A little reminder that masking is community care. If you're able to mask, please do. If you're still masking-thank you! If you stopped-now is a great time to start again. It's a simple and visible way to show solidarity and care for others around you too. Protect your health, and protect each other from COVID.
"At stake is not merely the technical distinction between a loose fitting medical mask and a respirator certified to FFP2 or FFP3 standards in the United Kingdom or N95 standards in the United States.
At stake is whether health systems have been knowingly deploying substandard protective equipment in environments where exposure to lethal airborne disease is foreseeable, continuous and unavoidable.
Under international labour law, this question is already answered."
I wish I could bottle this article and pour it into a water pistol so that I could aim it at doctors and nurses who come near me unmasked or wearing baggy blues.
This is among the most concise and well cited sources for the current state of #Covid knowledge and tools. Even for well-informed people who already take strong precautions, there is still likely something new to be learned by giving it a read through.
Have masking or respirator questions?
Want to learn about mask decoration options?
Interested in accessories like drinking valves or beard bands?
Just trying to find a model that fits well?
Then join us today, January 10th, at 5:30pm Central (UTC -6) for examples, demos, answers, and details: https://meet.jit.si/QualityRespiratorsProtectThoroughly
(No need to create an account - just enter a name or username and join.)
Event promo image featuring the profile picture of Texan_Reverend and the event details:
Masking Webinar + Q&A
With Texan_Reverend
Saturday, January 10th
At 5:30pm Central
Respirator Reuse, Decorations, Drinking Valves, Sizing, and More!
Attend Via Jitsi
https://meet.jit.si/QualityRespiratorsProtectThoroughly
Hosted By:
https://kind.social/@Texan_Reverend
I was at the ER yesterday, and the people wearing masks were mainly the patients and the lower ranking and/or non-white staff members
Its never been easier to tell at a glance how trustworthy any random human in public is, bc there is no excuse for not wearing one at this point. None of the staff at the ER who treated me poorly wore one, but all of the staff who were kind to me, did. There was very little if any deviation from this pattern. The same attributes that make a medical provider trustworthy also result in them choosing to mask, and vice versa.
The thing about a medical excuse not to wear one is that such a situation doesnt exist. If youre "too sick to wear a mask" youre also infinitely more vulnerable to the infections they would shield you from in the first place. You would be doing things like social distancing or fully avoiding crowded/enclosed spaces bc even minor infections could land you in the hospital. You would be loudly in support of other people masking bc you are the very person those masks protect. There is also no such thing as a medical provider who doesnt need to mask.
If you want other people to know youre a safe person, wear a fkn mask. If you dont, we see you, bc you are wearing your trustworthiness right on your face.
i vaguely remember hearing about a study showing improved lung capacity in those wearing N95s or similar masks while exercising and i’m not sure if it was my brain making something up or a legit study so i figured i’d ask fedi if they’ve heard of this study too, since this sounds like it has truth to it but i’m not sure where i’d start looking
i’m also looking for some sort of small zine i can print off and give to our roommates on how to wear disposable N95s properly (including limited reuse)
Keep yourself safe this week and well into the new year with these mitigation resources. Get info on respirators, indoor air quality, testing how-tos, and so much more.
Covid-Safe Mitigation and Risk Assessment
Since Covid's emergence on the global scene in 2020, we've been encouraged to do our own risk assessment. In the intervening years, the public health tools for gauging risk—widespread testing, case tracking, and vaccine maintenance—have largely dried up or have been made inaccessible to the general public. For those of us who have not run out of our abundance of caution, there are several methods of virus mitigation still available. Whether you're a hardcore holdout or ready to avoid reinfection, we've accumulated a variety of resources to help you stay as Covid-free as possible under the circumstances.
Learn more about the variety of respirators and Covid tests, sort out some confusion over vaccine efficacy and availability, and discover burgeoning virus mitigation tools. Find out how CO2 measurements relate to Covid risk and what you can do to filter the air you breathe. Track available Covid trends in your region and calculate your risk in certain environments and situations. Learn how to prepare for and protect against future infections with guides from experts and folks with firsthand experience.
Menu items include:
Respirator and Mask Resources
Indoor Air Quality Guidance
CO2 Monitoring
Additional Mitigation Tools
Testing
Vaccine Information
Precaution/Mitigation Guides
Infection Preparedness
Covid Trends/Forecasting
Variant Tracking
Risk Assessment Calculators
Wastewater Surveillance
Covid Wastewater/Data Tracking
If you're looking for a #MaskUp crash course, here's an assortment of resources to learn about the efficacy of respirators and the different types now available. Don't settle for loose blue masks—with these guides, you can finally find the best respirator fit for your face and filter the air you're breathing much more effectively.
