iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Jeff Gilchrist @jeffgilchrist.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

*** Ontario Virus Update | Sep 27 *** Hospitalizations due to COVID increased from 39 to 44 in the last update. Influenza hospitalizations increased from 31 to 34 and RSV jumped from 1 to 18. 🧵1/ #Ontario #Virus #COVID #Hospital #Wastewater

This stacked bar chart displays weekly new hospitalizations in Ontario specifically attributed to COVID-19, Influenza, and RSV. The data tracks the fluctuating volume of patients over time, highlighting seasonal surges and the relative contribution of each respiratory virus to the overall healthcare burden.

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Jeff Gilchrist @jeffgilchrist.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Thanks for everyone's feedback, we have updated the Google doc to better highlight some of the relative and absolute differences. @paulseaman.bsky.social the other author of this document will also be posting the information on his account as well.

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Paul Seaman @paulseaman.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

What is the #Nuvaxovid COVID vaccine and how is it different? @jeffgilchrist.bsky.social and I have put together a comprehensive document summarizing the available information regarding the main differences between Nuvaxovid and the more common mRNA based #COVID vaccines. 🧪🧵1/

Nuvaxovid protein-based nanoparticles are made of engineered proteins that help trigger an immune response ( https://www.nature.com/articles/s41541-021-00330-7 ).

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Jeff Gilchrist @jeffgilchrist.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

What is the #Nuvaxovid COVID vaccine and how is it different? @paulseaman.bsky.social and I have put together a comprehensive document summarizing the available information regarding the main differences between Nuvaxovid and the more common mRNA based #COVID vaccines. 🧪🧵1/ #Novavax #Vaccine

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Jeff Gilchrist @jeffgilchrist.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

*** Ontario Virus Update | Sep 21 *** Hospitalizations due to COVID decreased from 45 to 39 in the last update. Influenza hospitalizations increased from 13 to 30 and RSV remained stable at 1. 🧵1/ #Ontario #Virus #COVID #Hospital #Wastewater

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Jeff Gilchrist @jeffgilchrist.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

*** Ontario Virus Update | Aug 30 *** Hospitalizations due to COVID decreased from 26 to 18 in the last update. Influenza hospitalizations decreased from 8 to 7 and RSV is back on the board at 1. 🧵1/ #Ontario #Virus #COVID #Hospital #Wastewater

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Jeff Gilchrist @jeffgilchrist.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

*** Ontario Virus Update | Aug 23 *** Hospitalizations due to COVID continue to increase from 18 to 26 in the last update. Influenza hospitalizations increased from 5 to 8 and RSV finally dropped to 0 for the past two updates. 🧵1/ #Ontario #Virus #COVID #Hospital #Wastewater

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Jeff Gilchrist @jeffgilchrist.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

*** Ontario Variant Update | Aug 15 *** The # of sequences are very low right now in Ontario so it is hard to get an accurate picture. The NB.1.8.1.* "Nimbus" variant family has the highest percentage while the XFG.* "Stratus" family dropped significantly. 🧵1/ #Ontario #COVID #Variant #Nimbus

This multi-line chart tracks the lineage frequency of various COVID-19 variant families in Ontario over time, based on sequenced genome samples. The graph illustrates the changing prevalence of specific variant families, showing how different lineages compete and evolve as the dominant strains within the province.

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Jeff Gilchrist @jeffgilchrist.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

*** Ontario Virus Update | Aug 11 *** Hospitalizations due to COVID have increased from 12 to 14 in the last update. Influenza hospitalizations increased from 4 to 5 and RSV decreased from 4 to 1. 🧵1/ #Ontario #Virus #COVID #Hospital #Wastewater

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Jeff Gilchrist @jeffgilchrist.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

*** Ontario Virus Update | July 26 *** Hospitalizations due to COVID have decreased from 16 to 6 in the last update. Influenza hospitalizations increased from 5 to 8 and RSV finally decreased from 3 to 0. 🧵1/ #Ontario #Virus #COVID #Hospital #Wastewater

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Jeff Gilchrist @jeffgilchrist.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

