Tag: covid 19

JN.1

It’s been four years since the first cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the US but it’s still a major health issue. While vaccines, treatments, and preventative measures have made the current situation less severe than the initial onslaught of SARS-CoV-2, people are still getting sick, with some needing to be hospitalized and some, unfortunately, succumbing to the disease, including the person I referenced in this post. In the week of Dec. 31, 2023-January 6, 2024, COVID caused 4% of all deaths in the United States.

The virus continues to mutate. The current strain that is dominant in the United States and globally is JN.1, which is related to the BA.2.86 variant of Omicron. The good news is that the most recent vaccine, which is based on the related XBB lineage, is a good match for JN.1, so the vaccine significantly reduces the risk of severe symptoms, hospitalization, and death while offering some protection against infection. The bad news is that, in the United States, only about 8% of children and 19% of adults are estimated to have received the newest vaccine, contributing to a surge of cases, amplified by holiday travel and gatherings.

More good vaccine news. This large study from Sweden concludes that vaccination reduces the risk of developing long COVID and that additional vaccine doses reduce risk even more. As someone who has particular concerns about long COVID, I appreciate that these studies are continuing to increase our understanding.

Another recent study shows that the Omicron variants don’t cause peak viral loads until day 3-4, much later than the earlier strains of the virus. The practical implication of this is that at-home COVID tests may not pick up a positive reading until several days into the illness, during which time the person could be infecting others. It also has implications for prescribing anti-virals, which need to begin within the first five days of symptoms to be effective. For me, this is a reminder to mask around other people whenever I have symptoms, as an early negative test might not be accurate.

A study published just a few days ago seems to put some science behind what we have all experienced, that SARS-CoV-2 doesn’t have a “season” in the way that some other viruses, like influenza, do. Changes in temperature and humidity don’t appear to have significant influence in transmission. This seems to go along with what we have experienced in the United States, with major waves happening in different seasons of the year. We’ve had waves in the heat of summer as well as the cold of winter. This suggests that our current winter wave is due more to low vaccination rates and holiday travel and gatherings than to the fact that it is winter. It also highlights the importance of increasing ventilation and using masks in crowded indoor spaces, as both summer heat and winter cold tend to drive people to gather indoors.

Four years in, I’ve written a lot of COVID-19 posts. From my days as part of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine trials through the present, I’ve always tried to give the most updated information and public health guidance available. It’s frustrating that there is less information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention than when the state of emergency was still in effect but some useful recent data can be found here. A lot of the information in this post came to my attention through this post from Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, writing as “Your Local Epidemiologist” and this post from Those Nerdy Girls.

Through all these challenges, especially when spouse B had the first case of COVID in our house in November, I’ve managed to avoid infection, unless I had a totally asymptomatic case at some point. I use my research to make decisions about vaccination, masking, crowd avoidance, etc. that are right for me and my family. I don’t think that advocating for health measures ought to be seen as controversial or political. There are, though, forces in the US that have warped disease prevention into a political test. It’s very sad that Republicans are more likely to die from COVID than non-Republicans. Please, don’t put your health and the health of your family and neighbors at risk over politics. COVID-19 is still out there. Take care of your health and your loved ones.
*****
Join us for Linda’s Just Jot It January! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2024/01/15/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-15th-2024/

Energy, exercise, mitochondria, long COVID, ME/CFS, etc.

I almost started to cry when I heard this piece on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition. (The audio clip is at the link, as well as a written transcript which may offer a bit more information than the audio in addition to links to the studies cited and to people providing commentary.)

The piece discusses that people with long COVID have physical changes in their tissues that showed cause for their exhaustion or “post-exertional malaise.” The mitochondria in the muscle cells were not functioning properly, so the muscles could not get the oxygen and energy they needed. It appears that this mechanism is also at work in people diagnosed with ME/CFS and other similar, poorly understood syndromes that exhibit these symptoms.

A member of my family was diagnosed with ME/CFS, then called fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue syndrome in the United States, as a young adult, although she had been having symptoms since early adolescence. She was told that she needed to exercise to build her strength, which was common advice at the time but which proved to be detrimental to her. If she tried to push herself physically at all, she would wind up in so much pain and with so much fatigue that she could barely move for a week or more. As I was listening to the radio piece, I was thinking back to those days, when she was so debilitated that we would strategize when or if she could join the family from her upstairs bedroom because she could only manage the fourteen stairs between the levels once a day, at most.

What made a terrible situation worse was that the doctors would think she “wasn’t trying to get better,” essentially blaming her for her condition when the root of the problem was their lack of understanding of ME/CFS. Effort or mental attitude is not going to repair one’s mitochondria.

I appreciate that research money going to study long COVID is also increasing understanding of ME/CFS and other conditions with similar symptoms. (You can read some of my prior posts referencing long COVID and its commonalities with ME/CFS here and here.) I’m hoping that increased understanding will bring more effective treatments and, at least, an end to blaming patients for “not trying hard enough” to get better.

