"If HCWs wear N95 respirators and surgical masks throughout, the total infection risk can be reduced by 94.7 % and 53.9 %, respectively Increasing the ventilation rate from 1 ACH to 6 ACH reduced the infection risk. ." FYI NSW Health & @racgp.bsky.social et al www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

There is a new study from Poland looking at children hospitalized for COVID during the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 epidemiological years ( link.springer.com/article/10.1... ). 🧵1/

Did you know? Donate A Mask works with mask blocs across Canada. 🇨🇦 Help us continue to put #masks on faces by donating today. 😷 Your donation will be matched until December 14. donatemask.ca/fundraiser #GivingTuesdayCa #MaskBloc #MaskDistro #StillMasking #Charity #MaskUp

New hospitalizations in Ontario due to COVID, Flu, and RSV are starting to increase rapidly, especially Influenza. @donatemask.bsky.social helps vulnerable people in need and donations are currently being doubled if you can help.

Our Request Program makes #masking more accessible. 😷 Help us continue this work by donating today. Your donation will be matched so your money will go further! 💙 donatemask.ca/fundraiser #GivingTuesdayCa #Masks4All #MaskingIsCaring

Our #GivingTuesday campaign starts today! 💙 Help spread #masks, not illness. 😷 Donate by December 14 and your donation will be matched by the GKE Foundation. 🎉 donatemask.ca/fundraiser #GivingTuesdayCa #StillMasking #MaskUp #Charity #Fundraiser

Thread @virusesimmunity.bsky.social "A ground breaking paper by Shady Younis et al. @stanfordimmunology.bsky.social provides an answer to the long-standing question about how EBV infections are linked to lupus. A short thread to explain the key findings." ( threadreaderapp.com/thread/19891... )

After some finagling to get the assembly procedure just right we are finally releasing the aluminum bodied POLARIS air purifier, made-in-Canada and based on the open-source design by Zack Deis. 1/3 #airpurifier #indoorairquality #covidisairborne

How does various mask fit compare to filter the air and protect you or others? Most masks, even baggy blue procedure masks use filtering material that can filter 95%+ of particles that pass through it, but the key is "pass through it". Continue to learn more... 🧪🧵1/

What was life really like before vaccines? The story of what happened to 8-year old George Williams in August 1852 gives us a glimpse. open.substack.com/pub/epiellie...

How does various mask fit compare to filter the air and protect you or others? Most masks, even baggy blue procedure masks use filtering material that can filter 95%+ of particles that pass through it, but the key is "pass through it". Continue to learn more... 🧪🧵1/

** Ontario Variant Update (to Oct. 3, 2025) ** The XFG.* "Stratus" family is accounting for 83% while the next closest variant family NB.1.8.1.* "Nimbus" is 12.8% of sequenced genomes from COVID tests. 🧵1/

Health Canada has published Guidance for Indoor Air Quality Professionals, a practical, science-based resource for Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) experts, building operators, and employers. Article ( ospe.on.ca/advocacy/pol... ) Guidelines ( www.canada.ca/en/health-ca... )

In new study led by @bdadonaite.bsky.social, we measure how spike mutations affect function & antigenicity of spike of KP.3.1.1 strain of SARS-CoV-2. Sheds light on how key neutralizing epitopes are changing & importance of RBD up/down motion. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

The final published version of this study is now available in Journal of Virology at journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

In new study led by @ckikawa.bsky.social, we provide near real-time data on human neutralizing antibody landscape to influenza by measuring ~26,000 titers to >100 recent viral strains Data can inform vaccine selection & evolutionary/epidemiological modeling www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Such an important piece. The positive momentum behind clean indoor air is palpable. But we’re not there yet as my last post demonstrates. Please read and share and get behind this cause. theconversation.com/why-investme...

