Denis - The COVID info guy -

By holocene:

"Acknowledging airborne transmission also means acknowledging we have directly or indirectly killed or disabled a large amount of people by participating in chains of transmission. it’s an uncomfortable truth most people don’t want to face."

Source: https://x.com/holo_cene/status/2035326926605201833

USA: Epidemic trend summary: Mar 20, 2026

COVID-19

As of March 17, 2026:

🔹0 states have COVID-19 infections growing or likely growing
🔹45 state has infections declining or likely declining
🔹3 states show no change

Source: https://cdc.gov/cfa-modeling-and-forecasting/rt-estimates/?tab=0

'I lost my uncle to Covid but I don't want his life to be defined by his death'

"Since his passing, his niece has been passionate about raising awareness of what happened to him."

She said: "I think in a large way the world has moved on from Covid and we all just think 'oh it was back then' but for so many families like mine, it's still an ongoing experience."

Source: https://archive.md/mMFI1

Charles W is telling COVID-conscious folks not to feel demoralised. He says the high-quality research people shared in 2023 really influenced him, and encourages others to keep posting—because it does make a difference.

#COVID19

Source: https://x.com/waltz_tales/status/2034680719805473166

Long COVID Taste Loss Linked to Molecular Changes.

"A NEW study has provided important insights into the biological basis of persistent taste dysfunction in patients with long COVID, suggesting that subtle molecular changes, rather than structural damage, may underlie ongoing symptoms."

#LongCOVID

Source: https://www.emjreviews.com/microbiology-infectious-diseases/news/long-covid-taste-loss-linked-to-molecular-changes/

Study: https://academic.oup.com/chemse/article/doi/10.1093/chemse/bjaf068/8444736

Up to 60% of health care workers may have long COVID 4 years after infection.

"Four years after infection with the wild-type SARS-CoV-2 strain, up to 60% of health care workers (HCWs) in Switzerland still reported at least one COVID-19 symptom, although the number of participants dwindled over time"

#LongCOVID

Source: https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/60-health-care-workers-may-have-long-covid-4-years-after-infection

Study: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s15010-026-02768-0

AUSTRALIA Weekly COVID Update: 20 Mar 2026

🔹WA: ⬆️ (+14.6%) Avg 16/day in hospital
🔹SA: ⬆️ (+9.3%)
🔹NSW: ⬆️ (+4.1%)
🔹QLD: ⬆️ (+1.2%) 50 in hospital

🔹VIC: ⬇️ (-6.0%)

🔸TAS: Next update: 27 Mar

🔹Aged Care: The Australian government ended weekly COVID reporting

Western Australia (WA) weekly COVID update: Week ending 15 March 2026

🔸COVID positivity rate: 2.1% est. (Stable)

🔹Reported cases: 86 (+14.6%)
🔹Hospitalisation: 16 per day (-5.8%)
🔹ICU: 7-day average is 1 (+0.0%)

Source: https://health.wa.gov.au/Articles/F_I/Infectious-disease-data/Virus-Watch

South Australia (SA) Weekly Respiratory Update: 14 Mar to 20 Mar 2026

Reported cases:

🔹COVID: 199 (+9.3%)
🔹Flu: 47 (-27.6%)
🔹RSV: 50 (-7.4%)
🔹Pertussis: 30 (+36.3%)

Reported deaths in 2026:

🔸COVID: <5
🔸Flu: 0
🔸RSV: 0
🔸Pertussis: 0

Source: https://sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/public+content/sa+health+internet/about+us/health+statistics/surveillance+of+notifiable+conditions/respiratory+infections+dashboard

Dr Amir Khan says long Covid can affect your brain, lungs, joints and skin.

Dr Amir said: "Long Covid is a really poorly understood condition, and it's a multi-system complex issue, and it will affect everyone differently. You know, everyone has a different version of long Covid because it is so multisystem, it is so inflammatory. It can cause so many different things to go wrong at the same time, and you're left with these conditions that nobody really wants to touch because there hasn't been enough investment in the understanding, but also the management."

