BIRCH
@BIRcovidhealth
Followers
3,504
Following
889
Media
78
Statuses
2,908
Providing infographics & amplifying the stories of Black, Indigenous, Racialized Peoples experience with Covid-19, Post-Covid, Long Covid & Post-Viral Illness.
Joined September 2022
Don't wanna be here?
Send us removal request.
Explore trending content on Musk Viewer
Robert Fico
• 221545 Tweets
Slovakia
• 135059 Tweets
Wicked
• 84535 Tweets
Samurai
• 56646 Tweets
Assassin's Creed
• 53784 Tweets
Newcastle
• 53627 Tweets
Brighton
• 37649 Tweets
Ubisoft
• 36363 Tweets
Eslovaquia
• 35759 Tweets
Stones
• 32629 Tweets
Yasuke
• 32372 Tweets
Vargas
• 26742 Tweets
Scrap
• 23055 Tweets
#FileninSultanları
• 22838 Tweets
$CTA
• 21313 Tweets
Cádiz
• 17166 Tweets
Galveston
• 15222 Tweets
Nitro
• 15067 Tweets
Ivete
• 14017 Tweets
Juraj Cintula
• 13784 Tweets
Valhalla
• 13376 Tweets
Celta
• 11596 Tweets
Hande
• 11518 Tweets
Mirage
• 11017 Tweets
Turquia
• 10851 Tweets
Słowacji
• 10817 Tweets
Japão
• 10524 Tweets
Pinned Tweet
The BIRCH mandate is to take Covid, post-Covid & Long Covid info off line.
The goal is to get posters on bus stop, telephone polls & in community hubs & libraries where folks who might not be following info online can see them. News outlets & Public Health have dropped the ball.
Even mild Covid can impact your mood.
*all images available as editable, printable files, DM for info.
52
787
1K
20
233
542
Raynaud’s, a common outcome of a Covid infection, as it can appear on Black people, as there are no pictures in the quoted article.
For more info on disease presentation on darker skin see
@BrwnSkinMatters
“Secondary Raynaud’s develops because of another health condition.
It is less common than primary but often more severe”
Reynaud’s, the improper constriction of blood vessels is a common, lasting outcome of a Covid infection.
#MaskUp
#CovidIsNotOver
0
24
94
11
668
2K
Even mild Covid can impact your mood.
*all images available as editable, printable files, DM for info.
52
787
1K
Even mild Covid can cause heart damage & cardiac complications.
*all images available as editable, printable files, DM for info.
3
283
580
Even mild Covid can have lasting impacts.
*all images available as editable, printable files, DM for info.
3
244
536
Even mild Covid can cause new allergies & skin conditions.
*all images available as editable, printable files, DM for info.
3
203
487
Even mild Covid can cause ongoing breathing difficulties for long periods after the initial infection.
*all images available as editable, printable files, DM for info.
2
205
480
Even mild Covid can cause impairments with all five of your senses for long periods after the initial infection.
*all images available as editable, printable files, DM for info.
2
207
470
Even mild Covid can increase your chance of blood clots after the initial infection.
*all images available as editable, printable files, DM for info.
2
175
419
IF MORE PEOPLE MASK UP, THEN LESS PEOPLE HAVE TO DIE OR BECOME DISABLED.
0
148
372
No marginalized community or person will fare well now that we are back to ‘rationing care’ in hospitals.
A good fitting mask is the best line of defence to protect yourself & others.
Limit gatherings, test before visits & stay home when sick.
“Hospitals and emergency rooms could be forced to ration care by the end of this month, the CDC warned Thursday, saying recent trends in COVID-19 and influenza are now on track to again strain America's health care system.”
120
2K
4K
0
134
322
‘His condition was likely connected to previously detected blood clots in his lungs, which were a result of a prior COVID-19 infection, according to his family.’
6
119
314
WE HAVE ENOUGH ANCESTORS!
All BIRCH images are imbedded with ALT text.
Please copy/paste when sharing.
*all images available as editable, printable files contact birchposter
@gmail
.com
3
133
301
It's the COVID CAN all in one poster!
Even mild Covid can impact your long term health.
