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Dick Zoutman

@dickzoutman.bsky.social

7.1K followers 630 following 1.3K posts

Proud Grandpa, Hubby, Dad, Infectious Disease Doc & Medical Microbiologist, Emeritus Professor @Queensu School of Medicine, Past Chief of Staff of 2 large health systems. Director Canadian COVIDSociety.ca johnsnowproject.org/editorial-group/

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Dick Zoutman @dickzoutman.bsky.social · 17h

Oh yes, and COVID is year round!

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Dick Zoutman @dickzoutman.bsky.social · 17h

Experienced clinicians have appreciated that post influenza complications are common albeit true this has not been as well studied as for post COVID sequelae.
COVID and Influenza are bad for you.
Don’t get COVID or Influenza.
Get vaccinated.
Wear an N95 respirator.
Clean the air we all breathe.

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Dick Zoutman @dickzoutman.bsky.social · 17h

“Our findings challenge assumptions about the uniqueness of post-acute COVID-19 morbidity and suggest the long-term burden of influenza may be underrecognized.”

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Dick Zoutman @dickzoutman.bsky.social · 17h

“However, COVID-19 cases hospitalized for their initial illness experienced greater risk of severe PAS necessitating inpatient care, and this difference persisted through 180 days of follow-up.

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Dick Zoutman @dickzoutman.bsky.social · 17h

“In this large, real-world cohort, individuals with non-severe acute respiratory illness caused by SARS-CoV-2 experienced only modestly greater risk of PAS in comparison to those whose illness was caused by influenza.

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Dick Zoutman @dickzoutman.bsky.social · 17h

journals.plos.org/plosmedicine...

Comparative risk of post-acute sequelae among adults following SARS-CoV-2 or influenza virus infection: A retrospective cohort study among United States adults

Author summary Why was this study done? It is known that people may suffer medical complications long after COVID-19, which are called post-acute sequelae (PAS). Similar sequelae are also known to h...

journals.plos.org

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Dick Zoutman @dickzoutman.bsky.social · 17h

Inclined to agree. Need that research ASAP.

Dick Zoutman @dickzoutman.bsky.social · 1d

Plunking air purifiers in schools in random locations given the complexity of air movement in these complicated buildings with lots of human movement was never likely to do that much. Proper air cleaning requires expert analysis of air movements compared with human activities in the spaces.

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Dick Zoutman @dickzoutman.bsky.social · 1d

“In this secondary analysis, HEPA purifiers were not associated with a reduction in high viral exposure but were associated with a modest decrease in viral diversity. Multicomponent interventions may be needed to mitigate respiratory viral exposures in schools.”

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Dick Zoutman @dickzoutman.bsky.social · 1d

Air Purifier Intervention for Respiratory Viral Exposure in Elementary Schools url: jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Air Purifier Intervention for Respiratory Viral Exposure in Elementary Schools

This secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial examines the association of HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filters with respiratory viral exposure in elementary school classrooms.

jamanetwork.com

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Dick Zoutman @dickzoutman.bsky.social · 1d

So thanks to COVID being uncontrolled and still spreading and re-re-re- infecting people, we see a very large number of workers off sick or simply dropping out of the workforce.
COVID is bad for all workers.
Don’t get COVID.
Get vaccinated.
Wear an N95 respirator.
Clean the air we all breathe.

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Dick Zoutman @dickzoutman.bsky.social · 1d

“Labor force exits after a health-related absence also continued to be elevated, with 13.1% more exits in the postpandemic period compared with before the pandemic (13 500 monthly exits).”

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Dick Zoutman @dickzoutman.bsky.social · 1d

“Specifically, absences were 8.1% higher for workers in low work-from-home occupations and 12.5% higher for workers in high physical proximity occupations compared with prepandemic values.

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Dick Zoutman @dickzoutman.bsky.social · 1d

“Workers in occupations at greater risk of exposure and some demographic groups continued to experience elevated levels of absences in the postpandemic period.

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Dick Zoutman @dickzoutman.bsky.social · 1d

“Health-related absences from work continued to track COVID-19 circulation and were 12.9% higher in the postpandemic period compared with before the pandemic (140 000 monthly absences).

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Dick Zoutman @dickzoutman.bsky.social · 1d

“In this cohort study of employed workers in the US, the new year-round baseline for work absences appeared to be on par with the levels formerly confined to prepandemic influenza season conditions.“

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Dick Zoutman @dickzoutman.bsky.social · 1d

Enduring Outcomes of COVID-19 Work Absences on the US Labor Market url: jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Enduring Outcomes of COVID-19 Work Absences on the US Labor Market

This cohort study examines the extent to which COVID-19 continues to generate work absences and decrease labor force participation beyond the pandemic period in the US.

jamanetwork.com

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Dick Zoutman @dickzoutman.bsky.social · 1d

“In 2024, more elections were held than ever before, but fewer and fewer are free and fair.”

Dick Zoutman @dickzoutman.bsky.social · 1d

“The Venezuelan regime’s rigid hold on power and its repression of the population are not unique in the world. We see the same trends globally: rule of law abused by those in control, free media silenced, critics imprisoned, and societies pushed towards authoritarian rule and militarisation.

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Dick Zoutman @dickzoutman.bsky.social · 1d

“Democracy is a precondition for lasting peace. However, we live in a world where democracy is in retreat, where more and more authoritarian regimes are challenging norms and resorting to violence.

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Dick Zoutman @dickzoutman.bsky.social · 1d

“She is receiving the Nobel Peace Prize for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.”