The measles outbreak in Ontario is impacting more than 800 people, including the vaccinated.

Among the fully vaccinated sick with measles, 20-39 year olds have the largest number of infections.

I would have assumed it would be older groups due to waning vaccine effectiveness… so this intrigues me.

More people with young children? More socializing? What’s the X factor? Are repeat Covid infections playing a role?

You can speak to your doctor about getting a titre check to see if you need a booster, and a well fitted respirator like an N95 provides an extra layer of protection!

https://www.publichealthontario.ca/-/media/Documents/M/24/measles-ontario-epi-summary.pdf?rev=da3ffec26cc0471f83ed9de3ca356e1c&sc_lang=en

People refer to Covid in the past tense because they WANT it to be over… not because it actually IS over.

We’ve all suffered a collective trauma, and most people are refusing to process or deal with it.

A few key points people are determined to “forget”:

“During Covid” is now.

“During the pandemic” is now.

Covid is not over.

Covid IS airborne.

Masks, especially well fitted N95s, offer excellent protection

Anyone can get Long Covid, and your risk increases with each infection.

Even if your initial infection was “mild”, you could have long term damage to your vascular system, immune system, lungs and brain.

Repeat infections are NOT inevitable.

We CAN beat the pandemic together. But it involves collective effort. It involves acknowledging we’re still in a pandemic and “you do you” isn’t working. It involves caring about the air we share, and being willing to adapt.

Let’s make 2025 the year we can actually begin putting Covid in the past!

No mask on
your face

You big
disgrace

Spreading
your
germs all
over the
place.

#MaskUp #COVIDisAIRBORNE

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/funnysigns/comments/p0a3f7/queen_no_mask_on_your_face_you_big_disgrace/

New study shows that COVID may damage your immune system for a year post infection.

This is the problem with ignoring a pandemic in favour of a “you do you” approach.

There’s so much Covid that most people get it at least once per year. Their immune systems don’t have time to recover before they become infected again.

Disability advocates have been screaming about this for years. We beg people to mask up for their own protection and to make public spaces safer and more accessible for us.

We don’t yet know what the long term prognosis will be after 5, 10 or 15+ infections.

Wear a mask. Clean and ventilate the air. Do your part to minimize the spread.

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/covid-19-may-put-patients-risk-other-infections-least-1-year

URGENT: Seeking someone from Prince George, BC open to being interviewed about the loss of masks in healthcare! We have a request from a journalist seeking a local angle to cover this story.

Contact us ASAP at DoNoHarmBC[at]gmail[dot]com if interested, and please spread the word!

Note: you don’t need to have any experience with media interviews, and you don't need to be an "expert". We have tip sheets ready to go, and are happy to provide support. Many interviews can be done remotely, by phone or email.

well- another Trans Day of Visibility, another year in which the bulk of the trans community is still refusing to protect the disabled and chronically ill among us.

so with that in mind, I'd ask that you notice who isn't visible today. notice the friends and community members who have checked out of IRL meetups because the community is allowing airborne, contagious, disabling viruses to circulate without end.

and remember that we exist, too. we're here, and we're the ones who even you have forgotten.

I just had a guy get angry at me for saying we’re still in a pandemic. He said it was fear mongering and “silly” to continue to take precautions.

He then went on to say his wife has Long Covid and he’s had Covid “at least 4-5 times”.

This attitude is why we’re in this mess. His own wife was disabled by Covid, and rather than adapt his behaviour he’s exposed her 4-5 additional times.

Repeat infections are devastating to those with Long Covid. Not to mention each infection does cumulative damage, and eventually you will be left disabled.

Even if you’re someone who believes it’s “just a flu”… surely you recognize people didn’t get the flu 4-5 times in a four year period? Being sick that often is an aberration, and a darn good reason to take precautions.

You know who hasn’t had COVID 4-5 times? People who are taking precautions.

Bonus tip: If you’re masking and you become infected anyways, you’ve reduced your viral load AND you’ve made sure not to infect anyone else. That’s community care & compassion and it’s worth doing.

It took me over a decade to realize I was disabled.

Internalized ableism is no joke. It can lead us to push our bodies and deny our reality.

I was a sickly child my whole life - but we didn’t discover the reasons until I turned 30. It was validating to finally have answers. A name for my conditions, explanations for why I never felt well & why my body couldn’t do what other people could.

Despite my now having validation and multiple diagnoses of chronic illness and disability - I didn’t identify as disabled. I was still working, still supporting myself…
So surely that meant I wasn’t right? I was scared of what it would mean if I said I was disabled.

Would people judge me? Think less of me? Would my non disabled friends distance themselves and would disabled people think I wasn’t “disabled enough”? I recognize now these were questions that were mainly due to my own internalized ableism.

I was worried about these things
because I didn’t understand dynamic disability.

I was also grieving my health. Even though I was sick before the diagnosis - once they had a name and no cure I had to come to terms with the fact that I was never going to get better.

I was likely the most functional I would ever be - and would probably lose function as I aged. That reality hit me like a ton of bricks and it took me a long time to reach a point of acceptance.

An injury followed by a viral infection took my remaining function away from me and left me completely housebound.

It wasn’t until a caring and compassionate doctor explained the concept of dynamic disability that I realized I WAS disabled and that I had been for many years.

This good doctor encouraged me to write about my experiences to help others - and while it took me time to become confident enough to speak out - I’m so glad I did.

