New from me: While the pandemic is now in the rearview mirror for most, many Coloradans remain COVID-aware. Here's what the end of the national public health emergency means for those still wary of the pandemic.
#COVID19Colorado
An update on this unexpected news dump.
1. Colorado has tested 55 symptomatic poultry workers as of Friday.
2. The potential cases are connected to the recent
#birdflu
outbreak at a Weld County egg-laying operation.
3. Nearly 70 people have been tested for
#H5N1
since March.
#BREAKING
: 3 Colorado poultry workers identified as potential
#birdflu
cases after outbreak at commercial egg facility.
Talk about a Friday news dump! So many questions about this outbreak the CDPHE did not immediately answer.
#H5N1
Something unexpected that came out of the town hall?
Colorado is currently monitoring 70 people who've been exposed to
#H5N1
, according to the CDPHE. To their knowledge, none have developed symptoms but they are continuing to monitor them. 11/n
.
@PeterHotez
on new COVID XBB1.5 variant: "Beyond the deaths, there are the hospitalizations. There’s
#LongCovid
, which can occur after any COVID infection, even mild or asymptomatic COVID. ... It's not mild."
NEW: The number of dairy workers being monitored for
#H5N1
in Colorado has increased to 113, after the state's two most recent outbreaks potentially exposed 43 additional workers.
Because they have not reported symptoms of
#birdflu
, "they have not met criteria to be tested" per
#BREAKING
: The number of confirmed outbreaks of
#H5N1
in Colorado dairy herds has gone up to 4, according to the
@USDA
.
The outbreaks of bird flu in two additional Colorado dairy herds were confirmed this week, on May 20 and May 22, respectively.
Given that we've known since last year that
#COVIDisAirborne
, it's very troubling to see work places implement policies such as removing your face mask once you get to your desk in an shared air environment.
How does that protect your employees? Not to mention your business op?
📍The coronavirus is airborne. Very airborne. Even if you don’t see anyone—doesn’t mean the aerosols aren’t in the air. WATCH📺
➡️ you need high quality N95 / KN95 / KF94 / FFP2/ FFP3 masks.
➡️ also please ventilate, get HEPA filters, get upper room UV.
In true
#Denver
fashion, people are howling at this very moment.
Joe Biden is projected to win Pennsylvania, putting him over the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency. The projections come from AP, ABC News, CNN, the BBC and others. Fox News just called it as well.
Here's the story, finally.
No plans in place to modify livestock shows/fairs this summer despite many questions about how
#H5N1
is spreading among cows.
More importantly: 70 CO dairy workers are being monitored for possible exposure to the virus:
Good morning, everyone! 👋🏼
I'm listening in to Colorado Dept. of Agriculture (CDA)/CDPHE town hall on
#H5N1
. All the information they've provided thus far can be found in this story I wrote about 2 weeks ago.
I'll post some updates as they come.
Is the CDA testing other livestock species, like swine and beef cattle?
"We have not yet tested for this particular virus (
#H5N1
) in swine and beef cattle," CDA says, but the USDA is looking at expanding this testing to other species. 12/n
It usually the case that whatever’s happening in the U.K. takes 4-6 weeks to reach the U.S. when it comes to the novel coronavirus.
No wonder health officials here are starting to push hard on boosters.
Question is: Will people’s behavior change for the better after boosters?
📍BAD SIGN—Something really bad happening in UK 🇬🇧—especially notable in Wales 🏴— where hospitalization for
#COVID19
resurging—but for first time since vaccine mass rollout—deaths newly spiking now as well ⚠️. Possibly new Delta sub variant. Watching.
Crazy earthquake light show sight during tonight's earthquake, as seen from Mexico City.
There have been 73 reports of aftershocks since the 7.1M quake hit near the beach resort town of Acapulco. The biggest aftershock being 5.2M, according to government officials.
Así la panorámica de Ciudad de México en el momento exacto del sismo de esta noche ! 🚨
Una imagen muy parecida casualmente al sismo del mismo 7 de septiembre por la noche pero del 2017
Un abrazo a todos !
Here's what
@innoutburger
had to say when we asked (two days ago) why they believed workers should need a doctor's note to make a personal choice about their health while on the job.
"We believe that wearing a mask... promotes a more distant and disconnected environment."
#BREAKING
: 3 Colorado poultry workers identified as potential
#birdflu
cases after outbreak at commercial egg facility.