I found out for Ontario that "the Ministry of Health updated the age groups on the I9 bed census data collection forms" so some data in the Ontario Respiratory Virus Tool ( www.publichealthontario.ca/en/Data-and-... ) will be grouped differently starting in September. 🧵1/

🧪 Can researchers stop AI from fabricating citations? Probably not entirely. While models like GPT-5 are improving, hallucination is fundamental to their statistical design, shifting the burden onto users to build new intuitions for an AI age. #MLSky #AcademicSky

*** Ontario Variant Update (to: Aug. 16, 2025) *** Ontario COVID sequence updates have been more frequent over the past month with the XFG.* "Stratus" family of variants now at 74% of sequences, NB.1.8.1.* "Nimbus" at 22% and LP.8.1.* down to 3%. #Variants #COVID #XFG #Stratus 🧪🧵1/

A fascinating new preprint w/one very unexpected finding suggests, I believe, that a large proportion of Long Covid may be due to chronic infection in a particular bodily niche, which could be crucial for finding effective LC treatments. It requires some explaining. 🧵 1/33

For the next little while, all donations will be matched by a generous corporate sponsor. That means your donation will go twice as far–so donate today! #DoubleYourImpact #YallMasking

This links to a press release - we need some media coverage, yo! Please send the press release out to Canadian journos. 💕 thank you! #cdnpoli #nbpoli #ableg #nspoli #peipoli

Thank-yous from our donors mean the world to us! 💙 Donate A Mask is 100% powered by volunteers, and knowing our work is helping others stay safe and healthy is what keeps us going! 😷 Consider donating to support our work. donatemask.ca/fundraiser #StillMasking and #StillSaltingTheVibes

DYK our Free Request Program offers respirator #masks in 5 different styles & multiple sizes, including small masks for kids? 😷 Consider donating to support our Free Request Program. Right now, every dollar will be matched by our corporate sponsor! donatemask.ca/fundraiser #MaskUp #StillMasking

If #masks and clean air tools are on your back-to-school shopping list, consider stocking up at our charity fundraising store. 🛍️ 🛒 donatemask.ca/shop Our kid-sized masks are on sale at super low prices! 😷 #CleanAirForAll #MaskUp

New fundraiser alert! 📢 Woot woot! A very generous corporate sponsor has agreed to match all donations we receive up to $2,000! 🎉 So donate today to amplify your impact—every $1 we receive will turn into $2! 😷 donatemask.ca/fundraiser #YallMasking #WearAMask

Understanding Canadian Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) & Wildfire Smoke Wildfire smoke consists of toxic gases and particulate matter (PM) when breathed in gets into our lungs, bloodstream, and even our brain. 🧪🧵1/ #IAQ #IndoorAirQuality #wildfire #smoke #AQI #AQHI #Canada

Here is your chance to provide constructive feedback on the proposed updated Canadian Standards Association (CSA) respirator standard which calls for universal respirator use in healthcare settings & when performing patient care outside of healthcare settings (eg – in the home).

How you can help: The draft CSA Z94.4 Standard is now out for Public Review until August 19, 2025. Please weigh in with your positive, constructive comments at publicreview.csa.ca/Home/View/22... . Public Review comments are open to everyone who registers.

Good News! Canadian Standards Association (CSA) has called for universal respirator use in healthcare settings & when performing patient care outside of healthcare settings (eg – in the home) in the latest edition of CSA Z94.4, Selection, use and care of filtering respirators.

Interesting comparison of different PM sensors outside the lab. Great customer service to replace with a better functioning model.

🚨 Mise à jour Model X2 ! 🚨 Le capteur SEN66 aime la poussière, mais la fumée dehors ? Il fait semblant de rien.😅 On a testé, confirmé, et réglé. Le nouveau X2 aura SEN55 + SCD30. 🎁 Échange gratuit pour tous les proprios ! 📖 visiblair.com/fr/products/... #AirQuality #WildfireSmoke

Read @turville.bsky.social 's latest pre-print on how COVID changed with Omicron to use receptor binding differently ( www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... ).

