Kristin Meekes

@kmeekes

ICU RN Clean air + N95 fan #CovidIsAirborne #KeepMasksInHealthcare She/her 📍 Unceded Algonquin Territory (Ottawa, ON)

1473 Siguiendo1182 Seguidores1395 Publicaciones

Bluesky

¿Es tu perfil?Reclámalo y kmeekes.dirty.social es tuyo.Reclamar perfil

Kristin Meekes@kmeekes· 2d

Been there 😂

A fawn coloured pug puppy wearing a black harness standing on the inside of a dishwasher door and licking utensils

Kristin Meekes@kmeekes· 10d

Also this part 😵‍💫

Importantly, the researchers caution that the study likely underestimates the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 persistence. Persistent viral RNA is present at extremely low abundance relative to human RNA, making it technically difficult to detect. Moreover, the endoscopic biopsy

Kristin Meekes@kmeekes· 11d

😩

Red Warning - Tornado
From
• Now
To
• 6:29 PM EDT
Monday 10 Aug 2026
Issued at: 5:29 PM EDT Monday 10 Aug 2026
Impact level: Extreme
Forecast confidence: Very High
At 5:29 p.m. EDT, Environment Canada meteorologists are tracking a severe thunderstorm that is possibly producing a tornado. Damaging winds, large hail and locally intense rainfall are also possible.
Possible Tornado Location: Over Fitzroy Harbour
Motion: Moving east at 40 km/h
Other Hazards:
Wind: damaging (90 - 110 km/h)|
Hail: loonie to ping pong ball size (2.5 to 4.5 cm)
Rain: heavy (15 - 50 mm)
Locations in the Path:
Fitzroy Provincial Park
Fitzroy Harbour
Carp
This is a very dangerous and potentially life-threatening situation.
Take cover immediately in a basement, interior room, or a sturdy shelter when threatening weather approaches.
If no shelter is available, lie in a low spot and protect your head from flying debris. If you are out on the water when threatening weather approaches, return to shore and seek shelter, if possible, or move directly away from the path of the tornado. Otherwise,

Kristin Meekes@kmeekes· 16d

😷

Selfie of me (40 y/o white woman) waiting for the train wearing a red dress and a Canada Masq Q100

Kristin Meekes@kmeekes· Jul 19

We took advantage of the beautiful weather and breathable air to have a patio beer this afternoon and it was so nice! My sweet pug wants to know why our politicians are doubling down on oil and gas when he can’t even breathe in the wildfire smoke 😩

A sweet fawn coloured baby pug in a green and yellow vest and yellow leash looking up at me while on a patio

Kristin Meekes@kmeekes· Jul 16

Shutting windows running Hepa filters inside makes a big difference

Kristin Meekes@kmeekes· Jul 16

I had to bribe my pug back inside with a peanut butter lick mat because he doesn’t understand it isn’t safe to be outside right now 😢

Kristin Meekes@kmeekes· Jul 10

I had lunch with a friend in Almonte today and we were treated to this patio view 😊

Kristin Meekes@kmeekes· Jun 20

This paragraph from Paul Farmer’s book on Ebola (Fevers, Feuds, and Diamonds) has been haunting me:

All three of us knew that the sicker of the two brothers might not live long unless he received rapid fluid resuscitation. Usually provided through intravenous lines, fluid resuscitation is typically thought of as basic supportive care. During the West African Ebola epidemic, however, putting in an intravenous line had become controversial, primarily because any therapies involving needles or sustained contact with the afflicted increased the risks of accidental transmission to nurses and other caregivers. It was a tough situation, because Ebola was by then already the number one killer of health professionals in this part of West Africa. But regardless of who was afflicted, a smallish number of questions would matter. Chief among them: How will I, or my loved ones, fare?

Kristin Meekes@kmeekes· Jun 19

I’m reading Jason Gale’s book After Covid: The Health Impacts That Will Last Generations; and yes

thankfully, they aren't dying-but the virus is targeting areas that shape cognition and personality."

Young Adults, Repeat Infections, and Compounding Risks
Even mild infections have been linked to difficulty concentrating and processing information among young adults. These cognitive problems can persist and often worsen after physical or mental ex-ertion, making it harder for people to work, socialize, or return to school.
A 2024 study by the Patient-Led Research Collaborative found that repeat infections further erode the protective effects of vaccines and increase the risk of severe fatigue, postexertional malaise, and other Long Covid symptoms, findings that mirror earlier work by epidemiologist Ziyad Al-Aly.27 "This is my biggest concern, particularly for younger people," Beckman said. "Each infection raises the risk of Long Covid. What's frustrating for me and a lot of scientists is that it doesn't feel like leadership is listening. We're going to pay the price in a few years. It's definitely cumulative."
Most of the damage is invisible-no limp, no scar, just the sense that something has changed. A word that won't come. A name that slips away. A sharpness that used to be there. For researchers like Beckman, the question now isn't whether Covid affects the brain but how many people are living with the aftermath, unaware of what was lost.

