Thread by @elisaperego78

Covid can be a prolonged disease, with multiple symptoms and sequelae across time. It can kill down the disease course
It's what first wavers told you: #LongCovid. The ramifications of the early "mild" viral infection can be enormous, even with subclinical ("silent") pathology 🧵

https://twitter.com/LauraMiers/status/1518255357868625920

We've discussed this many times. The early, "acute" infection in HIV is usually mild ~ asymptomatic. The end point of the disease, with no treatment, is AIDS. This is not to say SARS-CoV-2 infection is the same as HIV infection. They are different viruses

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV

But the end point of HIV infection, SARS-CoV-2 infection, SARS CoV infection, mononucleosis from EBV infection, and many others, is not necessarily the early symptoms. This is especially with no treatment! The pathological process triggered by a pathogen is often very complex.

It has been recently reported that EBV infection is not only linked to mononucleosis and other diseases like ME/CFS. EBV (Epstein Barr virus) is now suspected to be a main trigger or driver of multiple sclerosis. Long time after the initial infection!

nih.gov/news-events/ni…

The scary Ebola virus disease has been known for long to cause a prolonged viral-onset disease(s), usually referred to as Post Ebola Syndrome. Very recently, it has been reported the Ebola virus can stay dormant in the body, and reactive years on!

nature.com/articles/d4158….

I could go on the whole night about prolonged disease and long-term sequelae after an early, sometimes "mild" viral infection. The measles virus does that. The poliovirus does that. We know or suspect (viral) infections are linked to cancer, ME/CFS, autoimmune diseases, and more!

We know already SARS-CoV-2 infection is linked to vascular damage, cardiac disease, clotting disorders, diabetes, acute and chronic kidney disease, liver disease, immune dysfunction at different levels, and much more. Every organ and body system can be affected!

#LongCovid

Sure, we have now the weapon of vaccination against SARS-CoV-2. Vaccination remains a very important tool and we all hope the vaccines will help minimize covid severity. Please get vaccinated and boosted if you can, and you didn't e.g. because of wrong information you received

The vaccine and the booster remain important, especially against death and severe disease. But, we know the current covid vaccines are not a perfect tool, especially with the omicron variant. Omicron has the ability to partially evade prior immunity, including "natural" immunity

We know that the current vaccine, especially with no booster, and as time goes by from your dose, is not perfect to prevent infection, symptomatic covid, sometimes death, and obviously, prolonged disease. #LongCovid remains a threat. We don't know what the next variant will bring

We don't know in full what the longest term effects of SARS-CoV-2 will be in the years or decades to come. We know many SARS survivors were ill for years or never recovered: #longSARS
Will covid trigger a tidal wave of ill health down the line even in "mild" disease? I fear yes

It is, thus, crucial, we implement a global response to this severe threat to our health and wellbeing: vaccination, vaccine equity, better vaccines, better treatment of acute and Long Covid, surveillance, and airborne prevention (masks, clean air, ventilation etc.)

Honest information about the risks of covid and #LongCovid is critical to an effective global ~ national response to SARS-CoV-2. People have the right to know. Covid is *not* the early, "mild" symptoms you may have. You can be done with that, especially if vaccinated, great!

But you may not be. You can get prolonged symptoms ~ sequelae #LongCovid. It's possible multiple reinfections will trigger more easily ongoing pathology even in those who were ok at first. You can get asymptomatic~subclinical pathology, where you feel ok, but the disease is there