*all images available free as printable, editable files contact birchposter
@gmail
.com for details.
#MasksKeepUsSafe
Even mild Covid can impact your mood.
*all images available as editable, printable files, DM for info.
52
787
1K
2
113
179
This is one of the ‘ongoing’ parts of the ongoing genocide of Indigenous peoples, in case it’s unclear.
Again, there are currently more Indigenous children in foster care today than there were in Residential schools at the height of their use
10
387
1K
1
74
144
It is never too late to start masking again. The better the mask, the more folks wearing them the better your kin & community are protected.
A good fitting N95 with no gaps around the edges is an investment in your future health.
Thank you to
@linseymarr
for explaining the effectiveness of masks on
@60Minutes
Overtime with
@DrLaPook
. I really wish this segment featured on the full broadcast and not online only though, as the whole country really needs to watch it!
67
985
3K
0
71
152
‘With 651 million documented Covid cases worldwide, that would mean 65 million individuals have long Covid.
But this could be an underestimate, given that many people were never tested, or treated themselves at home, and so their cases went undocumented’
3
58
148
BIRCH is glad to join the efforts of International
#LongCovidAwareness
Day in hopes to strengthen solidarity around this illness.
Black/Indigenous Peoples have often found themselves the subject of unethical research practices but rarely reap the benefit of the knowledge gained.
0
71
142
We are more likely to be exposed & less likely to receive care. We need arm ourselves with knowledge about the long term impacts of a Covid infection.
This March 15th we fight for awareness for all those left behind.
#LongCovidAwarenessDay
@LCawarenessInt
5
75
138
CDC’s Bridge Access Program provides no-cost vaccines to adults without health insurance and adults whose insurance does not cover all COVID-19 vaccine costs. No-cost COVID-19 vaccines through this program will be available until December 31, 2024.
2
118
135
A prominent factor in developing Long Covid is wether or not you have time to rest, putting marginalized communities & women in general at higher risk. Women often work outside jobs while still responsible for the lion’s share of home & family labour leaving no time to heal.
I think a lot about how messed up it is that
#LongCovid
impacts more women, who are also more susceptible to autoimmune diseases (which Covid can also cause) and how our whole pandemic response is a prime example of misogyny
17
122
564
1
42
128
Honoured to have the BIRCH 'COVID CAN' poster series offered to educators through the 'Let's Clear the Air AB' program! Great work! Together we can keep our kids safe!
For any teachers looking for resources on
#LongCovidKids
or Indoor Air Quality please check out the Let's Clear the Air Alberta CATCA 2023 training session.
1
47
84
6
70
121
"COVID should be a major policy issue this year and I am watching to see which candidates, if any, will include it in their platform. One day, a candidate who deserves my vote will receive it."
📣My latest column for
@TeenVogue
on the latest surge, how high risk people have been abandoned by the Biden administration, & why I won’t be voting this election w/ quotes from
@tinu
@AngelaMSWinCA
&
@Christine_ScD
207
2K
5K
0
38
119
Even mild Covid can cause stomach issues for long periods after the initial infection.
*all images available as editable, printable files contact birchposter
@gmail
.com
2
34
117
“Black people were three times as likely as white people to receive pulse oximeter readings in a ‘safe’ range when, in fact, their blood-oxygen levels were dangerously low.”
A long standing problem being tackled by
@RootsEmpowers
Thank you, Nature and
@AnilOza16
for this excellent story on our efforts to hold manufacturers, distributors and regulators accountable! The healthcare industry must take responsibility for systemic inequities it has created and perpetuated.
@RootsEmpowers
1
36
103
1
55
103
Video description:
Doctor, who is a Black woman, wearing an N95 mask while in a hospital hallway. ‘Who should take sensible precautions like mask wearing to avoid a virus?’
In the background an upbeat song plays the lyrics ‘Everybody, Everybody’
0
37
98
‘COVID infections could cause long-term deadly damage to your arteries, a study has shown.
Virus patients’ arteries became increasingly stiffer in the months after they caught it, even if their initial infection was mild, researchers found.’
3
40
91
@CDCgov
Masks! Masks! Masks!
