Links 12/10/23

Links for you. Science:

What to Know About the New Covid Variants: HV.1 has overtaken EG.5 as the leading variant in the U.S. Scientists are also watching two other variants, BA.2.86 and JN.1.
Coyote vs Dog (It’s Not Always as Obvious as You May Think)
MOBFinder: a tool for MOB typing for plasmid metagenomic fragments based on language model
Is AI leading to a reproducibility crisis in science? Scientists worry that ill-informed use of artificial intelligence is driving a deluge of unreliable or useless research.
Update on SARS-CoV-2 Variant JN.1 Being Tracked by CDC
Cantaloupe recall: Salmonella outbreak leaves 8 dead, hundreds sickened in US and Canada

Other:

Sometimes You Gotta Fight When You’re a Man: Anxious masculinity and preening congressmen
Corruption Unbound: Donald Trump and his cronies left his first administration with a playbook for self-enrichment in a second term. (gift link)
About That University President’s Viral Video (gift link)
A MAGA Judiciary: In a second term, Donald Trump would appoint more judges who don’t care about the law. (gift link)
Joe Biden Is Not Your New Bicycle – and That’s OK: Maybe the best thing is to not be too emotionally invested in your vote for president (send this to younger, on-the-fence voters…)
Netanyahu, Ignore the U.S.’ Ideas About Gaza at Your Peril: In Washington, there’s a realization that Israel’s war with Hamas is not aligned with or derived from any political objectives. So, after two months, the Americans are unilaterally proposing their own framework, though they know Netanyahu’s extremist government will never agree to it (gift link)
Hundreds of Jewish organization staffers call for White House to back Gaza cease-fire
GOP lawmaker: Ousted aides targeted my daughter for OnlyFans account (it’s always self-projection with these assholes…)
Police have recovered video of Florida GOP chair and alleged victim in rape investigation
Health workers at highest COVID risk least likely to always follow infection-control protocols, study finds (paper here)
Another Outrage from Ken Paxton
Viper Sack
Archaeologists unearth ‘most shocking example of Roman slavery’ at Pompeii
Bowser Opts to Ignore the Law, Raiding Money for Increased SNAP Benefits Mandated by the Council (what will actually lead to ‘defunding the police’ will be budget strains)
‘He is hated’: House Republicans secretly consider expelling Matt Gaetz after booting George Santos
A Cultural Critique of the Tesla Cybertruck: The Cybertruck might be the most 2023 car out there.
The Danger Ahead: If Donald Trump returns to the White House, he’d bring a better understanding of the system’s vulnerabilities, more willing enablers, and a more focused agenda of retaliation against his adversaries.
Police Departments Nationwide Are Struggling to Solve Crimes
The Estate Tax Has Hit A Historic Low In America: Thanks to policy changes, more and more of the country’s megarich are keeping their wealth in the family.
Stolen Checks Are for Sale Online. We Called Some of the Victims. One reason this fraud is rampant: Open forums where anyone can buy checks that thieves have taken from the mail.
Donald Trump’s Plot Against America
Mike Johnson Compares Himself to Moses at Christian Nationalist Gala: The House Speaker alleges God directed his path to power through the “roiling sea”
Loyalists, Lapdogs, and Cronies: In a second Trump term, there would be no adults in the room.
‘This Massacre Should Have Been Prevented’: Despite Israeli Intelligence Warnings About a Hamas Attack, the Army Didn’t Evacuate the Nova Festival. Top defense officials held urgent consultations the night before October 7 about a possible Hamas attack. But no one in the IDF notified the the Nova festival organizers or the party-goers, hundreds of whom were mown down – and for nine hours, no one came to save them (gift link)
How Trump Gets Away With It: If reelected, he could use the powers of the presidency to evade justice and punish his enemies.
If Our Eyes Can See the Huge Scope of Atrocity, Can Our Hearts Contain Two Pains at Once?
The legend of Skokie: How some Americans learned to equate free speech with Nazis

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Links 12/9/23

Links for you. Science:

A paradise island vacation with no mosquito bites – and no chemicals
From a Detour to Global Dominance: The rise of the JN.1 variant
View Global Distribution of Microbial AMR Genes with the New MicroBIGG-E Map
It Could Be a Vast Source of Clean Energy, Buried Deep Underground
Alignment Free Phylogeny Construction Using Maximum Likelihood Using k-mer Counts
Waste not, want not: revisiting the analysis that called into question the practice of rarefaction

