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“Living with Long COVlD has pushed me to take responsibility for my health. Every time I wear a mask, I remind myself that I’m worthy of care and protection and that chains of transmission and cycles of harm can end with me.” — Behind the 3M Aura respirator is Jae Art (@jaeart.love), Multidisciplinary Artist, Writer, & Acupoint Practitioner. Photo courtesy Mask Together America.

Weekly Newsletter, September 4, 2026

Greetings, public health PHANs! We hope you're having a healthy and safe September so far.  Happy Hispanic Heritage Month!

 

If you're new to PHAN, our mission is to reduce indoor airborne pathogens and to establish the right to clean indoor air as a human right. We promote evidence-based research on COVID, other airborne pathogens, and clean-air devices, we build bridges with other organizations that are working for clean indoor air, and we develop and promote technologies that will help those in the air-aware community keep themselves, their families, and their communities safe.

 

In this week's issue:

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

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The Chicago Clean Air Resilience Network (Chi-CARN), a project to make clean-air materials like N95+ masks and air purifiers available to nonprofits and mission-based groups in the Chicago area, is ramping up with additional materials and building more alliances. The project has obtained several air purifiers from SmartAir to lend out to Chicago-land organizations as well as several thousand masks that PHAN helped procure. 

 

The project is also building alliances with organizations in the greater Chicago metro area, including ACT UP Chicago and Care Not COVID Chicago, to bring in volunteers and to publicize the availability of materials. 

 

PHAN is contributing a software tool called SUPPLY that will help smooth out the process of procuring and distributing materials, by letting companies and organizations post items they can donate, and by letting organizations in need claim them and arrange for receipt.

 

On August 13, we had a terrific discussion about the Chicago Clean Air Resilience Network, which you can listen to on YouTube. We spoke with Melissa Smallwood, VP of Air Support Project; Jess Pohto, director of the Windy City Toolbank; and Tarz Ludwigsen, CEO for PHAN.

 

This project is a coalition with PHAN, Air Support Project, Windy City Toolbank, and SOS. Each organization brings specific talents and skills that make the project work, and the project builds on the existing Windy City Toolbank warehouse which offers a lending library of tools and other items for Chicago area organizations. We are thrilled at the progress that Chi-CARN is making and we're looking forward to more great work to follow. If you have feedback on the Chi-CARN project or would like your organization to collaborate with Chi-CARN, you're invited to send your thoughts via this survey, which will help inform how the project can expand and which groups could be contacted.

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We are excited to be part of the new RESET Safer Air Accessibility Index (RSAAI) project, which is a tool and set of standards to encourage building owners to measure their indoor air quality and make that data available to the public. This project is a collaboration between RESET, Safer Air Project, and PHAN, bringing together expertise in indoor air quality, lived experience, public health and building performance, and building on RESET's existing Viral Index framework for measuring airborne infection risk. 

 

Despite the health risks of exposure to poor indoor air quality, there is currently no simple way for anyone to know whether the air in a given room is safe to breathe. The RSAAI aims to close that information gap with a single score combining every layer of protection in a space, natural and mechanical ventilation, filtration, portable air cleaners, and air disinfection technologies, showing how much safer a room is than an unventilated baseline.

 

RESET Standard is a non-profit organization that develops and operates an international building performance standards and certification program, advancing healthy and sustainable buildings through continuous measurement and transparent environmental data. By combining open methodologies with digital assessment tools, RESET helps building owners, operators, and technology providers measure, benchmark, and improve environmental performance across indoor air quality and sustainability.

 

PHAN is contributing a tool we've developed called AIRWISE. This is a 3D-visualization application for showing how airborne pathogen particles travel in the air. It will provide options for users to select their environment, like a classroom, plane, or offices, then enter various settings like the room dimensions, the number of people in the room, the number of people infected with various respiratory illnesses, and mitigations like air purifiers and Far UVC devices. The app will then show the particles in the air and how they move during a certain length of time. The new RSAAI will make AIRWISE data accessible and actionable.

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We're intrigued by the proposed new standard in Canada that would require healthcare workers to wear N95+ masks in healthcare settings, so we wanted to learn more about the Canadian COVID response. On Thursday, September 10, we'll host a Zoom discussion along with our allies from Air Support Project and guests:

The Canadian COVID response has varied from province to province, and now Canada is poised to adopt a new unified standard for healthcare workers that would require N95+ respirators in healthcare settings. Learn about the Canadian COVID response and what the future holds for masking in healthcare settings in Canada. Register in advance.

