Corona Virus: It's a Marathon, Not a Sprint

[Smoove_B]

Feeling it.

https://twitter.com/oneunderscore__/sta ... 6579868674

I am begging you, from the bottom of my heart, to tell me what you think is closed.

[Kraken]

Wife's employer is on the bandwagon. She's expected to start going into the office one day a week starting next week...and a covid test is no longer required before entering the office (but will still be available for anyone with any symptoms). I wonder how long it will be before they reverse course again. There's no practical reason for her to be there.

[Smoove_B]

https://twitter.com/BNODesk/status/1491965360979034112

2 years ago today: The death toll from COVID-19 reaches 1,000. It now stands at 5.8 million

Just like the flu.

[RMC]

I know the hosptial system I worked for was hit pretty hard, we had to "enlist" our nurses that were working in noin-clincal roles. And heck our CIO even spent two weeks working as an extra pair of hands on a unit. But we were able to cancel the final two weeks of that program because we are back to an even keel.

Not over by a long shot, but a lot better than it was.

[malchior]

This is what I talk about when I argue we don't know the actual risks but minimize them to speed back to 'normal'. Does this sound 'normal'? This is all preliminary stuff (with sampling limitations as well) but we're starting to see a picture where we said 'let it rip' and potentially created years more of lasting misery that'll happen off the front page. And it'll have to digested by a health care system that is amongst the world's most expensive and has unequal outcomes consequent with that.

https://twitter.com/AbraarKaran/status/ ... 9198115851

From very early in the pandemic, it was clear that SARS-CoV-2 can damage the heart and blood vessels while people are acutely ill. Patients developed clots, heart inflammation, arrythmias, and heart failure.

Now, the first large study to assess cardiovascular outcomes 1 year after SARS-CoV-2 infection has demonstrated that the virus’ impact is often lasting. In an analysis of more than 11 million U.S. veterans’ health records, researchers found the risk of 20 different heart and vessel maladies was substantially increased in veterans who had COVID-19 1 year earlier, compared with those who didn’t. The risk rose with severity of initial disease and extended to every outcome the team examined, including heart attacks, arrhythmias, strokes, cardiac arrest, and more. Even people who never went to the hospital had more cardiovascular disease than those who were never infected.

The results are “stunning … worse than I expected, for sure,” says Eric Topol, a cardiologist at Scripps Research. “All of these are very serious disorders. … If anybody ever thought that COVID was like the flu this should be one of the most powerful data sets to point out it’s not.” He adds that the new study “may be the most impressive Long Covid paper we have seen to date.”

...

One limitation of the study is that the veteran population skews older, white, and male: In all three groups, about 90% of patients were men and 71% to 76% were white. Patients were in their early 60s, on average.

The researchers controlled for the possibility that the people who contracted COVID-19 were already more prone to developing cardiovascular disease. They found that “COVID is an equal opportunity offender,” Al-Aly says. “We found an increased risk of cardiovascular problems in old people and in young people, in people with diabetes and without diabetes, in people with obesity and people without obesity, in people who smoked and who never smoked.”

COVID-19 boosted the risk of all 20 cardiovascular ailments studied, including heart attacks, arrhythmias, strokes, transient ischemic attacks, heart failure, inflammatory heart disease, cardiac arrest, pulmonary embolism, and deep vein thrombosis.

For example, veterans who had had COVID-19 faced a 72% higher risk of heart failure after 12 months than those in a control group who didn’t test positive. That translated to nearly 12 more infected people per 1000 developing heart failure than those in a control group. Overall, the investigators found 45 more infected people per 1000 developed any of the 20 conditions than did uninfected controls.

[Defiant]

Any signs in the study as to whether vaccines reduce the long term risk on the heart (and how much)? (I know there are some studies that show a reduced risk of long covid, but this study seems more specific in the long term consequences).

[stessier]

Not to make Smoove start drinking earlier than normal (assuming he's still stopping at some point to sleep), but I found the editorial on Ars to be rather well thought out and not good.

Why covering anti-evolution laws has me worried about the future of vaccines

Here's the opening.

Prior to the pandemic, the opposition to vaccines was apolitical. The true believers were a small population and confined to the fringes of both major parties, with no significant representation in the political mainstream. But over the past year, political opposition to vaccine mandates has solidified, with a steady stream of bills introduced attempting to block various ways of encouraging or requiring COVID vaccinations.

