Beowulf (really!)
@beowulf888.bsky.social
A curious mind that is interested in many things. STEM graduate background with a passion for arts and literature.
September 27, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Cannabis use is up, but look, myocardial infarction deaths are falling...
March 20, 2025 at 4:34 AM
Cannabis use is up, but look, myocardial infarction deaths are falling...
This isn't showing up in the macro data. Self-reported cannabis has doubled over the past 15 years since it's been (mostly) legalized. If this study is valid, shouldn't we be seeing a proportional increase in deaths from myocardial infarctions in the ≤50 age cohorts?
March 20, 2025 at 4:31 AM
This isn't showing up in the macro data. Self-reported cannabis has doubled over the past 15 years since it's been (mostly) legalized. If this study is valid, shouldn't we be seeing a proportional increase in deaths from myocardial infarctions in the ≤50 age cohorts?
Since 2000 there were 22 measles or measles-related deaths recorded on death certificates sent to the CDC—but the CDC has only "verified" 2 of those. And even if a bunch of those were misattributed, let's not forget the 42 SSPE deaths that resulted from measles infections.
tinyurl.com/3xjn63v2
tinyurl.com/3xjn63v2
March 6, 2025 at 10:59 PM
Since 2000 there were 22 measles or measles-related deaths recorded on death certificates sent to the CDC—but the CDC has only "verified" 2 of those. And even if a bunch of those were misattributed, let's not forget the 42 SSPE deaths that resulted from measles infections.
tinyurl.com/3xjn63v2
tinyurl.com/3xjn63v2
Chinese Traditional Medicine to treat Long COVID? My irony meter just pegged! Wuhan is the center for the CTM trade, and many of the animals & products sold at the Huanan market were destined for the CTM.
For instance, horseshoe bat guano is a staple of CTM. People still think this is a good idea?
For instance, horseshoe bat guano is a staple of CTM. People still think this is a good idea?
February 21, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Chinese Traditional Medicine to treat Long COVID? My irony meter just pegged! Wuhan is the center for the CTM trade, and many of the animals & products sold at the Huanan market were destined for the CTM.
For instance, horseshoe bat guano is a staple of CTM. People still think this is a good idea?
For instance, horseshoe bat guano is a staple of CTM. People still think this is a good idea?
Good question. I asked ChatGPT. It said: " For instance, during Week 5 of the 2024-2025 influenza season in the United States, public health laboratories reported 4,264 influenza A cases, of which 3,458 (approximately 81%) were subtyped." Of course, ChatGPT can hallucinate (er, bullshit) sometimes.
February 20, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Good question. I asked ChatGPT. It said: " For instance, during Week 5 of the 2024-2025 influenza season in the United States, public health laboratories reported 4,264 influenza A cases, of which 3,458 (approximately 81%) were subtyped." Of course, ChatGPT can hallucinate (er, bullshit) sometimes.
Did you see the IG response to Trump?
January 28, 2025 at 5:43 AM
Did you see the IG response to Trump?
EcoHealth Alliance received $3.7 mil from NIH over 5 year (2014-19). Of that, $600K went to the Wuhan Institute of Virology. The grant supported virus sampling from bats, genomic sequencing & analysis. GoF research was not in the grant proposal. EHA needed boots on ground in China to do bat sampling
December 3, 2024 at 4:09 AM
EcoHealth Alliance received $3.7 mil from NIH over 5 year (2014-19). Of that, $600K went to the Wuhan Institute of Virology. The grant supported virus sampling from bats, genomic sequencing & analysis. GoF research was not in the grant proposal. EHA needed boots on ground in China to do bat sampling
By constructive use, do you mean screws used in building construction? I was interested in the origin of screws can came across this paper a while back. The head is missing, but this roman screw looks like it could secure wood...
exarc.net/issue-2023-2...
exarc.net/issue-2023-2...
December 1, 2024 at 5:41 PM
By constructive use, do you mean screws used in building construction? I was interested in the origin of screws can came across this paper a while back. The head is missing, but this roman screw looks like it could secure wood...
exarc.net/issue-2023-2...
exarc.net/issue-2023-2...
Bsky insists that I add a description to every image, so I added a non-descriptive description.
November 17, 2024 at 4:33 AM
Bsky insists that I add a description to every image, so I added a non-descriptive description.
I appreciate you backing up yr argument with links! But notice on this chart from CDC that SARS2 suppressed M. pneumoniae for approx 3 years. You'd think rates would have started rising sooner if were a side effect of COVID infections. We also had big outbreak back in 2011-12: tinyurl.com/yu49uk66
November 17, 2024 at 4:05 AM
I appreciate you backing up yr argument with links! But notice on this chart from CDC that SARS2 suppressed M. pneumoniae for approx 3 years. You'd think rates would have started rising sooner if were a side effect of COVID infections. We also had big outbreak back in 2011-12: tinyurl.com/yu49uk66
Do you have any links for that show bacterial pneumonia rates are rising? Overall, all cause pneumonia mortality rates have been falling…
November 13, 2024 at 8:48 PM
Do you have any links for that show bacterial pneumonia rates are rising? Overall, all cause pneumonia mortality rates have been falling…
2-44/ The authors discuss it here on an X thread. Key takeaways below, but duration and proximity are correlated with risk.
January 16, 2024 at 3:20 AM
2-44/ The authors discuss it here on an X thread. Key takeaways below, but duration and proximity are correlated with risk.
