Wow.
Let's work through *all* the slides Yale School of Public Health shared...
๐"What we know (and don't) know about Covid's effect on the immune system"
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(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."
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."
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."
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."
THIS LOOKS LIKE (4)
"Triggered autoimmune conditions, blood clots, and latent viruses
COVID-19 infections can trigger autoantibodies that lead to autoimmune disorders."
"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."
๐๐จ
"The more COVID-19 vaccine doses you get, the lower the risk of Long COVID. The more reinfections you have, the higher the risk."
"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."
"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."
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.
"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:"
"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"
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."
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."
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."
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.
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...
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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.
"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."
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.
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I'll start there because people don't read long threads ๐
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..."
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*.
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.