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Kathryn

@kathrynas.bsky.social
4.3K followers 461 following 150 posts

Past-Chair of the Women’s Caucus at CASWE-ACFTS, P.hD. student, MSW, Long COVID research, therapist, equity advocate, intersectional feminist, mom. Not totally here. Still more there. Thoughts my own.

PostsRepliesMedia
Kathryn @kathrynas.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
🫂
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David Elfstrom 🍁 @davidelfstrom.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Yeah, that coughing and "something going around" discussions is COVID. That nice low summer is over. Toronto's wastewater viral load is showing a consistent upward trend in COVID-19 and nearly zero levels of influenza A & B and RSV. wwater.ca/Ontario/Toro...
Most recent wastewater virus levels for Toronto, with date ending week ending September 27, 2026, showing a clear upward trend in COVID-19 and minimal for influenza and RSV.
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Kathryn @kathrynas.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Then you’ll love my slide, too!
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Kathryn @kathrynas.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Or…I can find creative ways to let off steam and kick back at the machine like, say, considering wearing this to my thesis presentation? P.S. It’s good to see you, too. 🫂
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Tim Roberts @zaphodiom.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
There needs to be a button on Bluesky that means “thanks for informing me of this dreadful news for humanity” that isn’t shaped like a ♥️ Maybe this ☠️
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Kathryn @kathrynas.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
The wild thing about writing academically re: health and societal harms of SARS2 isn’t how hard it is to find sources to back up the claim that this is some serious 💩 we are in. What’s difficult is sorting through how much has been written that we’re somehow still ignoring.
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Hazel Newlevant @newlevant.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
anyway, I quite enjoyed the Leadership Action Hour on Healthy Air in NYC Schools today. Improving IAQ in schools has so many potential collaborators and such far-reaching consequences! 💨
My COVID zine in English and Spanish, open to the spreads about CO2 readings and the ASHRAE 241 ventilation standard.
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Jessica Ellis @baddestmamajama.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
People will cut out artificial food dyes, spend hours at the gym, drink vitamin infused water…and then go to the airport and rawdog breathing in an airborne pathogen that can disable you permanenty and is basically guaranteed to be there.
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Dr. Jen Irwin @drjenirwin.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
“‘Outdated’ health policies surrounding Covid still pose a danger today, says U of C researcher” Sept 18, 2026 @mark-ungrin.bsky.social 👏 www.ctvnews.ca/calgary/arti...
ctvnews.ca
‘Outdated’ health policies surrounding Covid still pose a danger today, says U of C researcher
University of Calgary professor Mark Ungrin has dedicated years of research highlighting what he believes is of significant concern to all Canadians’ health.
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Dick Zoutman @dickzoutman.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
The federal body responsible for that guidance is the NAC-IPC, infection prevention & control mentioned exactly once, in an appendix, described only “administratively”. No evaluation of its pandemic performance. No link drawn to the masking problem issue above. 😖
canada.ca
Report of the Expert Panel for the Review of the Federal Approach to Pandemic Science Advice and Research Coordination: The Time to Act is Now - Canada.ca
The key message of this report is that Canada needs to take further action now if it is to be adequately prepared for future health emergencies.
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Dick Zoutman @dickzoutman.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Buried in one paragraph: the panel admits advisory bodies “lost months” on masking issue because dominant clinical opinion said masks didn’t work because they were missing aerosol expertise. This is the single most important line in the report but gets NO follow-up.
canada.ca
Report of the Expert Panel for the Review of the Federal Approach to Pandemic Science Advice and Research Coordination: The Time to Act is Now - Canada.ca
The key message of this report is that Canada needs to take further action now if it is to be adequately prepared for future health emergencies.