Masks are the easiest way to halt transmission of airborne viruses.
#MasksKeepUsSafe
Updated image. Thanks to all for their feedback.
3
20
48
2
12
86
‘We are not terrified enough…’
This woman has to choose between keeping her job with the Social Security Administration—potentially her and her family being repeatedly infected with Covid as a disabled person—and leaving.
Original Video to show support:
9
210
602
0
28
82
An amazing advocate Ms. Jenkins has 40 years of living with this barely recognized, underfunded, life limiting illness. She deserves to be heard around the globe. She deserves our care & respect. She deserves answers!
#MEAwarenessDay
I have been sick with
#MECFS
since 1983. In January, 2022, I abruptly had a change in my illness and I have been bedbound since then with no explanation. We have pushed for decades for a serious research effort. No more delays!
#MillionsMissing2023
#StillSickStillFighting
40
168
869
2
27
84
@DrSubini
This is one of the ways a post-covid infection can present. Post-viral illness &
#LongCovid
often have periods where you feel better, think that you are healing & then have a flare it symptoms or crash in energy. Rest is vital. Trying to ‘push through’ will make things worse.
1
7
79
When your mere existence is seen as an act of aggression there is no chance of equitable care.
My sis was denied TWICE from the heart transplant list due to “noncompliance.” A 27 yr old BW w/2 kids.
The noncompliance? Not always liking hospital food, missing meds b/c NURSES didn’t wake her up, & panic attacks seen as “aggressive.” She died 2 months after the last denial.
546
14K
92K
1
17
78
Exercise has been shown to aggravate acute covid symptoms and may be a factor in developing and/or worsening Long Covid.
Rest is imperative.
Some people might be ignorant, but exercise is largely being pushed so hard right now because of how many people have long covid, not because of ignorance of the disease. It is manufactured consent for a wave of denialism and mass institutionalization.
1
61
192
1
29
76
@rjgroner
Absolutely! That’s what we hope for. Further down the thread there are the same graphics sized for IG. Thank you!
3
3
73
Many people develop new, sometimes serious allergies after a covid infection.
Some go one to develop MCAS, Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, that profoundly impacts quality of life as folks become allergic to most foods and common household and beauty products.
4
28
71
Long Covid is not lingering symptoms! Heart, brain, organ damage, long lasting, disabling & sometimes fatal illnesses occur.
New data. COVID has claimed >1 mill lives in the US alone, but these are not the only fatalities. "A small but growing number of Americans are surviving acute infections only to succumb months later to the lingering health problems caused by long COVID."
16
70
191
1
23
67
Trying out a
#NewProfilePic
Website coming very soon!
Easy access to printable editable images & more!
3
18
59
Okay, Masks!
We love to see it!
Me in my happy place: talking to artists about their wonderful work! In this case,
@fabioleal
at
@BAMfilmBrooklyn
(photo by
@themattmager
)
1
4
58
0
13
62
It’s important that we name covid & it’s long term impacts in our communities.
We need to be there for each other, share information & resources because we live under systems that do neither.
Two friends have suffered with Covid over the last 4 weeks.
Both have been hospitalized.
Both shared the news of their illnesses publicly on FB.
Neither shared that their illness is COVID.
…and BOTH had COVID.
61
445
4K
3
27
65
This number is from a 2021 article. Very little has changed. We are still the most impacted & least likely to receive appropriate healthcare. We are in still in an ongoing pandemic with incredibly high infection rates. We are still at risk for Long Covid and associated illnesses.
More than 75% of the children who have died in the U.S. as a result of covid-19 have been Black, Latinx, and Indigenous. So a reminder: when politicians are talking about reopening schools no matter what, what they're really saying is "it's okay in our book if kids of color die"
421
31K
108K
0
34
64
We have a collective responsibility to all of our children. The more of us that mask the safer and healthier they will be.
A nurse friend just told me they had a patient last night, a 3-year-old who had had a stroke.
This is the second story in the past few months I've heard of a small child having a stroke. The last one was a 5-year-old.
This is "back to normal"? Since when has this been normal??
