Thread by @julia_doubleday

“Covid is over….ive had it 5 times”

Covid has a major reinfection problem. We fully reopened in ‘22. Plenty of ppl have had 5 infections in 4 years.

You’re looking at 50 infections for a baby born today by age 40. The data we have shows 50 infections would be catastrophic

I PERSONALLY got disabled to the point that I’m fully homebound 2 years later (despite being fully vaxxed) from one infection. But I feel like when I talk about this, ppl think I’m saying “this is what I think will happen to everyone! Everyone will be disabled by 1 infection”

And of course, that’s not true. Not everyone dies from one infection- only 1% did even at the very beginning. 99% of ppl survived, as anti vaxxers love to remind us! Not everyone will be disabled by one infection - that much is very clear, as most ppl are accumulating infections

But what the science we have shows, what the many studies we do have show, is that each infection is liable to do some damage. This virus isn’t health neutral. Ppl who’ve had covid- one infection, even a mild one- sustain damage. You might not know it, but it’s visible in data

After Covid, you’re more likely to have a heart attack. You’re more likely to have a stroke. You’re more likely to develop blood clots. Covid damages your endothelial lining- the lining of your blood vessels- and of course, you might have no idea !

After Covid, even mild Covid cases, people are suffering cognitive damage. They’re scoring lower on cognitive function tests, and their brains look different on MRIs. They’re losing brain volume. Covid can disrupt the blood brain barrier- how would you know?

And then there’s the immune damage. The immune system is enormously complex, but we know that Covid is cause immune dysregulation and damage in at least some ppl, after some infections. We know it’s causing damage to certain immune cells, & leaving us prone to other infections

I hear a lot of ppl say things like “I know ppl who’ve gone back to normal they’re FINE!” The truth is you might know a 40 year old who has had covid 5 times. But in the future there will NEVER EVER be a 40 year old who’s only had covid 5 times. That won’t exist!

Their parents are setting them up to be 40 year olds who’ve had covid 20-80 times. Read that again. Somewhere in the range of 2 (once every 2 years, lucky) to 80 (twice a year, unlucky) times by age 40. And with each infection? More of the damage I just listed- and more!

Bc 1) I didn’t list the damage we already know covid does to other organs, or the risk of developing long covid or autoimmunity and 2) we don’t yet understand the heightened risk of cancers that may accompany covid infection (due to immune suppression)

The threat of Covid needs to be understood HOLISTICALLY and nobody is approaching it in this matter. It is a disease where we must factor in BOTH the acute and post acute health risks and multiple that by our INABILITY TO HOLD IMMUNITY TO IT and its rapid viral evolution

Covid’s relentlessness, its ability to reinfect multiple times within a year, its ability to do invisible damage- all of these are unaccounted for in the public’s perception of Covid’s risk

And lest you think- no need for me to worry! I’ve never had it/ I’ve had it once! Let me tell you a little story. First, you should know that NEARLY HALF of COVID infections are asymptomatic- part of why it’s such a worth foe. One review study found a rate of 44%

In my home, friends have to test before hanging out with me. I have a friend who has now tested positive 4 times within 2 years- and at least 3, I believe, of those times, was fully asymptomatic. Her first infection was mild. 2nd might’ve been slight sore throat

Can’t quite remember. But the next two for sure, she felt right as rain. We only knew she had Covid bc of the tests. If she was anyone else- someone who didn’t have to constantly test- she’d have no idea she had 4 Covid infections in 2 years. She’d probably think she’d had 1

The acute infection is not the whole story with Covid. Just like HIV, HPV, HSV, and many other viruses, Covid has a long tail and we are decades away from understanding what that long tail will bring. Protect yourself now - not after your 25th infection, when it’s far too late