🧵on why and how to avoid natural infection and Long-COVID.
You may start wanting to consider SARS-CoV-2 an iceberg (COVID-19 = tip; Long-COVID (PASC), especially Neuro-LC lurking) ramming our Western health systems & social systems.
1/n
Vaccines offer excellent protection against COVID-19 and also against Long-COVID (if you vaccinate frequently). Thus, get vaxxed as often as possible. In fact, Western countries are (at best) heading for this solution: „gigavaxxing“ (there will be an obligation).
2/n
Reading the studies cited in this thread will make you understand why the only sane goal for humanity now is: achieving an incidence of SARS-CoV-2 that is as low as possible. Put differently: an elimination (not= eradication) strategy.
3/n
Mandatory „gigavaxxing“ is a way of achieving this (the only way, if science cannot make its way into public understanding, otherwise, there would be alternatives). Reasons why we need very low incidence is that we want to protect our brains, CNS, kidneys, etc.
4/n
People with persisting symptoms after an infection are referred to as long- haulers with Long-COVID. More scientific term: PASC (post-acute-sequelae). PASC is omnipresent. Look at the global metastudy:
5/n
Explanations for Long-COVID include autoimmune disease and/or local persistence of the virus. Studies on T cells reacting to epitopes that did not exist in the variants that infected the patients offer insight. 6/n
Dr. Tom Frieden: "Estimates of how common long Covid symptoms are for young people vary, but as many as half of people with infection may be affected. The virus is unpredictable and can cause serious long-term physical and mental damage(...)" 7/n
You thought that the virus is ok for kids?
8/n
If you REALLY want to know about PASC/Long-COVID, start studying using this library:
9/n
What everybody really should be aware of, is the danger for the brain due to an infection, irrespective of case severity. Check out the collection on this in the following 🧵
10/n
An important type of PASC is, hence, Neuro-Long-COVID. What will this cost our health systems and social systems?
11/n
There are loads of studies on SARS-CoV-2 and the brain. Here is an example:
12/n
nature.com/articles/s4159…
In other words, SARS-CoV-2 is a nerve-wrecking problem. We are looking at what lurks under water with this iceberg.
13/n
institute.global/policy/hidden-…
Experts are warning about it. Here is a 🧵 in German about it:
14/n
Check out this 🧵 on a neuroscientific perspective on SARS-CoV-2. I will translate it for you.
15/n
Most recent studies show that COVID-19 also leads to persistent functional disturbances of the brain after mild disease. Therefore, it is important to keep infection numbers low. A 🧵 from a neuroscientific perspective (1/8)
16/n
In this study, young adults (16-30 years old) had the following neurological symptoms 6 months after COVID-19 infection (without hospitalization): taste and/or smell disorder (28%), fatigue (21%), concentration (13%), memory problems (11%).
17/n
Also in this study of non-hospitalized patients, the most frequent persistent symptoms were assocaited with a disturbance of the brain functions: fatigue, concentration and memory disturbances and reduced sense of smell
18/n
In this large scale study, 11.5% of the non-hospizalized patients were diagnosed for the first time with a psychiatric or neurological condition 6 months after infection.
19/n
Imaging study (preprint): brain scans before and after COVID-19 infention (96% non hospitalized) show a decrease in grey matter in the brain regions which are important for smell, memory and emotions.
Gedächtnis und Emotionen.
20/n
It is thus posible that the persistent neurological symptoms of a #LongCovid syndrom, such as smell or taste disorder, are due to a damage of the brain structure in the corresponding regions.
21/n
The mechanism for the brain damage is not yet understood. Possibly due to persistent immunological changes or consequences of a viral invation of the brianm via the olfactory nerve.
22/n
Conclusion: COVID-19 frequently causes persisting functional disturbances of the brain also after mild disease. Prevention of infection by vaccination and protection of those who cannot get vaxxed or have insufficent proteciton, remains central
23/n
Here another study (preprint) re. health workers, 6 months after COVID-19 vs. seronegative control group: includes forgetfulness (35.0 % vs. 19.0 %), disturbances in finding words (15.7 % vs. 9,.2 %), short term memory problems (20.7 % vs. 5.6 %).
24/n
It is to be hoped that the neurological sysmptoms and the structural changes in the brain are fully reverible. Monitoring progress will show.
25/n
The risk for a first psychiatric or neurogical diagnosis 6 months after infection is significantly higher with COVID-19 (non-hospitalized) thatn with Influenza or other respiratory disease.
26/n
There are more and more hints that COVID-19 causes "brain fog" and other neurological systems through several mechanisms.
27/n
Vaccination reduced the risk for #LongCovid also in case of an infection despite vaccination by around 30%
28/n
New study on #LongCovid. As opposed to the case of breathing difficulties, there appears to be hardly any tendency towards improvement for cognitive problems after 7 months.
29/n
New large scale cross-sectional study in Great Britain
30/n
Here is a new overview article on #LongCovid including a discussion of possible mechanisms behind the most frequent neurological symptoms.
31/n
In this study, the participants had memory problems more frequently 8 months after a mild Covid case than Covid negative people or a non-tested control group.
32/n
New meta analysis on #LongCovid (47'910 patients): The three most frequent symptoms of #LongCovid are neurological symptoms: fatigue/exhaustion (58 %), headache (44 %) and concentration problems (27 %). #NeuroLongCovid
33/n
In this imaging study, the patients with #LongCovid showed a reduced metabolism in various brain regions, including the Gyrus olfactorius (smell) and hippocampus (memory) as compared to a healthy control group.
34/n
Returning to the main 🧵, what about the state of the immune system of a person with Neuro-Long-COVID? The following study implies that the state is not what you want.
35/n
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/artic…
What about the risks of Neuro-Long-COVID? E.g., Parkinson?
Antibodies are a strong correlate of protection against infection, not memory cells. This means one needs to be vaxxed again and again. nature.com/articles/s4146…
To avoid breakthroughs. 36/n
36/n
Look at the risk of Long-COVID after breakthrough infection.
37/n
medrxiv.org/content/10.110…
Thus, if you study all of this, you will understand why very low incidence (elimination strategy is key). To put it as cautiously as possible, we do not know what this virus will bring humanity long term.
38/n
mdpi.com/2076-0817/10/1…
You will also get this metaphore:
39/n
... and the five stages of denial of the Western world:
40/n
It might not be incredibly surprising if you think of corona viruses of protector viruses of bats (symbiosis to protect bats).
41/n
It would be great if everyone who does not want the life expectancy, and, especially, the expectancy of healthy years to decrease (due to a centromer shortening age booster with a natural breakthrough infection), would help promote that opinions must be based on data.
42/n
Thank you @DrZoeHyde for mentioning the "iceberg".
43/n
Vaccines reduce the risk of developing COVID-19 — but studies disagree on their protective effect against long COVID (article of 23 November 2021).
44/n
nature.com/articles/d4158…
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