*** Ontario Virus Update | July 12 *** Hospitalizations due to COVID have increased from 14 to 15 in the last update. Influenza hospitalizations dropped from 18 to 5 and RSV increased from 2 to 6. 🧵1/ #Ontario #Virus #COVID #Hospital #Wastewater

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Ryan Hisner @ryanhisner.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

A mysterious, unusually diverse saltation lineage descended from KP.3.1.1 (last seen early 2025) has circulated at a low level for ~8 months in Ontario (see 🧵 on next post). Seemed a local anomaly, but @solidevidence.bsky.social just spied a weird spike in NYC wastewater—& it's the same one! 1/14

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Jeff Gilchrist @jeffgilchrist.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

*** Ontario Variant Update | July 01 *** In Ontario, the XFG.* "Stratus" family regained the lead at 42% while the NB.1.8.1.* "Nimbus" variant family decreased to 33% of sequenced genomes from COVID tests. 🧪🧵1/ #Ontario #COVID #Variant #Stratus #BA.3.2 #Cicada #Nimbus

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Jeff Gilchrist @jeffgilchrist.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

** Ontario Virus Update | June 30 ** Hospitalizations due to COVID have increased from 9 to 18 in the last update. Influenza hospitalizations remained stable at 13 and RSV increased from 3 to 5 so not quite finished for the season yet for those two.🧵1/ #Ontario #Virus #COVID #Hospital #Wastewater

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Jeff Gilchrist @jeffgilchrist.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

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Ryan Hisner @ryanhisner.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Successfully appealed the biorxiv rejection and today our paper (co-authors @darrenmartin.bsky.social & Ravi Gupta) is posted. The paper's too long to do a single summary thread, but I'll do a cursory overview here, then more detailed subsection threads later. 1/16 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

biorxiv.org

Coevolving Mutations in Chronic SARS-CoV-2 Infections

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has been marked by two outstanding features that have had major impacts on global public health: the repeated emergence and growth of highly divergent saltation variants with n...

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Ryan Hisner @ryanhisner.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

The basis for the last sentence below: New data from David Ho's lab showing that while adults & kids have ~equal antibody responses to XFG & NB.1.8.1, children have essentially no neutralizing antibodies to BA.3.2. This seems to solve the BA.3.2 + kids mystery. 1/14 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

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Jeff Gilchrist @jeffgilchrist.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

*** Ontario Virus Update | June 1 *** Hospitalizations due to COVID have decreased from 38 to 21 in the last update. Influenza hospitalizations decreased from 51 to 44 and RSV decreased from 20 to 18 so moving in the right direction but still not finished for the season yet.🧵1/ #Ontario #Virus

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Jeff Gilchrist @jeffgilchrist.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

Healthy Air at Home: What You Can Monitor, Filter, and Fix A new webinar by @theingredientslist.bsky.social, founder of Clean Indoor Air Toronto ( www.youtube.com/watch?v=45sk... ). #IAQ #IndoorAirQuality #Ventilation #CO2 #PM #Pollution #Home 🧪

youtube.com

Health Air at Home: What You Can Monitor, Filter, and Fix

YouTube video by Toronto Home Energy Network

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Jeff Gilchrist @jeffgilchrist.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Filtering the air may help prevent your own infection from becoming more severe If everyone in a household becomes infected with the same virus, does it help to isolate from each other and can you be a danger to yourself? Read on to find out... 🧪🧵1/ #AirQuality #IAQ #Ventilation #Infection #COVID

This grouped bar chart, titled "COVID Positive Abnormal Chest CT by Air Quality Setting", displays the percentage of abnormal chest CT scans among COVID-positive patients across three different tiers of air quality control. The graph compares overall and asymptomatic cases, illustrating a clear downward trend in the percentage of abnormal scans as air filtration and ventilation efficiency improve from household levels to high-efficiency aerosol control.