 

Do you have ideas for other guests for our Zoom discussions? Pop us an email at info@publichealthactionnetwork.org.

We have a new podcast episode for you! We chatted with Amanda Finley, a former archaelogist and opera singer who contracted COVID then became disabled with Long COVID. She's now a fierce advocate for everyone with Long COVID, along with being a PHAN contributor, and has built a Long COVID survivor community on Facebook with over seventeen thousand participants. The podcast episode with Amanda is now available for you to watch on YouTube or listen on Spotify or your favorite podcast source.

Chris Covell, aka Sassy Homo, has designed and produced an array of COVID-aware clothing items and sells them through his store. He donates a portion of the proceeds to several nonprofit organizations including PHAN, and he's having a “No Labor” sale this weekend. We love his work and hope to see more folks wearing these designs.

The Pandemic Mitigation Collaborative (PMC) creates a weekly COVID-19 “heatmap” based on CDC wastewater data and levels (U.S.). The PMC is led by Michael Hoerger, PhD, MSCR, MBA.

Last week's map for comparison:

August 31, 2026: From the Pandemic Mitigation Collaborative: “The US has at least 29 states/territories with COVlD outbreaks. These include much of Hawai’i, Alaska, Washington, California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Guam, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Maine. 

"There are likely outbreaks in additional states. The summary statistic of 29 only includes counties with observed data, rather than estimated data.”

 

Michael Hoerger, PhD, who runs the Pandemic Mitigation Collaborative, also highlighted on social media and the PMC website that the CDC has shifted higher COVID levels into lower categories and has started depicting them with cooler colors, in an apparent attempt to downplay the current surge seen in wastewater data. 

 

August 20, 2026: From the Journal of the American Heart Association: In a new study of >2.6 million people who had a COVID-19 infection, those with Long COVID had higher risks of cardiovascular, kidney and lung complications, including pulmonary embolism, stroke and kidney disease.

 

August 27, 2026: From Forbes Magazine: Covid-19 Cases Surge—Here’s What’s Different This Summer That Will Help. As COVID again increases, these will help you weather or prevent infection: vaccines, masks, Paxlovid, metformin, azelastine, some antihistamines, and Ensitrelvir

 

August 31, 2026: From The Philadelphia Inquirer: The CDC has chosen to omit from their reporting the two deaths last week from measles in Pennsylvania. "The two deaths reported by Pennsylvania — the first in the country this year — were not included because 'available information does not establish whether measles caused or contributed to the deaths or whether the individuals died from other causes while infected with measles,' the agency said in an update posted to the CDC’s website Sunday." 

 

August 31, 2026: From the Boca Raton Tribune: Florida is reporting 156 measles cases for the year, more this year than in the last 30 years combined. Meanwhile, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo is working to eliminate vaccine mandates in the state.

 

September 1, 2026: From The Smithsonian Magazine: For Many Americans, COVID is Still a Chronic and Disabling Disease. 

 

September 1, 2026: From CIDRAP: A new study suggests that longer Paxlovid treatment shows no benefits for Long COVID symptoms.

 

September 1, 2026: From The Sick Times: Department of Defense funds an $8 million grant for Long COVID trials. A new U.S. clinical trials program called PROBE-PASC was announced on Friday at a Long COVID conference in Amsterdam. The program received initial funding of $8 million from a Department of Defense (DOD) grant.

September 2, 2026: From JAMA: A new review shows that COVID19 vaccination significantly reduces the risk of severe illness and hospitalization across all age groups, including kids.  

 

September 7, 2026: International Day of Clean Air for blue skies, sponsored by the United Nations Environment Programme. This day is intended as a call for accelerating action for clean air, from governments to businesses to civil society and individuals.

 

September 8, 2026: Clean Air Pledge session from the EPIC Air Quality Fund at University of Chicago. This session is intended to follow-up on the UN International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies on the 7th. More information about the Clean Air Pledge session.

September 10, 2026: Webinar on “Advancing Healthy Indoor Air: Lessons from Five Leading Policy Models”. A new report by the International WELL Building Institute, the Brown University Pandemic Center, and Air Club highlights a rapidly expanding wave of indoor air quality (IAQ) policy innovation across the globe. Drawing lessons from nearly 160 policies spanning 40 countries, the report identifies five leading policy models that governments are using to improve indoor air quality: (1) high-priority sectors, (2) transparency, (3) integrating health into building performance, (4) national coordination, and (5) dedicated IAQ law with enforcement. 