46
965
3K
0
29
62
‘the team estimates that a high shedder could potentially exhale enough virus to infect someone in a closed space in about 20 seconds, making even elevator rides risky. With an average shedder, infection could take a little under four minutes’
1
21
61
Excellent thread as well as another example of medical racism being a systemic issue outside of the beliefs of individual clinicians.
They're *still* using pulse ox as the only objective determinant for "severe" covid (i.e., needs hospitalization/treatment) with a cut-off of 90%, despite evidence that pulse ox systematically overestimates oxygenation status in people with darker skin tone. Not even a footnote.
17
227
640
1
25
58
Cannot be stressed strongly enough. Rest as much as possible is imperative during AND after an infection.
a friendly reminder for those dedicated to working out no matter what:
21
861
3K
0
16
53
‘Case reports suggest that COVID-19 infection may be associated with long-term decline of ovarian health, including premature ovarian insufficiency (POI), a loss of normal ovary function before age 40’
Plainly speaking you may find that you are unable to have children. Mask up.
Seeing lots of people shocked and not knowing the possibility. Here is some research from earlier in the year if you are curious.
1
169
561
0
46
56
Today is International
#LongCovidAwarenessDay
so many people are suffering, telling their stories of lost opportunity, dismissal by healthcare professionals, separation from children, unstable housing. It is tragic that something you cannot control can have such a huge impact on
2
26
55
Order tests!
If you don’t need them give to neighbours, especially those without stable internet access or housing.
"If there is a demand for these tests, we want to make sure that they're made available to the American people for free in this way," O'Connell said. "But, at this point, our focus is getting through the holidays and making sure folks can take a test…”
1
15
41
1
29
52
When the doctors first became aware of HIV it was falsely believed that women could not be infected, a belief that hampers appropriate care to this day. The same type of misinformation is at play around Covid & the harm caused to children.
They are at risk & deserve protection!
"PrEP Can Prevent HIV Infections, But Most Women Don't Know They Can Take It"
In 2019, half of women diagnosed with HIV in the US were Black women.
Read about
#PrEP
for women in this article by
@JillianGloria
. Honored to be quoted!
#WorldAIDSDay
7
191
296
0
16
52
Reports of COVID-19 in emergency room visits from adolescents have nearly doubled over the past week, new data shows, reaching levels not seen in a year.
0
35
51
Novavax is here! Expect a resurgence of op-eds around vax hesitancy in Black/Native peoples, populations that were traditionally used as test subjects rather than patients deserving care. We’re still masking at high rates!
Keep up the good fight.
Use all the tools available!
0
10
49
Researchers often describe being frustrated at the lack of participation by Black/Indigenous/Racialized people but often write questionnaires that implicitly exclude members of the community they claim to wish to engage.
Asking once again for folk putting out surveys to be mindful of language around skin symptoms. Not everyone experiences redness/blue lips etc. I’ve asked this privately & seen the same language used after an acknowledgment. Do better.
1
18
72
1
18
48
If you or a loved one has acquired an infection from a hospital or healthcare visit, consider sharing your story👇🏽
I am preparing a presentation for reinstating masks in healthcare in LA County. If you are okay with me sharing in the public domain with LA County officials, please share your experiences below. Thank you.
111
131
587
0
22
46
Masks are the easiest way to halt transmission of airborne viruses.
#MasksKeepUsSafe
Updated image. Thanks to all for their feedback.
3
20
48
A significant number of people infected with covid go on to develop symptoms that are closely associated with ME/CFS.
It is chronic & has no cure. For decades Black/Indigenous racialized peoples were wrongly told they could not develop this insidious illness.
#MEawareness
0
22
44
If you’d like the series or have an idea for a specific poster you’d like to use in your community dm!
2
8
47
It is common for a covid infection to cause or exacerbate gastro-intestinal issues. With so many reported health problems in younger, previously healthy (and wealthy) folks it's time to be real about what it's doing to the average person.
Drake says he is taking a break from music for a year or longer to focus on his health and deal with stomach problems:
“I need to focus on my health, first and foremost… maybe a year or something, maybe a little longer.”
