Alt Greene County (OH) Public Health
@altgcohph.bsky.social
180 followers 290 following 28 posts
Time to talk about Coldemort - the virus whose name must not be mentioned! We're following in the footsteps of our beloved Alt National Parks Service, but we are not official. Official Greene County (OH) Public Health website: https://www.gcph.info/
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altgcohph.bsky.social
Hey, medical personnel of all sorts - first, thank you so much for doing the incredibly difficult job you do, and learning everything you have to do that job well

But too many of you didn't realize there was a staggering change in our understanding of how respiratory diseases spread

Please read!
The 60-Year-Old Scientific Screwup That Helped Covid Kill
All pandemic long, scientists brawled over how the virus spreads. Droplets! No, aerosols! At the heart of the fight was a teensy error with huge consequences.
www.wired.com
altgcohph.bsky.social
One piece of that evidence:

bsky.app/profile/emil...
emilyrj.bsky.social
“The global pooled long COVID prevalence was 36%” with South Americans with highest prevalence

That’s *2.96 billion* people

And governments mostly stopped prevention via required masks, testing and better air quality plus massively cut Long Covid research and care academic.oup.com/ofid/article...
Validate User
academic.oup.com
Reposted by Alt Greene County (OH) Public Health
jasfriedman.bsky.social
To me, the ongoing pandemic isnt JUST about science. It is about morals and ethics.
It is acting on the evidence and the HARM that sars2 is causing. There is evidence of harm.
There is ONGOING evidence of harm
The is evidence of ONGOING transmission of sars2
CLEAN THE AIR
Do no harm
Reposted by Alt Greene County (OH) Public Health
emilyrj.bsky.social
“The global pooled long COVID prevalence was 36%” with South Americans with highest prevalence

That’s *2.96 billion* people

And governments mostly stopped prevention via required masks, testing and better air quality plus massively cut Long Covid research and care academic.oup.com/ofid/article...
Validate User
academic.oup.com
Reposted by Alt Greene County (OH) Public Health
irahyman.bsky.social
Important and utterly interesting news series on cuts to science.

Hey @standupforscience.bsky.social
carlzimmer.com
Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE
nyti.ms
Reposted by Alt Greene County (OH) Public Health
prasad.bsky.social
it is so important for the public to know about this terrible waste of talent, curiosity, wonder, and progress

too much of science -- how it's made, who makes it, and how and why -- is hidden from public view

these stories need to be told
carlzimmer.com
Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE
nyti.ms
Reposted by Alt Greene County (OH) Public Health
tanialombrozo.bsky.social
Glad and sad to see this series, which echoes the theme of lost science I wrote about below & does something to make it less invisible www.northjersey.com/story/opinio...
Reposted by Alt Greene County (OH) Public Health
thecovidinfoguy.bsky.social
Nearly 7 in 10 COVID survivors tested didn't know they had a dulled sense of smell

"Even if they don't notice it, COVID-19 survivors' sense of smell may remain impaired for years after infection"

www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/nea...
Nearly 7 in 10 COVID survivors tested didn't know they had a dulled sense of smell
www.cidrap.umn.edu
Reposted by Alt Greene County (OH) Public Health
luckytran.com
Yesterday, history happened at the UN: For the first time hundreds of orgs signed a global pledge declaring that healthy indoor air is a human right.

Healthy indoor air is a key tool for preventing pandemics, building climate resilience, and increasing health equity. We need it everywhere!
People signing the Global Pledge for Healthy Indoor Air at the UN
Reposted by Alt Greene County (OH) Public Health
drtomfrieden.bsky.social
More kids died from flu last season than in any non-pandemic season since monitored began 20 years ago. Almost 90% were unvaccinated. Parents: talk to your doctor about getting your kids vaccinated. www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes...
altgcohph.bsky.social
Hey, medical personnel of all sorts - first, thank you so much for doing the incredibly difficult job you do, and learning everything you have to do that job well

But too many of you didn't realize there was a staggering change in our understanding of how respiratory diseases spread

Please read!
The 60-Year-Old Scientific Screwup That Helped Covid Kill
All pandemic long, scientists brawled over how the virus spreads. Droplets! No, aerosols! At the heart of the fight was a teensy error with huge consequences.
www.wired.com
altgcohph.bsky.social
Yeah, suggesting hand washing for a respiratorily-transmitted vascular disease is as unhelpful as suggesting that hand washing helps avoid STDs - or that holding a pill between your knees helps avoid pregnancy!
altgcohph.bsky.social
12/12

