feyth

Hi - I'm looking to buy a custom sized rectangular piece of very firm non-latex foam to use as a bolster (polystyrene could also work). About 92 x 6 x 20 cm.

I've poked around but it's hard to get a sense of how firm the foams are? (most look to be on the softer side, like upholstery cushions).

NoR, Joondalup or Wangara would be good. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Hi! I've been reading the posts here but am still torn, so I'm asking for specific advice.

I need a new daily carry tote. Weight irrelevant, because I'll sling it on my wheelchair handle. Needs to be available in Australia (or readily/rapidly shippable). Budget pretty flexible (just not the rarest ostrich leather.)

Typical carry is just an ereader, wallet, Contigo 700ml water bottle, meds, hat, sunscreen, scarf or shawl, small crochet project, and a couple of other bits and pieces. But now and then I'll also add a laptop (13") or iPad and various bits of shopping, so I'm looking for a good amount of space.

So of course I'm looking at the blue Alpaka Bravo. But I've had and loved Hedgren

"Health authorities believe there have been undetected cases of measles in WA after confirming a locally acquired case.

WA Health issued a public health warning on Friday evening, listing exposure sites in Perth and the Pilbara.

The infectious person travelled between Perth and Newman, visiting several locations between July 1 and 7 including a Scarborough gym and Perth Airport.

“The latest case had no recent interstate or overseas travel history or known sick contacts, indicating that there have been undetected cases of measles in WA,” Communicable Diseases Control Directorate director Paul Armstrong said.

“Measles can spread very quickly and anyone who is not immune is at risk of devel

Hi all - ATAGI seems like it's well overdue for a meetings, and the JN.1 vaccine was approved by TGA a couple weeks ago. Does anyone know when the next meeting is, and what that means for when JN.1 might be going into arms?

My vax is due 21 Nov (6 monthly, immunocompromise). I'm juggling optimal timing already, given Xmas (we meet outside, it's not a huge deal) and possibly upcoming surgery (a much bigger deal, timing as yet uncertain).

Just a heads up that the WA Government is inexplicably winding up the COVID Care at Home programme at the end of the month.

This is the gold-standard programme caring for particularly vulnerable high-risk people: they deliver an oximeter, make daily phone calls with a medical/nursing professional, offer support and advice, deliver antivirals where necessary, and monitor for deterioration that might indicate hospital admission. They make sure risk of complications and death are minimised, and that isolated people don't just quietly die at home without help.

https://www.healthywa.wa.gov.au/Articles/A_E/Coronavirus/WA-COVID-Care-at-Home

Their suggestion now is that if you're high-risk and

OK, I've gone over the previous Paxlovid PBS guidelines and today's new ones, and there are changes that were not flagged in the media relases (that I saw) which may be relevant to some people here.

I've appended the entire criteria, but pulled out the important stuff at the top.

Note that there are three categories:

(1) >70 regardless of risk level otherwise

(2) >18 with severe immunocompromise (lots of subcategories specified here).

I noticed today, on a close side-by-side reading, that they have also silently added to this second category "People with disability with multiple comorbidities and/or frailty.", so that might be important for some of you. I saw nothi

I didn't see a Friday Fuckwit today, so here it is:

today's fuckwit was the dude tooling down the middle of the suburban road in a quad bike, with a kindergarten age kid, helmetless, in his lap.

Yours?

I just got the Virus Watch email. Over the past few weeks the notifications of influenza cases have gone:

3, 2, 5, 5, 13, 31, 93.

These are just the formal notifications, so they'll be the tip of the iceberg, especially with many people just dealing with it themselves once their COVID test is negative.

Hi all - they've just announced expansion of winter booster eligibility.

Short form:

"People aged 16 to 64 who have a medical condition that increases their risk of severe COVID-19 illness and people with disability with significant or complex health needs, will be recommended to receive a winter booster vaccination dose from 30 May 2022." [...] People who are now recommended to receive a fourth dose include people with:

• Immunocompromising conditions.

• Cancers.

• Specific chronic inflammatory conditions.

• Chronic lung disease.

• Chronic liver disease.

• Severe chronic kidney disease.

• Chronic neurological disease.

• Diabetes requiring medication.

• Chronic cardiac disease

I was really struck by this paper today, showing that aerosol particle emission increases 132-fold during maximal exercise compared to rest.

"Aerosol particle emission increases exponentially above moderate exercise intensity resulting in superemission during maximal exercise"

So despite being vigorously rubbished for this elsewhere on reddit, I'm going to continue to be grumpy at joggers who buzz closely past me huffing hard without taking a wider berth, and I'm going to continue to wear a mask outside for now.

I'm getting a bit crankier about the winter booster eligibility categories. It's great that people still have good protection against severe disease, but people who got their boosters earlier are having very significant waning of protection against infection. They should at least be seriously thinking about adding a category for household members of immunocompromised people, and possibly healthcare workers also.

"A high-profile independent candidate is planning legal action after the Australian Electoral Commission conceded an anomaly means some people – possibly in excess of 100,000 – isolating with Covid may not be able to vote in Saturday’s election.

Lawyers acting for Monique Ryan, the teal independent candidate in Josh Frydenberg’s seat of Kooyong, will on Friday lodge an application in the federal court seeking to challenge the legality of a regulation the AEC has conceded will prevent some Covid-positive people from being able to vote. [...] "

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/may/19/aec-anomaly-means-some-people-isolating-with-covid-may-not-be-able-to-vote-in-saturdays-electi

[Two Ovaries, One Tube]