i never do these PSA posts because most PSA stuff isn’t actually actionable, but, uh, this one is:

tl;dr: there are now a bunch of drugs that are really damn good at treating COVID.  if you or a loved one get COVID, especially if you have extra risk factors, you should ask your health provider about them (and, if you’re in the US, you can even use this handy dandy website to see what’s in stock near you).  also, consider telling people (esp. older people) about this, i guess?  so that they know too?

Keep reading

Important US specific info:

As of March 7, 2022 The US “Test to Treat” program allows you to get a covid test and, if it is positive, you will be met by a trained medical practitioner at that same location who can give you a prescription for a covid anti-viral drug. This new program allows you to directly bypass the normal medical nonsense that is part and parcel of life in the US.

Here is the map of american locations for Test to Treat (test + medical professional) plus additional locations to fill your prescription of Lagevrio (molnupiravir) or Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir / ritonavir) if they cannot fill your prescription at the same site.

When visiting a Test to Treat location, bring a list of your current drugs with you. Both of these medications can interact with some drugs. The medical staff and pharmacist at Test to Treat locations will be able to select the best course of treatment for you if you have your complete list of prescription drugs (or just bring the drug bottles) with you.

Covid anti-viral drugs need to be started during the first 5 days of symptoms so if you or someone in your life has symptoms, look into this. Especially do not delay of you/the person has one or more high risk factors for covid.

Test to Treat

If you’re a whippersnapper keep this in your back pocket for your parents etc

If you or someone you live with is at high risk from covid, you ESPECIALLY should use this resource. If you’re not sure what constitutes “high risk”, here’s a (non comprehensive) helpful list from the CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html Your doctor may know more about whether one of your conditions makes you high risk. These treatments aren’t only available to high risk individuals, but they’re especially important for those people to know about and use. Please make sure your friends and family know about this option, and help them figure out if they are high risk.

@jaimistoryteller @springbok7 @mousedetective

To follow up on this since this post has been getting reblogged a lot recently, 2 other things helped get the vaccine approved in record time:

1) Demand. SO much demand for a working vaccine, which translated to SO much funding. Like fistfulls of money just being chucked at it. This wasnt the case for the earlier coronavirus-type vaccines, which is why a vaccine for those were never completed. Neither SARS nor MERS ever became pandemics, so there wasnt much funding. But for COVID, the entire world was demanding a vaccine. That much demand = a shitload of money. Money talks, man,

2) usually vaccines take so long because all the steps happen sequentially. Like Part A has to be completed, then Part B, Part C, etc. But one of the (subjectively) cool things about this vaccine is that so many governments went “yeah that’s too slow” this time, and started doing steps concurrently. It sped up production A LOT because the folks in charge of Part C didnt have to wait for Part A and Part B to finish, they could just jump on their tasks right away.

All this info is easy to find just by googling “why was the covid vaccine finished to quickly,” btw, in case y’all want to gather some more knowledge to dunk on all y’all’s antivaxx coworkers, or to bring anybody who is just genuinely under-informed up to speed.

“Eradication” via xkcd.com

This is wonderful.

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                     Letters Live                         Dear Friends, Hello. I hope this letter finds you in good spirits as we navigate this truly surreal crisis. Since 2013, we at Letters Live have been inviting performers to bring letters to life in memorable venues around the world. With our ‘Read A Letter’ campaign, we’re opening the stage extremely wide and would love for the world (you!) to share letters to the heroes on the frontline; letters to relatives in need; letters to strangers who have stepped up and made a difference; letters to neighbouring families, streets, towns and countries; letters from teachers to their isolated pupils or to the parents who now find themselves home-schooling; letters to those in power; letters to a population crying out for words of comfort. You could record yourself reading an important letter you have wanted to send, or a cherished letter you once received. It could be a favourite letter of yours that offers hope in our current crisis or a prescient warning too important to be ignored. It may simply be a favourite letter of yours that may brighten everyone’s day. (I am obliged to say that if you’re not reading your own letter, you must, please, ask the letter writer’s permission.)   So, all you need to do is this: - Film yourself reading a letter. Use your phone, just as I am. - If you’re camera shy, point your phone at something else while you read: the letter itself, the view from your window, your adorable dog. - Before you read the letter, tell us who it’s to and who it’s from, and if you can, tell us why you’ve chosen it. - Post the video to Twitter or Instagram or whichever corner of the internet you frequent, remembering to include the hashtag #ReadALetter and tag @letterslive so we can then share your reading. Alternatively, if you don’t use social media, send the clip to [email protected] so we can share the letter for you. - Spread the word by nominating another person to write a letter. That’s it. Thank you in advance for taking part. Stay connected. Stay safe. Stay at home.

