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Juneteenth - Celebrating Black Freedom

Weekly Newsletter, June19, 2026

Greetings, public health PHANs! We hope you're having a healthy and safe June so far. 

 

Today is Juneteenth, an important day for remembering the continuing effects of slavery in the U.S. Juneteenth reminds us all that public health and health equity in the U.S. are deeply affected by racism, resulting in worse health outcomes among Black communities, including higher rates of chronic illness and maternal mortality. We recognize that there's much work left to do to bring public health justice to everyone in the U.S.

 

This week we have news of an upcoming Zoom discussion on June 28 about the precautionary principle; another Zoom discussion the following week about long COVID in kids and accessibility issues for those children; our most recent podcast episode with long COVID patient and advocate Adam Van Bavel; a spotlight on a COVID-safe summer camp hosted by Boston Private Tutors; events related to COVID and clean air; and news about COVID, other airborne pathogens, and clean air. 

 

If you have news or events that you think would be useful for our newsletter, or just feedback on the newsletter or PHAN's work, email us at info@phan.global. We would love to hear what you think!

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On Sunday, June 28 at 7:30pm ET, PHAN and Air Support Project will present a live Zoom discussion: “Precautionary Principle”. We'll discuss what it is, how it came into practice, and how it's been virtually abandoned by the healthcare community and by many government public health agencies. Our guest speakers will be Sarah Masih, MBA, MD, executive director of Air Support Project, and Dr. Jonathan Howard, author of We Want Them Infected, the story of how several public health speakers gained power by discarding the precautionary principle. Register in advance. You'll need a free Zoom account in order to register. This event will be recorded and we'll make it available on our YouTube channel.

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We're very pleased to announce that on July 2nd, we'll co-host a Zoom discussion along with Air Support Project about long COVID in kids and issues around accessibility for learning for those children. Our special guest speaker will be Megan Carmilani, founder and president of Long Covid Families. Megan also serves as a voting member of the NIH RECOVER Pediatric Coordinating Committee and contributes to the RECOVER Community Engagement Group to make sure families are able to help shape national research. She'll talk about how kids and families are being affected by long COVID, how families with children with long COVID can make their kids' education and activities safe and accessible, and what resources are available for them. Register in advance. You'll need a Zoom account in order to register.

We're podcasting! Our third episode with long COVID advocate Adam Van Bavel is available on YouTube and Spotify.

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Our latest podcast episode with noted long COVID advocate Adam Van Bavel is now available on YouTube and Spotify. Adam is a fierce advocate for long COVID patients and the founder of Maryland Indoor Air Quality Advocates, an organization working for clean air in schools in Maryland. We talked at length about his Long COVID journey and struggles, and how he's working to improve indoor air quality in Maryland schools.  

 

Our second episode of Breathe This is also available on YouTube and Spotify, with our guest Dr. Jonathan Howard, physician and author of We Want Them Infected and Everyone Else is Lying to You. We talked about his experience at Bellevue Hospital in New York City when COVID first hit the U.S., and about his documentation of the disinformation about public health that has run rampant. 

Boston Private Tutors hosting a COVID-safe summer camp July 13-17 in Framingham, MA

Boston Private Tutors will host an in-person, mask-required summer camp for COVID-cautious youth ages 6+, July 13-17 in Framingham, MA: “Build, Be Bold, and Belong". This program is designed to give kids a place to connect, create, try new things, build confidence, and feel like they truly belong without giving up the precautions that matter to their families. Campers will spend the week doing hands-on STEM activities, creative projects, teamwork challenges, games, movement, and community-building with other kids who are still taking COVID precautions seriously. High-filtration masks are required, and the program is built around the idea that kids deserve both safety and connection. 

 

Boston Private Tutors was founded by MIT engineer and educator Stephanie Schmit. She lives with chronic illness and deeply understands the need for community that prioritizes safety. Building COVID-safe spaces where children can learn, socialize, and thrive has become her life's work.

 

Registration closes June 24. Learn more and register here. Questions? Email Stephanie at stephanie@bostonprivatetutors.com

June 25, 2026: phytocene, a clean-air-aware singer, songwriter, and producer living in Paris will host a mask-requested album release party and concert in Paris for her new album. She is now also offering tickets to view the event online. phytocene is dedicated to creating COVID-safe spaces for people to enjoy music and concerts. She was a guest speaker for a recent Zoom discussion hosted by PHAN and Air Support Project about COVID-safe events and performers, which is available on YouTube.

 

June 21, 2026: Instagrammer Lola Germs will present a feature-length clean air science history video this Sunday at 2pm ET. 

 

June 28, 2026: PHAN and Air Support Project present a live Zoom discussion: “The Precautionary Principle”. See item above.

 

June 29, 2026: WHN will host Clean Air Panel Discussion 2: Safer Schools from 11 AM to 1 PM ET, where you can hear from a panel of experts working to improve air quality in educational settings. Learn why clean air in schools matters, what solutions are available today, and how we can create healthier learning environments for students, educators, staff, and families in the future. Guest speakers include: Ruth Brooker, founder and director of Clean Air for Kids UK; Liesl McConchie, education and brain science advocate in California; Lisa Greenfield, Midwest regional program manager for the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council; and Mary Jo Nabuurs, spokesperson for Ontario School Safety. Register in advance.

 

July 2, 2026: PHAN and Air Support Project present a live Zoom discussion: “Long COVID in Kids and Accessibility”. See item above.