Source: https://archive.md/VspFK

New Zealand COVID weekly update: 15 March 2026

9 Mar to 15 Mar 2026:

🔹Reported cases: 759 (+47.0%)
🔹Reported Deaths: -8*
🔹Reported deaths last 30 days: 33*
🔹Total deaths: 5,638 (-8*)

24 Feb to 2 Mar 2026:

🔹Hospitalisations: 65 (+22.6%)

Note: * The reporting periods of 7-days and 30-days do not show recent deaths. These are deaths which happened before 18 July. Death counts shown here represent changes in the underlying data during the 7- or 30-day reporting period. These may increase or decrease (including negative values) over time as deaths preliminarily coded as COVID-19 attributable make their way through the normal death reporting system, including any cases referred to the coroner.

Source: https://www.healthnz.govt.nz/about-us/health-data/data-sets-and-collections/covid-19-data-and-statistics/covid-19-reporting

Health New Zealand appears to have removed or moved the COVID-19 data and statistics from its website. At the moment, only COVID-19 vaccine data is available.

I emailed them a few days ago to ask about this and haven’t received a response yet.

Source: https://www.tewhatuora.govt.nz/for-health-professionals/data-and-statistics/covid-19

Victorian Weekly Respiratory Surveillance Report: 20 Mar 2026

From 8 Mar to 14 Mar 2026:

🔸COVID positivity rate: 3.3% (+0.8%)

🔹COVID: 305 (-6%)
🔹Influenza A: 109 (-29%)
🔹Influenza B: 28 (-39%)
🔹RSV: 211 (+23%)

Source: https://health.vic.gov.au/infectious-diseases/victorian-respiratory-surveillance-report

New Zealand: "More than 400,000 Kiwis may have experienced long COVID since the pandemic began."

"By mid-2025 a significant portion of the adult population had developed ongoing symptoms following a COVID-19 infection, with around 185,000 people still living with those symptoms."

Source: https://waateanews.com/2026/03/19/hauora-survey-suggests-more-than-400000-kiwis-may-have-experienced-long-covid/

"Antibiotic used in COVID patients tied to increased signs of antibiotic resistance"

"In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 75% of hospitalized COVID patients received antibiotics on admission, primarily because of limited treatment options and concerns about bacterial coinfections."

Source: https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/antimicrobial-stewardship/antibiotic-used-covid-patients-tied-increased-signs-antibiotic-resistance

"Long COVID leaves thousands of L.A. County residents sick, broke and ignored"

“You’re not just becoming disabled,” said Elle Seibert, 31, who has dealt with debilitating fatigue and cardiac symptoms since 2020. “You’re realizing how easily society at large and people in your life will abandon you when you cannot offer them things.”

https://archive.md/z5oUp

The COVID-19 pandemic at 6 years: Mass death, debilitation and media silence

"The pandemic has killed over 30 million people worldwide, left more than 400 million suffering from Long COVID and inflicted incalculable damage on the social fabric of every country on Earth. It is one of the most catastrophic events in modern history—and it is not over"

Source: https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2026/03/11/umur-m11.html

Repeatedly getting Covid doesn’t build immunity, ‘it’s more like accumulating damage’

Leading vaccinologist Helen Petousis-Harris says there's not enough awareness of the impact of Covid-19 on overall health.

"What many people don't realise is that getting Covid repeatedly is not like building immunity, it's more like accumulating damage," she says.

Source: https://archive.md/Qsv13

"Metformin not effective in treating long-COVID symptoms, study finds."

"Although a number of studies have found that a diabetes drug called metformin reduces the risk of long COVID, new research finds that it does not reduce symptoms of the condition."

