Brian Pierce MD
@mainedpcdoc.medsky.social
he/him, independent family physician in Midcoast Maine, lucky husband, empty nest dad, Direct Primary Care (DPC) small business owner, learning POCUS, USCG and USAF veteran, former Republican, like Mastodon but this place is busier
Reposted by Brian Pierce MD
Reposted by Brian Pierce MD
Forget Whether Or Not DOGE Exists: Will Anyone Be Held Accountable For 600,000 Deaths?
First, let's dispense with the theater: the question of whether DOGE "still exists" as a formal entity completely misses the point. The always-misleadingly-named "Department of Government Efficiency" was never…
First, let's dispense with the theater: the question of whether DOGE "still exists" as a formal entity completely misses the point. The always-misleadingly-named "Department of Government Efficiency" was never…
Forget Whether Or Not DOGE Exists: Will Anyone Be Held Accountable For 600,000 Deaths?
First, let's dispense with the theater: the question of whether DOGE "still exists" as a formal entity completely misses the point. The always-misleadingly-named "Department of Government Efficiency" was never really about efficiency. It was Elon Musk's excuse to gain access to the federal government's fundamental systems and wreak havoc, Twitter-style—smashing anything that got in his way, enriching his allies, and dismissing any consequences with a wave of his hand.
www.techdirt.com
December 3, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Forget Whether Or Not DOGE Exists: Will Anyone Be Held Accountable For 600,000 Deaths?
First, let's dispense with the theater: the question of whether DOGE "still exists" as a formal entity completely misses the point. The always-misleadingly-named "Department of Government Efficiency" was never…
First, let's dispense with the theater: the question of whether DOGE "still exists" as a formal entity completely misses the point. The always-misleadingly-named "Department of Government Efficiency" was never…
Reposted by Brian Pierce MD
An $8.6 million grant recently approved by the Department of Energy will allow the nation’s first utility-led geothermal heating and cooling network to double in size.
Rare win for renewable energy: Trump admin funds geothermal network expansion
A first-in-the-nation heating and cooling network in Massachusetts is set to double in size.
arstechnica.com
December 3, 2025 at 9:13 PM
An $8.6 million grant recently approved by the Department of Energy will allow the nation’s first utility-led geothermal heating and cooling network to double in size.
Reposted by Brian Pierce MD
11/ HBV is only one item on ACIP’s meeting agenda this week. This resource breaks it all down👉 evicollective.org/2025-dec-acip-prebunk
Love,
Annicka Evans, PhD
@drhigginsmd.bsky.social
@enirenberg.bsky.social
@sciencewhizliz.bsky.social
@unbiasedscipod.bsky.social
@ylepidemiologist.bsky.social
Love,
Annicka Evans, PhD
@drhigginsmd.bsky.social
@enirenberg.bsky.social
@sciencewhizliz.bsky.social
@unbiasedscipod.bsky.social
@ylepidemiologist.bsky.social
RSVP 4 — The Evidence Collective
evicollective.org
December 3, 2025 at 9:42 PM
11/ HBV is only one item on ACIP’s meeting agenda this week. This resource breaks it all down👉 evicollective.org/2025-dec-acip-prebunk
Love,
Annicka Evans, PhD
@drhigginsmd.bsky.social
@enirenberg.bsky.social
@sciencewhizliz.bsky.social
@unbiasedscipod.bsky.social
@ylepidemiologist.bsky.social
Love,
Annicka Evans, PhD
@drhigginsmd.bsky.social
@enirenberg.bsky.social
@sciencewhizliz.bsky.social
@unbiasedscipod.bsky.social
@ylepidemiologist.bsky.social
Reposted by Brian Pierce MD
10/ So all this said, why does this ACIP vote matter? If they recommend against the universal birth dose, we could see:
🔹More chronic infections
🔹Lost progress toward eliminating mother-to-infant transmission
🔹Erosion in trust of routine vaccinations
🔹Threatening the supply chain
🔹More chronic infections
🔹Lost progress toward eliminating mother-to-infant transmission
🔹Erosion in trust of routine vaccinations
🔹Threatening the supply chain
December 3, 2025 at 9:42 PM
10/ So all this said, why does this ACIP vote matter? If they recommend against the universal birth dose, we could see:
🔹More chronic infections
🔹Lost progress toward eliminating mother-to-infant transmission
🔹Erosion in trust of routine vaccinations
🔹Threatening the supply chain
🔹More chronic infections
🔹Lost progress toward eliminating mother-to-infant transmission
🔹Erosion in trust of routine vaccinations
🔹Threatening the supply chain
Reposted by Brian Pierce MD
9/ Another claim we've seen is that safety monitoring only lasts 4–7 days. In reality, immediate effects are tracked for days, but serious adverse events are followed for months in trials. And post-licensure systems have monitored millions of doses for decades.
December 3, 2025 at 9:42 PM
9/ Another claim we've seen is that safety monitoring only lasts 4–7 days. In reality, immediate effects are tracked for days, but serious adverse events are followed for months in trials. And post-licensure systems have monitored millions of doses for decades.