Remembering these words from the now late Alice Wong today: “When I am in public spaces and see most people unmasked either because they think the virus is a hoax, that masking is virtue signaling & a sign of weakness, aren't thinking about it, or that they simply don’t care, I feel like an expendable burden not worth saving.”
Sign at my dentist's office yesterday, echoing the message on the door into the office. I'm thankful for the Health Officer of the County of Santa Clara.
A sign greeting people entering a dentist's office:
ATTENTION!
FACE MASKS ARE REQUIRED IN THIS FACILITY
According to Public Health order issued March 24, 2023 by the Health Officer of the County of Santa Clara: "Regardless of vaccination status, all persons in Patient Care Areas of Health Care Delivery Facilities must wear a Face Mask during the period deemed the Designated Winter Respiratory Virus Period by the Health Officer, except for the following:
1. Persons younger than two years old due to, inter alia, the risk of suffocation.
2. Persons with a medical condition, mental health condition, or disability that prevents wearing a mask. This includes persons with a medical condition for whom wearing a mask could obstruct breathing or who are unconscious, incapacitated, or otherwise unable to remove a mask without assistance.
3. Persons who are hearing impaired, or communicating with a person who is hearing impaired, where the ability to see the mouth is essential for communication.
4. Persons for whom wearing a mask would create a risk to the person related to their work, as determined by local, state, or federal regulators or workplace safety guidelines."
Questions? Visit covid19.sccgov.org/home
Signage provided by the Santa Clara County Dental Society. sccds.org
There's a drawing of a mask directly below the word attention. The detailed information about the public health order is in a smaller font than the rest.
Photo of Tom Hanks sitting on public transit wearing a dark beanie, scarf, backpack, and a black respirator mask; the whn.global logo appears at top right. Overlaid quote in large white text reads:
“I’m doing a play right now, so I cannot get sick… I’ve had COVID enough in my life, I don’t need to do that again… I’m wearing this for health reasons.”
— Tom Hanks, on wearing a mask.
OCTOBERend. Gale warning overnight, 30s-50s for the weekend, brr but mostly dry sky. A roundup of shows & Halloween-adjacent events for Boston at the end of October 2025 - help your #BostonWeekend thread travel far around the #fediverse when you share it - Boost to build #Boston#Massachusetts community in non-bigcorp spaces. Enjoy, Enjoy! (1/?)
Clean white WHN slide. Large heading: “Why this matters.” Paragraph: “Throughout the pandemic, confusion over mask types led to unsafe guidance for both the public and healthcare workers. Even today, many hospitals still rely on surgical masks for ‘protection’ — when in fact, they are not PPE at all.”
Subheading: “Experts are setting the record straight.” Bulleted list:
• British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS): It’s a breach of health and safety law to claim surgical masks protect against inhaled hazards.
• Canadian Standards Association (CSA): Only respirators (N95, KN95, FFP2, etc.) qualify as PPE.
• FDA & CDC: Medical masks are for source control — not personal protection.
Small whn.global logo at the top.
I know, I'm repeating myself but please #MaskUp on public transport and in crowded places. With current measles cases spread across the motu and case zero having been on a busy interisland ferry, this could get really nasty. #Measles can impact your immune system long-term and make you more susceptible to other diseases for years after your initial infection.
A few reminders:
Anyone can get the MMR vaccine for free if in doubt whether they've had two doses (check with your GP or pharmacy). This vaccine is incredibly effective, providing about 99% protection after two doses.
Measles is airborne and highly contagious, even more so than Covid, so it's advisable to wear a well-fitting mask on public transport and in other crowded areas.
Measles' incubation period is up to three weeks and can be spread by an infected person up to four days before the characteristic rash appears.
Ventilate indoor spaces frequently and run air purifiers if available.
(1/2) Via PressDemo: Sonoma County orders masking for some health workers through March:
Sonoma County's top health official on Monday issued a mandatory masking requirement for certain health care facilities, a move aimed at curbing the spread of influenza, COVID-19 and other respiratory virus during the fall and winter months.
The masking order, which takes effect Nov 1, is less restrictive than a similar one issued last year and
For the last ten days, I've been down with HMPV, which is one of the non-influenza flu-like bugs. It is the second respiratory infection I've had in five years. The last one was back in June last year when COViD finally caught up with me, despite going masked and being heavily vaccinated.