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Dr. Jen Irwin @drjenirwin.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Long-term neurological & cognitive impact of C-19…125 studies, 4+ million participants. Findings included: fatigue 43.3% memory disorders 27.8% cognitive impairment 27.1% sleep disorders 24.4% concentration impairment 23.8% headache 20.3% depression 14.0% pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Long-term neurological and cognitive impact of COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis in over 4 million patients
Neuropsychiatric symptoms emerged early in the COVID-19 pandemic as a key feature of the virus, with research confirming a range of neuropsychiatric manifestations linked to acute SARS-CoV-2 infection...
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Dr. Jen Irwin @drjenirwin.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
I’m old enough to remember when protecting children was considered a moral, social, and political imperative. 😷
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David Keegan @drdavidkeegan.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
🚨🚨🚨 jamanetwork.com/journals/jam... “These findings suggest that approximately 1 in 6 patients with COVID-19 develops postacute sequelae, predominantly chronic conditions currently invisible to surveillance systems, representing an accumulating rather than resolving health care burden.”
jamanetwork.com
Long COVID Persistence and Surveillance Gaps Across 58 US Hospitals
This cohort study quantifies the gap between true postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 burden and diagnostic code–based estimates, determines the proportion representing chronic disease, and characterizes...
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Kathryn @kathrynas.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
I was using your words. I would never refer to someone as an internet rando because it’s rude and dismissive of any knowledge you don’t recognize. You have no idea who you are talking to or what they know. The quickest way to become ignorant is to behave exactly as you have this evening. Good bye.
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Kathryn @kathrynas.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
I’d say I’m curious as to how you came to these conclusions, but it’s late and I’m too tired to argue with “internet randos,” I believe was the term. Good night.
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Kathryn @kathrynas.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
A paradigm shift had occurred re: airborne transmission, that even those who’ve spent entire careers studying infectious disease are grappling with. This has far-reaching implications that don’t erase the importance of the other factors you’ve mentioned, rather what we know about how each behaves.
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Kathryn @kathrynas.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
While AR does have specialized knowledge, it would be foolhardy to generalize expertise to all aspects of understanding transmission, as you’ve noted, but in reference to B&S, and not AR.
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Kathryn @kathrynas.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
My experience of B&S is not of arrogance, rather righteous anger and concern that we will not learn from the mistakes of the very recent past that continue to negatively impact global health.
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Kathryn @kathrynas.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
So, the issue is that you believe the person with whom you are arguing doesn’t understand the place of transmission physics vs. Infectivity potential in the current disease context? I wasn’t quite clear what you were saying, as your comment seemed quite heated, hence the request for clarification.
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Kathryn @kathrynas.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
Are you claiming that aerosol physics has added negligible value to the discussion on the diseases that transmit through the air, specifically SARS2?
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Mark Ungrin @mark-ungrin.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
So for anyone in Ontario wondering why infection control practice is so backwards here even away from the usual suspects, it turns out there's misinformation embedded directly in the CPSO infection control guidance, which incorrectly directs physicians to wear a medical mask for airborne pathogens.🙄
Physicians must undertake Routine Practices and Additional Precautions4, including:
hand hygiene for patient and physician safety, in accordance with Appendix B: Ontario’s Just Clean Your Hands Program: Your 4 Moments for Hand Hygiene and Appendix C: Hand Hygiene Methods;
wearing gloves if there is expected exposure to blood, body fluids, secretions, skin rash or non-intact skin;
wearing a medical mask when required to prevent transmission of infectious agents in droplets and airborne particles, and during aseptic and invasive procedures; and
wearing eye protection and a gown when required to protect eyes, skin, and clothing from blood, body fluids, secretions, or excretions.

Source:  https://www.cpso.on.ca/Physicians/Policies-Guidance/Policies/Infection-Prevention-and-Control-for-Clinical-Offi
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Malgorzata (Gosia) Gasperowicz @gosiagasperophd.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
Public Health officials should not generate mask phobia and mask aversion in the public. (Even if personally they have a mask aversion). It’s horribly irresponsible.
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Kathryn @kathrynas.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
You get it.
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Kathryn @kathrynas.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
(This) Therapist approved.