Yours in isolation, Benedict, and all at Letters Live    

ooh, click that hashtag hot link, wow.

This is the best article I’ve run across so far about contamination, groceries, masks etc. It’s by someone with the credentials to have written it, it is really straightforward, and clarified so much for me.  I’m passing it on because you may need to read it too.

rb to finish reading at lunch time.

It’s okay to be annoyed at social distancing. It’s okay to be disappointed your favorite event was canceled or frustrated with online classes or online work. It’s okay, feel the way you’re feeling, we need room for that.

But remember, herd action is a powerful thing, we aren’t doing this for just you or me or one single person. We’re doing this for the elderly and immunecompromised, we’re doing this for the health care professionals so they don’t get too overwhelmed. We’re doing this for more than just ourselves. This is collective action at work.

And it is the group that lifts that barn when no one person can

it is the group that takes turns talking to the man down during the worst day of his life

it’s the group that gets out the wet wipes and quietly takes down hate symbols

and we don’t do that for ourselves. We do that because there is a love for strangers, a love for people we don’t know, and a dedication to others that is more than just “me” and “survive” and us vs them.

It is easy to feel alone in these times when we are literally meant to be alone, but this too is a means of care, this too is an act of love. And I think, I really do, I think that’s worth holding onto.

PSA

Hi all, 

I’ve been away from writing and tumblr recently, and that’s probably going to be the case for the time being. My mother is currently undergoing palliative treatment for cancer, and has been in hospital for the last couple of months. I’m not allowed to visit her in hospital. I’m not able to visit my dad in case I pick up and transmit coronavirus to him, and he passes it on to my mum. She is dying, we’re just trying to get her a slightly better quality of life for her last few months. If she gets the virus, there’s little doubt about the fact she will die soon and without the chance to say goodbye to the people she loves. 

This is admittedly utterly shit. But my story is only one of many, many shitty circumstances that people are in. 

I am working from home. My partner is working from home. Our kid’s preschool is shutting down in two days. I am climbing the walls from the lack of social interaction. Several of my friends are self-isolating due to underlying heath concerns. I would bloody love to go to the cinema, take the bus, go out for dinner or drinks with friends. I want to get on a plane to Ireland and hug my family. I’d happily mug for the chance to go bouldering again. I would love to continue on as normal. 

I am truly lucky in that I’m healthy, that I don’t have a compromised immune system. But I’m still staying home and not frequenting crowded spaces, because I could very easily carry the virus and pass it on to someone elderly, someone severely asthmatic, someone ill. 

Someone like my mum or dad. 

And yes, most of us will be absolutely fine. But you might still be responsible for passing it on; and that’s a terrible thing to do if you’ve got the choice not to. It’s not a case of being hysterical or getting caught up in fearmongering. It’s about caring for your neighbours. You are part of a community, we are all humans with basic decency. We have a responsibility to the people around us, known and unknown.  

So please, wash your damn hands. Stay home as much as you can.

<3 the thought of not being able to be with dying loved ones just breaks my heart. my parents are both long gone, but i treasure the time i got to spend with each of them near the end. i know exactly what you are missing, and how much that sucks. oh my dear, sending virtual hugs!