 

September 17, 2026 in Sydney, Australia: WELL 2026 Summit Sydney, from the International Well Building Institute.

 

September 19, September 26, October 3, and (optional) October 10, 2026: #MEAction is partnering with the Writers Guild Initiative (WGI) to offer a virtual creative writing workshop series for people living with ME or Long COVID. These workshops are designed to give participants space to explore their creativity, strengthen their writing skills, and discover new ways to tell their stories. Participants will work in small groups of 4–6 people with two WGI writing mentors for three two-hour virtual sessions. Apply by September 8. There are only 30 spaces available, so they encourage you to apply early.

 

September 29, 2026: IWBI Healthy Building Policy Summit 2026. The Summit will explore how policy is increasingly driving outcomes at the intersection of health, sustainability and performance. From advancing a health-first agenda for schools to unlocking the role of buildings in supporting brain health, human performance and long-term resilience, this year’s program reflects a field entering a new phase of maturity and impact. 

 

October 7, 2026: California Clean Air Day. This is the state’s largest clean air event, organized by the Coalition for Clean Air. Every year, tens of thousands of Californians pledge to take individual actions that reduce air pollution and protect public health. 

 

October 12-15, 2026: Global Tipping Points Conference 2026, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Global Tipping Points initiative, led by Prof. Tim Lenton, is a global research and policy effort focused on understanding critical thresholds in the Earth system where small changes can trigger large, irreversible shifts in climate, ecosystems, and human societies. 

 

October 28/27, 2026: Safer Shared Air: Indoor Air, Health & Productivity Conference, in Canberra, Australia, and online. The full-day conference hosted by Safer Air Project will explore indoor air quality as a silent driver of chronic disease; the economic opportunities that exist; and how we can translate the evidence into world-leading, national reform. In-person registration closes October 20, 2026. Online registration is free (with donations requested to fund this conference and future events) and closes at the conclusion of the conference. PHAN is a supporter of Safer Air Project and a gold sponsor for this conference. We're excited to see their campaign to make indoor air quality data more accessible gaining momentum.

 

November 5, 2026 in Austin, Texas: WELL 2026 Summit Austin from the International Well Building Institute. 

September 8, 2026: Visibility Drawing will host an in-person figure drawing session at Colorspace Arts in El Cerrito at 10512 San Pablo Ave, 7-10pm. N95/KN95 masks are required and provided for artists, and HEPA filters will be running for the duration of session. If you have questions, you can message Visibility Drawing on Instagram, or email them at visibilitydrawing@gmail.com.

 

COVID-safe events in the San Francisco Bay Area: Every week theater journalist Charles Lewis III publishes a list of COVID-safe events and performances in the San Francisco Bay Area on his Patreon.

 

COVID-safer events in the Chicago area: The Clean Air Club of Chicago posts items to their Instagram page every week about COVID-safer events in Chicago and the surrounding area. All of these shows will have at least one large air purifier cleaning the air or Far UVC. 

 

COVID-safer events in the Chicago area: Save the Night posts lists of mask-required events in the Chicago area to their Instagram page. 

 

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, via the Facebook group "Still Coviding - Virtual Meetups" (private group, apply for membership). Sign up for weekly emails at ninawildflower@yahoo.com.

 

Last Saturday of every month in the SF Bay Area: Masked Hangout. Once a month, airborne-aware folks in the South Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area meet at 15980 Blossom Hill Rd in Los Gatos for games, puzzles, coloring, and socializing. Email SouthBayMaskedEvents@gmail.com for details and to be added to the mailing list.

 

Monthly in San Francisco: Infinite Wrench. 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: Sept 5, Oct 3, Nov 7.

 

COVID Safe Art Collective meets online every Sunday for pro-mask adults who want to make art together.

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. More info at Celebrate845.com/COVIDCreativeCoalition. 

 

Every Saturday: 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 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.

 

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 Linktree for the current Zoom link.

 

Molly was a professional actor and clown for 30 years in Chicago, and has had fellowships as well as guest lecture and teaching artist positions all over the country. She hosts an in-person and remote class once a month about how to create theatrical performances in a respirator. Sign up for her mailing list to get the remote link.

on the lighter side…

Credit: The Vertlartnic

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