Reposted by Brian Pierce MD
8/ Critics say maternal screening is enough, but ~1 in 8 pregnant people aren’t properly screened. Testing is done around 8 weeks, which misses exposures later in pregnancy, risking lifelong HBV for the baby. And we tried screening only in the 1980s and it failed; infant HBV rates didn’t budge.
December 3, 2025 at 9:42 PM
8/ Critics say maternal screening is enough, but ~1 in 8 pregnant people aren’t properly screened. Testing is done around 8 weeks, which misses exposures later in pregnancy, risking lifelong HBV for the baby. And we tried screening only in the 1980s and it failed; infant HBV rates didn’t budge.
Reposted by Brian Pierce MD
7/ What about the Guinea-Bissau study you may see cited? It was observational, small, and methodologically flawed. It examined vaccination at 7.5 months—not the birth dose. Extensive surveillance and large-scale studies in multiple countries over decades found no evidence that supports its claims.
December 3, 2025 at 9:42 PM
7/ What about the Guinea-Bissau study you may see cited? It was observational, small, and methodologically flawed. It examined vaccination at 7.5 months—not the birth dose. Extensive surveillance and large-scale studies in multiple countries over decades found no evidence that supports its claims.
Reposted by Brian Pierce MD
6/ We’re expecting ACIP will try to link Hep B and SIDS, but research shows no link between the two. An early study looked skewed because unvaccinated infants were more medically fragile, but once researchers analyzed the full population, SIDS rates were identical and confirmed no association.
December 3, 2025 at 9:42 PM
6/ We’re expecting ACIP will try to link Hep B and SIDS, but research shows no link between the two. An early study looked skewed because unvaccinated infants were more medically fragile, but once researchers analyzed the full population, SIDS rates were identical and confirmed no association.
Reposted by Brian Pierce MD
5/ Safety of the vaccine is well established as well. The only safety signal is rare allergic reactions: about 1 severe allergic reaction per 600,000 doses. Decades of trials and surveillance (VAERS, VSD, BEST, PRISM) show no link to autoimmune disease, SIDS, or increased mortality.
December 3, 2025 at 9:42 PM
5/ Safety of the vaccine is well established as well. The only safety signal is rare allergic reactions: about 1 severe allergic reaction per 600,000 doses. Decades of trials and surveillance (VAERS, VSD, BEST, PRISM) show no link to autoimmune disease, SIDS, or increased mortality.
Reposted by Brian Pierce MD
4/ Before routine vaccination, ~18,000 U.S. children got HepB annually by age 10—half from an unknown source. Globally, the vaccine has prevented an estimated 22 million deaths. If the HBV vaccine is given within 24 hours of birth, it's up to 90% effective in preventing mother-to-child transmission.
December 3, 2025 at 9:42 PM
4/ Before routine vaccination, ~18,000 U.S. children got HepB annually by age 10—half from an unknown source. Globally, the vaccine has prevented an estimated 22 million deaths. If the HBV vaccine is given within 24 hours of birth, it's up to 90% effective in preventing mother-to-child transmission.
Reposted by Brian Pierce MD
3/ Contrary to popular belief, Hep B doesn't just spread through sex or unsafe needles. It's actually transmitted through blood and other bodily fluids in many ways—during childbirth, or even through close household or childcare contacts in early childhood.
December 3, 2025 at 9:42 PM
3/ Contrary to popular belief, Hep B doesn't just spread through sex or unsafe needles. It's actually transmitted through blood and other bodily fluids in many ways—during childbirth, or even through close household or childcare contacts in early childhood.
Reposted by Brian Pierce MD
2/ Hepatitis B is a viral infection that can cause lifelong liver disease & cancer. The risk of chronic infection is highest at birth: 90% of infants infected develop chronic disease, compared to less than 5% of adults.
December 3, 2025 at 9:42 PM
2/ Hepatitis B is a viral infection that can cause lifelong liver disease & cancer. The risk of chronic infection is highest at birth: 90% of infants infected develop chronic disease, compared to less than 5% of adults.
Reposted by Brian Pierce MD
1/ Tomorrow, #ACIP —the external advisory committee that guides U.S. vaccine policy—will meet for two days. Thursday’s agenda will focus on Hepatitis B (Hep B). We’re expecting to hear a few falsehoods to start circulating along with some unsupported safety concerns. Here’s what you should know 👇
December 3, 2025 at 9:42 PM
1/ Tomorrow, #ACIP —the external advisory committee that guides U.S. vaccine policy—will meet for two days. Thursday’s agenda will focus on Hepatitis B (Hep B). We’re expecting to hear a few falsehoods to start circulating along with some unsupported safety concerns. Here’s what you should know 👇
Reposted by Brian Pierce MD
The federal agents who had been preparing a raid instead fled the city and headed back to New Jersey. www.headsupnews.org/p/vibe-shift...
‘Vibe shift’ as New Yorkers force ICE to back down
Protesters on offense instead of defense
www.headsupnews.org
December 3, 2025 at 10:00 PM
The federal agents who had been preparing a raid instead fled the city and headed back to New Jersey. www.headsupnews.org/p/vibe-shift...