Other:

Thousands of Americans Died Due to Internal FDA Strife Surrounding COVID Booster Rollout (paper here)
When the (Supposed) Enemy of Your Enemy Is Not Your Friend: Why I can’t stomach the new right-wing enthusiasm for fighting antisemitism
How to Be Anti-Semitic and Get Away With It: Too many communities have developed ways to excuse or otherwise ignore prejudice.
America has a Ramaswamy problem
At a Hearing on Israel, University Presidents Walked Into a Trap
As Costs and Demand Skyrocket, Abortion Funds Struggle to Keep Up
China restarts COVID-19 testing in hospitals, airports
Government efforts to erase student loan debt have now reached 3.6 million borrowers (not inflationary, either…)
Cyber Command, NSA nominee now double-blocked
Why voters aren’t more worried about Trump’s return: It sure doesn’t look like he’s running
Should Taxpayers Be Subsidizing the Artistic Tastes of the Rich? Questions the Washington Post Won’t Ask
Stop Demanding Dumb Answers To Hard Questions: Demanding Short, Dumb Answers About Hate Speech Makes You A Useful Idiot For Bigots.
Targeting costly meds, Biden admin asserts authority to seize certain drug patents
Ratifying Sedition: The Proud Boys 404(b) Evidence
Surely There Will Be Exceptions For The LifeAndHealthOfTheMother
‘Good Jew’ vs. ‘Bad Jew’: Why pro-Palestine Protests Have a Problem. I have always protested Israel’s occupation and systemic anti-Arab discrimination, but I won’t join New York’s pro-Palestinian protests. I will never take a toxic test requiring me to denounce other Jews nor march with anyone legitimizing killing Israelis as ‘resistance’ (gift link)
New Civiqs poll: Americans say inflation won’t be solved until prices drop
Is Corporate America Betting on Trump?
Miss Pixie’s Furniture Store, A 14th Street Fixture, Will Move To A New Location In March
I’m On Your Side, MAAAAN
One in five young Americans think the Holocaust is a myth
NYT Columnist Misleadingly Trashes the Economy, To Explain Why People View Economy Negatively
One Year In, ChatGPT’s Legacy Is Clear
Joe Biden for President
Federal Telework Policies Could Hurt D.C. Region’s Transit System, But Attract Younger And Diverse Employees
Elon Musk says Grimes’ friends warned her to take their custody battle to California over Texas — where child support is capped (supposedly richest guy in the world is a cheapskate on alimony…)

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In Case You Missed It…

…a week of Mad Biologist posts:

The Rent Is Too Damn High: The D.C. Rent Stabilization Edition

The State of COVID in D.C.*: Pretty Bad

On Vibes and Economics

A Quick Note on Possible mRNA Based Influenza Vaccines

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Links 12/8/23

Links for you. Science:

As rockfish population shrinks, Maryland shortens the fishing season
The Evolution of Modern Dogs: How our canine companions were carefully crafted by quirky, bored aristocrats, the self-proclaimed “doggy people” from Victorian Britain—and why their story can help us understand social change.
Ancient redwoods recover from fire by sprouting 1000-year-old buds
Are COVID Nasal Vaccines on the Way?
Mpox surge in Congo raises concerns world will ignore warnings again
Infectivity of exhaled SARS-CoV-2 aerosols is sufficient to transmit covid-19 within minutes

Other:

Trump is hiding his fascist plans in plain sight: Trump’s nightmarish scheme was leaked to the New York Times — and yes, it was on purpose (“…the media did this to themselves, by spending decades in the cozy-but-misleading framework of “bothsidesism.” By refusing repeatedly to adjudicate the factual claims of politicians, the media trained Americans to view all political rhetoric as equally suspicious… The result was a public that has come to believe everyone in politics is full of shit, and nothing anyone says about anything in politics is trustworthy.”)
This is a pandemic of attrition
Why Is It a Surprise That America Is Gloomy After a Devastating Pandemic? (IZ BEEG MYSTERY!; gift link)
D.C.’s Childhood Vaccination Rates Are Still Too Low
Elon’s Gordian Knot
How the surge in post-pandemic shootings has unfolded in the U.S.
Hostages released as part of Israel’s agreement with Hamas shared harsh testimonies about its treatment of captives. However, their main critique was aimed at the government: ‘It feels as though you have no idea what’s happening there at all. You claim there’s intelligence, but the fact is we were being bombed’ (gift link)
D.C. schools bar students from classrooms for missing vaccines. The mandates had not been enforced. Now parents are scrambling for medical appointments.
Acknowledging Economic Strength Doesn’t Undermine Progressive Goals
Is Shoplifting Really Surging? Claims that the U.S. is in the middle of a retail theft wave are exaggerated.
Florida says the purpose of school libraries is to “convey the government’s message”
The Rise, and Now Decline, of the Protective Mask: Two mask companies are shutting down as a once sought-after item becomes an afterthought.
Silicon Valley Icon Keith Rabois Doubles Down on Claim That Elon Musk’s X Has Prevented Second Holocaust
After long banning polio campaigns, Taliban declares war on the disease
The Dual Threat of Donald Trump: Bad things happen when political candidates fear personal consequences of an electoral loss.
Biden ban on menthol cigarettes to be delayed amid political concerns, officials say
RIP Norman Lear
How Harvard, Penn, MIT leaders answered — or skirted — questions on antisemitism
Conservative media figures are using homophobia and misogyny to attack surrogacy and IVF
With ‘conversion switch’ devices, machine guns return to U.S. streets
Make a home for affordable housing in Chevy Chase DC (it’s worth noting everyone in this housing would have a job, and some of the locals still don’t want them around…)
Zony Mash Beer Project abruptly cancels Hanukkah celebration, citing ‘external tensions’
The Age of Doom: Social media has convinced us that everything is awful all the time (related to this, there are a lot of fucked up people who vent online, but also are taken seriously)
Urbanism and Peace
The first results from the world’s biggest basic income experiment
How Democrats of faith see devout Speaker Mike Johnson
Tips Tricks Dampen Delivery Worker Celebration of New $18-an-Hour Wage

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Links 12/7/23

Links for you. Science:

Childhood pneumonia outbreak in Ohio unrelated to China, Europe
AlphaFold predictions are valuable hypotheses and accelerate but do not replace experimental structure determination
Identifying patterns of reported findings on long-term cardiac complications of COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis
How to collect a sperm sample from an elephant
FDA poised to approve first gene-editing therapy, made by local drug firms: The landmark treatment from Vertex and CRISPR Therapeutics targets sickle cell disease
New Studies Debunk Controversial Biblical ‘Curse Tablet’ From Mt. Ebal

Other:

How will history books recount COVID?
How millennials learned to dread motherhood
“Can’t even bring themselves to denounce neo-Nazis”: Texas GOP’s internal war over Hitler apologists: Texas Republicans called it “Marxist” to bar members from associating with Holocaust deniers (very good background to and context for the whole awfulness)
Florida’s GOP Sex Scandal Gets Ugly
An exhaustive debunking of the dumbest myths about Social Security
Texas GOP executive committee rejects proposed ban on associating with Nazi sympathizers
Here’s D.C.’s Plan To Be Carbon Neutral By 2045
Eight Weeks After Oct 7 Massacre, UN Women Condemns Hamas’ Use of Sexual Violence Against Israeli Women: After an initial statement on October 13 condemning the attacks on civilians in Israel, all of UN Women’s public comments about the war and its impact on women had centered only on Palestinians. It tweeted, then deleted, a statement condemning the Hamas attack last week
The end of business-class A.I. doomerism
The Most Dangerous Conflict No One Is Talking About
‘Tons of Crazy’: The Inside Story of How Fox Fell for the ‘Big Lie’: A play-by-play from inside Fox reveals how the network poisoned politics — and lost $787.5 million.
Biden, the Economy, and the Election: It’s grossly unfair, but don’t look to the good economy to improve Biden’s re-election chances.
Russian deserters tell of blood, betrayal and hope in escaping Ukraine war
Curtains for Moms for Liberty: The fallout of a rape charge shows the far-right group is floundering
What Happens When a Poor State Guts Its Public University
Steve Kirsch’s “mother of all revelations” about the “deadliness” of COVID-19 vaccines goes poof
Is Journalism Ready? The press has repeatedly fallen into Donald Trump’s traps. A second term could render it irrelevant.
An error in the FAFSA could lower financial aid for college students
The Shrunken Safety Net Could Help Explain Bad Feelings About Economy: The expansion and subsequent lapse of pandemic benefits have had major effects on people’s lives.
James Comer’s Biden claims do not deserve the benefit of the doubt
Why Elon Musk’s ‘f— yourself’ Dealbook moment wasn’t the worst part of the interview
A trans girl played volleyball. Now her Florida school is under investigation.
Norman Lear, TV Legend, Dies at 101
How Donald Trump uses dishonesty
New Hampshire Republicans propose ’15-day’ abortion ban. At 15 days gestational age, pregnancy has most likely not yet medically occurred.
Enough with all the fatalism about a Trump dictatorship

