New Senior 🇨🇦
@reidangela.bsky.social
Born in Manitoba in the 60’s and I’ve moved as far West as possible! Survived living in Alberta and happily living in BC!
Taskmaster obsession and stand up comedy!
From the river to the sea 🇵🇸 will be free!
Taskmaster obsession and stand up comedy!
From the river to the sea 🇵🇸 will be free!
Imagine the damage she’s going to do when she takes over Canada health officer💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀
December 2, 2025 at 6:59 AM
Imagine the damage she’s going to do when she takes over Canada health officer💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀
Reposted by New Senior 🇨🇦
...or that the late administration of vaccines can result in lower vaccine effectiveness (www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....). "We have the tools" until we don't, not even the one tool they keep promoting. 63/63
Durability of XBB.1.5 Vaccines against Omicron Subvariants | NEJM
A data survey of 1.8 million people in Nebraska showed that XBB.1.5 vaccine effectiveness
was 52% against infection and 67% against hospitalization, despite a decline in circulating
XBB.1.5 during ...
www.nejm.org
November 16, 2025 at 1:48 AM
...or that the late administration of vaccines can result in lower vaccine effectiveness (www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....). "We have the tools" until we don't, not even the one tool they keep promoting. 63/63
Reposted by New Senior 🇨🇦
The vaccines target LP.8.1. Never mind that the circulation of LP.8.1 descendants (at least, ones that haven't been chopped and remixed) had all but ceased in late August (bsky.app/profile/ratn... )... 62/?
UPDATED: #BC #SARSCoV2 variants.
Of 53 samples from 9/7 - 9/20 (vs. 33, 8/24 - 9/6):
NB.1.1.1.* (incl. PQ.*): 18.9% (⬆️ 12.1%)
XFG.* (incl. QK.2): 77.4% (〰️ 78.8%)
→ XFG.3.4.*: 24.5% (⬆️ 12.1%)
PY.1.1.1: <2% (⬇️ 6.1%)
ratnegative.tumblr.com/BCVariants #COVID19
Of 53 samples from 9/7 - 9/20 (vs. 33, 8/24 - 9/6):
NB.1.1.1.* (incl. PQ.*): 18.9% (⬆️ 12.1%)
XFG.* (incl. QK.2): 77.4% (〰️ 78.8%)
→ XFG.3.4.*: 24.5% (⬆️ 12.1%)
PY.1.1.1: <2% (⬇️ 6.1%)
ratnegative.tumblr.com/BCVariants #COVID19
November 16, 2025 at 1:48 AM
The vaccines target LP.8.1. Never mind that the circulation of LP.8.1 descendants (at least, ones that haven't been chopped and remixed) had all but ceased in late August (bsky.app/profile/ratn... )... 62/?
Reposted by New Senior 🇨🇦
Lastly, on the basis of last year's vaccine uptake, the Ministry of Health has failed to order enough vaccines to satisfy this year's demand (thetyee.ca/News/2025/10...). 61/?
No COVID Shot Appointments Available? Check Again Later | The Tyee
Vaccinations are up this year over last year, but there are enough doses to go around, BC’s Health Ministry says.
thetyee.ca
November 16, 2025 at 1:45 AM
Lastly, on the basis of last year's vaccine uptake, the Ministry of Health has failed to order enough vaccines to satisfy this year's demand (thetyee.ca/News/2025/10...). 61/?
Reposted by New Senior 🇨🇦
To conclude, our capacity to use wastewater surveillance to monitor disease transmission is being degraded over vague, outwardly reasonable promises that it'll be put to use in saving drug users' lives or enhanced when Taylor Swift is causing another superspreader. 60/?
November 16, 2025 at 1:44 AM
To conclude, our capacity to use wastewater surveillance to monitor disease transmission is being degraded over vague, outwardly reasonable promises that it'll be put to use in saving drug users' lives or enhanced when Taylor Swift is causing another superspreader. 60/?
Reposted by New Senior 🇨🇦
In any case, why do this when the province can expand its network of drug testing sites or even guarantee a safe supply? Wastewater data can't be used to derive even a general location, unless samples are being taken from sewers near to the site of the suspected drug use. 59/?
November 16, 2025 at 1:44 AM
In any case, why do this when the province can expand its network of drug testing sites or even guarantee a safe supply? Wastewater data can't be used to derive even a general location, unless samples are being taken from sewers near to the site of the suspected drug use. 59/?
Reposted by New Senior 🇨🇦
But, beyond "saving lives" and "informing policy", what interventions will be put into place, and whether they will result in more law enforcement interactions and carceral justice are never elaborated. 58/?
