"King's County is raging with COVID, per today's CDC update" Would you like to see ALL the raw data behind this claim? I think you will find it amusing 🤣
Prof. Michael Fuhrer
@michaelsfuhrer.bsky.social
Epidemic epistemic trespassing. Knows a lot about graphene. Monash Uni. Directed fleet.org.au. Fellow @scienceacademy.bsky.social Plays bass for: instagram.com/push_the_trigger instagram.com/defibrillatorofficial Bird photos: flickr.com/photos/off-world
This is third installment of our efforts to generate near real-time data on human neutralizing antibody landscape to influenza. Our hope is that these data can improve vaccine-strain selection and ability to forecast short-term evolution of human seasonal influenza.
My hypothesis was that the price of really bottom-end goods has gone up more than reflected by the CPI. So I compared to the price of a Big Mac in the US, from The Economist's Big Mac Index. Nope, the price of a Big Mac has risen commensurately with the CPI. (At least in recent years!)
Will Stancil@whstancil.bsky.social · 2d agoOkay, I made a chart, it's every month since 1977. The blue line is how many people are citing high prices as a reason for worse finances in the U Mich consumer survey. The orange line is the annualized change in CPI. Do you see how the very close correlation MASSIVELY BREAKS DOWN in 2022?
Few people with the flu isolate for the recommended period Some people might shed the most influenza virus RNA just as their symptoms start to improve and they return to ordinary life. Read more: https://bit.ly/4rg4JyE
Fourth measles-associated death reported in Pennsylvania The Mifflin County Coroner says an 18-year-old has died of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, a rare and severe neurologic complication of measles. Read more: https://bit.ly/46W89NQ
People who say they’ll get vaccinated against COVID and flu often don’t. Why not? A new study highlights the factors that keep vaccine-willing adults from getting immunized. Read more: https://bit.ly/4zYooHr
Red-capped Robin, seen at Simpson's Gap, NT, Australia 🪶
Prof. Michael Fuhrer@michaelsfuhrer.bsky.social · last wk.Major Mitchell's Cockatoo was a bird I'd always wanted to see but I knew I'd need to get lucky on my Alice Springs trip. And I did! Saw a pair by the side of the road dining on feral Afghan melons. Lifer 😀 Major Mitchell's Cockatoo 🪶
I did a somewhat deep dive into the recent OpenAI and Anthropic "hacks" for an upcoming interview. IMO, the AI companies are better off running with the "rogue AI" story because the real story is actually pretty embarrassing. Like making your Wi-Fi password "wifi" embarrassing. 🧵
These are bold claims. Texas having a covid wave on par with the biggest of pandemic, "unimaginable" levels on Hawaii. @michael-hoerger.bsky.social bases these claims on wastewater data. Do the data support the claims? Let's have a look!
This week's update shows that all the early indicators for Covid-19 (positivity, ED visits, and wastewater RNA concentration) have peaked in the US. Positivity peaked 53% lower than summer 2025 ED visits peaked 62% lower than summer 2025 Wastewater RNA peaked 67% lower than summer 2025 More later!
Prof. Michael Fuhrer@michaelsfuhrer.bsky.social · last wk.Covid emergency department visits (blue) have peaked in US, ~60% lower than summer 2025, which was ~40% lower than summer 2024. Wastewater RNA, positivity, hospitalizations, deaths show similar trend. Covid-19 decreasing year-on-year, and the decrease is accelerating. Unexpected good news! 1/
That's 51 weeks of predictions vs observations in the US of Covid-19 R_eff for the SSM* and it is going pretty well. (black = observed, red = model) *silly seasonal model 1/
Prof. Michael Fuhrer@michaelsfuhrer.bsky.social · 7mo agoThe SSM* has been remarkably good at predicting R_eff for Covid-19 in the US for the last 22 weeks. (black = observed, red = model) 1/ bsky.app/profile/mich...
Major Mitchell's Cockatoo was a bird I'd always wanted to see but I knew I'd need to get lucky on my Alice Springs trip. And I did! Saw a pair by the side of the road dining on feral Afghan melons. Lifer 😀 Major Mitchell's Cockatoo 🪶
Prof. Michael Fuhrer@michaelsfuhrer.bsky.social · 2w agoThe most common fairywren sp. around Alice Springs. The blue makes a lovely contrast to the red rocks. Splendid Fairywren 🪶
Imagine that - a novel, highly divergent, betacoronavirus with a weird-looking* furin cleavage site popped right out of a bat butt 🦇. You gotta wonder 🤔. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A welcome drop this week in flu hospitalizations in NZ however still higher than any of the past 10 years, and 72 times (!) higher than Covid-19 in the past week. Influenza also very high in Australia. Please stay home if you feel unwell. This is the time of peak strain on the health care system.
Prof. Michael Fuhrer@michaelsfuhrer.bsky.social · 2w agoBad flu season continues in New Zealand. Hospital admissions with flu were 95 times (!) higher than admissions with Covid-19 last week. Exercise higher caution, and please stay home if you feel unwell. This is a time of absolute peak strain on the health care system.