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Jeff Gilchrist @jeffgilchrist.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

*** Ontario Virus Update | May 24 *** Hospitalizations due to COVID have increased from 34 to 38 in the last update. Influenza hospitalizations decreased from 57 to 51 and RSV decreased from 33 to 20. 🧵1/ #Ontario #Virus #COVID #RSV #Influenza #Hospital

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Jeff Gilchrist @jeffgilchrist.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

*** Ontario Variant Update | May 10 *** In Ontario, the NB.1.8.1.* "Nimbus" variant family shot to 74.7% of sequenced genomes from COVID tests while the XFG.* "Stratus" family dropped to 15.8% and the BA.3.2 "Cicada" family decreased below 10% again. 🧵1/ #Ontario #COVID #Variant #Nimbus #Cicada

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MJ Nabuurs @mjnabuurs.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

Anyone looking for access to #Novavax in #Canada - it’s been approved federally but now we need our provinces/territories to purchase it, educate on it, and make it available to anyone who wants it. Time is of the essence. Time to #MakeYourNoise! stillcoviding.ca/en/take-acti...

stillcoviding.ca

Novavax now! We need access to the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine in 2026/2027!

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Jeff Gilchrist @jeffgilchrist.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Tue, May 26, 2026 @ 6:30-7:30pm EDT, a Zoom Webinar: "Healthy Air at Home: What You Can Monitor, Filter, and Fix" Register and more info here ( www.thenetwork.to/event-detail... )

Wildfire smoke has changed how a lot of Torontonians think about air quality—checking the day’s PM2.5 levels is now part of our summer routine. Wildfires are mostly out of our control, but you can do something about the air in your home.

Join Louise Hidinger, Clean Indoor Air Toronto founder, Chemistry Ph.D, and science writer, who will walk you through how to monitor and improve your home’s indoor air quality.

You'll leave with a clear understanding of how to guard against the worst sources of air pollution, including the combustion byproducts from your gas-burning appliances.

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Jon Douglas @atranscendedman.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

Researchers show TMPRSS2 cuts the SARS-CoV-2 spike only after it shifts shape, triggering membrane fusion and entry, while antibodies that block this cut can stop infection and inspire vaccine design. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

nature.com

TMPRSS2-mediated coronavirus spike activation and inhibition - Nature Structural & Molecular Biology

Here, the authors elucidate TMPRSS2 protease recognition of the SARS-CoV-2 spike S2′ cleavage site, revealing the molecular basis of activation of membrane fusion, and show that antibodies recognizing...

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Jeff Gilchrist @jeffgilchrist.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

*** Ontario Variant Update | Apr 28 *** In Ontario, there was some competition for variant dominance during the month of March but the NB.1.8.1.* "Nimbus" family currently holds first place with 49.5% while the XFG.* "Stratus" family sits at 38.1% of sequenced genomes from COVID tests. 🧵1/

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Jeff Gilchrist @jeffgilchrist.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

*** Ontario Virus Update | Apr 28 *** Hospitalizations due to COVID have gone down from 109 to 68 in the last update. Influenza hospitalizations decreased from 71 to 63 and RSV decreased from 83 to 75. 🧵1/

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David Fisman. @dfisman.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

A really important critique of the flawed @AnnalsofIM masks vs respirators trial. Good on @bmj_latest for publishing it www.bmj.com/content/393/...

bmj.com

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Jeff Gilchrist @jeffgilchrist.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

*** Ontario Virus & Variant Update | Apr 13 *** Hospitalizations due to COVID have gone down from 153 to 123 in the last update. Influenza hospitalizations decreased from 59 to 47 and RSV decreased from 110 to 85. 🧵1/ #Ontario #Virus #Variant #COVID #RSV #Influenza #Hospital

Graph of New hospitalizations in Ontario due to COVID, Influenza or RSV.