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Admirable Women @admirablewomen.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
Congrats to Julie K. Brown! She was awarded a #Pulitzer Prize special citation today for her groundbreaking reporting in 2017 & 2018 for the Miami Herald exposing Jeffrey Epstein's systematic abuse of young women and the justice system & powerful network of associates that protected him for years.
A powerful narrative portrait of Julie K. Brown, the Miami Herald investigative journalist celebrated for her "Perversion of Justice" series, which exposed the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein and led to her 2026 Pulitzer Prize special citation. Brown sits in the heart of a newsroom, leaning forward with her hands clasped over the back of a vibrant lime-green chair. Her expression is steady and resolute, a faint, knowing smile playing on her lips. She has shoulder-length, strawberry-blonde hair and wears a crisp, white short-sleeved linen top. Her look is punctuated by bold, artistic accessories: a long necklace featuring large, multi-colored geometric beads and matching statement earrings. The background is filled with the tools of her trade: Dell computer monitors and large wall-mounted screens displaying blurred news segments, including one featuring her own likeness. The composition is balanced and centered, capturing a mood of quiet authority and tireless determination. This image stands as a tribute to Brown’s historical significance in journalism, marking her as a champion for victims whose reporting forced a global reckoning on power and systemic failure.
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Bean & Sprout's Mom @beansproutsmom.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
"Individuals with SARDs [systemic autoimmune disease] were more likely to have SARS-CoV-2 antigen positivity at months 3 and 6 following COVID-19 infection compared with individuals without SARDs, not explained by demographics, variant, vaccination, or treatment."
Among 210 individuals with SARDs in RheumCARD and 348 individuals without SARDs in RECOVER-Adult, any SARS-CoV-2 antigen positivity was more common in those with SARDs (36.7% in RheumCARD vs. 18.9% in RECOVER-Adult; p<0.001). Those with SARDs had higher odds of nucleocapsid antigen positivity (adjusted OR 3.73, 95% CI: 1.28-10.85) or any antigen positivity (adjusted OR 2.89, 95% CI: 1.43-5.85) 3 months after COVID-19 infection and higher odds of nucleocapsid antigen positivity (adjusted OR 6.62, 95% CI: 1.09-40.30) 6 months after COVID-19 infection.
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Mark Ungrin @mark-ungrin.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Excellent work by @cape-acep.bsky.social, demonstrating the value of the labour movement not just for workers, but for everyone else as well. A good hard kick at the "Don't Look Up" narrative being sold by the people who let #longCOVID run wild and are now trying to bury it (and their victims).
Accessibility by design
Accessibility cannot be treated as a compliance exercise or an after-the-fact
accommodation process. It must be built into the design of the workplace itself. The
promise of the Accessible Canada Act was to create a barrier-free Canada by 2040. That
goal cannot be achieved if federal workplaces continue to rely on reactive, individualized
processes that force disabled employees to fight for basic participation. This means
removing barriers wherever possible, rather than accommodating individuals negatively
impacted by them.
Accessibility by design means recognizing that barriers exist across physical environments,
workplace culture, policies, and legislation. It also means acknowledging the conditions
shaping the workforce today. Canada is experiencing a mass disabling event driven in large
part by the ongoing transmission of COVID-19 and other communicable diseases.
Disability rates are rising according to data from Statistics Canada, and scientific guidance
from the OƯice of the Chief Science Advisor of Canada has documented the long-term
impacts of post-COVID conditions on cognitive, cardiovascular, and functional health.
COVID-19 remains a leading cause of death in Canada and contributes to the conditions
that drive the two leading causes of mortality, including cardiovascular disease. These
realities shape the accessibility needs of the workforce and cannot be ignored in any
serious assessment of workplace accessibility.
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Kathryn @kathrynas.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
I’m here just a little bit, every once in a while when it matters.