Talk about a Friday news dump! So many questions about this outbreak the CDPHE did not immediately answer.
#H5N1
@JPWeiland
You'll hate me for this, but they only have preliminary results on 3 of the 55 symptomatic workers.
Samples collected from 48 additional workers today will be tested this weekend, per a CDPHE spokesperson.
Large boulder the size of a small boulder is completely blocking east-bound lane Highway 145 mm78 at Silverpick Rd. Please use caution and watch for emergency vehicles in the area.
I asked what the CDA/CDPHE is doing to build trust with dairy producers given reports that some in other parts of the U.S. are adamant to get their herds tested for
#H5N1
, but my question was not answered.
Gonna end the thread here to write this story. Will post link later.
So folks have been comparing the weird
@GMB
morning show interview with the climate activist in the UK with *that* scene from
#DontLookUp
.
So we at the
@MehdiHasanShow
put them side by side & the results are.. astounding. Reality mirroring art!
Watch:
Just kidding.
Somehow, the crowd that was getting ready to wrap things up is doing this dance which the name currently escapes me.
The crowd here in Denver has been celebrating this day for more than 6 hours now. Don't think it will end anytime soon.
Colorado has reported 5(!) additional dairy herds affected by
#H5N1
in just a single day.
How are they getting infected if the USDA has stopped the movement of sick, lactating cattle - and more importantly, why has testing not been expanded? Asking the CDA on Monday, I guess.
.
@USDA
reported 5 new
#H5N1
#birdflu
affected dairy herds in Colorado today & reported Iowa's 3rd, which Iowa reported 6/12. But Iowa reported
#4
&
#5
today, bringing the national total to 104 herds in 12 states — to the best of my knowledge.
BATHROOMS. RESTAURANTS. SCHOOL CLASSROOMS. OFFICES. Not just hospitals and clinics. The virus can linger in the air for hours. Forget outdated 6-feet droplet 💧rule. Huge superspreading outbreaks from aerosols have been documented. REPEAT:
#COVIDisAirborne
- pass it on!
#COVID19
Can't imagine this being sustainable in the long-term.
The workload employees will have to take on due to others being ill will eventually lead to burnout, all because companies refuse to implement policies that could help curb viral spread during periods of high transmission.
📍RECORD—104,000 Americans missed work in Oct due to "childcare problems."
The record figure driven by many children falling sick
#COVID
,
#flu
, &
#RSV
—pediatric hospitals full.
This hurts worker and economic productivity—maybe stopping transmission good???
#BringBackMasks
Fireworks have been going on and off for the past hour or so in Denver's Capitol Hill neighborhood.
I heard some howling too. Wonder if it will happen again at 9 p.m. 👀
#BREAKING
: All of Colorado is now considered an area of high transmission of COVID-19, per CDC’s latest data.
Health experts worldwide say vaccines alone won’t stop community transmission. Why hasn't the CDPHE reinstated masks? I’ve asked, waiting to hear back.
#COVID19Colorado
New study out in
@Nature
today shows that the risk of developing a new onset of health problems, particularly in the lungs, the brain, and the gastrointestinal system, remain 3 years after even a mild case of COVID-19.
Do your best to avoid getting infected.
#COVID19Colorado
The big revelation here is that the risk persists for 3 years in several organ systems (e.g. GI and nervous system) even 3 years after a mild infection.
Healthcare professionals are taught that acute infections as short-term events with health effects that manifest around the
This is even more troubling when you consider the Nederlands, which reported its biggest one-day increase on record today (20,829 new cases), only made boosters available for over-60s.
How will the U.S. fare in the next few months now that international travel is open?
#COVID19
TROUBLING—64% of all new cases worldwide last week were recorded in Europe, as well as 57% of all new
#COVID19
deaths worldwide. Both exponentially rising. This bodes badly—it’s even before the busy upcoming holiday travel (read: worldwide wave).
#MaskUp
#ventilation
#vaccinate
Here's more of today's socially-distant celebration outside the Colorado State Capitol as after Biden is declared president-elect.
"It just feels like we are finally coming together again," Scott tells me.
An update to the
#H5N1
situation in Colorado.