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Mike Honey @mikehoney.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

Recent analysis by several Variant Hunters has confirmed that BA.3.2.* is preferentially infecting children. For example, here’s a comparison of recent samples from New York. For children, BA.3.2.* is 11% of samples, vs just 1.4% of adults, so around 8X more common. #COVID19 #SARSCoV2 #Global 🧵

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Ryan Hisner @ryanhisner.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

So it's clear that BA.3.2 preferentially infects children, something we have never seen before in a SARS-CoV-2 variant. Why? The question's baffled me, but after a suggestion from @darrenmartin.bsky.social, I think I have an explanation that makes sense. 1/16

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Ryan Hisner @ryanhisner.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

Quick elaboration on this. The disproportionate rate at which BA.3.2 infects children is not driven by infants. The 0-1 age group is less overrepresented (by a large margin) than the 2-5 and 6-17 age groups in the countries we have data for. 1/4

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Jeff Gilchrist @jeffgilchrist.bsky.social · 22/03/2026

*** Ontario COVID Hospitalization Rates by Age *** Data is now available for hospital admissions due to COVID by age group going back to Oct 2021. This provides interesting insights into how much children have been impacted with serious infections compared to adults. 🧪🧵1/ #Ontario #COVID #Hospital

Graph of New hospitalization rate in Ontario due to COVID by age group (100% Stacked).

Chart of COVID hospital admissions per 100k population by age group from Oct. 2021 to Aug. 2025 in Ontario, Ottawa, and Toronto.

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Jeff Gilchrist @jeffgilchrist.bsky.social · 25/10/2025

How does various mask fit compare to filter the air and protect you or others? Most masks, even baggy blue procedure masks use filtering material that can filter 95%+ of particles that pass through it, but the key is "pass through it". Continue to learn more... 🧪🧵1/

Bar chart titled “Equivalent Exposure Time to Unmasked Person.” The chart compares how long different masks/respirators extend the equivalent exposure time relative to being unmasked. The x-axis shows unmasked infection times of 1, 5, and 10 minutes. The y-axis shows equivalent masked exposure time, ranging up to 5000 minutes. Seven mask types are represented by colored bars:
- Procedure mask (loose fit, FF=2)
- Ear loop mask (tight fit, FF=6)
- Vertical bifold headband mask (FF=30)
- N95 headband masks with fit factors of 100, 200, and 500
Key pattern: higher fit factor masks dramatically increase equivalent exposure time. For example, at 10 minutes unmasked, a procedure mask extends exposure to 20 minutes, while an N95 with FF=400 extends it to 5000 minutes.

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Jeff Gilchrist @jeffgilchrist.bsky.social · 14/03/2026

*** Ontario Virus & Variant Update | Mar 14 *** Hospitalizations due to COVID have gone down from 190 to 138 in the last update. Influenza hospitalizations remained stable around 49 and RSV decreased slightly from 194 to 184.🧵1/ #Ontario #Virus #Variant #COVID #RSV #Influenza #Hospital

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Jeff Gilchrist @jeffgilchrist.bsky.social · 01/03/2026

*** Ontario Virus & Variant Update | Mar 1 *** Hospitalizations due to COVID remained stable at 215 in the last update. Influenza hospitalizations dropped very slightly to 51 and RSV decreased to 200. 🧵1/ #Ontario #Virus #Variant #COVID #RSV #Influenza #Hospital

Graph of New hospitalizations in Ontario due to COVID, Influenza or RSV (100% Stacked).

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Robert Lepage, PhD., P.Eng. @rtmlepage.bsky.social · 01/03/2026

Is UoT's Prof. Siegel on BSky?

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Al Haddrell @ukhadds.bsky.social · 07/02/2026

The risk of the airborne transmission of disease correlates with the amount of infectious exhaled aerosol. Since people exhale CO2 with aerosol, its conc has been used as proxy for exhaled aerosol In this article, researchers propose a new way to estimate risk of transmission

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Jeff Gilchrist @jeffgilchrist.bsky.social · 11/01/2026

*** Ontario Virus & Variant Update | Jan 11 *** Hospitalizations due to COVID increased from 176 to 241 in the last update. Influenza hospitalizations have start dropping from the peak of 1,400 to 1,095 with RSV increasing from 121 to 156. 🧵1/

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Federico Gueli @siamosolocani.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

BA.3.2 Era new deisgnations: we have a new branch of Ba.3.2.2 named RE.3 emerged in Mozambique and then spread to Europe (RE.3.1), We have also a new RE.2 branch named RE.2.3 defined by ORF1a:T2648N & ORF1a:T4065I RD.1.1.1 is a BA.3.2.1 with N:T271I RE.1.1.1 was discussed by @ryanhisner.bsky.social

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Jeff Gilchrist @jeffgilchrist.bsky.social · 01/01/2026

If you thought that was bad, the next update was even worse...