November 16, 2025 at 1:44 AM
But, beyond "saving lives" and "informing policy", what interventions will be put into place, and whether they will result in more law enforcement interactions and carceral justice are never elaborated. 58/?
Reposted by New Senior 🇨🇦
...(onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...). 2. The Vancouver Sun article & the Pacific Public Health Foundation's own materials also promote the use of wastewater surveillance for finding drugs (pacificpublichealth.ca/projects/was...) "at a localized level". 57/?
![[Simulated overhead projector slide:]
Passage from the Vancouver Sun article from September 15: “...in a new approach we are trying - we can test for illicit substances like cocaine or fentanyl.”
Passage from the Pacific Public Health Foundation’s website: “...The pilot project may provide timely knowledge of trends in the use of unregulated drugs which can help influence healthy public policy and ensure programs and policies keep pace with the changing needs and landscape of this emergency...”
“Having access to near real-time data at a localized level, when combined with other unregulated drug surveillance methods, may be an incredible benefit when communities are in need of urgent interventions to prevent deaths and save lives.”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:dy4l7kqcar73iaezbjxzwiui/bafkreiadjxlusdx75bmy6ldw5rmhtzpcnrecypyqwe6ymkhcryt2r3iitu@jpeg)
November 16, 2025 at 1:43 AM
...(onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...). 2. The Vancouver Sun article & the Pacific Public Health Foundation's own materials also promote the use of wastewater surveillance for finding drugs (pacificpublichealth.ca/projects/was...) "at a localized level". 57/?
Reposted by New Senior 🇨🇦
1. They say that "enhanced surveillance" can be used when big events (eg. Taylor Swift concerts) are being held. But this lets smaller ones fly under the radar, when they are just as likely to be superspreaders, like a weekly rehearsal session of the Skagit Valley Chorale... 56/?
![[Simulated overhead projector slide:]
Passage from the Vancouver Sun article from September 15.
As Vancouver grows into an entertainment hub, this kind of expanded public health measure is vital. This invisible work keeps populations safe - before, during and after an event. [Commentary: What would keep the population safe before + after an event more than adequate wastewater surveillance all the time?]
[...] "The idea is being able to expand the [wastewater surveillance] program when we have these huge influxes of people in Vancouver for big events like the Taylor Swift concert or FIFA. It's for when we need enhanced surveillance." [Commentary: What about smaller events and mundane occurrences that turn into superspreaders? A weekly rehearsal session of the Skagit Valley Chorale on 3/10/2020 turned into one. Even bus rides can be superspreaders, like one that took place in Zhejiang on 1/19/2020.]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:dy4l7kqcar73iaezbjxzwiui/bafkreih67zmw5oxjssyz27lptkoshntiuatx4uzw7fezneuhor6penoixi@jpeg)
November 16, 2025 at 1:41 AM
1. They say that "enhanced surveillance" can be used when big events (eg. Taylor Swift concerts) are being held. But this lets smaller ones fly under the radar, when they are just as likely to be superspreaders, like a weekly rehearsal session of the Skagit Valley Chorale... 56/?
Reposted by New Senior 🇨🇦
...that the previous wastewater sampling regime had done.
Now, I would like to address the points made in the sponsored Vancouver Sun article. 55/?
Now, I would like to address the points made in the sponsored Vancouver Sun article. 55/?
November 16, 2025 at 1:40 AM
...that the previous wastewater sampling regime had done.
Now, I would like to address the points made in the sponsored Vancouver Sun article. 55/?
Now, I would like to address the points made in the sponsored Vancouver Sun article. 55/?
Reposted by New Senior 🇨🇦
The BCCDC has also added "seasonal magnitude bands" for comparing wastewater data to that of the previous "respiratory season", but they haven't explained how the bands were defined. I don't think that these new additions will provide the same clarity... 54/?
November 16, 2025 at 1:39 AM
The BCCDC has also added "seasonal magnitude bands" for comparing wastewater data to that of the previous "respiratory season", but they haven't explained how the bands were defined. I don't think that these new additions will provide the same clarity... 54/?
Reposted by New Senior 🇨🇦
...that clinical data can't (ascelibrary.org/doi/abs/10.1..., covid19-sciencetable.ca/sciencebrief...). Using the two in combination would likely cause confusion since one dataset should lag behind the other. 53/?
Tracking the Time Lag between SARS-CoV-2 Wastewater Concentrations and Three COVID-19 Clinical Metrics: A 21-Month Case Study in the Tricounty Detroit Area, Michigan | Journal of Environmental Enginee...