Source: https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/metformin-not-effective-treating-long-covid-symptoms-study-finds

Study: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/ANNALS-25-04883

AUSTRALIA Weekly COVID Update: 6 March 2026

🔹TAS: ⬆️ (+38.8%)
🔹QLD: ⬆️ (+28.6%) 33 in hospital
🔹VIC: ⬆️ (+20.0%)
🔹NSW: ⬆️ (+7.2%)

🔸SA: ⬇️ (-6.3%)
🔸WA: ⬇️ (-8.0%) Avg 19/day in hospital

🔹Aged Care: The Australian government ended weekly COVID-19 reporting.

WA weekly COVID update: Week ending 1 March 2026

🔸COVID positivity rate: 1.7% est. (-1.0%)

🔹Reported cases: 92 (-8.0%)
🔹Hospitalisation: 19 per day (Stable)
🔹ICU: 7-day average is 0 (+0.0%)

Source: https://health.wa.gov.au/Articles/F_I/Infectious-disease-data/Virus-Watch

Tasmania MONTHLY COVID Update: 6 Mar 2026

From 6 Feb 2026 to 6 Mar 2026

🔸COVID Positivity rate: 3.4% (+0.9%)

🔹COVID: 25 (+38.8%)
🔹Influenza A: 12 (-25.0%)
🔹Influenza B: 1 (-66.6%)
🔹RSV: 19 (+58.3%)

Source: https://health.tas.gov.au/health-topics/infectious-diseases/acute-respiratory-infection-activity/update-acute-respiratory-infection-activity-tasmania

South Australia Weekly Respiratory Update: 28 Feb to 6 Mar 2026

Reported cases:

🔹COVID: 192 (-6.3%)
🔹Flu: 67 (+9.8%)
🔹RSV: 58 (+11.5%)
🔹Pertussis: 29 (-21.6%)

Reported deaths in 2026:

🔸COVID: <5
🔸Flu: 0
🔸RSV: 0
🔸Pertussis: 0

Source: https://sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/public+content/sa+health+internet/about+us/health+statistics/surveillance+of+notifiable+conditions/respiratory+infections+dashboard

Victorian Weekly Respiratory Surveillance Report: 6 Mar 2026

From 22 Feb to 28 Feb 2026:

🔸COVID positivity rate: 3.2% (+0.3%)

🔹COVID: 345 (+20%)
🔹Influenza A: 122 (-16%)
🔹Influenza B: 53 (+8%)
🔹RSV: 161 (+24%)

Source: https://health.vic.gov.au/infectious-diseases/victorian-respiratory-surveillance-report

"Long COVID — Here’s What To Know And The Challenges Ahead"

"Despite entering the 6th year since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the virus has not disappeared and the long-term consequences of infection continue"

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20260303045305/https://www.forbes.com/sites/omerawan/2026/03/02/long-covid---heres-what-to-know-and-the-challenges-ahead/

UK: Man 'damaged beyond repair' over mother's death during Covid

"A man whose mother died during the pandemic has told the UK Covid-19 Inquiry that he and other relatives who lost loved ones are "damaged beyond repair"."

Source: https://archive.md/tmm6f

Two new books help children understand how Long COVID impacts their family members.

For 6 years we’ve heard many stories about people living with Long COVID, but few focus on children whose family members are affected. Author Sara Robitaille aims to change that with new children’s books about Long COVID.

🔹Long COVID Transformed My Mommy
🔹Long COVID Transformed My Sister into a Turtle

"Portions of the books’ proceeds will be donated to the Bateman Horne Center and advocacy organizations Long COVID Kids and Long Covid Families."

Source: https://thesicktimes.org/2026/03/04/two-new-books-help-children-understand-how-long-covid-impacts-their-family-members/

🧵(1/3) NSW respiratory surveillance reports: 5 March 2026

Week ending 28 February 2025:

🔸COVID positivity rate: 3.8% (+0.2%)

🔸Number of laboratories reporting COVID: 2 out of 4

🔹COVID: 954 (+7.2%)
🔹Influenza: 500 (-13.2%)
🔹RSV: 864 (+19.8%)

Source: https://health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/covid-19/Pages/reports.aspx

According to data published last month by the CDC.