Compassion is needed in these situations, not judgmentalism.

Compassion is always needed. 
*****
Join us for Linda’s Just Jot It January! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2024/01/12/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-12th-2024/

another COVID-19 risk

I had saved this article on a research study that showed that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can directly infect coronary arteries, which may help to explain the increased risk of heart attack and stroke among people who have contracted it.

It came to mind now because we received news that a friend’s family member with COVID has suffered a heart attack.

While it’s not known if infection and inflammation of the coronary arteries caused this particular person’s heart attack, it is a stark reminder that COVID can cause serious health complications. Way too many people are still getting sick and dying from it.

While there are no iron-clad ways to avoid infection, preventative measures like vaccines, avoiding crowds, and masking in indoor public spaces reduce your chances of infection and its follow-on risks.

Even if you don’t care about your personal risk of infection, remember that you could pass the infection on to someone who may be more vulnerable than you due to their age or underlying health condition. I know this has been a powerful motivating factor for me.

Please do what is right for you to protect yourself and others to the greatest extent possible.
*****
Join us for Linda’s Just Jot It January! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2024/01/08/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-8th-2024/

a belated Thanksgiving

Because spouse B had contracted COVID and needed to isolate at home and daughter T and I were masking around each other in case one of us was infected, we didn’t celebrate Thanksgiving last Thursday – or, I should say, we celebrated with a nice, but not fancy, dinner of roast pork with roasted vegetables with T and I eating in the dining room and B at the kitchen table where we could talk to each other at a safe distance. Instead of the traditional pie, we had (the also-traditional) Aunt Gert’s Indian pudding for dessert.

That Thursday was Day 12 of B’s COVID experience and the first day he had tested negative. On average, Omicron infections last for eight days, so B was on the long side of the spectrum but someone has to be to balance out those who have a short infectious phase. Because he needed to have two negative tests 48 hours apart for us to be unmasked around each other, he decided that our fancier Thanksgiving dinner should be on Sunday.

While, for many years, I did the bulk of the cooking at our house, I don’t especially enjoy it. B, on the other hand, likes cooking and baking, so he chose the menu and made the meal. We enjoyed a delicious dinner of individual beef Wellington with roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon and a Braeburn and Cortland apple pie for dessert.

One of the things for which we are most thankful is that B’s bout with COVID was relatively mild, even if his infectious period did hang on longer than expected. We are also thankful that T and I remained uninfected. The pool of people I know who have never had COVID has dwindled to just a few, so I know it’s likely we will contract it someday, but, for now, we are all happy to be able to spend time together at home unmasked in the same room, whether or not there is a fancy late-Thanksgiving meal on the table.

Photo by Pro Church Media on Unsplash

still positive

Spouse B is still testing positive for COVID on Day 11, although the line on the test kit is fainter so maybe he is getting closer to the two negative tests 48 hours apart to be ready to be unmasked together without worry.

Not sure yet what we will do about Thanksgiving. It will just be the three of us and we were planning to do something other than the traditional turkey dinner. Maybe we will just postpone until we can all eat together in the same room. T and I have been eating in the dining room while B sequesters himself in his office at mealtimes.

We all remain grateful that his symptoms were relatively mild and short-lived but we are anxious to actually spend time together again. We are also grateful that T and I aren’t infected but we want to make sure we remain cautious. B would feel so badly if his case spread to us because we got tired of following protocol. Given the length of time that has passed, we all realize T and I dodged catching it when he was infectious before and in the early hours of the symptomatic phase.

So, at least, three more days of masking in our future.

I might need to order some more KF94 masks…

(COVID Photo by Martin Sanchez on Unsplash)

One-Liner Wednesday: household COVID update

Spouse B seems to be through most of his symptoms on Day 5, but will continue to mask and isolate at home, while daughter T and I are continuing to be symptom free and are masking at home when we are with each other and when we have to go out in public. (COVID Photo by Martin Sanchez on Unsplash)
*****
This update brought to you as part of Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays! Join us in these brief (usually fun or inspirational) posts! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2023/11/15/one-liner-wednesday-worried-who-me/

out of luck

I’m sad to report that, despite our best efforts, we finally have a case of COVID-19 in the house.

My spouse B tested positive yesterday. We think he was exposed at an in-person work event on Wednesday.

We are taking precautions to isolate from each other but daughter T and I were both exposed to B before he developed symptoms when he was probably infectious, so it’s a waiting game at this point. We’ll be testing before going out in public and masking when we do to avoid infecting anyone else, in case we are pre-symptomatic.

So far, B has had fever and symptoms similar to a bad cold. Our primary care practice wants to hold off on prescribing Paxlovid but will if his condition worsens over the next couple of days.

