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“I wear a mask to protect myself and others, and keep my parents safe! It’s an easy way to keep everyone healthy✌🏾😷”—Monique (@itsmo__nique).  Photo courtesy Mask Together America.

Weekly Newsletter, September 11, 2026

Greetings, public health PHANs! We hope you're having a healthy and safe September so far.  Happy (upcoming) Hispanic Heritage Month! This awareness month starts on September 15 and runs through to October 15.

 

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!

We are delighted to announce that we've formed a partnership with Safer Air Project, based in Sydney, Australia. Safer Air Project’s work is focused on a simple but powerful idea: making the invisible visible. They encourage businesses, schools, workplaces, healthcare settings, and other shared indoor spaces to monitor their air quality and make that information publicly accessible. Through this partnership, PHAN will work with Safer Air Project on public education, technical strategy, conference and paper promotion, global standards, and broader efforts to move clean indoor air from awareness into adoption and action. Read the special announcement.

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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 how safer the air in a given room 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. Read our recent press release.

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Safer Shared Air: Indoor Air, Health & Productivity Conference, will be held in Canberra, Australia, and online on October 28 (Asia, Australia, NZ) / October 27 (North America, South America, Europe, Africa). 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.

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The recording from our terrific Zoom discussion about the Canadian COVID response is now on YouTube. Our guests for this discussion: 

We discussed how our guests got involved in the cause of COVID advocacy and public health, what the response to COVID was in the various provinces, and what the new proposed standard for requiring healthcare workers to mask in healthcare settings might mean for Canada, as well as other countries that might get inspired by the new standard. 

 

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

We are delighted to co-sponsor a terrific event produced by Mask Together America: “Long COVID: Voices of Resilience”, a forum of Black authors who've written about their experience with Long COVID. The event takes place on October 9, 2026, at 5pm ET. Register in advance.

 

Hosts: Sarah Cahill and Julie Lam

Emcees: Becky Ancira Robertson (@beckyancirar), and Victoria Coble (@coble.victoria), founder of @COVIDActionGSO

 

SCHEDULE: (all times ET)

5:00 PM: Opening Remarks by Dr. Marjorie Roberts (@docmarj), Long COVlD advocate  

5:10 PM: Q&A with Candace Taylor (@crps_conqueror), author of UnMuzzled: Your Voice is a Treasure.

5:45 PM: Q&A with Peace Waters (@peace.waters), author of Long COVlD Story Short—a collaborative project created alongside their mother, cartoonist and poet Dimitrea Tokunbo (@comix.dimitrea)

6:20 PM: Q&A with Marc Redding (@keptone04) author of The Day I Almost Didn’t Come Back.

 

We encourage all public health and COVID-safe advocates to read the works of all of these authors. Until we address systemic bias and ensure equitable healthcare access, historically marginalized patients will continue to face clinical neglect and exclusion from life-changing clinical trials.

 

The most recent forum from Mask Together America, Long COVID Defense Series IV, is now available for viewing on Facebook. The forum was led by Dr. Robi E Tamargo, PsyD; Sarah Cahill; and Julie Lam; and featured six Q&A sessions with Long COVlD researchers, healthcare providers, and patient advocates:

— Robert DeRosa (NIH RECOVER Patient Representative & Long COVlD Patient) 

— Laura Pensiero (Long COVlD Patient & Prevention Advocate) 

— Dr. Michael Peluso (Associate Professor of Medicine, UCSF) 

— Dr. Elham Raker (Board-certified Pediatrician, Parenting Coach, Founder of Root to Bloom Pediatrics and Coaching, Mom with Child Living with LC) 

— Dr. David Keegan (Professor of Family Medicine, University of Calgary) 

— Dr. David Putrino (Director of Rehabilitation Innovation, Cohen Center for Recovery From Complex Chronic Illnesses [CoRE])

The International WELL Building Institute, which developed the WELL Building Standard, will host several in-person events this year to promote their standard and the development of buildings with healthier indoor air.

 

On September 17, 2026, they'll host a Regional Summit in Sydney, Australia. Attendees can connect with local thought leaders, innovators and experts focused on advancing healthy buildings and people-centered design. 

Time: September 17, 2026, 8:30 am - 7:00 pm AEST (Eastern Time: September 16, 10:30 pm - September 17, 9 am)

Location: The Landing @ VicX Tower, 155 Miller Street, North Sydney

 

On September 29, 2026, they'll host the IWBI Healthy Building Policy Summit 2026 in Washington, DC. 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.

Time: Tuesday, September 29,  9 AM - 6 PM ET

Location: McCourt School of Public Policy, Washington, DC

 

See additional WELL Global Events Series events around the world.

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.

September 7, 2026: From the Pandemic Mitigation Collaborative: “The US has at least 33 states/territories with COVlD outbreaks. These include Alaska, Hawai'i, Guam, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Montana, Colorado, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Rhode Island."
 

September 3, 2026: From RNA in New Zealand: Bird flu hoax claims spread online.

 

September 3, 2026: World Health Network launched their “Health Department Outreach Campaign”, encouraging concerned individuals to contact their local health department to ask them to provide clear and accurate public health messaging.

 

September 6, 2026: From Richard A. White, infectious diseases biostatistician/researcher, on Twitter: In Norway, there are 98% more doctor consultations due to memory problems than expected before the pandemic, with concentration disorders showing a 150% higher rate. 

 

September 8, 2026: From Today.com: Measles Cases in the U.S. Top 3,000 To Reach Highest Level in Three Decades, CDC Reports. 
 

September 9, 2026: From Seoul Economic Daily: Measles cases in Japan have hit a ten-year high.

 

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

 

September 29, 2026: IWBI Healthy Building Policy Summit 2026. See item above.

 

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 9, 2026: We are delighted to co-sponsor a terrific event produced by Mask Together America: “Long COVID: Voices of Resilience”, a forum of Black authors who've written about their experience with Long COVID. See item above.

 

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. See item above.

 

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

September 13, 2026: Community mask-fit testing event in downtown Oakland, CA, courtesy the Common Humanity Collective (CHC). Struggling to find a well-fitting mask? Your friends at CHC are hosting quantitative fit testing to help community members find the mask that seals best for each individual. KF94/KN95+ respirators are required for all, as well as negative rapid test results if you're fit testing. Extra masks and rapid tests on hand if needed. Sunday, 9/13, 12noon-3pm PT, Snow Park in Oakland. RSVP required.

September 16, 2026: Mask chain workshop in San Jose, CA, sponsored by LGBTQ Wellness. Make a cute accessory to up your masking game and learn how masking is a form of community care. All materials are provided, but you’re also welcome to bring your own! A mask chain is an accessory you attach to your mask. They are commonly made with beads and cute charms threaded through metal wire or attached to a metal chain.
Wednesday, September 16 (6pm - 8:30pm), in San José (message LGBTQ Wellness on Instagram for address and to RSVP). Unvented high filtration KF94/KN95/N95+ mask required and provided by Mask Block San Jose State University. There will be two air purifiers running in the space.

 

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. 

 

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.

 

Streaming online trough November 28, 2026: Hystericalfest: women+ ACT out.

A series of hort comedies on Women+ & Invisible Disabilities. Tickets available with a suggested donation of $10. With ASL and closed captioning options. Produced by Violet Surprise Theatre, Terri Lynne Hudson (consulting), & Hysterical Productions/Paula Kamen. This is a recording of a live performance that ran Friday, August 28, 2026.

 

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.

 

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: Charloh on Bluesky

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