Irritated...

 

I hauled trash to the curb on Wednesday.  It was crunchy snow/ice/slush all the way.  We don't take it out on Thursday because we never know when the trash truck will run.    Yesterday, it didn't.  I get why, but now I have to haul it back in.  We called about this yesterday & we're told things were just running late.  Trash is still on the curb this morning.  I call again & the people are irritated.   They acted like I was being rude for inquiring why my trash hadn't been picked up & when pickups would resume.  

Screw them, I should dump my trash on their office.  I'm not upset that the trash didn't run, it's slick out.  I'm pissed that they probably knew yesterday & I could have already had this handled. 

Oh well, a shopping trip is waiting for me to get around.  Take care.

PS - not about HIV, but this is a good piece over Long COVID.

Cya...

Still Causing Issues...

 

For normal people, COVID was problematic.  For more vulnerable populations, it was devastating.  Across the world, those living in the harshest of conditions or on the  fringe, such as being HIV+, saw their worlds grow much worse as COVID ravaged the world & it's economic infrastructure.  Many resources used to help these people, to fight HIV, were suddenly gone, slashed or diverted to deal with COVID.

Every bad factor that led to HIV & the horrors of living with it iwas magnified.  COVID undid years, if not more, of the fight against HIV.  It brought out the worst in people & situations as fears grew, isolation increased  & the economy plunged.  There is very little in regards to the fight against HIV that isn't worse off now than before COVID.  

With all of this; testing, awareness & outreach are more important than ever.  Be as safe as possible, get tested.  Be kind to others, but especially be kind to yourself.

Cya... 

Stupid Rumors...

 

There has been a ridiculous rumor since the before the arrival of the COVID vaccine.  Some people have said the vaccine could cause HIV infections.  This idiocy apparently never left.  Many researchers have been falsely accused of reporting that if you have had your vaccines & booster, you should have "AIDS" test.  

To start, no vaccine researcher has been proven to  have said anything of the sort.  2nd, if someone refers to being tested for HIV as an "AIDS" test, they're ignorant & likely to be stirring the pot.

The COVID vaccines do not & can not cause HIV.  Get your vaccines & get tested.  But don't worry about getting HIV from anything other than exposure to the virus.

Cya...

Science Won't...

 

I've come across a few articles lately, that while aggravating, are accurate.  Science won't end COVID, it  hasn't & won't end HIV.  HIV may be incurable, but we've had the means to test, treat & contain it for decades.   Hasn't meant a damn thing in ending  HIV.  It's lowered the fatality rates, but the virus continues to be spread even now.

The same is true with COVID.   We've had the means  to lessen the spread & impact of this virus for a bit now.  It isn't ending this outbreak.

Yes,  science will impact the spread of these illnesses.  But, not enough.  It takes money, a lot of money.  Even with the funds, it takes the willingness of the population.  The group has to be willing to listen, learn & face the problem in a logical manner.  Little of this was accomplished with HIV.  Even less headway has been made with COVID.  Violent, angry indulged ignorance has been the chosen path for many when facing COVID & those trying to fight it.   These people choose violence, hate,  idiocy & conspiracy theories over the facts.  Again, they have made a virus an ideological matter.  A thing of religion & politics. 

Science can't & won't end HIV or COVID.  There are too many stupid, violent indulgent people in the world.  Do your best to keep yourself safe, no one  else will.  Take care.

Cya...

HIV Meds, COVID, The Flu...

 

I woke up feeling like crap, so this will be a short post.  I did find this piece, it concerns COVID's interaction with some older HIV meds & the flu.  Like many diagnosed when I was, my 1st meds were a cocktail of pills.  Among those was a protease  inhibitor.  I was on a few back then, now I'm  not on  any.  According to this article, these meds lessened COVID infections rates & severity. 

The other point was that a combination of COVID & the flu was dangerous.  These people had a higher chance of severe illness & death.   So, get vaccinated against COVID & the flu.  If not a combination case could be highly damaging or deadly.

That's all for now, take  care.

Cya...

More Fallout...

 

US COVID numbers may be going down, but the virus is far from being under control.  There are parts of  the world, where the numbers are as high as they ever were.  Parts of Asia, especially China, are facing incredible levels of COVID due to the latest variant.    

