Summer Olympics Bonus Issue: It’s a Covid superspreader event!

With a side of Ontario wastewater stragglers

Aug 07, 2024

Welcome to the latest Summer Bonus issue of the Covid-Is-Not-Over newsletter!

From Caroline Kee’s Today.com article, which is updated more or less daily, so the current status and exact wording might not be the same as I’m quoting below:

At least 40 athletes competing at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics — including swimmers from multiple countries and 16 athletes from Australia — have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last two weeks. The uptick in cases has raised questions around the measures in place to stop the spread of COVID at the Paris Olympics.
This year's Games are considered the first post-pandemic Olympics. Unlike the postponed 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, and the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, there are no strict protocols or restrictions around COVID-19 in Paris.
However, COVID-19 is still spreading around the world. The United States is facing a summer wave, and the virus is also on the rise in Europe, including in the Olympic village.
Globally, the COVID-19 test positivity rate is about 10%, but it's 20% in Europe, Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention at the World Health Organization, told reporters at a UN press briefing on Tuesday.
“In recent months, regardless of the season, many countries have experienced surges of COVID-19, including at the Olympics where at least 40 athletes have tested positive,” said Van Kerkhove.
The actual number of COVID-19 cases at the Paris Olympics remains unclear, as testing and reporting varies by team. However, a number of athletes have publicly announced that they tested positive during the Games.

It’s been a shit show. Literally, in some ways. Forty-plus athletes testing positive, officially. Probably far more unofficially, as testing and reporting is not mandated for any of the teams. But the denial is strong and relentless.

It’s still summer bonus post season, so there’s not much more I have to say. I’ve gathered a whole lot of commentary and reporting around these Covid Olympics below. Dig in and be disgusted.

I’ve also rounded up a (probably) final bunch of straggler posts around the ending of the provincial Covid wastewater monitoring program in Ontario, where I live. Also dig in and be disgusted. We should expect more of the same kind of denialism and active attacks on public health.

I’ll stop here. Regularly scheduled programing set to resume in a few weeks.

The best place to keep track of media reports of athletes testing positive is the Data Report site (Xitter).

As most have probably noticed, there is no paid subscription option for this newsletter. However, Substack does have an option where subscribers can pledge to subscribe “just in case” and a few kind subscribers have made that pledge. I very much appreciated the vote of confidence in what I’m doing here. What I’ve decided to do on a trial basis is to set up a “tip jar” on the Ko-fi platform. I’m not anticipating a huge surge of income from using Ko-fi but whatever revenue I do end up with, I plan to spend on supporting artists on Bandcamp. Sadly, who knows how long that will seem like a good idea.

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Ontario Wastewater Surveillance Stragglers

Paris Summer Olympics Coverage Up to August 6. 2024

Boston, Don’t Look Back. Fondly remembered from my teen years….

G.V.

Aug 15

This is a stellar resource, my appreciation and thanks to you! Not sure if it's already on your radar, but the Pandemic Accountability Index folks posted their 5th edition of "What COVID-19 Does to the Body" the same day you posted this article. I noticed you had the 4th edition listed so wanted to share the updated link:

https://www.panaccindex.info/p/what-covid-19-does-to-the-body-fifth

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1 reply by John Dupuis

Kate

Aug 7

I've noticed that BBC coverage of the Olympics now refers to athletes having an "illness". Couldn't be Covid of course. Also with regard to Adam Peaty, the only consideration, when it came to deciding whether he would compete in the relay, was how he felt. No mention of whether or not he was still testing positive for Covid or not.

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