This naturally led vaccine proponents to ask why these same lawmakers weren't up in arms in the many decades that schools, the military, and other organizations required vaccines against things like the measles and polio. After all, pointing out logical inconsistencies like that makes for a powerful argument, right?

Be careful what you wish for. Vaccine mandate opponents have started trying to eliminate their logical inconsistency. Unfortunately, they're doing it by trying to get rid of all mandates.

The fact that this issue has become politicized and turned state legislatures into battlegrounds has a disturbing air of familiarity to it. For over a decade, I've been tracking similar efforts in state legislatures to hamper the teaching of evolution, and there are some clear parallels between the two. If the fight over vaccines ends up going down the same route, we could be in for decades of attempts to pass similar laws and a few very dangerous losses.

[malchior]

Any signs in the study as to whether vaccines reduce the long term risk on the heart (and how much)? (I know there are some studies that show a reduced risk of long covid, but this study seems more specific in the long term consequences).

Good question though they seemed to indicate severity of original illness was a factor that was an indicator of severity of outcomes. You'd have to think it'd be the vaccinated group that'd have the best outcomes there but the article didn't call it out explicitly.

[Smoove_B]

This is what I talk about when I argue we don't know the actual risks but minimize them to speed back to 'normal'. Does this sound 'normal'? This is all preliminary stuff (with sampling limitations as well) but we're starting to see a picture where we said 'let it rip' and potentially created years more of lasting misery that'll happen off the front page. And it'll have to digested by a health care system that is amongst the world's most expensive and has unequal outcomes consequent with that.

Yeah, this continues to be minimized - that we still learning. Probably the best parallel I saw was someone suggesting looking at the HIV/AIDS crisis through the same lens we're using now. If you ignore all the social/moral issues associated with it in the 1980s and just focus on the disease itself, overwhelmingly (looking back) the people that were infected had a short window of time where they were feverish. They didn't know that was when they were infected because of the lag time between infection and actual symptoms (and illness). So imagine a world where we could have detected and recognized those symptoms and people were saying, "Meh, HIV isn't a big deal. All it causes is a low-grade fever for a few days - then you're back to normal."

[Smoove_B]

Not to make Smoove start drinking earlier than normal (assuming he's still stopping at some point to sleep), but I found the editorial on Ars to be rather well thought out and not good.

Hadn't seen this article, but I'll definitely give it a read. There's without question a coordinate effort happening, but I hadn't thought of this angle.

[LawBeefaroni]

Not to make Smoove start drinking earlier than normal (assuming he's still stopping at some point to sleep), but I found the editorial on Ars to be rather well thought out and not good.

Why covering anti-evolution laws has me worried about the future of vaccines

Here's the opening.

Prior to the pandemic, the opposition to vaccines was apolitical. The true believers were a small population and confined to the fringes of both major parties, with no significant representation in the political mainstream. But over the past year, political opposition to vaccine mandates has solidified, with a steady stream of bills introduced attempting to block various ways of encouraging or requiring COVID vaccinations.

This naturally led vaccine proponents to ask why these same lawmakers weren't up in arms in the many decades that schools, the military, and other organizations required vaccines against things like the measles and polio. After all, pointing out logical inconsistencies like that makes for a powerful argument, right?

Be careful what you wish for. Vaccine mandate opponents have started trying to eliminate their logical inconsistency. Unfortunately, they're doing it by trying to get rid of all mandates.

The fact that this issue has become politicized and turned state legislatures into battlegrounds has a disturbing air of familiarity to it. For over a decade, I've been tracking similar efforts in state legislatures to hamper the teaching of evolution, and there are some clear parallels between the two. If the fight over vaccines ends up going down the same route, we could be in for decades of attempts to pass similar laws and a few very dangerous losses.

It's a clear anti-science movement. Science fosters critical thinking and critical thinking really gets in the way of a lot of the things political and moral zealots want.

[Smoove_B]

I wonder what the crystal ball predicts for the United States?

https://twitter.com/DGBassani/status/14 ... 5174067208

Any other country dropping infection control restrictions and hoping for a different outcome should take note that’s what Denmark did mere 12 days ago. This is how it is working for them.

NOTE: I'm aware no one cares anymore. But good grief, this is difficult to watch happening over, and over again.

[malchior]

I waded in earlier today into some Denmark threads. They are full on fantasy living. 100% all in on the "with COVID" hospitalizations narrative. The fact that the elderly are dying at a extremely elevated rate and unvaccinated children are being hospitalized at high rates is waved away as misinformation. It's bonkers.

