Greetings Relatives,
Our prayers are with Kanaka relatives in Hawaii now facing health risks from toxic air after the devastating fires in Maui. A reminder that some of the tools we use to mitigate airborne viruses can also support community health during and post-fire disasters, as recommended by the EPA's Indoor Air Quality Guide on Wildfire IAQ, are high-quality, well-fit N95 masks and air purifiers. These tools reduce the risk of transmission from COVID-19 and other airborne illnesses, filter particulate matter, and protect your lungs, preventing further health issues from arising after a fire crisis.
Many of our Tribal Nations and territories have experienced record-breaking heat this summer and wildfire smoke, leading to an increased risk of exposure and transmission of COVID-19 due to gathering indoors more often to avoid the heat and smokey air. As our children return to school, may we heed the lessons from the last few years and use the tools we know to support our collective health.
We are currently in a rising COVID-19 wave, according to national wastewater Biobot analytics data tracking and CDC Covid wastewater surveillance data tracker. To access county-level wastewater data (scroll down to “Filter by State to View Counties”), which may provide more detailed information about your local COVID-19 situation. The People’s CDC held a webinar this month Wastewater Surveillance for Detecting COVID-19.
As hospitalizations have increased for six weeks, hospitals in New York and California have reinstated mask mandates, and schools in the south have temporarily canceled in-person classes due to COVID-19 and widespread illness. Walgreens showed the highest case positivity rate this month since May 2021. CDC reports a rise in COVID emergency room visits from adolescents, “By contrast, over last winter's wave, rates of ER visits from 12 to 15-year-olds were among the lowest compared to other ages,” reported CBS News.
The CDC recommends improving building ventilation using basic and enhanced strategies to improve filtration, air disinfection, and airflow to reduce the concentration of virus particles in the air. ASHRAE’s newly established Standard 241, Control of Infectious Aerosols, establishes minimum requirements for outdoor air ventilation and air cleaning system design, installation, commissioning, operation, and maintenance. This month, the EPA’s Efficient Healthy Schools program shared a webinar on how schools can utilize the new ASHRAE guidance. The information also applies to any building or office where people congregate. Tribal and organizational leaders and advocates can watch the Guidance to Control Airborne Infection Risk webinar here. Some localities like the city of Philadelphia are giving free air purifiers to local K-12 schools to reduce illness and help keep children and teachers in the classroom, a critical tool as new research shows up to 25% of children infected with COVID-19 will go on to develop Long COVID.
The newest COVID-19 booster is expected to be available in mid-September. Although the fall boosters from Moderna, Pfizer, and Novavax are based on the Omicron XBB.1.5 lineage, more similar to other XBB-derived subvariants such as Eris (EG.5), these new boosters are still Omicron BA.2-based. It will be necessary for those eligible to get the updated boosters when available to reduce the risk of severe outcomes in the context of waning immunity.
Take Action
Campaign for Safe Healthcare
Peoples CDC ADA Health Rights Workshop (PDF)
HICPAC Meeting – Aug. 22, 2023
Share this video narrated by children as an educational resource for the community on understanding how to clean the indoor air: A Totally Serious Animation about Improving Indoor Air Quality in Schools.
Collective Healing
COVID Peer Led Grief Gathering, Second Tuesday of Every Month.
Updated Guidance on Ventilation
The CDC also made a critical update by launching new guidance and an interactive tool for ventilation to prevent the transmission of airborne viruses.
Read more at the NIWRC COVID Resource Hub!
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