Reposted by Brian Pierce MD
A five and a half square mile parcel of privately owned, ecologically diverse land in western Maine's High Peaks region on the South Branch of the Dead River, at the headwaters of the Kennebec River, has been permanently protected through a conservation easement:
Over 3,500 acres on the South Branch of the Dead River permanently protected
A five and a half square mile parcel of privately owned, ecologically diverse land in western Maine's High Peaks region on the South Branch of the Dead River, at the headwaters of the Kennebec River, ...
www.mainepublic.org
December 3, 2025 at 10:17 PM
A five and a half square mile parcel of privately owned, ecologically diverse land in western Maine's High Peaks region on the South Branch of the Dead River, at the headwaters of the Kennebec River, has been permanently protected through a conservation easement:
Reposted by Brian Pierce MD
Decorated Army Veteran Charles Norman Shay, who at 19 saved lives at Omaha Beach on D-Day, has died:
Penobscot Army Veteran Charles Norman Shay dies at 101
Decorated Army Veteran Charles Norman Shay, who at 19 saved lives at Omaha Beach on D-Day, has died.
www.mainepublic.org
December 3, 2025 at 10:24 PM
Decorated Army Veteran Charles Norman Shay, who at 19 saved lives at Omaha Beach on D-Day, has died:
Reposted by Brian Pierce MD
It’s true. We shouldn’t pretend that. Trumpist culture is not the same as American culture and not equal. Trumpist culture is proudly ignorant, defiantly against America’s founding values and subsequently developed values, venomously bigoted, and generally despicable.
Fox News' Will Cain: "I’m sure there are very honorable law-abiding upstanding citizens and contributors from the Somali community here in the United States, BUT..."
He goes on to say "we aren’t going to pretend here that all cultures are of equal value or the same."
He goes on to say "we aren’t going to pretend here that all cultures are of equal value or the same."
December 3, 2025 at 10:31 PM
It’s true. We shouldn’t pretend that. Trumpist culture is not the same as American culture and not equal. Trumpist culture is proudly ignorant, defiantly against America’s founding values and subsequently developed values, venomously bigoted, and generally despicable.
Reposted by Brian Pierce MD
Charles Shay, Penobscot tribal elder who fought on D-Day, dies at 101
Charles Shay, Penobscot tribal elder who fought on D-Day, dies at 101
Shay, who grew up on Indian Island, near Old Town, was an Army medic during the invasion of Normandy in World War II. He spent his final years in France.
www.pressherald.com
December 3, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Charles Shay, Penobscot tribal elder who fought on D-Day, dies at 101
Reposted by Brian Pierce MD
"This explains why the administration refuses to declassify the memo...If the public saw how flimsy the legal footing is, they’d see the president is using wartime powers he does not have to kill civilians he cannot legally target..." open.substack.com/pub/defiance...
NEWS: Leaked memo exposes flimsy legal basis for Trump boat strikes
DOJ's classified, "legal authorization" for the missile attacks is beginning to collapse.
open.substack.com
December 3, 2025 at 3:54 PM
"This explains why the administration refuses to declassify the memo...If the public saw how flimsy the legal footing is, they’d see the president is using wartime powers he does not have to kill civilians he cannot legally target..." open.substack.com/pub/defiance...
Reposted by Brian Pierce MD
Chris Van Dusen, of Camden, created the image of 2 otters lounging in the water, which Swift made famous in October in a film promoting her latest album.
A Maine children’s author drew Taylor Swift’s otter shirt
Chris Van Dusen, of Camden, created the image of 2 otters lounging in the water, which Swift made famous in October in a film promoting her latest album.
www.pressherald.com
December 3, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Chris Van Dusen, of Camden, created the image of 2 otters lounging in the water, which Swift made famous in October in a film promoting her latest album.
Reposted by Brian Pierce MD
A fun look back on the year hits different when it’s paired with propaganda for Trump’s deportation machine.
Fortunately, it’s easy to share your favorite music without doing free promotion for a corporation that recruits for ICE. What songs, albums, or artists helped you keep going in 2025?
Fortunately, it’s easy to share your favorite music without doing free promotion for a corporation that recruits for ICE. What songs, albums, or artists helped you keep going in 2025?
December 3, 2025 at 4:23 PM
A fun look back on the year hits different when it’s paired with propaganda for Trump’s deportation machine.
Fortunately, it’s easy to share your favorite music without doing free promotion for a corporation that recruits for ICE. What songs, albums, or artists helped you keep going in 2025?
Fortunately, it’s easy to share your favorite music without doing free promotion for a corporation that recruits for ICE. What songs, albums, or artists helped you keep going in 2025?
Reposted by Brian Pierce MD
Reposted by Brian Pierce MD
Progressive group targets Angus King and Senate Democrats for backing Trump’s judicial nominees
Progressive group targets Angus King and Senate Democrats for backing Trump’s judicial nominees
King says his vote to vote confirm a federal judge in Missouri was a mistake.
www.pressherald.com
December 3, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Progressive group targets Angus King and Senate Democrats for backing Trump’s judicial nominees
Reposted by Brian Pierce MD