WHN Kids Connect Zone for COVID-conscious families meets every Tuesday and Sunday

The World Health Network hosts COVID-aware community meetings every day. Community care starts with conversation! Their Welcome page explains how to connect with their meeting groups.

 

Every Monday & Sunday: Rising Hope meetings on Zoom

Rising Hope is a community of COVID-conscious supporters that meet Monday evenings, plus Sunday mornings for church services. Contact them via Reddit.

 

WHN hosts weekly Zoom “Kids' Connect Zone” meetings on Tuesdays and Sundays for kids, teens, and families who want to connect through COVID-conscious activities, games, and discussions. Find out more at the WHN website.
 

Join Celebrate845 on Zoom for COVID Creative Coalition community meetings on Saturdays at 11AM ET. No artistic experience required. Great for visual artists, writers, graphic designers, or those interested in Street Team efforts. “Non-Hudson Valley supporters are welcomed to attend, connect & get inspired, but we'll be centering building our efforts in the HV. We are down to host breakout rooms by locale!” More info at Celebrate845.com/COVIDCreativeCoalition. 

 

The organizers at The Little Zoom Writers Room host a weekly co-writing space open to all COVID realists. Check their welcome page for more info or their account on Instagram.

 

Every Saturday evening: Pandemic Pals meetings on Zoom

Every Saturday at 5 pm PT/8 pm ET, the Pandemic Collaborative hosts a Zoom call with several breakout rooms based on age groups, life situations, and special interests. Check their Google Document the day of the call for that week's Zoom link.

 

The COVID-Safe Art Collective holds an online gathering every Sunday at 2:30pm PT / 4:30pm CT / 5:30pm ET until 4pm PT / 6pm CT / 8pm ET for COVID-safe adults to create art or just chat and be with other aware people. Check their Instagram bio for the current Zoom link.

Singer/songwriter phytocene will host a mask-requested in-person and online album release party and concert in Paris on June 25

Ongoing weekly online open-mic events with Nina Wildflower: Ben Collins, who performs as Nina Wildflower, hosts a weekly online open mic for COVID-informed performers. Each show has a designated theme but all themes are optional, as they are just a way to keep things interesting for regular performers. If you play one song that is on-theme, then you are on-theme! He's hosting these performances via the Facebook group "Still Coviding - Virtual Meetups" (private group, apply for membership). Sign up for weekly emails at ninawildflower@yahoo.com.

 

Weekly COVID-safe events in the Bay Area: Every week, the CSL3 Patreon page publishes a list of COVID-safe events and performances in the San Francisco Bay Area.

 

Every month in San Francisco: SF Neo-Futurists hosts Infinite Wrench mask-required performances on the first Saturday of each month. Infinite Wrench is a set of 30 plays in 60 minutes, new plays every week. While audience members will be required to stay masked throughout the show, performers may invite select audience members to unmask for plays that involve audience participation. All performers test weekly for COVID-19 and extra masks will be available for those who need them. Upcoming masked shows: June 6, August 1, Sept 5, Oct 3, Nov 7.

 

June 30, 2026: The Sick Times will host a Pride event, “Virtual Pride with The Sick Times” at 5pm PT/8pm ET. This virtual variety show, hosted by Sick Times writer Khalil Dennis, will feature drag artists and other performers with Long COVID. While many in-person events aren’t accessible to people with Long COVID and related diseases and disabilities, join The Sick Times from home as they celebrate queer performance art. ​After several acts, the artists will take your questions about performing and organizing while prioritizing COVID-19 safety. Performers will include: ​Khalil Dennis (Host), ​Taipei Queen, and ​King Lotus Boy. Register in advance.

 

June 15, 2026: From the Pandemic Mitigation Collaborative: the PMC reports that SARS-CoV-2 transmission remains at its lowest levels nationwide since mid-July 2021. This map is now interactive. "Levels are mostly ‘very low’ nationwide. The following areas have elevated transmission: Guam (Very High), Southeast Idaho (Very High), Southeast Alabama (Very High), Lorain, Ohio (Very High), Waldoboro, Maine (Very High), Waco, Texas (High), Lexington, Kentucky (High), and Lancaster, Pennsylvania (High).”

 

June 12, 2026: From Med Page Today: A 2010 paper that linked hepatitis B vaccines to autism has been retracted. 

 

June 15, 2026: From CIDRAP: One month after officials first identified the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) says the outbreak is far from contained in one of the most dangerous corners of the world.

 

June 15, 2026: From Outbreak News Today: Bangladesh is reporting over 80,000 measles cases since their outbreak started in March, with 972 cases reported in the past 24 hours.

 

June 16, 2026: From Med Page Today: U.S. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr goes after a journal that removed a study that purportedly suggested an increased incidence of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) within a few days after vaccination. The study was published in 2021 in the journal Toxicology Reports, then removed when serious methodological flaws were identified in the use of data from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) to infer a correlation between vaccination and SIDS. Secretary Kennedy is questioning the retraction and demanding a fuller explanation from the journal's editor-in-chief.  

 

June 16, 2026: From CIDRAP: People with long COVID use nearly every type of healthcare service more frequently than those who recovered fully from COVID or were never infected. 

 

June 16, 2026: From WHN: Due process is for people, not for pathogens. Public health should be guided by the precautionary principle, not by legal standards that were designed to protect people.

 

on the lighter side…

Credit: The Vertlartnic

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