Covid emergency department visits (blue) have peaked in US, ~60% lower than summer 2025, which was ~40% lower than summer 2024. Wastewater RNA, positivity, hospitalizations, deaths show similar trend. Covid-19 decreasing year-on-year, and the decrease is accelerating. Unexpected good news! 1/
The other "hangover from Covid" is that people spent years talking down influenza. Scolding those who made comparisons. When the point was that, as bad as covid was, influenza was still something to be taken seriously. www.rnz.co.nz/news/health/...
Why a GP wishes people would stop saying 'it's just the flu'
New Zealand is in the grip of Influenza A, and for our most vulnerable it's proving deadly
rnz.co.nz
The most common fairywren sp. around Alice Springs. The blue makes a lovely contrast to the red rocks. Splendid Fairywren 🪶
Prof. Michael Fuhrer@michaelsfuhrer.bsky.social · 2w agoHow cute is this tiny guy? Another lifer for me in Alice Springs. Red-browed Pardalote 🪶
How cute is this tiny guy? Another lifer for me in Alice Springs. Red-browed Pardalote 🪶
Prof. Michael Fuhrer@michaelsfuhrer.bsky.social · 2w agoA lifer, my first grasswren species (only 13 more to go 😬). Took three visits to a patch of old-growth spinifex outside Alice Springs to find these guys, but I did get nice views. (Rusty patch on flank says this one is female; unusual species where female is more colourful!) Dusky Grasswren 🪶
Bad flu season continues in New Zealand. Hospital admissions with flu were 95 times (!) higher than admissions with Covid-19 last week. Exercise higher caution, and please stay home if you feel unwell. This is a time of absolute peak strain on the health care system.
Prof. Michael Fuhrer@michaelsfuhrer.bsky.social · 3w agoNew Zealand is experiencing quite a flu surge at the moment, with rates of severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) at their highest in the last decade.
Summer Covid-19 waves in the US (red arrows) used to be far above the baseline of all pneumonia/influenza/Covid-19 deaths. This current wave (blue arrow) isn't even visible in PIC deaths (red line). A reminder that, as bad as the pandemic was, the airborne-AIDS apocalypse did not eventuate.
Prof. Michael Fuhrer@michaelsfuhrer.bsky.social · 2w agoI replotted the chart so you can see the whole pandemic. Pneumonia/influenza/Covid-19 deaths made up over one-third (33.8%) of *all* deaths in the US at the peak in winter 2020-21. Astounding.
I replotted the chart so you can see the whole pandemic. Pneumonia/influenza/Covid-19 deaths made up over one-third (33.8%) of *all* deaths in the US at the peak in winter 2020-21. Astounding.
Prof. Michael Fuhrer@michaelsfuhrer.bsky.social · 2w agoThe percentage of deaths in US due to pneumonia/influenza/Covid-19 (PIC, red line) is at its lowest level since at least 2018-2019. 1/
The percentage of deaths in US due to pneumonia/influenza/Covid-19 (PIC, red line) is at its lowest level since at least 2018-2019. 1/
Want to see the actual raw data behind this viral post from @michael-hoerger.bsky.social? It's rather insightful! 1/
A lifer, my first grasswren species (only 13 more to go 😬). Took three visits to a patch of old-growth spinifex outside Alice Springs to find these guys, but I did get nice views. (Rusty patch on flank says this one is female; unusual species where female is more colourful!) Dusky Grasswren 🪶
Prof. Michael Fuhrer@michaelsfuhrer.bsky.social · 3w agoA constant companion when birding around Alice Springs. This one with orange cheeks is a male. Zebra Finch🪶
We have been out catching rufous scrub-birds again this week which requires a blood sacrifice to the forest gods for success
I've confirmed Walgreens will let people self-attest that they qualify for an updated Covid shot—meaning they won't require proof of a high-risk condition—in all states EXCEPT AZ/OR/UT, where prescription is required for now. (Rx requirement in those states could change) Pls see next post in thread
F.D.A. Approves New Covid Vaccines, and They Should Be Available Soon (Gift Article)
The shots have been approved for people 65 and older, and for younger people with underlying conditions. Others may be able to get them off label.
nytimes.com
A constant companion when birding around Alice Springs. This one with orange cheeks is a male. Zebra Finch🪶
Prof. Michael Fuhrer@michaelsfuhrer.bsky.social · 3w agoBudgerigar was a lifer for me on this trip. They were abundant and I saw them in large murmurating flocks at dusk, but it was a bit of a challenge to get a close-up during the day. Budgerigar 🪶
🧪⚛️ 1/7 We are one month away from the end of the federal fiscal year. Right now, the NSF is on track to issue about 4000 fewer (!!) awards in FY26 than it did back in FY21-FY24, and 2000 fewer than it did in the tumultuous FY25 (with its government shutdowns and mass cutbacks in agency personnel).