Last March 4th, I got my 1st dose of Moderna's vaccine, a month later I got the 2nd, the booster came in December.  There may be a 4th dose, who knows?  They have numbers of those who were infected, who were hospitalized & those who died from COVID.  Those numbers are inaccurate.

There are people like me, who may have had an early, unidentified case of COVID.   It's known there were cases in my area when I was hospitalized with what they thought was pneumonia.  They never really knew what was wrong with me.

The numbers don't count all the people who died, because they couldn't get into COVID flooded hospitals.  Many died of normal health issues & trauma & they aren't counted in the COVID deaths.  A lot of people withered & died early due to lack of social contact, consider the housebound & rest home residents.   

Then there is the fallout of people not being able to  be tested/treated for HIV, TB, hepatitis, STI's, cancer, etc...  There has been a report of surges in alcohol/drug usage during the pandemic.  Not surprisingly, alcohol/drug related incidents, illnesses & deaths also jumped.  People with mental illness & the disabled have mostly been left to their own devices, which were limited to begin with. 

I didn't cite articles in this post.  Google an aspect of it & you find many pieces of each part.  Those affected by COVID, directly or not, have been severely underreported.  This wasn't out of malice,  but due to being overwhelmed, ill prepared & unaware of those in need outside the imminent presence of COVID.  COVID was a disaster in every way.   The fallout may never be completely understood or known.  It has happened, is happening & will continue long after this virus is contained.  

Sometimes an illness is more than just a diagnosis.  Disasters impact regions, not just the epicenter of  the event.  We have to accept that what affects part of the whole, eventually impacts the entirety of it all.  Until then, we will always wind up right back in the same place we are now.

Cya...

Reasonable...

 

There's news of massive surges in COVID numbers in China.  There are reports of COVID numbers rising in places  that have relaxed or abandoned COVID  protocols, such as Britain.   Now, there's Ukraine.   

Beyond the ravages of war, this piece details concerns of a viral nature.   There is a reasonable fear of  things like HIV, COVID, TB & others spreading during the Russian onslaught going on in Ukraine.  The effects of this aggression will be felt for decades.  

The fear of these illnesses spreading valid & reasonable.  Take care & best wishes to those in need. 

Cya...

Melting...

 

It actually snowed yesterday.  We've had frozen yick this year, but little actual snow.   For a few moments it was pretty.  Then the cold, slickness of it hit.  The ground was too warm for anything to stick well.  It's  halfway melted already & we're just above freezing.  It'll be gone in a few hours.  Hopefully, that's the last of Winter & it's wintry weather.   

The state COVID site has dropped down to weekly reporting.  We were averaging about 150 new cases a day.  The active number of cases was in the 2K range,  which is our lowest.  Still the number of deaths is high.   Maybe we can get past it this time.  

Not much happening today.  We'll move clocks  forward & normal stuff,  but that's about it.  Take care.

Cya...

Well, OK Then, Cold...

 

It's not as bright this morning & the weekend is going to be cold, overnights in the low 20s.  Looks like next weekend is going to do the same.  I know it's February, but I'm sick of the cold.  Today would've been my mother's birthday.  She was born on the same day as Lincoln.  When I was little, both Lincoln & Washington's birthdays were on the Calendar, now there's just President's Day.  

There are constantly articles about disparities between the medical situations of the mainstream population & other groups, especially those based on ethnicity, race, religion, ideology or socioeconomic class.  For some poor people, medical attention may be difficult to access or afford.  For the rest, it's something else.

Most often these articles refer to Black people.  I'm sure they have their reasons for avoiding conversations or treatment for HIV, COVID & other things.  The point is, it doesn't matter.  Without education, prevention, conversation & treatment these people are going to continue to be disproportionately affected by these illnesses.  There's nothing anyone outside  this community can do about it.  At this point, this is their fight.

That's all for no, take care.

Cya...

Goodbye January & Just Great...

