Experts Call For N95s Over Surgical Masks As Flu, Covid Viruses Spread, @DrJudyStone writes in @forbes "WHN sent a letter to the WHO urging them to declare respirators as the default protection for healthcare workers, rather than surgical masks." www.forbes.com/sites/judyst...

Great start to Jan! Thank you @georgemonbiot.bsky.social @theguardian.com for supporting the @thewhn.bsky.social letter campaign to @who.int

The British Medical Journal (BMJ) covers our letter calling for respirator use in healthcare to protect patients and staff (reporting by Elisabeth Mahase). I’ve shared The Guardian coverage in a separate post. www.bmj.com/content/392/...

The current guidance is incorrect on COVID just look at all the experts who signed this.

Our letter to WHO, signed by over 2,300, calls for respirator use in healthcare to protect patients and staff. Covered by Kat Lay in The Guardian: www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

Rochester Medical Center and Rochester Regional Health now require masks for staff, patients, and visitors www.fingerlakes1.com/2026/01/01/h...

Atlanta: DeKalb County issues alert as flu-related 911 calls spike 60% Emory Healthcare is requiring all clinical staff members to wear masks in both inpatient and outpatient settings. www.ajc.com/wellness/202...

Banner Health to enforce mandatory masking starting Jan. 1 due to flu surge www.azfamily.com/2025/12/31/b...

Today!

3 more days until the WHN NYE Party! As the year winds down, we’ll take time to reflect on what we’ve learned, what we’ve built together, and how we continue advocating for better public health in the year ahead. Sign up: necsi-edu.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

NY: last week most flu cases ever recorded in a single week (subclade K) Nationally 49,000 hospitalizations and 1,900 deaths from flu so far this season. msn.com/en-us/health...

20% increase in population with a disability over the 5 years since we started repeatedly infecting people with Covid. In case it’s not obvious, that’s terrible for productivity.

Alert: This is not just another bird flu detection in cattle. It’s the same H5N1 variant linked to severe human cases in North America. Earlier cattle cases involved different strains. This matters. www.yahoo.com/news/article...

Brown Health: Masks must be worn by patients, staff and visitors at hospitals. Note: Inform them that respirators should be used. www.wpri.com/health/brown...

Update France: Masks mandatory in several hospitals: Le Mans and Amiens tighten their rules entrevue.fr/en/sante/mas...

RWJBarnabas hospitals in NJ Dec 1 Masks required for • staff for patient care • inpatients outside their rooms • visitors, volunteers & vendors near patients Patients may request clinicians to mask—and staff must comply Ask your hospital to protect patients, staff & visitors.

Breaking: Spain brings masks back. Mandatory in hospitals, primary care, and long-term care—for patients, visitors, and staff. Strong recommendation everywhere else. Public health moving where evidence points. Note: Really worth upgrading to respirators. euroweeklynews.com/2025/11/28/s...

Let’s not get confused about science. Many studies have looked for a link between vaccines and autism — none has found one. “We haven’t ruled it out” is a logic loop; by that logic we also haven’t ruled out peanut butter, bedtime stories, or blue socks. 1/

WA state confirms first bird flu case in a resident this year “Please limit your contacts as best as possible with wild birds (and) domestic animals, and certainly contact your health care providers if you’re ill or have these contacts.” www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

🧬 Gratitude meets Science! The new Kids’ Zone magazine celebrates vaccines, curiosity, and creative kids worldwide — from pizza faces to midnight science conferences. 👉 Read Issue 16 “The Thankful for Science Edition” at whn.global/kidszone/

Japan flu update: 2,307 kindergartens, nursery schools, and elementary, junior high and senior high schools were closed partially or fully due to the flu. www.nippon.com/en/news/yjj2...

Tom Hanks on mask wearing: “I’ve had COVID enough in my life” www.thecanary.co/global/world...

New Data: COVID-19 infection causes many times more serious health problems in kids than vaccination does. Vaccines reduce risk — not just of infection, but of long-term complications. Explainer in The Globe and Mail: www.theglobeandmail.com/life/wellnes...

🚨This is so important: "After years of denial the international consensus is now shifting,” according to physicist @yaneerbaryam.bsky.social COVID-19 is: 🛑creating a 12.9% increase in workplace absences compared to pre-pandemic 🛑causing a 2% increase in excess deaths vs. pre-pandemic 1/

I appreciate Andrew Nikiforuk at @TheTyee for highlighting the continuing science of COVID and the importance of prevention. The virus keeps reshaping health and society — we can still choose to act wisely. thetyee.ca/Analysis/202...