🔹From July 2024 to June 2025, RSV caused an estimated 190,000–350,000 hospitalisations and 10,000 to 23,000 deaths deaths.

🔹During the same time, COVID-19 was linked to 290,000–450,000 hospitalisations and 34,000 to 53,000 deaths.

Source: https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/56000-people-died-covid-19-or-rsv-last-year

Report: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/75/wr/mm7506a2.htm

Queensland Weekly Respiratory Surveillance Report: 2 March 2026

Reported cases:

🔹COVID: 607 (+28.6%)
🔹Influenza: 561 (+2.3%)
🔹RSV: 536 (+10.2%)

Hospitalisations:

🔸COVID: 33 (-2.9%)
🔸Influenza: 28 (Stable)
🔸RSV: 39 (+18.1%)

Source: https://health.qld.gov.au/clinical-practice/guidelines-procedures/diseases-infection/surveillance/reports/flu

New Zealand: COVID hospitalisations climb as the country enters a new wave

COVID deaths are also rising as New Zealand enters its 9th wave.

Wastewater data shows cases are at their highest level in over 6 months

Source: https://archive.md/ij18m

"Many with long COVID remain on the job despite reduced ability to work"

"More than half of people in a cross-sectional study with long COVID said their ability to work was poor, yet most were still working, suggesting a substantial burden of “presenteeism,” or reduced productivity while on the job"

Source: https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/many-long-covid-remain-job-despite-reduced-ability-work

Study: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-026-26771-0

COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) can directly infect heart tissue.

"Researchers from the Centenary Institute and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) have developed a human heart cell model demonstrating that the virus that causes COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) can directly infect heart tissue, providing new insight into why some people experience serious heart complications during and after infection."

Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-mini-hearts-covid-virus-infects.html

Study: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1758-5090/ae38d7

🇳🇿New Zealand COVID weekly update: 1 March 2026

23 Feb to 1 Mar 2026:

🔹Reported cases: 322 (-9.2%)
🔹Reported Deaths: 19 (+11.7%)
🔹Reported deaths last 30 days: 76
🔹Total deaths: 5,641 (+19)

10 Feb to 16 Feb 2026:

🔹Hospitalisations: 50 (Stable)

Source: https://tewhatuora.govt.nz/for-health-professionals/data-and-statistics/covid-19/reporting

This is what it really comes down to.

Masks are a reminder the pandemic isn’t over.

🔹COVID is airborne
🔹Each infection carries cumulative risk
🔹Long COVID has no cure
🔹The pandemic isn’t over
🔹Wearing a mask is still one of the best ways to protect yourself and others

Stay informed. Stay safe.

#COVID19

Meme source: https://x.com/kananaskinyeti/status/2027581079167885798

"How Covid Quietly Rewires the Brain"

"Covid wasn’t simply causing short-term confusion, but also leaving structural and biochemical footprints in patients’ brains"

Source: https://archive.md/FYsGV

"How long diseases like measles and the flu linger in the air — after an infected person has left the room"

RSV: up to 45 mins
Influenza: at least 1 hour
Rhinovirus: 1-2 hours
Measles: up to 2 hours
Norovirus: up to 2 hours
COVID-19: up to 3 hours
Chickenpox: several hours
Mumps: several hours
Tuberculosis (TB): 6-12 hours

Source: https://archive.md/dKnQP

Why COVID-19 is “a vascular disease masquerading as a respiratory one”

Published: 09 February 2026

"Although COVID is transmitted through the respiratory system, much of the pathology unfolds in the vascular system, with microvascular damage, thromboinflammation, and dysregulated perfusion underpinning the cardiac, pulmonary, and neurological manifestations of severe disease."

Source: https://www.bmj.com/content/392/bmj.s31