2-41/ This would still be a serious public health issue if half a percent of all COVID sufferers couldn't work because of Long COVID—but if that's the case, the current disabling event (if there is one) is nowhere close to the mass disabling even that peaked in 2011.
January 16, 2024 at 3:16 AM
2-41/ This would still be a serious public health issue if half a percent of all COVID sufferers couldn't work because of Long COVID—but if that's the case, the current disabling event (if there is one) is nowhere close to the mass disabling even that peaked in 2011.
2-39/ A quick estimate suggests that there were approx 1.25 million MORE claims from 2021-2023 than if the decline in field office claims had continued at its previous rate. Is this a Long COVID signal in the macro data? That's significantly lower than the 4.4 mil CEPR estimate though!
January 16, 2024 at 3:12 AM
2-39/ A quick estimate suggests that there were approx 1.25 million MORE claims from 2021-2023 than if the decline in field office claims had continued at its previous rate. Is this a Long COVID signal in the macro data? That's significantly lower than the 4.4 mil CEPR estimate though!
2-38/ Unfortunately the SSA doesn't list Long COVID as a category in its annual report. So we don't know how many applications for Long COVID were processed or approved. However, In 2021, field office applications increased a bit after falling for the previous decade.
January 16, 2024 at 3:10 AM
2-38/ Unfortunately the SSA doesn't list Long COVID as a category in its annual report. So we don't know how many applications for Long COVID were processed or approved. However, In 2021, field office applications increased a bit after falling for the previous decade.
2-36/ A widely quoted CEPR study done late in 2022 claimed that 4.4 million people were disabled due to Long COVID. There have been three waves since that study, and the numbers of Long COVID disabled should have only increased since then.
tinyurl.com/2e96d76u
tinyurl.com/2e96d76u
January 16, 2024 at 3:08 AM
2-36/ A widely quoted CEPR study done late in 2022 claimed that 4.4 million people were disabled due to Long COVID. There have been three waves since that study, and the numbers of Long COVID disabled should have only increased since then.
tinyurl.com/2e96d76u
tinyurl.com/2e96d76u
2-35/ SARS2 has been present in the US for almost 4 years. It's gone from a pandemic to hyperendemic. With PASC (aka Long COVID) being a major concern, and US seroprevalence at 70% (as of 1Q 2023) one would expect to see the effects of LC reflected in the macro data.
January 16, 2024 at 3:07 AM
2-35/ SARS2 has been present in the US for almost 4 years. It's gone from a pandemic to hyperendemic. With PASC (aka Long COVID) being a major concern, and US seroprevalence at 70% (as of 1Q 2023) one would expect to see the effects of LC reflected in the macro data.
2-34/ JN.1 is 67% in AU. We can therefore conclude JN.1 is behaving the same way in the southern hemisphere as in the north. SARS2 hasn't transitioned to a seasonal virus yet. I wonder if its mutational behavior will ever allow it to follow cycles like flu does following the winter between hemis.
January 16, 2024 at 3:06 AM
2-34/ JN.1 is 67% in AU. We can therefore conclude JN.1 is behaving the same way in the southern hemisphere as in the north. SARS2 hasn't transitioned to a seasonal virus yet. I wonder if its mutational behavior will ever allow it to follow cycles like flu does following the winter between hemis.
2-33/ Unfortunately, Australia doesn't have a centralized wastewater tracking system, and it's not clear to me how many states and municipalities track their wastewater. But Sydney and Perth do. And both show upticks in COVID wastewater concentrations.
January 16, 2024 at 3:04 AM
2-33/ Unfortunately, Australia doesn't have a centralized wastewater tracking system, and it's not clear to me how many states and municipalities track their wastewater. But Sydney and Perth do. And both show upticks in COVID wastewater concentrations.
2-32/ But we have two clues that there's a wave underway. They're handing out PBS scripts for antiviral drugs (Lagevrio and Paxlovid) at a high rate, and outbreaks in aged-care homes are rising.
*Note: PBS=Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
*Note: PBS=Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
January 16, 2024 at 3:03 AM
2-32/ But we have two clues that there's a wave underway. They're handing out PBS scripts for antiviral drugs (Lagevrio and Paxlovid) at a high rate, and outbreaks in aged-care homes are rising.
*Note: PBS=Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
*Note: PBS=Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
2-31/ As a comparison, I was interested in what JN.1 is doing in the southern hemisphere. It's summer there. Is summer suppressing it? Checking in on Australia...
Without wastewater numbers, it would be difficult to tell there's a wave underway there. Hospitalization remains fairly low. But...
Without wastewater numbers, it would be difficult to tell there's a wave underway there. Hospitalization remains fairly low. But...
January 16, 2024 at 3:01 AM
2-31/ As a comparison, I was interested in what JN.1 is doing in the southern hemisphere. It's summer there. Is summer suppressing it? Checking in on Australia...
Without wastewater numbers, it would be difficult to tell there's a wave underway there. Hospitalization remains fairly low. But...
Without wastewater numbers, it would be difficult to tell there's a wave underway there. Hospitalization remains fairly low. But...
2-30/ Johnson poses an interesting question (and I paraphrase)—is JN.1 infecting a different subset of the population, or is it just slow to push out the older XBB lineages?
January 16, 2024 at 2:59 AM
2-30/ Johnson poses an interesting question (and I paraphrase)—is JN.1 infecting a different subset of the population, or is it just slow to push out the older XBB lineages?