Graph of Flu A wastewater levels in Ottawa showing the highest spike recorded with the latest data.

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Bee in the country @countrybee2.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

"If HCWs wear N95 respirators and surgical masks throughout, the total infection risk can be reduced by 94.7 % and 53.9 %, respectively Increasing the ventilation rate from 1 ACH to 6 ACH reduced the infection risk. ." FYI NSW Health & @racgp.bsky.social et al www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

sciencedirect.com

Transmission of respiratory infectious diseases based on real close contact behavior in an emergency room

The risk of transmission of respiratory infectious diseases in emergency rooms is high, posing a severe threat to the health of healthcare workers (HC…

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Donate A Mask Canada @donatemask.bsky.social · 14/12/2025

Did you know? Donate A Mask works with mask blocs across Canada. 🇨🇦 Help us continue to put #masks on faces by donating today. 😷 Your donation will be matched until December 14. donatemask.ca/fundraiser #GivingTuesdayCa #MaskBloc #MaskDistro #StillMasking #Charity #MaskUp

Photo of a man wearing a white N95 respirator mask. He is outside and wearing a red winter jacket.
"DYK? Donate A Mask works with mask blocs across Canada. Help us continue to put masks on faces by donating today."
Donate A Mask Canada - donatemask.ca

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Jeff Gilchrist @jeffgilchrist.bsky.social · 06/12/2025

New hospitalizations in Ontario due to COVID, Flu, and RSV are starting to increase rapidly, especially Influenza. @donatemask.bsky.social helps vulnerable people in need and donations are currently being doubled if you can help.

A stacked bar graph showing **New Hospitalizations in Ontario due to COVID-19, Influenza, or RSV** from November 27, 2022, to November 23, 2025, broken down by week. The **y-axis** is the number of patients, and the **x-axis** is the week ending date.

The data shows three distinct annual peaks, corresponding to the fall/winter seasons:
1. **2022-2023 Season:** A peak around December 2022/January 2023, with total hospitalizations reaching nearly 2,000.
2. **2023-2024 Season:** A larger, more drawn-out peak around January to March 2024, with total hospitalizations reaching around 1,500.
3. **2024-2025 Season:** A peak around December 2024/January 2025, with total hospitalizations reaching around 1,400.
4. **Current Season (2025-2026):** Shows a sharp increase starting in November 2025, reaching nearly 500 hospitalizations in the last week shown (11/23/2025).

The bars are stacked by virus:
* **COVID-19 (Blue):** Generally the largest contributor, especially during the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 peaks, but appears to be a smaller portion of the current 2025 surge.
* **Influenza (Purple):** Rises sharply during the winter peaks, contributing significantly, particularly in the 2024-2025 season.
* **RSV (Teal/Green):** Generally the smallest component, peaking alongside the other viruses.

For data description, source, and more Ontario related graphs, please visit ( https://covid.gilchrist.ca/Ontario.html ).

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Donate A Mask Canada @donatemask.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

Our Request Program makes #masking more accessible. 😷 Help us continue this work by donating today. Your donation will be matched so your money will go further! 💙 donatemask.ca/fundraiser #GivingTuesdayCa #Masks4All #MaskingIsCaring

Close-up photo of white KN95 respirator masks stacked and resting on a table.
Donate A Mask and Giving Tuesday logos at the top of the photo.
"Double your Donation. Donations up to $5,000 will be matched by a generous sponsor."

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Donate A Mask Canada @donatemask.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

Our #GivingTuesday campaign starts today! 💙 Help spread #masks, not illness. 😷 Donate by December 14 and your donation will be matched by the GKE Foundation. 🎉 donatemask.ca/fundraiser #GivingTuesdayCa #StillMasking #MaskUp #Charity #Fundraiser

Close-up photo of a young boy wearing a white N95 respirator with teddy bears illustrations on it. He is looking at the camera.
Donate A Mask Canada and Giving Tuesday logos at the bottom of the image on a red background.
donatemask.ca/fundraiser

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