Nothing is perfect, but you can reduce your risk. So get your vaccines updated, and wear a mask. If you are unknowingly unwell, it will protect everyone else, and if someone else is unwell, it will help protect you.
Anyways, after being very unwell for nine days, yesterday I started to come good. Almost instantly my brain exploded into stories, and I have written more in the last two days than I normally would in a month.
This is not a recommendation to get HMPV to boost your creative output, though.
“We distribute high filtration masks in and around Edinburgh for anyone to access, and we need your help to keep our stocks balanced. Email us at [email protected] for requests, details, or mask donations!”
Tinu, rest in power
A year ago, Tinu was a martyr of COVID eugenics.
Atinuke “Tinu” Abayomi-Paul, a prominent writer and disability advocate, died on September 26 (2025) at home in Texas. She was 52.
Abayomi-Paul was well known in the Long COVID and disability community for her writing, speaking, and mutual aid organizing. She was the founder of Everywhere Accessible, an advocacy organization which she launched in 2019 to educate the public about accessibility and center the experiences of Black disabled women.
In 2022, she was hospitalized with COVID-19, leading to COVID-induced pneumonia. She later developed chronic lymphocytic leukemia, as well as Long COVID, myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), and other chronic illnesses.
Abayomi-Paul frequently wrote about and helped break stigmas about immunocompromised people. She centered the experiences of the most marginalized, who were left behind in the government’s failed response to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.
Those of us at high risk aren’t abstract people you’ve never met. We’re people you know and love, and we might die because you won’t wear a mask.
Tinu Abayomi-Paul
Abayomi-Paul’s cause of death has not been stated. She wrote on August 3, 2024: “People not masking is literally killing me… If I do die, this is what killed me, people not masking or believing Long COVID lowers your immunity…”
While research has extensively documented the disabling symptoms and scope of Long COVID, science and health institutions have paid less attention to the disease’s potentially deadly consequences.
This is not medical advice, this is a summary of things I have read from various studies, journalists, and newsletters, and what I try to prioritize for myself. I send this to loved ones who accept my offer for it when they or someone they know gets infected, and I figured I should make it more broadly accessible.
Ways to Lower Your Risk of Long Covid &
Lower The Severity of A Reinfection’s Worsening Your Long Covid
Medicines, Vitamins, and Supplements
Increase Vitamin D ASAP and sustain it for at least a month. It’s a reserve vitamin so you can’t cram it all in 2 days, and should not. It is possible to have too much Vitamins A & D, so please be mindful of dosing.
Increase Iron ASAP and sustain it, similarly to above.
Zinc, like Vitamin D, is key to our immune system’s functioning & signaling. Zinc can help boost underactive immune features, calm overactive immune features, and reduce inflammation. Additionally, studies have found Zinc levels are significantly reduced during Covid infection, and reduced in relationship to severity of infection, so it makes sense to combat this.
H1 Antihistamines have preliminary research to support them decreasing LC risk and SIGNIFICANT research supporting them as treatments in Covid-19 infections, plus ways to lower your Covid infection risk overall. All H1 antihistamines have shown in vitro benefits, however the ones I’ve seen most studied in humans are cetirizine/zyrtec, ebastine, azelastine, and loratadine. Most trials in humans used modern antihistamines, which I agree with. I do not generally suggest any first generation antihistamines including Dramamine, Benadryl, NyQuil, or their generic versions unless you have a medical reason for choosing them & their adverse anticholinergic effects. H1 antihistamines are typically available without a prescription in the US.
A recent study from Germany found a Nasal H1 Antihistamine, Azelastine Nasal Spray reduced covid infections by 69% (nice). More research is needed, but a 2x a day dose of Azelastine, or 3x a day dose of German Azelastine is extrapolated to be beneficial from a long covid precaution perspective, similarly to other H1 medications above. This is typically available without a prescription, and is inexpensive in the US.
H2 Antihistamines, especially Famotidine/Pepcid, reduce both symptom severity and viral load, leading to an earlier resolution of infection. These are available without a prescription in the US, and typically inexpensive.
Paxlovid is less effective at decreasing Long Covid risk in the acute phase, but does have other benefits, even if started late. It is additionally showing progress as part of a combination therapy. Stock up on mints and cough drops though.
Magnesium, Vitamin C and other immune-boosters can be very beneficial IF you are not autoimmune/don’t have other relevant considerations.
If you are on trans masculine HRT or similar medications please continue. Men & NB people with similar levels of hormones have lower risk and sometimes lower symptom burden than women & NB folks with similar hormone levels. We aren’t sure why yet.
