All of the tracked respiratory illnesses are on the decline or stable at low levels, including COVID-19. Charts From the BC CDC Situation Report: Comparison vs. Other Influenza-Like-Illnesses, from the Viral Pathogen Characterization page: In the most recent data (ending 12 April) as reported on 17 April 2025, among influenza-like illness (i.e upper respiratory diseases)… Continue reading 2025-04-18 BC
2025-04-18 General
Omni-Testing 😮🩸‼️🎉 This paper (2025-02-21) reports on a method of sequencing the genomes of T-cells and B-cells from a patient’s blood sample which allows them to diagnose with great accuracy what pathogens the patient has been exposed to. Apparently B cells and T cells don’t have the genome of the rest of the body, but… Continue reading 2025-04-18 General
2025-04-11 BC
Influenza is still here but keeps dropping; COVID-19 levels are pretty much static. Mpox This article (2025-04-08) says that mpox cases are ticking up, and the province is urging people in high-risk groups to get an mpox vaccination.. Most of the cases have been men who have sex with men, mostly in Vancouver Health. Charts… Continue reading 2025-04-11 BC
2025-04-11 General
Measles A reader pointed out that you can get a blood test to tell you how good your measles immunity is, so you know if you need another shot. The someone said that it might be useful for people who got a (possibly ineffective) vaccine in the 1960s. This is absolutely true, however, the cost/hassle… Continue reading 2025-04-11 General
2025-04-04 BC
I have been trying to understand why COVID-19 levels have been so low in BC for so long. Levels were r-e-l-a-t-i-v-e-l-y stable for since late October 2023, moving between ~270 cases/week (in April 2024) and ~630 cases/week (in October 2024) for all that time. But starting in October 2024, cases went down steadily, until last… Continue reading 2025-04-04 BC
2025-04-04 General
COVID-19 Random 👵🏻 Some people have noted that after COVID-19 infections, people get all kinds of diseases at rates comparable to older people. I also feel like I’m “younger” than my grandparents were at my age. (I absolutely cannot imagine my grandmother going on a 45km bike ride at my age, for example.) Knowing what… Continue reading 2025-04-04 General
2025-03-28 BC
🎉🎉🎉 This is really amazing. There are only about 40 people in hospital with COVID-19 right now. The count hasn’t been that low literally since Alpha hit! I suspect that partly this is from less testing, partly because of vaccines, partly because the treatments have gotten better, and partly because the number of cases really… Continue reading 2025-03-28 BC
2025-03-28 General
COVID-19 US Politics I avoid talking about 🇺🇸US politics too much; I try to focus on what is relevant for BC. But as this article (2025-03-25) reports, the Trump administration has cancelled USD$11.4 billion (with a B) in US CDC funds for COVID-19 testing, vaccination, community health workers, initiatives to address Covid health disparities among… Continue reading 2025-03-28 General
2025-03-21 BC
Influenza B is going up, but the level of total influenza is now definitely coming down — as is basically everything else except Entero/rhinoviruses, which are merely holding steady. Even COVID-19 is down, too. Yay spring! Charts From the BC CDC Situation Report: Comparison vs. Other Influenza-Like-Illnesses, from the Viral Pathogen Characterization page: In the… Continue reading 2025-03-21 BC
General 2025-03-21
COVID-19 Long COVID 🪧 This article (2025-03-15) says that there was a Long COVID protest at the Vancouver Art Gallery on 15 March. I’m bummed that I didn’t know about it ahead of time. 🐕🦺🤧 This older paper (2025-06-15) reports that dogs could be trained to detect Long COVID with high accuracy! They could distinguish… Continue reading General 2025-03-21