Still here, still coviding

wife, mom, liberal, masked, horse lover. we can get through this mess together❤️

[Still here, still coviding @DebbKnightBrown]

@cocomarvgrows @ActualNosferatu @GovCanHealth @SylviaJonesMPP @ONThealth Please please please bring back Novavax!

[Bev 🇨🇦 @Garnet_2203]

After spending 2.5 weeks in an Ontario GTA hospital with my 93-year-old mother-n-law, I can say this with absolute certainty:

Today, she passed away with the best doctor and nursing care any person in any country could hope to receive.

The doctors and nurses caring for her were nothing short of phenomenal compassionate, skilled, and deeply human.

Today, her nurse stepped back into the room and said:

“It’s beautiful to see a family gathered around a dying loved one. We don’t get to see that enough.”

Let that sink in.

The only issue I had through this experience was private retirement-home marketing being pushed early on, pamphlets from companies like Chartwell Retirement Residences being handed out while our family was still processing what was happening.

Anyone pushing private healthcare should spend two weeks watching Ontario’s frontline healthcare workers care for someone they love.

Our healthcare workers are not the problem. Public healthcare is not the problem.

Governments starving the system and mismanaging it like Doug Ford’s government, are the problem.

I will never support privatized healthcare after what we witnessed and experienced.

RIP 🙏

[Canada Hates Trump @AntiTrumpCanada]

This is what Denmark thinks of Trump’s Davos speech.
A global laughingstock.
An international embarrassment on a scale never before achieved.
Truly unprecedented failure.
This guy nails it 🔥 🔥 🔥

[The Husky @Mr_Husky1]

"I live on a street with a lot of elderly neighbors. Mrs. Higgins lives next door. She’s 90. Every night at 5 PM, she turns on her porch light. If the light isn't on by 5:15, I go over. It’s our silent code. Last week, 5:30 came. No light. I ran over. I knocked. No answer. I used the spare key she gave me. She was in the kitchen, confused. The power had gone out in her section of the house, and she couldn't reach the fuse box. She was sitting in the dark, afraid. 'I knew you’d come,' she said when she saw my flashlight. I fixed the fuse. We had tea. 'You’re a good neighbor,' she said. 'No,' I said. 'I’m just watching the light.' We are all just walking each other home in the dark. Look for the lights. And if one goes out, go knock. It takes five minutes to save a life."

[Kashif Pirzada, MD @KashPrime]

Hospitals all over North America are inundated with Flu cases right now, especially in children. There are already 3 reported child deaths in the Ottawa area.

About 20 years ago I had a nasty bout of Flu that left me with acute viral and post viral symptoms for weeks. I felt like I was going to die. Since then I've lined up for my Flu shot every year as soon as they come out. Unfortunately, this year's shot may not cover the H3N2 strain that is prevalent now, but it may still help with other strains.

Flu is not the same as the common cold. Cold is a mild runny nose/sore throat for a few days. Flu (from the Influenza virus) is like being hit by a truck, body aches, high fever, headaches, shivers/rigours and can drag on for a week or more. It has killed millions upon millions of people stretching back thousands of years, and will continue to do so in the future. It is something to take seriously.

What can you do to manage during this season?

Use Rapid Tests
Firstly I would invest in some Flu and Covid rapid tests. Catching these infections early allows for the use of antivirals (Tamiflu/Xofluza for Flu, Paxlovid/Xocova for Covid). Unlike in Japan or South Korea, where primary care clinics routinely do these tests and treat patients quickly, doctors here are less likely to have these tests available I buy my rapid tests from Europe here: https://t.co/YAn5h0edjk

Use fever medications
- High fever makes you feel miserable. Keep ahead of it with Tylenol/Paracetamol and Advil/Ibuprofen
- Kids and elders will often refuse food when sick, but will still drink; give lots of fluids/electrolytes, especially after you bring down the fever. The appetite will usually recover after a day or two with the more benign viruses.
- most cold/flu meds (eg pseudoephedrine, benadryl) are not recommended or approved for kids <6
- second generation anti-histamines like cetirizine (zyrtec, reactine) or loratidine can help with some symptom management

When to come to see your physician/come to the hospital (not an exhaustive list)
- fever more than 4-5 days
- not eating/drinking or excessive vomiting/can't keep food down
- lethargic/sleepy even with tylenol/advil
- not peeing, or peeing too much
- rapid or noisy breathing, feeling short of breath
- Any fever in a child <6 weeks, or in a chemo patient
- focal source of possible bacterial infection
- ear pain (ear infection), severe sore throat (strep), chest pain, pain on urination (UTI), etc.
- not getting better 2-3d after starting an antibiotic. This is especially important to track with Mycoplasma infections, which first line antibiotics often don't work well against.
- if you're worried

In the hospital we will often give IV fluids, some antinausea meds and get you back on your feet. Some folks who are sicker (with low oxygen levels) will need to be admitted.

