far-field transmission indoors unless there is good IAQ.
1/
My book in Jlo - Ben Affleck drama?! Ben met w ex-wife Jennifer Garner & her daughter Violet, who brought my book w her? ""The teen was also seen carrying a book titled The Viral Underclass: The Human Toll When Inequality And Disease Collide written by Steven W. Thrasher. ""
Re: the “some precautions are better than none” discourse, I think people are having multiple conversations about different things and I don’t think conflating them is useful.
It’s out! Our new state-of-the-science review of MASKS/RESPIRATORS in reducing transmission of respiratory infections. 13 authors (for our disciplines, see posts 3-4). 38000 words. 413 references. One conclusion: these devices work. For detail, read on. 1/
Also there are other 2 other 😷s (FFP2s) on our flight! (Spouse and I are in FFP3s.) I don’t even know how to express how rare this is in Sweden. I know we all feel like we’re the Lone Maskers wherever we are but for real it’s more intense in the Nordics.
This why I take my CO2 monitor everywhere and wear a FFP2/FFP3 respirator in public indoor spaces (and crowded outdoor ones, and/or when in very polluted areas). My spouse and I have not been sick with *anything* in years. Mind the air you breathe if you value your health!
What is the COVID-19 airborne infection probability in an outpatient consultation with four individuals in the room ? A 🇯🇵 research team estimated this risk based on the CO2 level in the room. Calculations are also useful for measles, chickenpox, flu ...
Masks work, our comprehensive review has found. And yes, respiratory viruses are spread in the air we breathe. Handwashing alone is not enough. via
@ConversationUK
I don't meet many people who wear a respirator in everyday life, but the one thing that each one of them has in common is a titanium-like ability to resist peer pressure.
Yesterday’s ‘fit—I’m a nineties girl, I never outgrew the floral dress + docs combo. 😷🖤💐 I attended a small indie film fest that included a Q&A with some of the directors and it was really interesting and fun.
Saw this air purifier in the bathroom in a mall in Barcelona. “This air purifier removes airborne germs, allergens and odours. Breathe easy.” I mean, my FFP2 stays on but that’s good to know!
I like shopping at Uniqlo because usually at least one staff member (usually Asian) is masked; today there were 2 of them. Sometimes not being the only 😷 in a space feels nice. Along Drottinggatan though I saw 3 others and it was the most 😷 I’d seen in Stockholm in a while!
Sir, don't make it appear as if you were powerless prior to the Special Powers Law given by Congress.
You had all powers to impose travel ban on China, inform Filipinos, & prepare all institutions of government as early as January. You had enough funds.
YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING.
I’m in a Facebook group for international development professionals, 52,000+ members. In the last few months more and more people asking for advice on how to go about requesting reasonable accommodations at work for LC.
@PaintedHorse14
I have traveled quite a bit since 2021, including long haul flights from Asia to Europe (could not be helped). Have not tested positive from any travel. Fit-tested respirator, portable HEPA, nasal spray, CPC mouthwash, eye protection have served me well.
I’m glad mainstream media is talking about this but I’m so tired of the “puzzling”/“mysterious” angle. I can’t even tell if it’s just lazy reporting or deliberate. Anyway, not puzzling, COVID is an endothelial/vascular disease, there’s tons of studies, we’ve know this for years.
NEW: Four years after the start of the pandemic, a disturbing pattern is emerging: Not only did Covid result in the most deaths in a century, but it also triggered deadly waves of heart disease and stroke.
Scientists are trying to figure out why
This piece is such a good read and it’s tempting to highlight the entire thing but the answer to “if it’s so bad why would they let it rip?” is essentially this:
Two people in FFP2s walked in, we made eye contact and smiled at each other (you can tell!) They made it a point to sit next to me in the clinic waiting room. One of them is a cancer patient. Glad I could make someone who is particularly vulnerable right now feel a little safer.
Found an old pic of me and my spouse wearing elastomeric respirators in 2009. 😷 This was after Typhoon Ondoy caused massive flooding in Metro Manila and we volunteered in cleaned up efforts in an area where flooding was so bad people were on their roofs waiting for rescue.
I think people who confused by the intensity of Naomi/Nukit’s response to the far-UVC issue and the CR-box issue need to take a step back and really thinks about the context of racism, and sexism, and global north/south power dynamics at play and think about what that does to
Just boarded. Less than 1% of passengers masking. Flight crew are masked, mix of KN95 and ill-fitting surgical masks. Guy across the aisle from me in a Flo Mask. We smile at each other with our eyes and nod in acknowledgement. Game recognize game.
#MaskSolidarity
😷
@wrath_776
I don’t feel like it’s my place but also if I don’t say it who will? Do I just 🤐 as it happens over & over? I constantly feel conflicted about saying something. It comes from a place of love & care but it isn’t always received that way no matter how carefully I try to frame it.
HEPAs are great. They reduce airborne 🦠 *and* they also trap dander, pollen, and other allergens! My family has a cat I love but to whom I am deathly allergic. Running HEPAs has made breathing so much easier. I don’t understand the anti-clean air folks; y’all are ridiculous.
I really love this 3M KN95. The nose wire is really think and molds really well to my face, and the mask feels really sturdy and secure. I bought several packs of these in Manila and am conserving my supply; I don’t know where to get them in Europe. 😢
I wish I could get more people to read this and truly think about what repeat infections means for them, their families, the world. People recover from their “mild” infections and think they’ll be fine.
Campaign materials and pre-shaded sample ballots being distributed right outside polling places Ususan Elementary School and R. Papa High School along M. Almeda and N.P. Cruz streets in Barangay Ususan, Taguig.
#Halalan2019
I do think a cultural shift is coming. Folks who’ve been cautious this entire time, we’re not wrong, we’re just early.
I’ve been talking to different friend groups and communities I’m a part of and making inroads. I used to just get crickets but now people are more appreciative.
I'm not a scientist, or a lawyer, so I can't discover a cure or argue in court.
But I see all of you, and your pain, and I promise - I'll be fighting and advocating alongside you until we have accessible treatments and see an end to this nightmare.
#LongCovidAwarenessDay