A thread- resolving the Omicron Paradox.

Red bars almost always > 30% and sometimes > 40% represent the % of confirmed COVID hospitalizations that are health-care associated, AKA nosocomial infection, acquired while staying in a healthcare facility. This is from 70 hospitals around Canada. See ( health-infobase.canada.ca/cnisp/viral-... ).

Understanding Canadian Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) & Wildfire Smoke Wildfire smoke consists of toxic gases and particulate matter (PM) when breathed in gets into our lungs, bloodstream, and even our brain. 🧪🧵1/ #IAQ #IndoorAirQuality #wildfire #smoke #AQI #AQHI #Canada

I have made an overview of the battle between XFG and NB.1.8.1 in the world Samples collected on/after the 12th of May NB.1.8.1 with a very high percentage in some SouthEast-Asian countries, and big in Oceania as well XFG big in India/Pakistan/Bangladesh Mixed in North America and Europe 1/2

Pollution levels in Ottawa are very high from wildfire smoke. The particulate matter (PM)2.5 levels surpassed 140 ug/m^3 Thursday evening and are still above 130 on my VisiblAir Model X outdoor sensor ( visiblair.com ). 🧵1/ #iaq #wildfire #smoke #airquality

Direct link to "Air Quality Affects Early Childhood Development and Health " here ( developingchild.harvard.edu/wp-content/u... ).

Harvard: Indoor air quality even more important in early childhood. Research suggests operators of childcare facilities, schools and community centers should place more emphasis on improving indoor environments. www.k12dive.com/news/indoor-...

School Indoor Air Quality Basics. "Easy-to-understand resources are designed for school staff and decision-makers without a technical background, helping them make informed choices about indoor air quality." Direct link to fact sheets ( www.ashrae.org/file%20libra... ). #school #iaq #airquality

With wildfires back again, read this thread to learn more about indoor air quality, particulate matter (PM), pollution from wildfire smoke and cooking, and sensors that can read PM levels. #IAQ #IndoorAirQuality #Ventilation #WildFire #Smoke 🧪

Help us finish strong, like Yoda says, so we can ship masks across the country to help folks live long and prosper! 🛸🖖 (are we getting our sci-fis confused??? oops…) 😅 Donate here: donatemask.ca/fundraiser #MaskUp #YallMasking #StillMasking

Time is running out! ⏰ Take advantage of discounts on many products before our spring sale ends! 🛒 buymask.ca/collections/spring-sale

DYK we send masks to mask blocs so they can pass them out in their communities, and to nonprofits and community groups to help them hold Covid-safer events? 😷 We stan all the #MaskWarriors out there! 🤩 Support our work by donating: donatemask.ca/fundraiser #MaskUp #MaskingIsHot

An awesome preprint on the novel, unsung SARS-CoV-2 N* protein came out recently, authored by @corcoranlab.bsky.social and @rorymulloy.bsky.social. I’ve previously written on N*’s demise in XEC, the top variant for several months, but… threadreaderapp.com/thread/18373... 1/34

One week to go! ⏰ Help us reach our goal of $7,500 so we can keep sending free masks to folks across the country. 😷 🇨🇦 Your donation will help us cover shipping–by far our charity’s largest expense. 🚚💸 You can donate here: donatemask.ca/fundraiser #MasksWork #StillMasking

Just a bit over a week to go!!! ⏰ Will we make it to our $7,500 goal? #stressin’ You can help us get there by making a donation: donatemask.ca/fundraiser Every penny will be used to send masks across Canada! 🇨🇦 #MaskUp #YallMasking

Have you met our mask-cot Millie? 🐻 Millie was created to celebrate the one-millionth free mask we gave away! Make a donation today so we can reach our goal of giving away two million masks! 😷 Donate here: donatemask.ca/fundraiser #COVIDisntOVER #MaskUp #VirusesAreAirborne #YallMasking