Other OTC items which might help lower the viral load or otherwise make the acute infection less impactful:
A mouth wash containing PVP-I [povidone-iodine] or CPC [cetylpyridinium chloride]. This can be used multiple times a day.
Green tea (ECGC)
Hibiscus tea (ACE2)
Antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids (including flaxseed oil, fish oil) help remove oxidative stress, which is helpful in both acute Covid (infection and replication causes OS) and in multiple forms of Long Covid. I’ve read . Antioxidants are vitamins A, C, E, Selenium (Se), and Zinc (Zn). Vitamin A is possible to overdo, so please be mindful of dosing.
Transmission Precautions (how to protect people you live with, etc):
COVID is most often transmitted via the air, not droplets like we thought early in the pandemic. As such:
Fresh air will be your easiest and most effective option, assuming climate safety. Even a slightly open window will be MUCH better than closed windows.
Masks are extremely effective, especially when both parties wear them. Respirators (aka a mask with a safety rating such as N95, KN95, KF94, P2, FFP2, DS) are best, but anything is better than none. Try to get as good of a seal as you can/minimize air leaks.
Air filtering with HEPA filters is great if you have access and funds. Try to make sure the filter(s) you use are sufficient for the square footage of the space. Earlier variants had a filter goal of 6 air changes per hour (ACH), but anything is better than nothing, especially when combined with opened windows, etc. If the filters are insufficient for the square footage/meterage or ACH, place them for largest impact: for example close to the sick person, in areas with poor ventilation, or areas of high social contact.
If HEPA filters are too expensive or unavailable, try to make a Corsi-Rosenthal Box (a DIY air filter alternative using MERV13+ filters and a box fan, free directions abound online). Same strategies as above.
Last home air filter precaution: most climate control systems have a filter, and if that filter is already or can easily be changed to a MERV13+ filter, that will be an additional help.
If you must run errands/go to work/etc, please prioritize one of the rated respirators above. Try to do curbside or other distanced, outdoor pickup options where available.
There are nasal precaution options including the aforementioned OTC H1 Antihistamine Azelastine and Profi Spray (which is highly effective, but their science was measured with nasal swab application, not spray).
It doesn’t take a lot: We have stopped the acute spread of Covid in our home two times (that we know of!–the real number is probably much higher) by using only a couple strategically placed HEPAs and window cracking.
If you feel any sustained exhaustion or fatigue, please rest and do not push yourself for at least two-three months after infection, including physical and mental exertion. A lot of us long haulers had an inkling early on that something was off but we pushed ourselves to be “back to normal” and that caused immense lasting harm. It might sound like a long time now, but a few months is a short time in comparison to the rest of your life. Trust me.
I wish I had read this earlier: Indefinitely Ill – Post-Covid Fatigue
Pacing is the most helpful tool I have found for my health, and has been practiced by people with post-viral illness for a long time.
Intro to pacing: ME Action’s Stop Rest Pace
Scheduling breaks with reminder alerts is how I do it, and by having specific things I look forward to about downtime (slowed audiobooks, a nature soundscape, etc). Some people are better at remembering on their own.
Lastly, I recommend using a symptom tracker even for initial infection (and that couple month period after). Hopefully before too long there won’t be many symptoms to track and things’ll be mostly a-ok, and it won’t be needed, but the way covid makes the brain all squiggly, IMO tracking symptoms is super important for understanding what your body needs to have your best chance at maintaining your current health!
The app Visible is popular in some LC communities, but a journal or calendar is a-ok too. It helps to check in with your body and see how much feels safe to do and what to prioritize. (Visible is free for symptom tracking and I recommend the free version short-term. If you end up needing long term pacing help and want to include the paid wearable, though here’s my coupon code: https://join.makevisible.com/68284299c4dc3e )
**Thank you for taking care of yourself and your communities. We need all the precautions, kindness, and care we can get right now.**Additional Covid Safety info from someone else’s patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/huge-free-covid-86871700
the figure on the bookmark is silhouetted in outline vs the shape of a house, outlined in red and filled with purpley blue textures. the head of the figure, angled to the side, is attacked from all angles with dark rough textures of inky depths with red/rust particles, and purple angular lines pointing inwards, and breaking past the lines of the house. the figure stands on a square of purple ink as well, which balances the composition
There is now a mask bloc of 4000 cool black FFP2 masks in #Utrecht to be distributed further, feel free to contact me if you want any for personal use, your space or events. More are available in other cities including Rotterdam and Amsterdam. #MaskBloc#CovidIsNotOver#MaskUp#MutualAid
stack of four big cardboard boxes containing 1000 black FFP2 masks each