The CDPHE has announced it's launching a human
#birdflu
tracker later this afternoon that will be updated twice a week (Tues. and Thurs.) after announcing 3 poultry workers at the 2nd Weld. County egg facility had tested +ve. ⬇️
What about
#H5N1
vaccines? There's a vaccine for this virus in limited amounts that is stockpiled by the govt. and some studies show the vaccine is effective in humans, CDPHE says.
However: "At this point, CDPHE is not aware of any federal plan to distribute that vaccine."
Good reporting here by
@johningold
on Colorado's
#H5N1
situation.
Including an answer to the very important question: Why isn't Colorado testing asymptomatic dairy farm workers exposed to
#birdflu
?
Ayer participé en un espacio sobre la viruela del mono en 🇲🇽 (gracias
@Alainwho
) y 3 cosas resaltaron:
1. Información adecuada de prevención contra esta enfermedad no está siendo comunicada claramente, especialmente hacia la comunidad HSH - la más afectada en estos momentos. 1/
County fairs and rodeo shows are starting in a couple of months. With
#H5N1
now spreading among cattle, what are people to do?
"We don’t have guidance yet drafted," CDA says. "USDA is looking to issue some guidance for shows and fairs and we will follow their lead." 9/n
Hey, Colorado! 🗣
Do you have a friend or family member who only speaks Spanish and who can’t afford a KN95 mask?
I wrote an article in Spanish about how they can get free KN95 masks in Colorado. It includes guidance on care and best practices.
#COVID19Colorado
#BetterMasks
Si estás buscando actualizar tu mascarilla pero no puedes pagar por una de más alta calidad, ve a tu biblioteca pública más cercana después de este miércoles para recoger algunas sin costo alguno.
#COVID19Colorado
No person-to-person spread of
#H5N1
has been detected in the population with this virus so far, but CDPHE did say that as the virus continues to spread among different species, the likelihood of it evolving to spread between people increases as well. 3/n
Hey Colorado! 🗣
Do you have a non-English speaking friend or family member?
I wrote a story in Spanish with pretty much everything you need to know to get the vaccine now that everyone is eligible in the state! ⬇️
#COVID19Colorado
La vacuna contra el Covid-19 ya está disponible para todas las personas en Colorado a partir del día de hoy. Te decimos cómo registrarte.
#VacunaCovidCO
#COVID19Colorado
Apologies for the delay, busy morning.
To start: CDA, CDPHE continue to reassure the public that the risk of catching
#H5N1
is currently low.
"However, risk depends on exposure," CDPHE says. People exposed to sick birds/cows have greater risk of infection. 2/n
East High School students have begun marching to the Colorado State Capitol after walking out of class this morning to demand an end to gun violence following the shooting death of Luis Garcia.
You can view the march live here:
What can workers in constant contact with poultry/cattle do to protect themselves?
CDPHE recommends they wear proper personal protective equipment (PPE). The USDA has outlined what that looks like here (list won't fit in a tweet): 4/n
What can the public do to protect against
#H5N1
? Avoid contact with sick birds and other animals and wear proper PPE if you must handle sick or dead birds, CDPHE says.
As for the commercial supply: "Safe to eat properly handled poultry and meat and drink pasteurized milk." 5/n
Q: Signs of illness to monitor in cattle?
Decrease rumination. Significant drop in milk production (or thicker consistency in milk). Slight fever. Tacky stools.
Q: Is the commercial milk and meat supply safe?
Yes. Pasteurization is effective at killing
#H5N1
. 7/n
Q: Concerns for
#H5N1
in beef cattle or other livestock species?
"At this point, we have not detected this particular virus in other cattle," CDA says. State says that's something that the feds and those at the state level response are continuing to monitor. 8/n
#BREAKING
: Ball Arena will require proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to attend all of its events beginning Nov. 10, 2021.
Story coming shortly.
#COVID19Colorado
@MerriamWebster
"Madrugar."
It's from the Spanish. It means "to wake up before sunrise," but its English equivalent would be the phrase "to wake up early."
The news of 3 more potential human cases of
#birdflu
in Colorado could not have come at a worse time as I'm taking some much-needed time off next week and will disconnect from everything. 😬
On that note: Stay safe, y'all. CVD-19 cases are on the rise.
These women came out to the intersection of Lincoln and Colfax to celebrate the Biden-Harris victory, which they say finally brings them peace of mind in a very difficult year.