AbstractWastewater surveillance has been widely implemented to monitor COVID-19 incidences
in communities worldwide. One notable application of wastewater surveillance is for
providing early warnings ...
ascelibrary.org
November 16, 2025 at 1:39 AM
...that clinical data can't (ascelibrary.org/doi/abs/10.1..., covid19-sciencetable.ca/sciencebrief...). Using the two in combination would likely cause confusion since one dataset should lag behind the other. 53/?
Reposted by New Senior 🇨🇦
The problems with PCR testing apply to clinical data -- it takes days for symptoms to develop, and days more to commit to seeking medical help, administer tests, and report the results. Therefore, wastewater surveillance can provide advance warning of surges... 52/?
November 16, 2025 at 1:38 AM
The problems with PCR testing apply to clinical data -- it takes days for symptoms to develop, and days more to commit to seeking medical help, administer tests, and report the results. Therefore, wastewater surveillance can provide advance warning of surges... 52/?
Reposted by New Senior 🇨🇦
It seems that the BCCDC has made changes to the wastewater surveillance dashboard in response to the previous iteration of this thread. It now tells users to view wastewater data in conjunction with clinical data to understand "respiratory" virus trends. 51/?
![[Simulated overhead projector slide:]
Screenshots from the wastewater surveillance dashboard taken on November 14, 2025.
Key messages: Magnitude and trends are compared to the most recently completed respiratory season (August 2024 - August 2025). Wastewater data should be considered in combination with clinical data for respiratory viral trends.
Below: 2 line graphs representing RNA concentrations at the Victoria and Comox Valley wastewater treatment plants over the past year, with “seasonal magnitude bands” (horizontal blocks of color from green to off-white to orange) in the background (representing the past “respiratory season’s” concentrations? – this is never explained)](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:dy4l7kqcar73iaezbjxzwiui/bafkreibwbropuxwhln7k6bjhlrqgygxjty5j6ueiacl44utzoqzwf53azi@jpeg)
November 16, 2025 at 1:38 AM
It seems that the BCCDC has made changes to the wastewater surveillance dashboard in response to the previous iteration of this thread. It now tells users to view wastewater data in conjunction with clinical data to understand "respiratory" virus trends. 51/?
Reposted by New Senior 🇨🇦
...the 3 week average trendlines, making the trends more difficult to discern, requiring more time and more weekly data points to discern. This defeats the point of wastewater surveillance. 50/?
November 16, 2025 at 1:36 AM
...the 3 week average trendlines, making the trends more difficult to discern, requiring more time and more weekly data points to discern. This defeats the point of wastewater surveillance. 50/?
Reposted by New Senior 🇨🇦
A number of factors can affect the amount and longevity of RNA in wastewater, so wastewater data is prone to outliers. Having only 1 sample per week makes it more difficult to see which values are outliers and by how much. The outliers also more easily "throw off"... 49/?
November 16, 2025 at 1:36 AM
A number of factors can affect the amount and longevity of RNA in wastewater, so wastewater data is prone to outliers. Having only 1 sample per week makes it more difficult to see which values are outliers and by how much. The outliers also more easily "throw off"... 49/?
Reposted by New Senior 🇨🇦
...on a Tuesday have either captured only the highest values in a week, only days when wastewater RNA was below the limit of detection, & anywhere in between. This also demonstrates how easily weekly sampling can fail to detect transmissions when they are sporadic or low. 48/?
![[Simulated overhead projector slide:]
2 superimposed line graphs, one representing all samples taken at the Comox Valley wastewater treatment plant and the other only Tuesday samples. If 1 wastewater sample is taken per week instead of 3, the sample may either be drawn on days with very high RNA concentrations, or days when RNA concentrations have dipped below the limit of detection. Drawing 3 samples per week better represented day-to-day fluctuations in the concentration of RNA in wastewater and was more likely to detect the days when it was above the limit of detection.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:dy4l7kqcar73iaezbjxzwiui/bafkreih5i7tjnsswy42n5nfhldj4jhb3dmf4ee76haed47dts5ezfnh75i@jpeg)
November 16, 2025 at 1:36 AM
...on a Tuesday have either captured only the highest values in a week, only days when wastewater RNA was below the limit of detection, & anywhere in between. This also demonstrates how easily weekly sampling can fail to detect transmissions when they are sporadic or low. 48/?
