Just published @nature
The impact of #Covid on the brain: the 1st longitudinal imaging study before and after infection, with controls nature.com/articles/s4158…
Reduction of grey matter, brain size, cognitive decline
Demographics of Covid cases and controls. Only 15 of cases were hospitalized and results did not change when they were deleted from analysis
One of the most important studies of the pandemic; further work to determine reversibility needed. Credit @OxfordWIN@uk_biobank Gwenaelle Douaud and colleagues for this contribution
My new essay @guardian
"Why one-shot after a Covid-19 infection should suffice to be considered fully-vaxxed" theguardian.com/commentisfree/…
Summarizes extensive new evidence that confirmed Prior Covid ("Natural Immunity" or NI) + 1-shot is as protective as 3-shots /1
These 6 new reports (5 in the last week) all demonstrate that NI + 1-shot provides a consistent high level of added protection from reinfection, across multiple variants, which is not ameliorated by additional shots /2
I've reviewed considerable other new data here, such as the J&J vaccine randomized, placebo-controlled trial report last wk @NEJM which showed NI had superior protection vs moderate-to-severe Covid than 1-shot of the vaccine (90% vs 56%, respectively) erictopol.substack.com/p/ground-truth… /3
New @CDCgov
Proof of benefit of vaccine booster for protection from Covid hospitalization in young, age 18-49, as previously documented in other countries covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tra…
77% reduction with 2-shots
94% reduction with booster
All ages, 18+
2-shot reduction of hospitalization 76%
3-shot reduction of hospitalization 93%
Remarkable consistency across age groups for reduction of hospitalization for 2-shot and booster vaccination vs unvaccinated
2-shot 3-shot
Age 18-49 77% 94%
Age 50-64 79% 92%
Age 65+ 74% 94%
We've learned a lot about Prior Covid ("Natural Immunity") over the past year, but the US/CDC continues to negate the abundant evidence for it providing any protection erictopol.substack.com/p/ground-truth… w/links
And there's substantial new data, I'll review🧵here /1
Last week, the large J&J 1- shot, placebo-controlled trial w/ >2,000 participants who had Prior Covid published @NEJM
Vaccine effectiveness vs moderate/severe disease
Prior Covid 90%
J&J Vaccine 56%
Yet 1-shot J&J vaccine = "fully vaccinated" @CDCgov
Nothing for Prior Covid /2
Neutralizing antibodies after Prior Covid are present out to 16 months in 214 people (graph)
And another study showing persistence of memory B cells at 15 months /3
Today >3,400 Covid deaths reported in the United States, a 7-day average exceeding 2,600 lost lives.
This likely represents the current wave peak; 80% of the US pandemic peak when there were no vaccines. Compared to 20% in countries with high % vaccination and booster rates
OTOH at least we're seeing a rapid descent of hospitalizations to the 100,000 level