Of the 1 in 9 Canadian adults who have experienced Long Covid since the start of the pandemic:
📍80% experienced symptoms for at least 6 months or more;
📍58% are still continuing to experience long-term symptoms as of June 2023, ie. they have never recovered.
But perhaps the most interesting thing in this report is this chart which looks at the impact of cumulative infections.
The risk of developing Long Covid symptoms is:
📍15% after 1 infection
📍25% after 2 infections
📍38% after 3+ infections - that’s 1 in every 2.6 people!
Let’s just take a moment to appreciate that statistic.
📍38% of Canadian adults reporting 3 or more Covid infections had experienced Long Covid symptoms.
These figures make it quite clear that the more infections people have, the higher the risk is.
You might wonder what this looks like if you extrapolate it out further.
Well, @DavidSteadson has developed a model for just that.
This chart shows the cumulative probability of developing Long Covid at different estimates of risk for each additional new infection…
Plugging the figures for the risk of Long Covid from 1st, 2nd & 3rd infection from the Canadian survey into David’s model, it’s incredible how well the data fits the curve.
Worryingly, this model estimates that, after 10 infections, you have an ~80% chance of having Long Covid.
To anyone who’s been paying attention to the scientific research, these numbers will come as no big surprise.
The CDC estimate that ~1 in 5 adults now have a health condition that may be related to their previous Covid infection.
That’s 20% of us!
Here in the UK, Long Covid stopped being officially tracked in March.
At that time, ONS estimated that nearly 2 MILLION people were suffering from Long Covid - that’s nearly 3% of the entire population!
Of these, around 700k developed Long Covid since the Omicron era began.
We also know that Covid can cause significant long-term sequelae which may not always be linked back to a previous infection.
For example, a recent study by the BHF found that people who caught Covid were 5x more likely to die from heart disease in the 18 months after infection.
And, as this BBC article acknowledges, it’s very likely that at least some of the deaths which were (or will be) hastened by the after-effects of a Covid infection will *not* end up being linked to the virus when the death is registered.
The CDC even added an update to their guidance for certifying ‘Deaths due to Covid’, making it clear that clinicians should bear in mind that Covid “can have lasting effects on nearly every organ of the body for weeks, months & potentially years after infection.”
But for many, death is not the biggest risk.
Long-term chronic illness is.
Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve seen a huge rise in the number of people dropping out of the workforce altogether due to long term sickness, reaching an all-time high of 2.6 million as of July.
According to a discussion paper recently published by the Institute for Public Health Research, long-term sickness absence is now a ‘serious fiscal threat’ in the U.K.
They have called for urgent action to tackle this ‘tide of sickness’ head-on.
And, as the Canadian study at the top of this thread showed, it’s clear that the risk of developing Long Covid increases with each successive reinfection.
Just because you’ve had Covid before and were fine, it doesn’t mean you’ll be fine next time…
Covid’s effect on the brain is particularly concerning.
In the thread 🧵 below, I’ve compiled a number of scientific studies from around the world, all of which examine the long-term impact of Covid infection on the brain.
I could keep posting studies like this all day long, but instead I’ll direct you to this link where @JessicaLexicus has collated a list of 171 sources explaining the long-term harm that Covid can cause to your vital organs
And then, of course, there’s the formidable @CassyOConnor_ (MP for Clark, Tasmania until her resignation in July 2023) who gave an absolute masterclass in holding politicians to account back in June, asking the critical questions to confront the elephant in the room…
Meanwhile, more than 500 children a day in England are being referred to NHS mental health services for anxiety, more than DOUBLE the pre-pandemic rate…
…and yet, the impact of repeated COVID infections on children is never even considered as a contributing factor.
🚨40% of the undergrad students reported brain fog due to COVID-19.
🚨37 % of the undergraduates exhibited impaired cognition up to 17 months post-infection.
🚨Brain fog appeared to affect the distinct prefrontal haemodynamic patterns.
This study was conducted by scientists at the University of Otago (NZ) who were looking to investigate the cognitive effects of COVID infection in a population highly representative of young adults: undergraduate university students.
Today, in honour of #LongCovidAwarenessDay, I’m sharing a series of short videos from Dr Rae Duncan (@Sunny_Rae1) about the ongoing impact of Long Covid.
1. WHAT IS LONG COVID?
Long Covid is a multi-systemic inflammatory condition that can affect almost every organ of the body.
Newly-appointed Health Minister @AshleyDalton_MP has just responded to a question from MP @_Chris_Coghlan.
Chris asks when the NHS IPC manual will be updated to reflect the latest science on AIRBORNE transmission.
Let’s take a closer look at Ashley’s reply…
The key bit is highlighted in yellow here:
“Should new evidence emerge that warrants updates, the guidance will be reviewed & revised accordingly by NHS England & UKHSA to ensure the highest standards of infection prevention & control are maintained across healthcare settings.”
Well @AshleyDalton_MP, new evidence HAS emerged.
It’s not even new news as we’ve known about it since 2020!
There’s not a single credible scientist who still denies that Covid is transmitted via the AIRBORNE route.
Please listen to independent expert witness Prof Beggs here ⬇️
I wonder why so many people who’ve had Covid might be suffering with ‘anxiety’ 🤔
Hmmmm, let me think…
Could it be because Covid infections cause brain inflammation which triggers a plethora of neurological symptoms, including depression, anxiety & cognitive dysfunction?
The symptom may be ‘anxiety’ but this can often be the first sign of underlying neurological damage caused by COVID infections.
Patients affected may also be struggling with cognitive dysfunction, memory problems, difficulty concentrating etc.
This video helps explain why ⬇️
Here’s a fascinating post from neuroscientist @DaniBeckman which explains a little more about the damage that COVID can cause within the brain, disrupting neuronal circuits and contributing to neuronal loss.