• The Satanic Temple: April 2020 Newsletter

    From The Satanic Temple@21:1/5 to All on Fri May 1 12:00:11 2020
    April 2020 - Quarantine Edition

    “Beliefs should conform to one's best scientific understanding of
    the world. One should take care never to distort scientific facts to
    fit one's beliefs.”

    It has become clear that the pandemic will continue for some time.
    It is our responsibility as Satanists to uphold our tenets in
    trying times and to fight the propagation of myths by spreading
    sound information. With this in mind, we have included a
    comprehensive COVID19 FAQ within this month's newsletter, along with
    other potentially quarantine relevant contributions.


    PANDEMIC FAQ AND MYTHS DEBUNKED

    By Satanic Temple Healthcare Professionals and Scientists


    SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes the disease COVID-19.


    What are the symptoms? How do I know if I have COVID19, flu, or a
    regular cold?

    The most often reported symptoms are fever, tiredness, and dry
    cough. Other symptoms may be aches and pains, congestion, sore
    throat, or diarrhea. Most people show symptoms within 2 weeks of
    infection but could also be carrying the virus without being
    symptomatic. Symptoms of flu and COVID19 can overlap, but shortness
    of breath seems to be more common in COVID than in flu. Just because
    it isn’t COVID, doesn’t mean it's not important! For more
    information about symptoms, check out this link:

    https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses


    Who is high risk?


    People who are older, who are immunocompromised, or who have other
    medical conditions (high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes,
    etc.) are more likely to develop severe illness. Individuals of all
    ages can be infected and may develop severe disease. We learn more
    about this disease every day. Remember, “immunocompromised” is a
    term that means having an impaired immune system and can be applied
    to many people, not just individuals with cancer and HIV. In fact,
    some studies suggest that individuals receiving HRT are
    immunosuppressed. When in doubt, talk to a doctor about your risk
    status.


    Do the pneumonia or flu vaccines protect against this disease?

    No. The pneumococcal vaccine protects against a bacterial infection
    that is very different from the virus causing this disease. Flu
    vaccines are also not protective against SARS-CoV-2 infection.
    Although they are both viruses, Influenza and SARS-CoV-2 are very
    different viruses and they interact with the body in different ways.
    There is no scientific evidence to support cross protection but this
    should not dissuade anyone from receiving an annual flu vaccination.
    Why isn’t there a vaccine or treatment yet? This is a brand-new
    virus and it takes scientists time to learn how the virus enters
    your body’s cells and how to protect you from this. Vaccines and
    treatments are being tested in labs but can take years before they
    are available to the general public due to intense safety and
    efficacy testing. This can seem frustrating in times of an emergency
    of this volume, but these steps are necessary to protect you and the
    public from harm. For a fun discussion about this, check out this
    episode of This Podcast Will Kill You.


    Is COVID-19 a hoax or just a really bad cold?

    COVID-19 is not a hoax. If you or your loved ones haven’t gotten
    sick, that means public health measures, such as social distancing,
    are working.


    How does social distancing help?

    Social distancing reduces the number of people that are exposed to
    the virus over time. This helps our hospitals respond to the
    outbreak. If we continued life as normal, the number of sick people
    would greatly exceed the number of people a hospital can treat at
    one time and our death rates would increase dramatically. Even if
    your local jurisdiction is not under a shelter in place or similar
    order, do your best to avoid large social gatherings. Remember,
    healthy people can still carry the virus and transmit it without
    knowing.


    What’s the deal with masks?

    There’s been a lot of changing information about masks during the
    outbreak. It’s important to understand that as we learn more about
    the virus and its disease, guidance will change rapidly. This is not
    due to incompetence, but increased learning. There are many types of
    masks to consider, but we can broadly divide them by cloth mask,
    surgical mask, or N95. A cloth mask is a homemade mask made of
    fabric. These masks provide very little filtration of the air around
    you, but hold in some of the droplets when you cough or sneeze.
    Surgical masks are manufactured for healthcare workers. They too
    provide limited protection from environmental air, but do a great
    job at preventing the spread of droplets from sick people. If you
    are sick, you should wear a cloth mask or a surgical mask to help
    protect your family members. N95s are masks that are made for
    healthcare professionals to filter the air the wearer breathes and
    exhales. These masks will protect healthcare workers and researchers
    from infection, and there is a shortage of them. If you stocked up
    on them during your preparations, please, donate these to your local
    healthcare facilities. Use of these masks requires a fit-test to
    ensure optimum filtration.


    Originally, professionals suggested that masks were unnecessary for
    the general public. They now recommend that the general public wear
    a cloth mask when in public places. Again, these masks do not
    protect you from infection, but protect others around you from the
    droplets you exhale/cough/sneeze if you are potentially infected.
    People who are infected and do not show any symptoms can still
    transmit the virus to others. Anyone, including healthy individuals,
    could be an asymptomatic carrier. This is why masks are now
    recommended for everyone in public places.