The fact that I had so much fear of judgement, so much difficulty accepting reality only served to show me why we need more disability advocates. We need people telling their stories. It helps with acceptance of chronic illness & educates others on dynamic disability

If Covid has taught us anything it’s that a large number of people still see the disabled as “expendable”.

How many times have we heard “Covid is mild unless you have pre-existing conditions”. This has been the party line for the entire pandemic

Many folks don’t realize that it’s rooted in ableism. To say it’s only dangerous for those who are already sick is to say that we don’t matter. That killing or maiming us is acceptable as long as the non disabled can continue to live life as though we’ve gone back to 2019

As a result many disabled and high risk individuals have been isolating for five years. Have been quietly exited from society to protect themselves. We started to re-enter the world when high quality respirators became easily available - but even that is problematic

We get bullied from the “covid is over” crowd. They want us at home. They want us to not exist. Because we are a constant reminder of their own mortality and the fact that they are risking disability every time they get a Covid infection.

But here’s the incredible thing I’ve seen happen in the last few years. The disability community are organizing. They may be isolated at home but they’ve found community online. They’ve galvanized around inspiring leaders with strong voices and are creating a movement.

Not just for Covid caution & Long Covid but for the rights of disabled people across the world. For better access to healthcare, more inclusion and recognition of diversity and minority groups. Hashtags, campaigns and artwork have started taking off. We are getting louder

Activism is more important now than ever before, as we face existential threats due to the changing political landscape.

It’s a powerful moment for intersectionality. All of us who are marginalized can and should be working together to bring about change

It’s a scary time, but I have hope whenever I see people speaking out. Sharing stories. Refusing to go gently.

I’m glad to have finally stepped up and found my voice - and I hope that by sharing my story I play a small role in making the world safer

If you’re disabled or chronically ill (or even if you aren’t sure) and you’re afraid to speak up - please don’t be. Speak up. Reach out. Share your story. There’s an incredible community waiting for you and we will lift you up and help you find your voice.

Activism is important right now, but so is pacing. We must work to save our spoons amidst the torrent of bad news & stress we’re inundated with.

“We are a community. We carry each other through the tough times. Our love and support knows no borders, so when a group of us are hurting we all hurt”

https://www.disabledginger.com/p/spoon-saving-social-media-tips-and

Mask bans are ableist, discriminatory ugly laws.

Disabled advocates have been warning for years that if people didn’t help normalize masking, bans would follow

Please call legislators in New York and tell them No mask bans!

Medical exemptions aren’t enough, everyone needs the legal right to mask

The police are not doctors. They can’t determine who’s “sick enough” to wear a mask.

Many people with invisible illnesses struggle to get healthcare workers to take us seriously. We don’t want to be questioned by police.

Everyone should be allowed to mask up to prevent covid.

Fantastic news! Long Covid research grants restored due to the efforts of advocates all over the country.

Never let anyone silence you or convince you that your voice doesn’t matter.

We all have power, and even those of us who are disabled can make a difference in our own way.

Speak up, demand accountability and work together. Change is possible!

https://thesicktimes.org/2025/03/28/update-recover-long-covid-pathobiology-grants-restored/

https://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/how-denial-of-airborne-covid-transmission-broke-the-world/?s=09

Respirators are so effective that United Kingdom research has indicated their use by the public would have dropped the rate of COVID transmission by an estimated factor of 9, compared with 0.6 for surgical masks. A factor of 9 is enough to put SARS-COV-2 into exponential decay, meaning the virus would have been highly suppressed for as long as respirator use continued. The exponential math of viral spread also means that perfect masking compliance would not have been required to achieve suppression.

@maskup

My covid exposure story.

So last Wednesday, I had close exposure to someone with #Covid. She had a sore throat, but I didn't know it. We were all masked. I had an N95 mask on, and she and her friend wore KN95s. We were in our car together, windows closed, for more than 30 minutes. She felt full on sick on Thursday and really sick on Friday. She tested positive on Monday. I got tested yesterday and the PCR test came back negative today. 1/2 #CovidIsNotOver #COVIDisAirborne

COVID minimizers have said for years that “if” it was that dangerous we would see increases in other illnesses

We’re at that stage, and no one is talking about it. Deny. Deflect. Obfuscate.

“Other illnesses that weaken the immune system and allow latent TB infections to emerge may also be at play”

https://www.newser.com/story/366057/tb-cases-spike-to-highest-level-since-2011.html

New York Governor Hochul is trying to sneak a mask ban into the budget, despite the opposition of many disabled & high risk people who NEED masks to safely access public spaces.

Criminalizing masks during an airborne pandemic, while measles is on the rise, is dangerous, ableist & eugenicist.

Call and email elected officials and tell them you oppose mask bans and that medical exemptions are NOT sufficient

https://gothamist.com/news/gov-hochul-is-pushing-a-last-minute-subway-mask-ban-in-state-budget-talks

Mask bans already exist in certain States and counties.

Vance spearheaded a federal ban on mask mandates.

Organizing to codify the right to wear medical masks and respirators is (sadly) needed.

Masking is community care and resistance.

Illinois attempting to codify right to mask into law:

https://pmefa.org/

This is why respirators need to be mandatory in hospitals.

Babies, people with certain disabilities & some health conditions need others to mask to protect them.

This hospital shouldn’t be “scrambling”. Make masks mandatory & protect patients and staff.

Clean & ventilate the air too!