Yeah, not likely to happen, especially under this administration - but if we could get @sanders.senate.gov on board, and @mcuban.bsky.social, @markhamillofficial.bsky.social, @georgetakei.bsky.social, & @gtconway.bsky.social to join him, we could prove to everyone that #BetterMasksWorkBetter
altgcohph.bsky.social
11/🧵

We could frame that semi-RCT of (K)N95 masking as a vital test of whether good masks will help if we are attacked with bio-weapons - and perhaps try it nationwide, with everyone willing to participate (for a week-ish) wearing a good mask around other people, etc., monitoring wastewater levels
altgcohph.bsky.social
10/🧵

And maybe proposing a semi-RCT of masking:

For one(?) week, have people in two nearby communities compare results, using wastewater levels of COVID:

One as a control, with the usual little masking

The other, masking as much as practical (not forcing anyone, just asking)
altgcohph.bsky.social
9/🧵

Tying that all in with a brief history of mask development might be good, along with a history of why we were told to use cloth masks (to preserve the ones that worked really well for the people that needed them most)
altgcohph.bsky.social
8/🧵

I guess you could add a biohazard suit compared to a secure communications link or something, but the above covers the basics - we have found that the "masks don't work" crowd simply don't understand that some masks are better than others and the telephone analogy seems a good way to show that
altgcohph.bsky.social
7/🧵

A picture of a full face #P100 elastomeric respirator on a face - provides nearly total protection against droplets and aerosols

Compare with a picture of a satellite phone
altgcohph.bsky.social
6/🧵

A picture of an #N95 respirator mask on a face - provides excellent protection against droplets and even better protection against aerosols than the #KN95, due to head straps rather than ear straps (also more comfortable on the ears!)

Compare to a picture of a modern smartphone
altgcohph.bsky.social
5/🧵

A picture of a #KN95 respirator mask on a face - provides excellent protection against droplets and aerosols, but not quite as leak-proof as an #N95

Compare with a picture of a flip phone
altgcohph.bsky.social
4/🧵

A picture of a bandana or other ordinary cloth "face covering" - provides more protection against droplets, and some protection against aerosols

Compare with a picture of a 1950s black Bell desk phone
altgcohph.bsky.social
3/🧵

A picture of a hand held up in front of a coughing / sneezing face - provides some protection against droplets, but almost none against aerosols. Could be sneezing into an elbow instead of the hand?

Compare to a picture of an early candlestick telephone
altgcohph.bsky.social
2/🧵

A picture of nothing at all covering any part of the face - distance and ventilation are the only protection

Compare to a picture of the Campbell soup cans & string "telephone"
altgcohph.bsky.social
These are terrific, Scott - thank you! None of us have much graphical talent, so these will be helpful indeed.

I failed trying to make a mask simile graphic - perhaps you could do better? The idea was to compare masks and phones, using pictures of each:

1/🧵
altgcohph.bsky.social
The official Greene County Ohio Public Health Facebook page just posted this graphic with hashtags including #RespiratoryHealth - yet they don't use the word mask, let alone point out that #RespiratorMasks like the #N95 work far better than medical procedure masks that leak around the edges!

WHY?!
Screen capture of post from https://www.facebook.com/GreeneCoPH, with text that reads:

Just a friendly reminder to be mindful of your health, so you can keep the summer fun going - safely!! Need a COVID-19 at home test? We still have them - call 937-374-5600. 

#respiratoryhealth #COVID awareness #healthySummer #preventPromoteprotect #gcph

Post includes graphic with text reading:

Summer fun reminder: COVID aware 

Summer is here and historically we've experienced a surge in COVID cases, so it's a good time to be mindful

Here's what to keep in mind :

Bullet point new variants may cause cold-

Sorry, I am no longer able to see the text I am reading, so I am ending the transcription here - you get the idea, no mention of masks, although it does mention respiratory health, and that ventilation of indoor spaces can help 

 like symptoms
altgcohph.bsky.social
By comparison, both of our neighboring Ohio counties - Clark (Springfield) & Montgomery (Dayton) - have wastewater levels of COVID that are considered Low

Is he High level shown for Yellow Springs a temporary bump due to the Street Fair on June 14th? Time will tell - new data on Friday the 27th
Screen capture from CDC wastewater site showing Low COVID levels in Clark County, Ohio as of June 14th, 2025 Screen capture of CDC wastewater site showing Low COVID activity levels in Montgomery County, Ohio as of June 14th 2025