3K
4K
93K
0
10
47
ME/CFS is one of most debilitating illnesses that can occur after a Covid infection & the least likely to be diagnosed in Black/Indigenous people. Hallmark symptoms are extreme fatigue, PEM & a host of co-morbidities such as POTS & migraines. There is no known cure.
1
15
45
Covid is not over & is still disabling people.
Wear a well fitting mask, no gaps around the edges, indoors & populated outdoor areas.
Do what you can to help support & protect your community.
COVID is ruining my life. I'm almost 7 wks outside my initial infection, and I've only been able to work 2 irl shifts bc I can't do physical labor like I used to 2 months ago. I can't be sure I'll make it through 7+ hrs on my feet while doing heavy lifting w/o injury. 1/
10
83
480
0
10
44
Marginalized groups are familiar with the harm first, study later, nothing changes cycle of violence. The pandemic is ongoing, the damage to lives & livelihoods continues. Unless this inquiry brings about immediate action on messaging, mitigations & treatment, it’s all for show.
0
28
45
As usual data on Native folks is MIA. Black/Indigenous/Hispanic populations were and are disproportionately impacted by the pandemic as well as the least likely to receive timely and appropriate healthcare. Keep masking, keep protecting kin & community!
#MasksKeepUsSafe
Polls continue to show white people are far less likely to take COVID precautions.
% who have changed behavior due to news of increases of COVID (inc. wearing a mask or avoiding high risk spaces):
Black 59%
Hispanic 52%
White 29%
Source:
65
1K
3K
0
17
44
Covid can seriously impact your lungs. If you are having difficulties after an infection consult a healthcare professional.
#MasksKeepUsSafe
1
23
41
Still here. Still airborne.
Still costing lives.
#MasksKeepUsSafe
When COVID-19 surfaced in 2020, the medical field missed something, and it cost lives.
Airborne viruses can travel much further than originally thought. To curb infection, we should have focused on indoor air systems.
@DrLaPook
reports, Sunday.
796
3K
8K
0
10
41
Paxlovid trials for post-covid/long covid are now open across most of the USA. If you are interested & from a racialized community please consider enrolling.
We need to be seen & heard.
0
31
43
‘Over the course of the pandemic, Black Americans’ rate of dying from the virus was about double that of white people, and they are nearly three times as likely to be hospitalized, according to CDC data.’
Appreciated the opportunity to share why Black folks should get the booster
“We know that immunity to COVID wanes, so it wears off over time — whether it be immunity that someone acquired through an infection or through a vaccine,” said Dr. Oni Blackstock
5
161
404
0
20
43
So far 1 in 753 White children have lost a parent or caregiver to Covid, Black children 1 in 310, Latino children 1 in 412 & Native children 1 in 168.
Covid is not over & BIR continue to be most at risk for death & disability.
#MasksKeepUsSafe
1
12
37
“An infection in the body triggers an immune response that leads to inflammation in the brain. And the inflammation can persist long after the virus has apparently been cleared, scientists say”
0
31
39
On Orange Shirt Day reflect on the children who were stolen & the families that lost them to the cruelties of colonization.
Survivors are still impacted by the horrors inflicted on them & the legacy of harm continues to this day.
Words aren’t enough, hearts must change.🧡
0
19
38
A significant proportion of farmworkers, most being from Mexico or Central America, experience ongoing symptoms after an infection that limit their ability to work & provide for themselves & their families.
Study on
#LongCovid
in California farmworkers - most born in Mexico or Central America - found a whopping 62% had symptoms for over a month:
8
134
340
0
32
39
Congratulations on the award, your style & your mask!
They gave us a new boutonnière for today. Honoured to be receiving the
@src_rsc
Kitty Newman Memorial Award.
22
28
488
0
3
38
Black, Native & Hispanic children are the least likely to be granted specialized care both in school & the medical system leaving them at great risk for the school to prison pipeline.
Cognitive decline & emotional dysregulation are hallmarks of Long Covid.
"Kids don't come home and say, 'Mom, I have 'PEM', I have brain fog,'" he said. "What happens is that they start doing poorly in school, & parents find out weeks & weeks later."