Moments after the
#RoeVWade
decision was announced, the Denver branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation released this flyer, calling on Denverites who wish to protest the decision, to meet outside the Colorado State Capitol starting at 5:30 this afternoon.
Hundreds are expected to gather Friday evening to demand that the 3 officers involved in the in-custody death of
#ElijahMcClain
be fired - along with the officers involved in a photograph taken near his memorial site - by the Aurora Police Department.
#BREAKING
: The
#Omicron
variant is now in Colorado, per the
@CDPHE
.
The case was identified in an adult female resident of Arapahoe County who had recently traveled to Southern Africa for tourism. She was fully vaccinated and is experiencing minor symptoms.
#COVID19Colorado
Oh, hey! This took a little more than a day to get after dropping off my ballot.
Friendly reminder ⏰: It is already too late to vote by mail in Colorado. Use the drop boxes or drive-thru drop-off sites, folks!
CDPHE says it's using tools at their disposal to track seasonal influenza trends but so far, haven't found anything unusual in wastewater.
Several thing came out of the Q&A that were of note, which will be shared in the following tweets. 6/n
A trio of young women have gathered at the intersection of Lincoln and Colfax to celebrate the Biden-Harris victory with makeshift signs.
"It's a big day for women. It's a big day for colored women. It's a big day for human rights," Jennifer Franklin tells me.
An update on
#H5N1
among dairy cows in Colorado. 🧵
A second outbreak among a dairy herd has been confirmed in the state, though very little information has been released about it. To start, here's what we know about
#birdflu
in Colorado cows so far:
Colorado ranks 3rd for most cases of the delta variant across the country, per the CDC.
Please wear a mask. This variant is spreading among the fully vaccinated.
#COVID19Colorado
@BNOFeed
For anyone following this: Colorado says they have tested 55 symptomatic workers for
#H5N1
#birdflu
in connection to this outbreak as of Friday.
The results from 48 samples collected today will be tested this weekend. More info. here:
Mexican comedian Eugenio Derbez is presenting the performance for
#Coco
’s “Remember Me.”
Finishes intro by saying, “¡Viva Mexico!” (Long live Mexico!”)
#Oscars
Found out my health insurance only provides a course of Paxlovid for free *per year.* If you get C-19 2x in a year, you'll have to foot the $1.4k to get it that 2nd time. Madness.
Please take care out there and share this info. with anyone you know. 😷
An update on the number of dairy workers being monitored for
#H5N1
in Colorado.
As of yesterday, 115 dairy workers were being monitored for
#birdflu
in connection with the state's 6 most recent outbreaks.
So what happened to the 113 from the first 4 outbreaks? 🧵
NEW: The number of dairy workers being monitored for
#H5N1
in Colorado has increased to 113, after the state's two most recent outbreaks potentially exposed 43 additional workers.
Because they have not reported symptoms of
#birdflu
, "they��have not met criteria to be tested" per
If you're following what's happening with
#H5N1
/
#birdflu
in dairy cattle, you've probably already seen that the number of affected herds in Colorado has jumped from 12 to... 19?!
What is going on? 🧵(You might want to catch up with what we knew as of Monday in the tweet below)
NEW: Colorado has released guidance for livestock owners and event organizers ahead of a busy show season this summer as the number of dairy cattle affected by an outbreak of
#H5N1
continues to grow statewide.
Young, older, athletes, non-athletes, politicians, musicians. People of all walks of life. They're experiencing
#LongCovid
.
Don't let it happen to you. Believe me, you don't want this. You don't want any of this. Protect yourself.
#MaskUp
There's a common myth being passed around that longCOVID is rare, that it only affects medically infirm people, that it can't happen to me. Here's a short thread on the famous people that are dealing with
#longCOVID
1/
A child holds a "DUMP TRUMP" sign outside the Colorado State Capitol as hundreds gather to celebrate the announcement that Joe Biden has been declared president-elect on Saturday, November 7, 2020.
Earlier today, Gov.
@jaredpolis
claimed that “we just haven’t seen the data” that supports mask requirements to stop the spread of
#COVID19Colorado
.
Who in his admin. is blocking this 🇰🇷 study from reaching him, which is ultimately contributing to dangerous policy decisions?
HUGE—In South Korea 🇰🇷, major study found mandatory wearing of masks reduced
#COVID19
rates by 93.5% and practicing both social distancing with masks on public transport during peak hours reduced infection rates by 98.1%. 👀
#MaskUp
#COVIDisAirborne
Yet another reason why you need
#MoreLatinosInNews
.