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A Quick Note on Possible mRNA Based Influenza Vaccines

STAT recently had a very good article describing the pros and cons of an mRNA vaccine. But I don’t think this con should be underestimated (boldface mine):

When mRNA Covid vaccines became available in the winter and spring of 2021, people started swapping side effect stories. Some felt nothing, or reported at most a bit of a sore arm. Some spiked high fevers, experienced chills, aches, malaise — symptoms that approximate the experience of having the flu — for a day or two. Some get knocked flat every time they get an mRNA shot.

“I don’t react,” said Arnold Monto, an influenza epidemiologist at University of Michigan School of Public Health. “My daughter … knows she can’t be doing any normal activities for about 48 hours.”

Traditional flu shots are not associated with the side effects that mRNA shots have become known for.

That reputation for reactogenicity, as the the likelihood of unpleasant side effects is called, will probably turn some people off of the idea of mRNA flu shots, said Ben Cowling, chair of epidemiology at Hong Kong University’s School of Public Health. “With the reactogenicity profile, with the likely cost, I’m not sure what the uptake would be.”

While egg-based vaccines have flaws (if nothing else, the vaccine antigen evolves in the egg), I really don’t want to get knocked flat on my ass for two to three days to get a flu shot, especially when it seems to work fine for me*. I would like to see a ‘Novavax style’ version, because that would allow a delay in deciding which influenza strains to cover (that’s a good thing, since we’re less likely to include a strain that isn’t important) and there also isn’t the within-egg evolution issue. But I think mRNA flu vaccines will get less uptake, in part because some people don’t want to take that much time off, well, from living (or need to work etc.).

Hopefully, mRNA influenza vaccines will be one of multiple strategies.

*To the best of my knowledge I have never had influenza (and for as long as I can remember, I’ve been vaccinated every year). If I have had influenza, the vaccine provided enough protection such that the infection only resembled a cold. In fact, the only time I’ve ever had ‘flu-like’ symptoms was after COVID vaccination–though given the small, but non-negligible, chance of long-term or critical health issues from COVID, as well as the protection it provides to other people by reducing transmission, the mRNA COVID vaccine is worth getting, even with side effects.

Posted in COVID-19, Influenza | 1 Comment

Links 12/6/23

Links for you. Science:

We Adopted An Axolotl and You Should Too
Elusive De Winton’s Golden Mole Rediscovered in South Africa After 90 Years
How are wildlife officials preparing Coloradans for wolf reintroduction? With a brochure.
CDC Improves Its Covid-19 Reporting With A New Wastewater Dashboard (though Biobot’s is still better)
Infectivity of exhaled SARS-CoV-2 aerosols is sufficient to transmit covid-19 within minutes
New route for COVID-19 into human cells found by scientists (and might be associated with bad long-term outcomes)

Other:

How Trump is wrecking hopes for a ‘reasonable’ Ukraine deal (gift link)
Bridget Ziegler must leave the Sarasota County School Board. Now.
Did Hamas Make Millions Betting Against Israeli Shares Before October 7 Massacre? Giant gambles against Israel on the markets in Tel Aviv and Wall Street days before Hamas’ attack made billions. Somebody seems to have known about the plan in advance (gift link)
Trump pardoned them. Now they’re helping him return to power.
I know it’s obvious that Trump changes positions on a dime and how it’s mystifying that his cult doesn’t care, but picking all this apart is a fool’s errand. They stick with him because he channels their diffuse anger about their lives at other Americans. But it’s worse now
Yes, messy people can learn to be tidier. Here’s how.
Trump Plans to Pack the Government With MAGA True Believers
Trump’s biggest loss yet: No immunity
Has No Labels Become a Stalking Horse for Trump?
Will gains from the spectacular ‘she-covery’ last?
The Silence From International Bodies Over Hamas’ Mass Rapes Is a Betrayal of All Women
At Mom’s Organic Market, saying goodbye to ‘Mom’s Organic Pinball’
Google Researchers’ Attack Prompts ChatGPT to Reveal Its Training Data
Antisemites supporting Israel is weird. Jewish support of them is even weirder
How to read the ‘poop chart’
In Florida’s Hot Political Climate, Some Faculty Have Had Enough
‘Medical Freedom’ Activists Take Aim at New Target: Childhood Vaccine Mandates
Georgia Republicans target Democrat’s district in new state congressional map
Israel Police Presents New Evidence of Sexual Assault by Hamas Terrorists on October 7 (gift link)
Gov. Shapiro condemns protest outside Jewish-owned restaurant in Philly (the argument that Israeli ambulances that also transport Israeli soliders are fair protest targets isn’t the compelling argument the protestors think it is)
Elon Musk’s X platform fueled far-right riots in Ireland, experts say
‘Return to Office’ declared dead
Eligible voters are being swept up in conservative activists’ efforts to purge voter rolls
‘Godzilla Minus One’: A monster movie with a giant heart
ICC Prosecutor in Israel for First-ever Visit: ‘Reason to Believe’ Hamas Committed War Crimes on Oct 7
To protect kids, EPA wants total removal of lead pipes for the first time: The proposed rule, aimed at reducing exposure to a potent neurotoxin, would require water systems nationwide to replace lead pipes that carry tap water to homes, schools and offices (BuT tHeRe’s No DiFfErEnCe BeTwEeN dEmOcRaTs AnD rEpUbLiCaNs)
Our Democratic and Republican voting states death rate as percent of Canada’s by age.

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On Vibes and Economics

There has been yet another round of posts in the ‘is the dissatisfaction with the economy warranted or not?’: here are some interesting posts on the subject. As some asshole with a blog has noted, there are valid economic reasons for the Great Crankiness. But that said, does anyone think if Trump were convicted (or, frankly, shuffle off this mortal coil) that people would give more positive ratings to the economy?

Because I think Brian Beutler is correct here (boldface mine):

If you believe economic sentiment is a good proxy for the health of the economy—that material conditions drive sentiment more than vague, mediated impressions—this [89% of young voters think the economy is poor or fair] is a confounding result. The current recovery and economy are far better for young people than recent recoveries and economies have been, but youth sentiment is far worse than in the past, including among people who voted for Joe Biden. In fact, it’s dramatically worse among the young than among the cohort of people who are actually struggling in the economy (though of course there is overlap).

I promise you it is not the case that 89 percent of people under the age of 30 are struggling, and simply communicating their personal experiences to pollsters. That’d be a ludicrous, self-refuting conclusion to draw.

While Beutler argues that “media and groupthink explain the excess gloom” (and note, in the piece, he isn’t denying reasons for feeling some “excess gloom”), I think we need to realize there is, to use Beutler’s phrase, a gloom that isn’t strongly attached to most people’s lives for many reasons; people, often for valid reasons, are fearful right now and that colors their polling answers.

There is a Great Crankiness throughout the land.

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Links 12/5/23

Links for you. Science:

XBB.1.5 monovalent mRNA vaccine booster elicits robust neutralizing antibodies against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants
Long COVID Rates Appear to Be Decreasing: Here’s why Long COVID may be declining and what we know about the trend so far
Eight thousand years of natural selection in Europe
Remission of severe forms of long COVID following monoclonal antibody (MCA) infusions: A report of signal index cases and call for targeted research
Durability of cross-neutralizing antibodies 5.5 months after bivalent COVID-19 booster
A Bivalent Omicron-BA.4/BA.5-Adapted BNT162b2 Booster in ≥12-Year-Olds

Other:

The Scope of Hamas’ Campaign of Rape Against Israeli Women Is Revealed, Testimony After Testimony: The aggregation of evidence collected by Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy and her Civil Commission presents a horrifying picture that leaves no room for doubt: On October 7, Hamas terrorists systematically carried out acts of rape and sexual abuse. She has discovered, however, that there is no rush to acknowledge this abroad (gift link; the refusal to acknowledge this only increases Israeli isolation and makes influencing Israeli policy that much harder)
Why Don’t Americans Believe in Science? When medicine doesn’t focus on prevention, anti-vaccination rhetoric flourishes. It’s time to address the system.
Why Hamas Killers Invoked God’s Name, Not the Liberation of Palestine: If anyone wants to find a solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, accepting the fact that it’s above all a religious-nationalist conflict – and not some race-based and settler-colonial artificial concept imported from Western campuses – would be an excellent place to start (while the incorrect analysis by much of the U.S. left in no way excuses the Netanyahu government’s awful overreaction, the analysis by the left is incorrect and does more harm than good)
American Discourse Needs More Mehdi Hasan, Not Less (he was very good on COVID policy)
Rallies demanding the release of the remaining hostages were held across Israel. Alongside the main rally in Tel Aviv, there were be demonstrations in Haifa and Caesarea calling for another hostage deal and Netanyahu’s removal
Mike Johnson’s “18th-Century Values”
Netanyahu Is the Last Person Who Could De-radicalize Gaza: Netanyahu knows all too well how to radicalize populations. Like George W. Bush, he fueled local radicalism and granted it legitimacy through occupation
They’re poor, but not poor enough to qualify for emergency housing in Massachusetts
War in Gaza? Netanyahu Is Busy Badgering the Media
The US government can’t quit Elon Musk – even amid erratic behavior
Stop the Ben-Gvir Gun Show
How A Deeply Controversial White House Adviser Is Running The Agenda On Gaza: Brett McGurk has sought to put a Saudi-Israeli relationship “at the forefront” of the U.S.’s Middle East policy — downplaying Palestinian concerns and human rights.
A Brief Cultural History of the White Rapper
The G.O.P. Megadonors Come to Jesus
Gavin Newsom is Not a Progressive
The Day After the War Ends: It’s hard to imagine that all the trauma the Israeli and Palestinian people have lived through in the last two months won’t breed more radicalization and mistrust. But if it doesn’t result in some kind of political solution, we will find ourselves back here again too soon. (gift link)
The Rise and Fall of Crypto Lunacy
Biden’s Choose Your Own Adventure Economy: Yes, experts agree the economy is technically great. But it’s also very weird: gas prices are down and wages are up, but so is rent, car insurance, groceries, and just about every product Americans encounter on a daily basis. If that’s what voters are associating with “Bidenomics,” well, Biden is in big trouble.
Have Democrats Learned ANYTHING About How The Trumps Roll?
Cracks on the road to Christian Dominion: Is the shadowy “City Elders” group collapsing?
Republicans Welcome Harm To America: Whether it’s economic hardship or epidemic disease or extremist violence, they’re here for it!
Police raid Moscow gay bars after a Supreme Court ruling labeled LGBTQ+ movement ‘extremist’
Donald Trump Was President In 2020
A California dry farmer’s juicy apples show how agriculture can be done with less water
Donald Trump’s Dictatorial Plans Can Work: Next time around Congress won’t just stand by—it’ll be a participant
This Is the 9/11 Lesson That Israel Needs to Learn

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The State of COVID in D.C.*: Pretty Bad

*And by D.C., I mean Alexandria, VA, because the publicly available D.C. data can’t really be easily understood (and don’t seem to be collected anymore?).

After a long period of declines, Thanksgiving whacked us. Hard:

Screenshot 2023-12-05 at 8.36.39 AM

With a surge from 319 copies/ml to 698, we’re about seven times higher than the mid-June 2023 nadir and over half of the January 2023 season peak. That probably means around one percent of people are currently infected (though that’s a very rough estimate because we’re not collecting the right prevalence data).

As I’ve been saying, the declines are good, but winter Thanksgiving is coming. Akshually, it arrived. Oddly enough, a combination of inadequate vaccination, lots of travel and visiting people outside one’s usual circle of contacts, and a steadfast refusal to take precautions led to a massive surge (over a doubling in one week). Hopefully, next week won’t be even worse.

If you’re at a large-ish gathering, it’s definitely a good idea to mask up, not just to protect yourself, but to protect others too. Remember, you’re not the weirdo if you’re still trying to avoid getting (re)infected.

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