 

The 1st month of 2022 is almost over.  I suppose it wasn't bad as far as Januaries go.  Still the weather had been a bit of a pill.  People this month on the other hand, have been mostly a bunch of dangerous idiots, at least in our State.   COVID is still there & they're acting like it's a myth or a cold.  We jumped over  100K active  cases in less  than 3 weeks.  It seems to be going back  down some now.   

This piece isn't great, but it'll have to do.  I saw others like it, but they were all behind paywalls.  It details how a South African woman who was inadequately treated for HIV developed COVID.  She had COVID  for over 9 months & developed 21 mutations.  Once properly treated for HIV, she recovered in 9 weeks.  

People with compromised immune systems can allow COVID to mutate rapidly.  This is likely how we got the beta & omicron variants.  Africa has an immense number of people living with HIV who are not or undertreated.  Vaccinations for COVID & treatment for people with HIV & immunity issues is necessary for CVOID to be controlled.

That's all for now.  Goodbye January.  Take care,

Cya...

mRNA Early...

 

This article deals with mRNA vaccines & a little of how they work.  These are some of the vaccines being used to treat COVID.  The technology is decades old & began as research for fighting cancer.  

At this point, it's being tailored to better suit changing variants of COVID.  The company Moderna & others are looking forward & continuing research into vaccines against cancer.  The research is also moving into treatments  for  HIV & autoimmune disorders.

This may not work.  But it's a step forward & more information in the fight against HIV & possibly other illnesses.  That's all for  now.  Take care.

Cya...

Blocked, Stupid & Gone...

 

I have a few gripes.  I found a few promising articles  this morning.  When I tried to look further, I got  blocked.  I didn't even see enough to tell if the article was worth trying to find elsewhere.  I understand people need to be paid for their work.  However, if most sites with HIV info have paywalls, who are they really reaching?  Probably not the people who could benefit from the info.

Oklahomans are  stupid & many deserve to die from COVID.   During the 1st week of January we have about 24K active cases.  Less than a month later  due to stupidity & Omicron we have over 129K.  That's  more than a 100,000 case increase.  There is no  excuse.  Our hospitals are glutted & there's no room for people who have actual emergencies; heart attacks,  broken bones, strokes, etc...  These people aren't just stupid, they're selfish asshats willing to endanger everyone.  DIE SOON IDIOTS.

Finally, because of striking workers & supply chain issues, the stores are more bare now than ever.  Basic things like regular crackers & cereals are gone.  I support workers.  But to strike during times like this isn't hurting the company.  It only hurts the people who depend on those products.  It also makes some of them anti-worker.

Fix your paywalls,  get vaccinated & stock the shelves. That's all I'm asking.  Doubt I'll see any of it happen.   OK, gripes are over.    Take care.

Cya...

Annoying...

 

Some mornings are just annoying & that was this morning.  You wake up feeling good & then the F'ery kicks in.  On mornings like this, it's usually nothing big, just a bunch of little crap lined up in a row; computer updates, ice maker issues, in the way cat...  In the morning, I'm just trying to go from grumbling, zombie stares to a real living person.  Leave me the hell alone.

Luckily, it's decently bright this morning & warming up a bit.  Neither will last long this week, so I'll take while I can.  Luckily, other than getting around, I don't have anything to do this morning.

I'm annoyed with Oklahomans.  For the past week, our daily number of new COVID cases has been over 12K.  We did have 30K+ active case with a rolling average in the 4K range.  Now we have over 110K active cases with a rolling average of new cases over 10K.   Oklahomans get yourself taken care of.  Either vax & be as safe as possible or just die already.

That's it for now.  Take care. 

Cya...

OK...

 

The bad thing about research is it's ongoing, especially about newer topics.  For over a year, researchers have vacillated on the subject of HIV & COVID, now add in vaccines & boosters.  The material alters between how HIV impacts the severity & risk for COVID, with or without the vaccine/booster.  It's confusing & a little annoying for someone who's read a lot of articles on the matter.  For a novice, it must be boggling.  I'll just go with the avoid it as much as possible & get the shots.

It's going to bright & warmer today.  That's good.  Take care.

Cya...

Yesterday Went Well...

 

Even after finding out the stupidly high number of COVID cases in my state, we had a good day.  By stupid I mean, our numbers are worse than last year's at this time.  

