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Apr 22, 2024 โ€ข 25 tweets โ€ข 6 min read โ€ข Read on X
Wow.
Let's work through *all* the slides Yale School of Public Health shared...
๐ŸŒŽ"What we know (and don't) know about Covid's effect on the immune system"
๐Ÿงต
Image
(just the immune system, though, nothing here about cardio or lung or liver or nerve, or other stuff, OK?)
LASTING IMPACT.
"Growing research shows infection with SARS-CoV-2 can create lasting differences in some people's immune systems." Image
THIS LOOKS LIKE (1)
"Altered immune system cells

Severe cases of COVID-19 can change the parent stem cells that generate immune cells. These altered stem cells create cells that are more inflammatory." Image
THIS LOOKS LIKE (2)
"Viral reservoirs and fragments

Proteins and fragments that have been found in people with Long COVID can set off a continuing immune response and amplify inflammation." Image
THIS LOOKS LIKE (3)
"Immune dysregulation and chronic inflammation

Dysregulation = when some immune cells are working hard, and others are exhausted. How long it can last is unknown." Image
THIS LOOKS LIKE (4)
"Triggered autoimmune conditions, blood clots, and latent viruses

COVID-19 infections can trigger autoantibodies that lead to autoimmune disorders." Image
"5-20% of people develop lingering symptoms or new health conditions after infection, called Long COVID.

As of the CDC's latest count in March 2024, 30% of all American adults who've had COVID have experienced Long COVID."
๐Ÿ‘€๐Ÿšจ Image
"The more COVID-19 vaccine doses you get, the lower the risk of Long COVID. The more reinfections you have, the higher the risk." Image
"172% INCREASED RISK

The risk of developing an autoimmune disease rose by up to 172% after infection, per a study following people from 2020 to 2022.

Up-to-date COVID-19 vaccination can reduce the likelihood of developing an autoimmune condition after infection." Image
"OTHER ILLNESSES

SARS-CoV-2 can also activate other viruses that have been lying dormant, like Epstein-Barr and herpes viruses.

Studies have found kids with prior COVID-19 infections had a greater risk of RSV infections." Image
Notice the little bit at the bottom?
"Always feel run-down? Practice harm reduction and learn how you can protect yourself from more damage."
Good idea. Image
"49% OF COVID INFECTIONS ARE ASYMPTOMATIC,

which means you may not know if you are actually sick. This is why it's important to take a multilayered approach (one or more of the following) to protect yourselves and others:" Image
"N95 and KN95 masks

Up-to-date vaccinations

HEPA air filtration

Rapid tests before gathering

Good ventilation (carbon dioxide <800 parts per million)

Attention to wastewater levels of COVID-19" Image
WHAT WE DON'T KNOW (1)
"The long-term impact on other illnesses

Outside of the influence on RSV and reactivated viruses, it's TBD whether altered immune systems predispose people to conditions like other infectious diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, or cancer." Image
WHAT WE DON'T KNOW (2)
"Why some people's conditions persist

We don't yet know why some people recover and their immune system restores, and why others continue to decline." Image
WHAT WE DON'T KNOW (3)
"What diagnostics and therapies can help restore the immune system

More identifiers like viral load tests and biomarker tests, plus treatments for Long COVID, are needed to help the millions living with the condition." Image
Wow.
And you might think that was an extensive deep dive into what Covid does to you...
BUT IT WAS ONLY ABOUT YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM.
Covid does that to every bodily system.
That thread was only a glimpse of what we know about what Covid does.
Don't catch it.
Don't spread it.
But, of course, your immune system can then *also* affect every other bodily system, so the cycle continues.

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More from @1goodtern

Sep 18
Long-term neuroinflammation in the brain can interfere with neurons, synapses, and glial function in ways that ripple out across thinking, mood, and body systems.
Symptoms might include...
๐Ÿงต
Psychological and emotional:

Anxiety

Depression

Irritability, mood swings

Apathy or loss of motivation

Sleep disturbance (insomnia, fragmented sleep, non-restorative sleep)
Neurological and sensory:

Headaches or migraines

Heightened sensitivity to light, sound, or smell

Dizziness, balance problems

Tingling, numbness, or neuropathic pain
Read 7 tweets
Sep 14
Ten psychological issues that science has proven Covid can cause, but that Public Health are too scared to tell you about:
1
Insomnia
2
Obsession
Read 167 tweets
Sep 13
Every now and then I say to myself, "Am I nuts to be trying to avoid covid infection? No one else is."

And then I think about what those scaremongering bedwetters at the British Heart Foundation say. Image
"How does Covid-19 affect your heart?
We explain what Covid-19 does to your heart and circulatory system and how it can lead to conditions such as blood clots, heart damage, palpitations and high heart rate." Image
All those things sound nice.
Read 20 tweets
Sep 12
Last week I saw someone write about how 6 year olds have never heard of Covid even though they've had it at least five times here.

So this week I asked school children of all ages about Covid.

Some of what they said blew me away, especially the older teenagers.
๐Ÿงต
I'll start there because people don't read long threads ๐Ÿ˜…
I was doing an assembly for 450 fifteen and sixteen year olds, and I introduced myself, and said, "people here often ask me why I wear my mask, and the answer is that I'm trying to reduce my risk of catching and spreading covid..."
Read 37 tweets
Sep 10
"Covid? My first infection was nothing. Just a bad cold." Image
"Covid? Nah. I've had it twice, and I'm fine." Image
"Covid? Yeah, I've had it three times, and I'm fine. I feel a bit washed out maybe." Image
Read 7 tweets
Sep 8
A third sequence of BA.3.2* popping up in the Netherlands after a two month break, so it's maintaining itself in circulation even without further evolution.

BA.3.2 has lots of components of a formula one variant... except for the tyres.

When it finds them, it may go *fast*. Image
Just to explain that a little more...

Some dangerous variants appear *complete*.
They're the spawn of one or two existing widespread variants, and just pick up an extra mutation or recombination that makes them even more efficient.
That's like a formula one team taking an existing successful race car and giving it a slight modification that makes it even more competitive.
Read 19 tweets

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