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Dr. Jen Irwin @drjenirwin.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Outstanding submission by the Canadian Association of Professional Employees, representing 27,000+ members, to the Auditor General - no head-in-the-sand here; this union is clear that COVID-19 remains a threat to employees (w & w-out disability) & they want action! www.acep-cape.ca/en/news/subm...
acep-cape.ca
Submission to the Auditor General on behalf of the Canadian Association of Professional Employees’ Disability Justice Caucus | CAPE
Please see this submission to the Auditor General on behalf of the Can
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Da(N95)iella [fka DaniAtomicus] @sharpflower.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
“The pandemic continues to pose a risk to workers. Indoor air quality, ventilation, and infection prevention are fundamental workplace safety issues.”
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Kathryn @kathrynas.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
😊
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MJ Nabuurs @mjnabuurs.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Great to hear from others who see the variety of issues surrounding this trial & potential for issues with similar ones. Rigour is always important, but esp when results are disseminated during a global public health crisis, potentially impacting the health and well-being of those who heed them.
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Kathryn @kathrynas.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
media.tenor.com
a man wearing a costco apron is standing in front of a woman
ALT: a man wearing a costco apron is standing in front of a woman
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Senator Paula Simons 🇨🇦 @senatorpaulasimons.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
I spent my first couple of years as a Senator, pre Covid, with a near-perpetual cold. I flew twice every week, and hosted a viral buffet. Now, I mask every flight, and so far - touch wood - I’ve gone all winter without a sniffle. People laugh and even yell at me sometimes. But my nose isn’t stuffy!
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Kathryn @kathrynas.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
I mean, you could probably totally do it though, right?
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Kathryn @kathrynas.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Spoken like a person who about to embark on a regrettable journey 🦷😁
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Kathryn @kathrynas.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
…is why this is probably your toxic trait talking.
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NB COVID info @nbcovidinfo.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
So listen. We have this data. Showing hospital admissions for ‘resp’ infections 2x pre-pandemic. But ALL school absence discussions - see CBC! See the National last night! IGNORE growing illness as biggest absence factor (or ANY factor!). This is horrible reporting/journalism. /1
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Kathryn @kathrynas.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
How’s the phrasing here? Any suggested edits? Perhaps I should have improved clarity by adding “ongoing” and “institutional” to “denial”?
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Kathryn @kathrynas.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
What is?
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Mark Ungrin @mark-ungrin.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
Meanwhile, one more nail in the coffin of MAHA's "overdiagnosis" / anything-but-COVID moral panic. Keep the receipts from all those negligent medical influencers who insisted there was no need to worry about letting kids get infected, that COVID isn't airborne and that respirators don't work.
academicpedsjnl.net
School Difficulties and Long COVID in Children and Adolescents
Pediatric Long COVID (LC) is an infection-associated chronic condition following SARS-CoV-2 infection. While research has begun to elucidate clinical phenotypes, functional impacts are not well descri...
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Kathryn @kathrynas.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Well yeah, cleaning the air would probably make kids and teachers less sick, but it’s ToO eXPenSIve. Would it be less than $28.9 million per person? Less than $28.9 million in total?
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Kathryn @kathrynas.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
bsky.app/profile/kath...
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Kathryn @kathrynas.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
At the same time school absences - primarily from illness, you’ll find if you dig far enough - have skyrocketed. How very strange.* *strange = utterly predictable
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Kathryn @kathrynas.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
I LOVE your dress. Also, the sweater. Such a good pairing. No notes. Perfection.
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Kathryn @kathrynas.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
👇👇👇
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The Vertlartnic @thev.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
Authorities Frustrated By Awareness Of Long Covid Outside Of Designated Long Covid Awareness Day
An authority
Headline:
Authorities Frustrated By Awareness Of Long Covid Outside Of Designated Long Covid Awareness Day 
Story by Sam Likewise and Clark Cubicle

Photo from Unsplash
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Kathryn @kathrynas.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/wor...
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Kathryn @kathrynas.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
How much of “learning loss” is actually cognitive dysfunction due to neurological injury?
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