More than 700 experts and supporters have signed this call urging WHO to make N95/FFP2-3 respirators the global healthcare standard. Surgical masks are not enough. Anyone can sign: tinyurl.com/RespiratorsN... #RespiratorsNotSurgicals

We've signed. It's long past time when N95s should be the norm not the exception. Patients & staff deserve to be protected & safe.

🧪 Hard to believe that this is still something we have to argue for in 2025. The science is settled.

Doctors & scientists urge WHO: N95s—not surgical masks—must be the standard in healthcare. Add your name before Oct 31 👇 tinyurl.com/RespiratorsN... #RespiratorsNotSurgicals #ProtectHCWs

70 per cent of Sydney central business district workers work from home at least some of the time...a significant and enduring shift in commuting patterns and public transport demand

#MaskUp #Respirator #CleanAir #LongCOVID #BrainHealth #TheLion

US state governors launch alliance to bolster coordination on public health reuters.com/world/us/col...

Our new review compares SARS-CoV-2 & HIV on key similarities & outcomes: –Immune cell (T&other) depletion & dysfunction –Increases in other infections after COVID –Rising incidence of signature diseases of immune deficiency –Limitations of public response ajpmfocus.org/article/S277...

+West Virginia Pharmacists in West Virginia can now give COVID-19 vaccines without prescriptions -- and state recommendations based on those of medical societies for everyone over 6 months. www.herald-dispatch.com/_zapp/pharma...

Japan gripped by massive flu outbreak: Hospitals struggle, schools shut www.indiatoday.in/world/story/...

"Sonoma County...issued an order today requiring health care personnel and others to wear masks inside patient care areas of specified health care facilities. The health order...will take effect Nov. 1" sonomacounty.gov/sonoma-count...

"A sore knee brought you in, but you start to wonder if you might get sick as you take your seat next to an unmasked child with a runny nose. And you’re right: Crowded spaces like these are the perfect setting for respiratory infections to spread." www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

WHN is hosting a Clean Air Panel Discussion tomorrow (10am–12pm EDT | 4pm–6pm CET)! Join leading experts Dr. William Bahnfleth, Jim Rosenthal, Dr. Joe Vipond, and Aaron Collins for an engaging conversation on the importance of clean air, its role in protecting communities, (...)

New insight from complexity science: from customer purchases to laws passed, many processes share universal life-paths of growth and decline. Hidden dynamics that cut across systems. 🧪 🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

WHN is hosting a Clean Air Panel Discussion on Wednesday, October 8 (10am–12pm EDT | 4pm–6pm CET). Join leading experts Dr. William Bahnfleth, Dr. Jim Rosenthal, Dr. Joe Vipond, and Aaron Collins for an engaging conversation on the importance of clean air Register: necsi-edu.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

Here's a Youtube link of Violet Affleck's full speech about COVID and clean air at the United Nations:

Masking up and advocating for clean air at #UNGA w/ Violet Affleck and @myrabatchelder.bsky.social!

Reported measles cases exceed 1,500 in the U.S. this year. www.cdc.gov/measles/data...

Health plans will continue to cover all ACIP-recommended immunizations that were recommended as of September 1, 2025, including updated formulations of the COVID-19 and influenza vaccines, with no cost-sharing for patients through the end of 2026. www.ahip.org/news/press-r...

Governor of Wisconsin directs Department of Health Services to ensure vaccine availability across Wisconsin www.yahoo.com/news/article...

NY Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday said she would extend an executive order letting pharmacists prescribe and administer COVID-19 vaccines to any New Yorker who requests one when it expires in a few weeks. www.nbcnewyork.com/news/health/...

Important news: New Jersey is updating its public health rules — including disease reporting, surveillance, and immunizations. This is a high-impact chance for public input on how we manage infectious disease. Comment by Oct 18, 2025: www.nj.gov/health/news/...

North Carolina: Prescription not needed for adults over 65 and younger adults with risk factors for vaccinations at pharmacies. www.yahoo.com/news/article...

A school-age child in California has died from SSPE, a fatal brain disorder which develops 2–10 years post- measles infection—years after appearing fully recovered. publications.aap.org/aapnews/news...