If at all. Uncounted marginalized children will fall victim to the carceral system.
0
68
148
0
24
37
Covid weakens the immune system, damages vital organs & inhibits reproductive function.
The next infection could be your last.
One thing that irritates the heck out of me this far into a pandemic is when someone dies from Covid, there is always a group of people who ask …”Did they have an underlying condition?” this isn’t 2020.
COVID IS NOW THE UNDERLYING CONDITION FOR ANYONE WHO HAS EVER HAD IT.
106
699
3K
0
19
38
Covid hasn’t ended.
Covid has not become mild.
There is no herd immunity.
It's never been more dangerous to be in spaces where there are no mitigations or precautions. It feels so much like 2020. Then, it was the unknown. Now, we know exactly what is coming and yet we are being bludgeoned into ignorance with disinformation and propaganda.
2
68
363
0
16
39
‘People need to understand that you can get long Covid the second time, even if you dodged the bullet the first time. You can get long Covid the third time’
Every infections increases your chance of long term health issues!
My interview with
@statnews
about covid reinfection and long covid
#LongCovid
#reinfection
Thanks
@cooney_liz
!
58
546
1K
0
21
37
Any & all steps should be taken to minimize healthcare/hospital acquired infections. If the pandemic ended tomorrow (covid isn’t over) keeping masks in healthcare to protect the public, when we’re at our most vulnerable, & the overworked, under compensated staff just makes sense.
“We can’t wear masks in hospitals forever.”
Actually, we literally could. In fact, we should. It’s a good idea. It reduces infection. There you go. Solved it.
24
6K
30K
0
10
34
Impacts of an infection may not present until weeks or months later.
1
12
34
“It’s still a pandemic causing far too many (re)infections, hospitalizations, deaths and long covid when tools exist to prevent them,” she wrote. “Cases and hospitalisations for Covid have been on the rise for months; hospitals in many countries are burdened and overwhelmed.
Good to see another media outlet covering this. But nothing so far from outlets like the New York Times, Washington Post, Associated Press, NPR etc. This is irresponsible, as the President is speaking about the pandemic in past tense without a fact-check.
88
899
2K
0
22
35
Covid can impact your state of mind. If you're feeling unbalanced speak to a healthcare professional or trusted community member.
3
22
31
Paper in 🧵
Low oxygen impacts our ability to make safe choices.
‘In hypoxic conditions, neurons with the highest oxygen demand become dysfunctional ~ cognitive impairment benefits viral spread, as infected individuals exhibit behaviors that reduce protection against infection.’
0
10
34
Covid can impact your heart health in many ways. If you're experiencing cardiac symptoms speak to a healthcare professional. Rest as much as possible.
#MasksKeepUpSafe
1
25
32
Covid continues to covid & all the denial in the world won’t change that.
“convention flu” oh hell no 😭 some of y’all are wildly unserious
0
8
44
0
8
33
Covid, flu, measles.
Any airborne virus can be stopped by a snug fitting N95 mask.
0
15
33
Long Covid is an international issue & needs international recognition.
All we have is each other.
Ask the United Nations to Officially Recognize International Long COVID Awareness Day and Month! Write one here:
13
75
157
0
9
33
‘In an environment where Indigenous youth suicide rates are already of grave concern, media and the state have a responsibility. The portrayal of suicide, or suggestions of it as a solution, must be abandoned when dealing with Indigenous youth’
0
15
32
Unfortunate that govt agencies keep waiting until the horse has left the stable but it’s still good to see!!😷
Flu, COVID-19 and RSV are all currently spreading in NYC. Wearing a mask in public indoor spaces and crowded places can help protect you and also protect others if you’re sick. High-quality masks, such as N95s, KN95s and KF94s provide the best protection:
494
2K
4K
0
6
31
The entertainment industry is complicit in Covid denialism.
This article:
1.Refuses to say Covid
2. Makes repeated mention of dedication, commitment and perseverance.
Fuck this noise.
Test. Mask.
Rest as much as possible.
Protect each other.
If you ain’t got Cardi money you’re not getting Cardi healthcare.
1
42
199
1
11
30