End Of An Era: My Last Post Here And On To New Digs

Difficult to believe that I started posting on this blog 17 years ago. 3,614 blog posts later and I think it's time to get some new digs.

This platform, the Blogger platform, has been great, but it's not being updated, it's clunky, and I think it's time to move to the new pasture over at Substack where I may also try adding in some podcasting and getting back to writing. The thing about writing right now - truthfully I find it challenging to consider in the context of the pandemic. It feels unimportant in comparison which is why I've been using this platform to provide you with what I feel is some of the best and most useful articles on COVID. I'll likely keep doing that, but realize that we're likely never going back to 2019 and so I need to find a way to do more than just curate links.

Those of you who are email subscribers here, there's no need to do anything, assuming I clicked all the buttons the right way, you should be receiving the Weighty Matters Substack at 7am EST this morning.

Thank you for spending your time with me here. 

[Also, it’s that time of year again, this Movember I’m trying to channel my best Steven Ogg from the Walking Dead as that seems somehow apropos to the times.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure I was going to do Movember this year, and then I watched a video where they discussed their funding of a first responder led program for first responders with PTSD and that got me back in line quickly. I’ve raised just over a third of my goal and would certainly welcome and appreciate your donations which you can give by clicking here.]

Saturday Stories: Must Read Open Letter

Too many medical organizations to list pen an open letter to President Biden illustrating what care is like in hospitals that are beyond capacity. Same issues here in Canada, and if you're not in healthcare, you should absolutely take the time to read to understand what your care might be like if you need it.

Also, it's still Movember! If you'd like to donate to my fundraising efforts, you can do so here! 

Finally, I may start a slow transition over to Substack. Blogger (this plaftorm) is very clunky and I'd be surprised if there was much if any work being done to maintain or improve upon it. You can find me on substack at Going great! Let's do nothing!  For the next little bit, I'll mirror on both, and if I find it's easier to maintain over there, I'll let you know. 

Saturday Stories: Milder COVID?, and COVID consensus

Mun-Keat Looi,  Elisabeth Mahase, in the BMJ, ask is COVID is getting milder (spoiler, no) 

A collection of scientists from around the world, in Nature, publish a multinational Delphi consensus to end the COVID-19 public health threat (spoiler, we know what we need to do, we're just not doing it)

Also, it's that time of year again. If you find my posts (here or on social media) in any way helpful, please consider donating to my Movember efforts (this year I'm trying to channel my inner Simon from The Walking Dead as that seems apropos)

Saturday Stories: The Subvariants and Racial Inequity

Steven Novella, in Science Based Medicine, on the coming subvariants

Marina Del Rios, Nathan T. Chomilo and Neil A. Lewis, Jr., in STAT, on the racial inequities of our COVID response.

Saturday Stories: Death Eaters And Unfollowed Advice

Gregg Gonsalves, in The Nation, with his call to rescue public health from the death eaters of neutrality. 

Ezekiel J. Emanuel, David Michaels, Rick Bright and Michael T. Osterholm, in the New York Times, on the unheeded advice they provided President Biden as members of his COVID advisory board regarding the pandemic. 

Saturday Stories: I Want My Far-UV, Japan, And Long COVID Doc Testimony

Chris Baraniuk, in the Atlantic, on the promise that are far-UV lamps for this and all future pandemics and airborne pathogens. They can't come fast enough. 

Philip Schellekens, in pandemic, on the difference in approaches between the G7 countries with the highest (US) and lowest (Japan) COVID death rates.

Tara De Boer, in Macleans, interviews Dr. Angela Cheung on her experiences working in one of Canada's new long COVID clinics

Saturday Stories: Nihilism, Warning Signs, and Mass Infections

Nate Holdren, in Bill of Health, on Pandemic Nihilism, Social Murder, and the Banality of Evil

Katherine Wu, in The Atlantic, on our upcoming "post-pandemic" winter.

Jonathan Howard, in Science Based Medicine, on the ethics of the mass infection of unvaccinated young people.

Saturday Stories: Clean Air, History Repeating, and Joe Lunn

Nina Notman, in Chemistry World, on whether we can clean our indoor air.

Ed Yong, in The Atlantic, with a must read piece on how our failure on COVID means this is all certain to happen again. Ed reported on Twitter that he'll be taking a 6 month hiatus. His voice will be dearly missed.

Heather Kitching, for CBC News, tells us the tragic tale of Joe Lunn, the heart transplant recipient who spoke out with his fear that he would die consequent to the province abandoning even the most basic of protections, who died of COVID.

Saturday Stories: Hubris, Value, and The New Boosters

Andrew Nikiforuk, in The Tyee, on what led one fit COVID minimizing immunologist to drop his hubris (spoiler, it was post COVID congestive heart failure)

Alicia Puglionesi, in The Yale Review, on whose deaths we value.

Edward Nirenberg, in Deplatform Disease, with what we do and don't know about the new COVID booster shots.

Saturday Stories: Brain Fog, Dingbats, and Failures

Ed Yong, in The Atlantic, with a tremendous piece on COVID brain fog.

Jonathan Jarry, in McGill's Office for Science and Society, explores Eric Feigl-Ding's monetized alarmism.

Jefferey D. Sachs and more professors than I can list, in The Lancet, present The Lancet's commission findings detailing the ways the world has failed its pandemic response and suggestions moving forward.