Picture of the book After Covid by Jason Gale

Kristin Meekes@kmeekes· May 22

🤯

7.2 PPE for screening and triage activities for Ebola disease or Marburg disease

The following is a summary of the PPE that should be worn during screening and triage activities. Details are described in the subsequent recommendations:

i. PPE for health and care workers conducting screening where a distance of at least 1 metre can be maintained:

PPE is not required provided at least 1-metre distance can be maintained and a no-touch
technique is followed.

Kristin Meekes@kmeekes· May 21

Screenshot from ipac Canada’s website: “Use Contact and Droplet Precautions, in addition to Routine Practices, in settings where contact with patients suspected or confirmed to have EVD is anticipated. The need for enhanced PPE (e.g., double gloving, leg and shoe coverings, hair/head covering) is determined by assessing the risk of heavy exposure to blood and body fluids”

Kristin Meekes@kmeekes· May 21

It’s this kind of thing that’s going to push me out of healthcare. Surgical mask unless doing an AGMP. For Ebola. ipac-canada.org/resource-cen...

Screenshot from iPad Canada’s website on Ebola precautions. “Orthoebolavirus ia (sic) be spread via droplets that are coughed or sneezed from a sick person and enter the eyes, nose, or mouth of another person who is less than two metres away.”

Kristin Meekes@kmeekes· May 17

Love this idea! I made mint tea and donated some money towards @meactnet.bsky.social Emergency Department project

Picture of a blue mug with a hand painted picture of a black and white cat on it that has seen better days

Kristin Meekes@kmeekes· May 11

🎯

If a more efficiently transmissible pathogen with similar clinical severity emerged under comparable circumstances, delayed adoption of airborne precautions could have far greater
consequences.

Kristin Meekes@kmeekes· May 11

Yes! a) precautionary principle and b) call it out for what it is: airborne transmission risk

Far from arguing against airborne spread, the repeated association with "Close contact" is entirely consistent with respiratory aerosol transmission, since close proximity is precisely where exposure to concentrated infectious aerosols is greatest. 13, 14] Thus, repeated reports of transmission predominantly during "close contact" should raise concern for airborne inhalation risk, not lower it.

Kristin Meekes@kmeekes· May 7

#Me/cfsAwarenessMonth #UnitedForME

ME/CFS Guide
65M+ People currently estimated to have ME/CFS
worldwide - up from 17-24M pre-pandemic; 1 in 29 people will experience ME/CFS in their lifetime (Lim et al. 2020;
OMF 2026)1]

3.3M Americans affected - 250,000 in the UK, 330,000+ in Canada, 945,000 in Australia.
Women are diagnosed 3-4x more often than men globally (CDC; Jason & Mirin
2022; ABS) 2,3)

>91% Remain undiagnosed globally - the vast majority suffer without a name for their illness, often for years or decades CDC;
IOM 2015) 2,3]

39-57% Of ME/CFS patients have contemplated suicide - vs. 4% of the general population, driven by diagnostic dismissal and loss of function (multiple studies)2)

8-58% of long COVID patients meet ME/CFS diagnostic criteria depending on study

Kristin Meekes@kmeekes· May 4

From the same WHO fact sheet:

samples collected from patients are a biohazard risk; laboratory testing on non-inactivated samples should be conducted under maximum biological containment conditions.

Kristin Meekes@kmeekes· Apr 27

IME it really depends on the pharmacist. I got lucky this spring and was able to get one, but I’ve gotten major pushback for the last two years.

Individuals 6 months and older can receive their fall COVID-19 vaccine dose (s) until March 31st, after this date only High-Risk Populations Group 1 are eligible for an additional dose in Spring 2026 (April-June).
Individuals not belonging to the High-Risk Populations Group 1 are not eligible to receive dose(s) in the spring, even if they did not receive a dose in Fall 2025. Those not eligible for a spring dose are recommended to be vaccinated during the next annual COVID-19 vaccine program (i.e., 2026/2027) to ensure optimal protection against circulating strains at that time.

Kristin Meekes@kmeekes· Apr 26

Seconded, and I'll add that imo we can’t talk about the destruction of our HC system w/o acknowledging that the virus everyone is ignoring (Covid) is causing acute hospitalizations *year round*, Long COVID + ME (for which there are 0 approved treatments), heart attacks, strokes, neuro sequelae, etc.