    COMMON MYTHS


    Myth: Pets can get and spread SARS-CoV-2.

    There is no scientific evidence to support this. Although there have
    been a handful of reports throughout the world of pets such as cats
    and dogs testing positive, it is highly unlikely that a pet can
    replicate the virus to levels that would allow them to infect
    humans. One viral article indicates that a dog died after testing
    positive but fails to tell you that the dog died of old age after
    testing negative upon follow up. Current studies suggest that cats
    might become infected and spread it to each other, but we still have
    very little information. Visit this link from The AVMA for more
    information regarding pets and SARS-CoV-2 in animals:

    https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/animal-health-and-welfare/covid-19/sars-cov-2-animals-including-pets


    Myth: The virus is airborne.

    Aerosol does not mean airborne! Although some studies show that
    under optimal conditions viable virus is found up to 3 hours in
    aerosol droplets (potentially due to coughing), this does not make a
    virus airborne. Current studies show that the droplets are too heavy
    to remain in the air and that the virus cannot travel through the
    duct system of your home. Maintaining social distancing and
    practicing good hygiene in a household with an infected individual
    can lower your risk of infection.


    Myth: A stay-at-home order or shelter in place is a lockdown that
    will lead to martial law.

    A stay at home order and shelter in place are very similar, but they
    are not lockdown orders. There are no plans to implement martial
    law, but do your neighbors a favor and stay home as much as
    possible. Please, avoid panic buying! Visit this link from FEMA
    regarding rumor mongering and panic buying during the pandemic:

    https://www.fema.gov/coronavirus/rumor-control


    Myth: Taking hydroxychloroquine can cure COVID-19.

    Current scientific evidence does not support hydroxychloroquine
    being a cure or “miracle drug” and a clinical trial has only just
    begun. In fact, previous ideas indicated this may be a treatment for
    influenza, but clinical testing provided no such evidence. There is
    no current cure or vaccine for COVID-19. If you suspect you are
    infected and are exhibiting symptoms, seek medical attention and
    only take medications suggested by a medical doctor.


    Please, fact check information before spreading articles on social
    media and to loved ones. Reliable sources include:


    https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public

    https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/ for updates on case estimates
    worldwide.


    THINGS TO DO DURING QUARANTINE

    The Satanic Temple has been actively working on a means to keep
    members connected and occupied during the pandemic, which will be
    announced in the days to come.


    In the meantime, there have been an assortment of TST oriented events
    and activities occurring online. The current best way to stay in the
    loop with social TST events and broadcasts, is to follow the Twitter
    page of Lucien Greaves (https://twitter.com/luciengreaves), who has
    been consistent with sharing links to online gatherings, and check
    out the following links below:

    THE SATANIC TEMPLE TV

    https://thesatanictemple.tv/

    The Satanic Temple TV continues to broadcast original programs
    created by and for TST members, which include original series, rare
    movie screenings, and live stream events from around the world. Some
    shows and events that are usually only available to subscribers have
    been made viewable to all during the pandemic in support of social
    distancing to curb the virus’s spread. This includes The Devil’s
    Dispatch live broadcasts:

    https://thesatanictemple.tv/media/devils-dispatch/dispatch-live/

    TST MOVIE NIGHTS

    Lucien Greaves has also been contributing to the online activities
    during quarantine, by hosting a weekly movie night, broadcasted on
    watch-party hosting app, Kast. This usually occurs on Wednesday and
    Saturday evenings around 8 PM eastern at: https://w.kast.live/link/group/9apavkihzvc

    Visit Lucien’s Twitter page for any updates, or additional broadcasts
    added: https://twitter.com/luciengreaves


    DOES SCHOOL RULE YOUR HOME?


    If you have school-age children, you might feel inadequate as a
    parent during this pandemic. Not only do you have to care for your
    family in self-isolation, now you must teach your children according
    to the school curriculum. You can turn your home into a school and
    yourself into a teacher if you want, but you might want to try
    unschooling.


    Unschooling is the inverse of how schools are structured. Children
    learn by doing things they choose to do, going in-depth as much as
    they wish, and stopping and starting as they need. In other words,
    it is the way adults and other people who are not in school learn,
    except there is parental support.


    Author and educator, John Holt, used the word unschooling when he
    started the magazine Growing Without Schooling in 1977. Since then,
    unschooling and interest in how children learn on their own (also
    known as self-directed education) has increased.


    For more information on unschooling visit:
    https://www.self-directed.org


    A REQUEST FROM THE SATANIC TEMPLE OF COLORADO

    The Satanic Temple Colorado's Menstruatin' With Satan drive is
    entering its final week.


    Please donate to help us get much needed, and often overlooked,
    menstrual supplies to local shelters:

    https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/33CAYBDE0F72S


    For additional updates, visit:


    https://TheSatanicTemple.com

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