[RunningMn9]

NOTE: I'm aware no one cares anymore. But good grief, this is difficult to watch happening over, and over again.

You need to embrace your inner Woody Harrelson from "2012". Just stand on the mountain top, broadcasting until the wave of death and destruction washes over you.

[IceBear]

Many of the provinces here are doing away with all the restrictions. Pretty sure the truckers are going in "win". I know it's wrong to wish ill on others but I hope some of them end up having a bad experience with Covid and wish there were stricter public health measures. More likely it'll be me

[Blackhawk]

[Daehawk]

https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/1 ... 2714635267

[Blackhawk]

Corona Virus: It's a Marathon, Not a Sprint

[LordMortis]

I'm just thinking now that things are coming back down to earth and every is really over it this time, we have about one month until the next round of craziness starts locally. The next uptick to unto spread silliness to begin just after T Minus 27 days and counting. Please let me be unemployed by then.

[Smoove_B]

This was kinda buried yesterday, but it needs to shouted from the rooftops

https://twitter.com/wsbgnl/status/1493479145627480067

Slavitt: "Look, I don’t think they [elected officials] want to say that but I do think that implicit in this is an acceptance that there are going to be, at least in the US, 200 to 250,000 deaths a year at baseline."

Andersen: "We should probably expect that [without public health measures] most people will get infected a couple of times a year and we should expect 200 to 250,000 deaths or so in this country alone...And then we can agree or disagree on whether we think that’s acceptable."

Slavitt: "This would never happen if this were afflicting people who had mortgages over a million dollars. If that was the core signal for getting covid you’d be dealing with this differently."

"I don’t think anybody can wake up and say its acceptable to lose [200,000+] people."

[malchior]

It truly has turned into every person for themselves. DIY pandemic response.

[Smoove_B]

Just wait until you see what the CDC is allegedly releasing this week (or early next week).

Definitely time for me to pack up my tools and just go become a lumberjack.

[Zaxxon]

Just wait until you see what the CDC is allegedly releasing this week (or early next week).

Definitely time for me to pack up my tools and just go become a lumberjack.

Do tell.

[Smoove_B]

Word on the public health street is they're about to publish new, updated indoor masking guidelines - general use.

Completely ignoring just about every corner of America is still in "high transmission" and we're seeing ~360 cases per 100,000 for our 7 day average nationally (should be <15).

But numbers are falling (post Omicron wave), so it's time to officially let it rip. You might recall that kids under 5 still cannot be vaccinated. But this is definitely the time to discourage masks.

EDIT: NBC has a scoop.

[malchior]

Walensky has a point here, leaving everything to the local level has been a stunning success for the last 2 years.

Walensky has previously said mask policies should be made at the local level, based on factors such as vaccination rates and hospitalization. Most public health experts agree that universal masking, along with vaccinations, is the most effective way to reduce Covid infections. Still, some states and local communities are shifting their strategies as more vaccines and treatments have become available and as the country has begun moving toward a “new normal.”

[El Guapo]

Just wait until you see what the CDC is allegedly releasing this week (or early next week).

Definitely time for me to pack up my tools and just go become a lumberjack.

You should go into a field where people will listen to you, like climate science.

[Zaxxon]

Just wait until you see what the CDC is allegedly releasing this week (or early next week).

Definitely time for me to pack up my tools and just go become a lumberjack.

You should go into a field where people will listen to you, like climate science.

Perhaps IT. No one re-uses passwords, right?

[msteelers]

It was really weird to be at the grocery store yesterday and have almost every employee masked except for the ones working in the pharmacy. None of them had masks on.

[Kraken]

Welp, MA released new mask guidance that only addresses the unvaccinated and vulnerable, with no mention of masks for the vast majority of us. So of course we're interpreting it to mean that masking is over. Our positivity rate has fallen to 3%, which is my own arbitrary signal for "shields down." But it's still higher than that in my town, and I will be masked on tomorrow's grocery run, even if I'm the only one.

[YellowKing]

Our schools still mandate masks, but I think it's only a matter of time before they drop them. The latest update from the county is that contract tracing will no longer be performed, period, and that anyone exposed to Covid can just come to school as long as they're not showing symptoms. Let 'er rip indeed.

My brother, who had Covid a few weeks ago, is still suffering from bad neck pain which is apparently a long-Covid symptom.

[RMC]

My kids have been in person school since they went back this year, and last year as well. Masks were required last year, but not this year. And I'll be honest, the reported Covid cases have not been that high as contracted at the school.