Screenshot from the Ottawa citizen article with a highlighted paragraph reading “Unions note that hospitals, including TOH, are already overwhelmed by high patient volumes and long wait times due to staffing and capacity issues”

Kristin Meekes@kmeekes· Apr 23

Reposting with Alt Text because this is such an important point. This won’t just disappear and we urgently need to do something about it (clean air, vaccines, N95s, treatments).

Review Article Published: 13 April 2026
Understanding the long-term neurological effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection
Rachael Matthews, Ali Alam, Ed Bullmore & Benedict D. Michael B
Nature Reviews Neurology (2026) | Cite this article
404 Accesses | 69 Altmetric | Metrics
Abstract
Post-COVID-19 condition (PCC), also known as long COVID, is a heterogeneous condition marked by persistent symptoms following acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. As approximately 6% of people who have experienced acute COVID-19 are estimated to develop PCC, the potential population is vast. Many of the key symptoms of PCC reflect involvement of the nervous system, ranging from cognitive impairment (brain fog), headaches and fatigue to anxiety and depression. This Review summarizes the spectrum of neurological and psychological symptoms that occur following acute SARS-CoV-2 infection, with a particular focus on the international consensus-based core outcome set for PCC. We also explore the proposed underlying mechanisms, including evidence for immune system dysregulation, microvascular dysfunction and volumetric changes on neuroimaging. In addition, we review ongoing and completed large-scale treatment trials. Growing evidence suggests a bidirectional interaction between symptoms traditionally considered neurobiological in origin, such as cognitive deficits and headache, and those within the purview of psychiatry. such as anxiety and depression. PCC represents an opportunity to better understand the long-term consequences of acute infection and improve management strategies and outcomes, not only for people with the condition but also for those with other post-viral syndromes that affect brain health.
Key points
• Post-COVID-19 condition (PCC) encompasses persistent symptoms including headache, cognitive impairment, fatigue, sleep disturbances, dysautonomia, pain and psychiatric disorders.
• Systematic reviews and cohort studies highlight variable prevalence of PCC symptoms, and cognitive, sleep and fati…

Kristin Meekes@kmeekes· Apr 18

❤️

Photo of a black and white lawn sign that reads “East End for a Free Palestine”

Kristin Meekes@kmeekes· Apr 10

Meanwhile

Screenshot from the sunshine list showing Cameron Love (Ottawa hospital CEO) making $744,000 last year, a 15% raise

Kristin Meekes@kmeekes· Mar 31

Sometimes I really regret teaching our pug how to ring a bell 😂

A 1.5 year old fawn coloured pug staring intently at a bell as he slams his paw down on it

A fawn coloured pug staring at me after ringing his bell numerous times

Kristin Meekes@kmeekes· Mar 28

Yes exactly this

From the Tyee article: “She wishes she could have been fully informed of the risks, and methods of preventing infection. She dreams of a future where all health-care workers are fully informed about airborne transmission and the risks of long COVID, and are provided with the right PPE.”

Kristin Meekes@kmeekes· Feb 16

“Gaps in public messaging” science.gc.ca/site/science...

Prevention: There are gaps in public messaging about the importance of
PCC prevention. PCC preventive actions include avoiding SARS-CoV-2 infection and reinfection through
protective behavior, such as isolating when sick to avoid spreading disease and effective masking in crowded spaces, and making it easy to adopt protective measures through steps that government, institutions and employers can take. Equally important is indoor air quality and ventilation to reduce transmission of infectious diseases that transmit through the air, including SARS-CoV-2, influenza and other common
respiratory viruses
Adequate ventilation and air filtration is often a key gap in buildings where people gather, including schools.

Kristin Meekes@kmeekes· Jan 18

I don’t typically mask outside but when this cute guy ran up to a man wearing an N95 in the park I popped mine on because “see a mask, wear a mask” should be the norm

A fawn coloured pug in an elevator wearing a black and grey winter jacket and smiling up at me. He couldn’t care less that I’m wearing a mask.

Kristin Meekes@kmeekes· Jan 9

“Rules, conventions, morals, reality itself: all exist so long as their existence is convenient to the preservation of power. Otherwise, they, like all else, are expendable.”

Photo of One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad

Kristin Meekes@kmeekes· Jan 1

No cheating, reskeet with the most recent photo of your pet

A cute baby pug wearing a red bandana covered in white snowflakes asking for a taste of my breakfast

Kristin Meekes@kmeekes· Dec 29

Enough with the mask bullying. I mask because I understand aerosol transmission, because our governments all declared the pandemic over before cleaning indoor air, because I’m not OK with multiple reinfections of a new virus, because vulnerable people deserve access to society. #oneofthetwo