Reposted by New Senior 🇨🇦
Infections also seem to follow a near-weekly cycle, the amplitudes and timing of which are difficult to predict (ratnegative.tumblr.com/BCWastewater). So, it's just as difficult to foresee where on these cycles the next data point will fall. Over a 6 mo. period, samples taken in Comox... 47/?
Tumblr
Notes on usage:
Because the BCCDC and Metro Vancouver update their respective wastewater trackers on different schedules, Metro Vancouver data products are, with few exceptions, a couple days ahead of...
ratnegative.tumblr.com
November 16, 2025 at 1:34 AM
Infections also seem to follow a near-weekly cycle, the amplitudes and timing of which are difficult to predict (ratnegative.tumblr.com/BCWastewater). So, it's just as difficult to foresee where on these cycles the next data point will fall. Over a 6 mo. period, samples taken in Comox... 47/?
Reposted by New Senior 🇨🇦
Waves can start and end at different times in different places. For example, the late 2024 wave saw a second peak in Nanaimo in December 2024 - January 2025, long after the wave had subsided in Victoria & Comox. Local data is important for awareness of local conditions. 46/?
November 16, 2025 at 1:33 AM
Waves can start and end at different times in different places. For example, the late 2024 wave saw a second peak in Nanaimo in December 2024 - January 2025, long after the wave had subsided in Victoria & Comox. Local data is important for awareness of local conditions. 46/?
Reposted by New Senior 🇨🇦
...despite using PCR to estimate how many copies of a particular gene are in a wastewater sample. But the usefulness of wastewater surveillance for observing changes in the intensity of viral transmission as they happen is being diminished because of the cuts to the program. 45/?
November 16, 2025 at 1:33 AM
...despite using PCR to estimate how many copies of a particular gene are in a wastewater sample. But the usefulness of wastewater surveillance for observing changes in the intensity of viral transmission as they happen is being diminished because of the cuts to the program. 45/?
Reposted by New Senior 🇨🇦
In contrast, the shedding of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in stool starts soon after infection (www.thelancet.com/journals/lan..., the flushed material reaches a treatment plant in a matter of hours (metrovancouver.org/services/liq...), and wastewater surveillance functions independent of PCR testing... 44/?
www.thelancet.com
November 16, 2025 at 1:32 AM
In contrast, the shedding of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in stool starts soon after infection (www.thelancet.com/journals/lan..., the flushed material reaches a treatment plant in a matter of hours (metrovancouver.org/services/liq...), and wastewater surveillance functions independent of PCR testing... 44/?
Reposted by New Senior 🇨🇦
As you can imagine, tallies of COVID-19 cases no longer accurately represented the number of people being infected. PCR testing sites closed in the spring of 2022; by October that year, the discrepancy was ~100-fold (bccovid-19group.ca/post/2022-10...). 43/?
bccovid-19group.ca
November 16, 2025 at 1:32 AM
As you can imagine, tallies of COVID-19 cases no longer accurately represented the number of people being infected. PCR testing sites closed in the spring of 2022; by October that year, the discrepancy was ~100-fold (bccovid-19group.ca/post/2022-10...). 43/?
Reposted by New Senior 🇨🇦
After RATs hit the shelves, PCR testing sites closed down, but RAT-confirmed cases weren’t counted. The only people remaining that would receive PCR tests were those who were hospitalized, LTC residents, & otherwise vulnerable people. 42/?
November 16, 2025 at 1:31 AM
After RATs hit the shelves, PCR testing sites closed down, but RAT-confirmed cases weren’t counted. The only people remaining that would receive PCR tests were those who were hospitalized, LTC residents, & otherwise vulnerable people. 42/?
Reposted by New Senior 🇨🇦
If a person wasn't being tested regularly, it'd take days for COVID-19 symptoms to manifest & prompt them to seek PCR testing, longer yet to make it to a testing site, & days more for the swab to be processed. 40/?
November 16, 2025 at 1:31 AM
If a person wasn't being tested regularly, it'd take days for COVID-19 symptoms to manifest & prompt them to seek PCR testing, longer yet to make it to a testing site, & days more for the swab to be processed. 40/?
Reposted by New Senior 🇨🇦
Wastewater surveillance was the only remaining method of monitoring infection trends that wasn't (as much of) a lagging indicator and represented the intensity of viral transmission with relative accuracy. What does that mean? 39/?
November 16, 2025 at 1:30 AM
Wastewater surveillance was the only remaining method of monitoring infection trends that wasn't (as much of) a lagging indicator and represented the intensity of viral transmission with relative accuracy. What does that mean? 39/?