I knew our luck would run out one day but I’m upset and worried to have COVID in the house. Because I’ve been reading about it and observing the twists and turns in its history since the beginning, I know that things sometimes go very badly, even in someone who is healthy and up-to-date on vaccines, so…

Photo by Martin Sanchez on Unsplash

One-Liner Wednesday: booster

Today, I’m getting my sixth dose of Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, this one targeting Omicron variant XBB.1.5 and shown to be effective against other currently circulating Omicron sub-variants. Please consider joining me if your health professional or public health agency recommends it for you.
*****
This public health message is brought to you as part of Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays. Join us! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2023/09/20/one-liner-wednesday-the-ultimate-404-error/

COVID update – late summer 2023

There are many people here in the United States who are no longer taking COVID-19 seriously and a disturbing number who never did.

I am not one of them.

I’ve written dozens of posts over the past three and a half years about it, including about my family’s participation in the Pfizer/BioNTech Phase III clinical trial. I’ve tried to encourage people to take precautions to reduce their chances of infection and serious illness. In that vein, I offer this update.

There was a summer wave in the US with the most prevalent strain being Omicron XBB.1.5. On September 12, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will meet to develop a recommendation for a newly formulated booster based on the XBB.1.5 variant. It’s anticipated that the recommendation will be that most people get this new booster, which is expected to be available by the end of September. I will get the booster as soon as I am able. To my knowledge, I’ve still not contracted COVID and would love to keep it that way. Even if the vaccine does not keep me from getting infected, it, along with taking an anti-viral such as Paxlovid, will likely keep me from being hospitalized.

Of course, SARS-CoV-2 continues to mutate. Even now, the variant mix has shifted in the US. EG.5 has become the highest in prevalence with FL.1.5.1 next in an array of variants currently circulating. (You can find current data in the US at the CDC site here.) It is expected that the new booster, though based on XBB.1.5, will still be effective against these other Omicron strains.

The unfortunate wild card at this point is another Omicron variant BA.2.86. The link is to a 8/22 post from epidemiologist Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, explaining why this variant may be more problematic than others, perhaps even warranting the World Health Organization to name it a variant of concern with the name “Pi.” BA.2.86 has over 30 mutations of the spike protein, which is part of the virus that our bodies learn to recognize via vaccines, infection, or both. The fear is that we could see another world-wide wave develop because BA.2.86 might be able to evade our defenses. Researchers are studying it to see if our current tests, vaccines, and treatments will work against it and how it might affect individuals and populations exposed to it. The current number of cases world-wide are thought to be small, but that has been the beginning status of any variant that has become dominant.

Part of the problem is that we don’t have as much data to work with. Most COVID cases aren’t reported to public health authorities anymore. Surveillance and genomic sequencing are lower. This results in less public awareness and information. Theoretically, we should be able to ramp up our system more quickly if a new wave occurs but I wish we had kept up our system in the first place in a proactive stance.

I’m concerned about the attitude that equates COVID infection with other viruses. A study in the journal Nature Medicine shows increased risks for an array of medical conditions, including diabetes, pulmonary and cardiovascular problems, two years after COVID infection, even if the initial case was mild.

“A lot of people think, ‘I got covid, I got over it and I’m fine,’ and it’s a nothingburger for them. But that’s not everything,” said the study’s senior author, Ziyad Al-Aly, a clinical epidemiologist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. After a couple of years, “maybe you’ve forgotten about the SARS-CoV-2 infection … but covid did not forget about you. It’s still wreaking havoc in your body,” said Al-Aly, chief of research at the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System.

source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2023/08/21/long-covid-lingering-effects-two-years-later/

The risk of long COVID is real. The article cited above, which is free to access, explains more about the attempts to do research and get care for people with long COVID. People need to realize that they might be someone who gets COVID and has a mild case without long-term repercussions or they might become seriously ill or they might have symptoms for months and years to come. They could also infect someone else who would face the same uncertainties.

I’m once again imploring people to take COVID seriously. Vaccinate, if it is recommended for you. (Being in the US, I’m most familiar with recommendations here but people should look to their own local health authorities and medical practitioners for guidance in their area.) Test and treat an infection. Stay home if you are sick and avoid infecting others. Avoid crowds indoors; wear a high-quality mask if you can’t. If infection rates are significant in your area, mask indoors when you are away from home. Increase ventilation and air filtration. Wash your hands. Get adequate rest and nutrition. Remember that everyone deserves respect, so never question someone else’s decision to mask; they could be immunocompromised, caring for a vulnerable person, etc. and need that protection.

Eventually, we may get to a place where COVID is endemic, like the flu, but we aren’t there yet. Be careful and be kind as we continue to face this still-formidable challenge.

SoCS: left alone

All I can think of is how hard it was for my father to be left alone when my mother passed away. It was the thing she had been most worried about. What she couldn’t have known was that a pandemic would arrive which severely curtailed our ability to visit.

I’m grateful that she never had to know.
*****
Linda’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday this week is “left alone.” Join us! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2023/06/02/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-june-3-2023/