And knock on wood, we have been Covid free, or at least did not get it bad enough that we noticed. A few scares, but all tests negative. We are all vaccinated, and myself, mother, and oldest daughter are boosted. My other two daughters and wife are not boosted yet. But they got the vaccine later.

So while I think masks are good, the micro example of my kids in school has been failrly positive with little to no mask usage. <shrug>

[coopasonic]

It was really weird to be at the grocery store yesterday and have almost every employee masked except for the ones working in the pharmacy. None of them had masks on.

They are giving staff daily boosters now...

[raydude]

Howard County Maryland dropped the mask mandate for most indoor public spaces but APL is contractually obligated to abide by the guidance provided by the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force. Per that requirement, the level of community transmission has to be below 50/100k for two consecutive weeks before the Lab drops the indoor mask requirement. Feeling good about where I work.

[YellowKing]

And right on cue, they just dropped the school mask mandate.

It's kind of frustrating to watch. Why didn't we just do nothing at the start of the pandemic and save ourselves 2 years of trouble? (I know, I know, Omicron milder etc. etc.) But it's kind of scary to see literally *everyone* just throwing caution out the window and accepting the death toll.

[RunningMn9]

My wife has been dealing with fevers every day since before Thanksgiving. She finally got into an infectious disease specialist. The best guess based on blood work is long COVID. Sweet.

[Isgrimnur]

Live Science

Over-the-counter antihistamines, typically taken for allergies, may help relieve the debilitating symptoms of long COVID in some people, a new case report suggests.

The report, published Feb. 7 in The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, included two middle-age women with long COVID, a condition also known by the medical term "post-acute sequelae of COVID-19" (PASC). After catching COVID-19 in 2020, the women developed a slew of symptoms that lingered for many months after their initial infections had cleared; these long-lasting symptoms included cognitive impairment, skin rashes and bruising, chest pain and profound fatigue.

At some point, many months after first developing these symptoms, both individuals took antihistamines for unrelated allergies. They found that, unexpectedly, their long COVID symptoms improved after they took the drugs. Both individuals now take a daily regimen of antihistamines and have said they've nearly regained their pre-PASC level of functioning, according to the case report.

These two anecdotal reports align with the results of a larger study, published Oct. 5, 2021 in The Journal of Investigative Medicine, which included 49 long COVID patients. Of these patients, 26 were given antihistamines. Of these, 19 reported complete or partial resolution of their symptoms. By comparison, only six of the other 23 patients, who were not given antihistamines, reported improved symptoms in the same time period.

[Max Peck]

Covid: Hong Kong's hospitals overwhelmed amid spike in cases

Hong Kong's healthcare system has been overwhelmed by a huge surge in Covid-19 cases, with infected patients being treated outside crowded hospitals.

The government has admitted it is struggling to contain the fifth wave of infections, fuelled by Omicron. But it has ruled out a city-wide lockdown.

A record 4,285 new cases were reported on Wednesday.

Chinese President Xi Jinping urged the local leaders to take "all necessary measures", in a rare intervention.

The comments may signal tighter controls in China's special administrative region, which pursues a zero Covid policy - but without the strict mass testing and lockdowns seen in mainland China.

More than 10,000 people are waiting to be admitted to hospitals, as experts warn cases could surge to 28,000 daily. Nine people died from the virus in the past 24 hours, including a three-year old girl, authorities say.

The city of 7.5 million people has confirmed about 26,000 infections since the start of the pandemic and just over 200 deaths, numbers far below other similar sized cities.

[LawBeefaroni]

4,285 new cases were reported on Wednesday.
...
The city of 7.5 million people has confirmed about 26,000 infections since the start of the pandemic

That's kind of "oh shit!"



We are so fortunate to be done with COVID in the US.

[gilraen]

Nine people died from the virus in the past 24 hours, including a three-year old girl, authorities say.

Omicron is mild, though, eh?

[LordMortis]

We are so fortunate to be done with COVID in the US.

Amen. t minus 8 days until I get shot four

Two people in my office are out with COVID for the second time. Both AntiVax who "believe in building natural anitbodies and a healthy lifestyle". Niether have been hospitalized, so I can't imagine this will change their trajectory. Especially as I imagine they are getting paid to take two weeks off no matter how sick they personally get. On a busy day we might have 8 people in the office total. So glad I steer clear of the 3 regulars who think they are invulnerable and fuck everyone else.