Last year, a more people were trying to stay safe, not now.  Since about Thanksgiving, stores have been full of unmasked people acting like they'd never seen a Walmart before.  Most of these maskless people are probably not vaccinated.   I see loads of little kids too young to voice concern in these crowds without masks.  They're all so pro-life, but they won't protect their kids.

Other than shopping, we didn't do much yesterday.  But, it was sunny & we felt better.  Both of which were nice.  You have to take the silver linings where you can.  

That's all for  now, take care.

Cya...

Car, Cold, Sleep...

 

Car issues, house stress, light changes, the cold & more conspired to exhaust me.  I woke late this morning & slept very deeply last night.  I'm a bit stiff from it all.  We got the car back & they said it was  fixed.  Days are starting to get longer again, it's a long process.  It'll be cold until at least March.   

I don't have much to write about this morning.  It's the day before Christmas Eve.   Until COVID started, we'd have tried to do more, but now it's just not worth it. Few people are wearing masks or even trying to be safe.  A little over half our state is fully vaccinated & a much lower number has had their boosters.   With the holidays & Omicron, the COVID numbers will probably go way up again.  

Maybe next year will be better & we can go see a movie or at least eat out somewhere nice for our birthdays.  Be safe this holiday season & take  care.

Cya...

Iffy Articles...

 

I found 2 lines of thought in the articles this morning that could've proved interesting, they didn't.  The 1st group's titles inferred AIDS or undertreated HIV could stifle COVID.  What they sort of said was that immunocompromised people could harbor the COVID virus longer & possibly allow it to mutate.  Then they went on to say there was a need to study these regions to better understand the development of COVID variants.  There was a lot of blather, but little info.

The 2nd group's main push seemed to be the CDC was going to push an aggressive, new strategy to get HIV better under control in the US.  Sounds great.  What's their plan?  They want doctors to talk to everyone who is sexually active about PrEP.  A lot of people never go to a doctor.  I've never had a doctor ask me if I was active, even though I'm HIV+.  How are all these meds getting paid for?    Who is this better for;  the people who might get HIV or the companies making PrEP?

Like I said, iffy articles.  Take care.

Cya...

Not Expected....

 

I felt better yesterday morning, but that changed as by the early afternoon.  I didn't feel as bad as I had, but that booster wore me out.  I was tired after shopping.  

The unusual thing was the level of anxiousness I experienced from it.  I was nervous, fractious & stressed most of the day.  Anything worked my nerves & nearly sent me spinning.  It didn't help that the young cat was being a shit & that we're going to have  the car looked at.

I hope we can avoid any more major issues  during the dark of the year.  I'm already dealing with SAD & everything other thing is just another straw.  So much for December not being stressful.

Cya...

Possible Link...

 

There's been conjecture the Omicron variant of  COVID in Africa may have developed due to exposure the high levels of un/under treated  HIV in the region.  Omicron is more prevalent in Africa.   However, it isn't known where or when it developed.

While it could've developed in Africa.  It could've reacted to the presence of untreated HIV.   While  these are possibilities, they still don't know.  What they do know is that Omicron is present.  More than that will take time.  

This simply shows, the world as whole needs a much better response to COVID.   I'm not sure how that will happen without a global government.  Let alone with all the anti-vaxxers & their BS.   

I really hope we're not taking boosters every 6  months forever.  I'm just now starting to feel better.  Come on anti-vaxxers,  just die already.

Cya...

Serious Yuck...

 

I hope today goes better.  Yesterday was not fun.   The reactions to this booster haven't been easy.  Other than nausea,  it's been like having the flu.  Pain, chills, & fever topped the list.  I wasn't able to eat much & even drinking was an effort.  There was this weird disjointedness to it as well.  When I'd reach for something, I felt like I was either over or under shooting for what I wanted.  My steering was loose & off. 

I went to bed early & managed over 8 hours.  I can  only do that when I'm sick.  I woke up sweaty & feverish.  When I had to go to the bathroom, I  smelled like a sick person.  I hate the smell of being sick.

Here's hoping today goes better & these symptoms start to fade soon.  I really don't want another sick day.  This sucks

Cya...