Prevention
- Mask wearing is not popular, but when used in poorly ventilated, crowded places (planes, trains, buses, hospitals, malls full of holiday shoppers) is a high yield activity that might spare you a lot of misery this week. - If you're sick with any cold symptoms, stay home, wear a mask if you need to go out. Spare someone else a lot of misery.
- It's a hard thing to ask, but don't go to the big family dinner and infect everyone if you're sick. We postponed our dinner (we do it early because we all work in the hospitals over the holidays) by one week because one person caught the Flu.
- Don't show up sick to work. It's a terrible Christmas present that your colleagues will hate you for.
- Get boosted (for C19, flu, and RSV if available), will hopefully prevent some infection and ensure a milder course of illness for most.
- Pregnant women should consider C19 booster in the 3rd trimester, and get RSV vaccination. Some states/provinces offer RSV vaccination to babies at birth, and I highly recommend that you take it.

[miso🍲🍉☁️ @IfMisoWasAMovie]

My dad was one of the Eras Tour truck drivers who received 100k dollars from Taylor as a bonus. Because of her, we paid off old debts, covered my university tuition, and now we’re living a beautiful life. We’ll forever be grateful to her.

[Margaret E Atwood @MargaretAtwood]

Here's a piece of literature by me, suitable for seventeen-year-olds in Alberta schools, unlike -- we are told -- The Handmaid's Tale. (Sorry, kids; your Minister of Education thinks you are stupid babies.)

John and Mary were both very, very good children. They never picked their noses or had bowel movements or zits. They grew up and married each other, and produced five perfect children without ever having sex. Although they claimed to be Christian, they paid no attention to what Jesus actually said about the poor and the Good Samaritan and forgiving your enemies and such; instead, they practised selfish rapacious capitalism, because they worshipped Ayn Rand. (Though they ignored the scene in The Fountainhead where “welcomed rape” is advocated, because who wants to dwell, and also that would have involved sex and would de facto be pornographic. Well, it kind of is, eh?) Oh, and they never died, because who wants to dwell on, you know, death and corpses and yuk? So they lived happily ever after. But while they were doing that The Handmaid’s Tale came true and Danielle Smith found herself with a nice new blue dress but no job. The end.

[Colin D'Mello | Global News @ColinDMello]

Premier Doug Ford’s government is moving to shut down debate on its most controversial piece of legislation this session, one of a plethora of bills getting the fast-track treatment before the legislature rises for a summer break.

https://t.co/Zgc48YHFfD

#ONpoli

[🇨🇦Shapeshifter 🇨🇦🇮🇳 @generalthemoon]

PM Carney could do the funniest thing ever and pass a bill that mandates a security clearance for all MPs.

Can’t risk having traitors

[Roddy 🇨🇦 @RodKahx]

Canada.

Don't be fooled. Donald Trump will come back after the 51st state once the election is over.

Wait for it.

[Marley 🇨🇦 🍁Just another Liberal @MTW2478]

Last night Singh said what I’ve been saying. If Pierre decreases your taxes by $1000, but cancels programs that you partake of like the dental plan, PharmaCare, $10 Daycare or other programs that can save you up to $10,000.00+ annually, how is that helping, you’re losing $9000.00

[Dale Thompson / Дейл Томпсон 🇺🇦 @daleethompson]

After digesting the English debate last night, the one thing I walked away with was this:

If the Conservatives ever formed a Federal government in 🇨🇦, the official news outlet would be Rebel News.

Not the CBC, CTV, Global etc... Rebel News.

Let that sink in &amp; scare you stupid.

[Marley 🇨🇦 🍁Just another Liberal @MTW2478]

Pierre’s tax reduction is 15% of 15% = 2.25%. He isn’t cutting your taxes 15%. Taxes will be 15% less 2.25%, the new rate would be 12.75%. He’s purposely misleading those who he believes are stupid! Don’t fall for it. It’s a con game. And he’ll have to cut programs to pay for it.

[Bruce Arthur @bruce_arthur]

Thinking further: This is a sitting Premier asking our enemies - and there is no question that the current US administration is an enemy of a free and sovereign Canada - for help to influence a Canadian election for a federal party leader who better aligns with those enemies.

[Mark Carney @MarkJCarney]

Elbows up, Canada.

[Jodester Nasty Canadian 🇨🇦 @freakyface20]

Friendly reminder

[Stephen King @StephenKing]

Alberta, Canada

[Still here, still coviding @DebbKnightBrown]

@ktho641521 Been approved in Canada and we have no access to it either. Heard it’s because the min order quantities were too large for Canada to commit to with the uptake we’ve historically had. It’s such a shame b/c it leaves many of us who can’t tolerate mRNA without any protection.

[Still here, still coviding @DebbKnightBrown]

@fordnation I’m disgusted that you won another term.

[Raghu Venugopal MD @raghu_venugopal]

Ontario decided this was OK.
-Double the number of patients in hallways/day.
-The 7 people dying/day from addictions unchanged.
-Record ER closures.
-No promise for more LTC or hospital beds met.
This is bad for patients - which everyone will be one day.