This story would not have come to light if people fluent in Spanish weren’t in the room.
How are Latinos supposed to trust the government if accurate information isn’t being provided? Can’t wait to see
@PattrikPerez
’s story.
The celebration in Denver continues.
DPS Board Director
@TayAndersonCO
just showed up with the Party for Socialism and Liberation and his bringing a crowd with him. The
#BidenHarris2020
festivities won't wrap up anytime soon.
A wildfire smoke fact sheet from the EPA recommends the use of N95 or P100 respirators to protect your lungs from wildfire smoke.
Why this very helpful information isn't being shared by the team responsible for creating these social media graphics for the governor is baffling.
Hey, Colorado! 🗣
Do you have a friend or family member who only speaks Spanish?
I wrote an article in Spanish about COVID-19 vaccine inequity and what local health organizations, in conjunction with the state, are doing to get you and your fam. vaccinated!
#COVID19Colorado
Cifras del estado demuestran que la comunidad latina en Colorado está batallando para obtener acceso a la vacuna contra el Covid-19, a pesar que funcionarios estatales se han comprometido a llevar la vacuna a comunidades desatendidas.
#VacunaCovidCO
@MeetJess
A rather interesting remark, since cold season in the U.S. ends around April.
There is, however, another virus surging in 39 states at the moment. Wonder if they are testing him for it.
@Alainwho
3. La comunidad teme que la falta de información adecuada sobre la enfermedad por parte de las autoridades mexicanas resulte en violentas agresiones en los días por venir.
@HLGatell
, por favor: Involucra a personas LGBTTTI para divulgar información adecuada en conf. de prensa.
This Glendale City Council meeting where they’re discussing whether to opt-out of the Tri-County Health Department’s mask mandate is wild.
Exhibit A: This lady calling
#COVID19Colorado
a hoax and donning (get it?) this mask.
This is an interesting
#H5N1
development considering the
@USDA
said at the end of May they were confident the meat supply was safe. Glad more testing will take place.
U.S. to expand
#birdflu
testing of beef in slaughterhouses beginning mid-September.
Genetic analysis reveals H5N1 flu virus outbreak in cows likely started earlier than thought
“The bad news is it looks like this is well entrenched and has been in cattle for a long time and … probably very, very, very widespread."
I’m covering this special council meeting.
In the 40+ mins. since this meeting started, all comments save for one have blasted the Aurora Police Department for how they handled Saturday’s
#ElijahMcClain
protest, as well as for new allegations at his memorial site.
Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman is holding a special city council meeting to hear from police about their use of force during Saturday’s protests over the death of
#ElijahMcClain
.
WATCH LIVE:
@Alainwho
2. Debido al punto No. 1, hay un sentimiento muy fuerte de dentro de la comunidad LGBTTTI en México de que nadie está haciendo nada porque los que están siendo afectados mayormente son HSH y/o LGBTTTI, y el estigma contra ellos previene haya más acción. 2/
Here's where things get a little 🤯:
As of yesterday (July 24), the CDPHE was monitoring more than 1,600 workers at dairy and poultry facilities for possible exposure to
#H5N1
. Approx. 100 poultry workers and 14 dairy workers have been tested for
#birdflu
to date, per spox. 3/n
Get in touch with your local refugee resettlement organization!
Lutheran Family Services has three locations in the Rocky Mountan Region: Greeley, Denver and Colorado Springs.
A bit more on the
#H5N1
situation in Colorado:
These newly confirmed cases mean that a total of 9 poultry workers have been infected with
#birdflu
- 8 of them just within the past 2 weeks (❗️) - since the outbreak was first detected in the state in 2022. 2/n
Some
#H5N1
news from Colorado: The state vet is mandating weekly bulk-tank testing to "survey, identify, and isolate instances of HPAI in dairy herds to prevent further spread of the virus amongst dairy and poultry farms."
CO leads in # of
#birdflu
outbreaks, infected workers.
6/✅UPDATE: CO has added **mandatory** weekly bulk milk tank
#H5N1
testing for ALL
@CDPHE
-licensed dairy cow farms in the state:
– 1st such measure from any state
– Takes effect TODAY
– Reqs all dairy producers to comply w/epidemiologic investigation requirements by State Vet