Coronavirus

[madodel]

I think this was discussed in the past, but reading this is scary. I wonder if some folks with long-COVID may have permanent damage.
COVID Tied to Changes in Brain Microstructure — Alterations seen in both long COVID patients and those who recovered from infection

The researchers found distinct brain networks that correlated with long COVID symptoms, after adjusting for age and sex. Altered brain microstructure in the mesiotemporal cortex was associated with cognitive dysfunction. Patients who had problems with their sense of smell had microstructural changes in the olfactory cortex, while those with fatigue had altered microstructure in the brain stem, including the ascending arousal network.

 

[wdolson]

I think this was discussed in the past, but reading this is scary. I wonder if some folks with long-COVID may have permanent damage.
COVID Tied to Changes in Brain Microstructure — Alterations seen in both long COVID patients and those who recovered from infection

I know one of the top neurofeedback therapists in this region of the US. He started seeing long COVID changes in people's brains back in 2020. He does brain maps on patients and by early 2021 he was able to tell if someone had long COVID or not from looking at a brain map. The patterns jumped out at him. He tried to raise awareness about it on the neuro professional's forums, but it took over a year to convince people that it was a real phenomenon. He's come up with a neurofeedback protocol to help reverse some of the damage from long COVID.

My partner was one of the first data points in his research on this. A number of brain professionals have been studying her case for about 5 years. Her brain reorganized after trauma years ago in ways nobody has ever seen before. She also appears to have some natural anomalies that are very rare. She jokes about having the brain of Abbie Somebody (movie reference).

 

[DrGriz]

I know one of the top neurofeedback therapists in this region of the US. He started seeing long COVID changes in people's brains back in 2020. He does brain maps on patients and by early 2021 he was able to tell if someone had long COVID or not from looking at a brain map. The patterns jumped out at him. He tried to raise awareness about it on the neuro professional's forums, but it took over a year to convince people that it was a real phenomenon. He's come up with a neurofeedback protocol to help reverse some of the damage from long COVID.

My partner was one of the first data points in his research on this. A number of brain professionals have been studying her case for about 5 years. Her brain reorganized after trauma years ago in ways nobody has ever seen before. She also appears to have some natural anomalies that are very rare. She jokes about having the brain of Abbie Somebody (movie reference).

Young Frankenstein! Good on her for keeping up her spirits and buggering on!

 

[wdolson]

Young Frankenstein! Good on her for keeping up her spirits and buggering on!

Her first brain map was consistent with someone in a coma. The brain experts were thinking she was completely non-functional. She owned two businesses at the time: a small law firm and a Psychological counseling practice. With her long COVID on top of the other damage from before COVID, she manages to run the businesses but basically passes out at the end of the day. She's possibly the toughest person I've ever known.

 

[dhanson865]

Being overweight hampers body’s immune response to SARS-CoV-2

<p>University of Queensland-led research shows being overweight can impair the body’s antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 infection but not to the protection offered by vaccination.</p>

www.eurekalert.org

Research lead, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences PhD candidate Marcus Tong, said the finding built on the team’s existing research on how COVID-19 affects people who are overweight.

“We’ve previously shown that being overweight – not just being obese – increases the severity of SARS-CoV-2,” Mr Tong said.

“But this work shows that being overweight creates an impaired antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 infection but not to vaccination.”

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

Looking good. Eastern US starting to heat up, West is lagging.

Seems this could end up as biggest peak since Omicron (nowhere near that though). Maybe we’ll get to half of Omicron? Interesting.

https://x.com/EricTopol/status/1732774126492987737?s=20

This one is almost certain to get me. Major risk is the holiday party on a boat. To go or not to go?

Masks remain undefeated. Never have heard of anyone getting it with an N95.

 

[Slipstream]

Been a while since any comments in this epic thread (possibly the biggest thread on TMC?).

So I tested positive for COVID (for the first time) on the second week of October this year. Let's just say my travel itinerary before this made it impossible NOT to get it. I've had 5 prior vaccinations (4 Pfizer, 1 Moderna). I had the classic symptoms for almost a week: malaise, myalgia, fever, no sense of taste or smell, etc. The CDC says wait 3 months after testing positive for COVID before getting a vaccination. Any other views on this 3 month recommendation?

 

[DrGriz]

Been a while since any comments in this epic thread (possibly the biggest thread on TMC?).

So I tested positive for COVID (for the first time) on the second week of October this year. Let's just say my travel itinerary before this made it impossible NOT to get it. I've had 5 prior vaccinations (4 Pfizer, 1 Moderna). I had the classic symptoms for almost a week: malaise, myalgia, fever, no sense of taste or smell, etc. The CDC says wait 3 months after testing positive for COVID before getting a vaccination. Any other views on this 3 month recommendation?

Waiting 3 months is the general recommendation at this time. This is primarily because the assumption is that your antibody levels from the acute infection will generally protect you for that period, and by waiting to vaccinate you extend your protection. The other thing in favor of waiting is that doing so generates a more robust response to the vaccine than having one sooner.

Vaccinating sooner does generate superhigh combined levels of antibodies at first. If you knew you were going to be in a temporary very high risk situation sooner than 3 months, you might want to "waste" a vaccine sooner to have the added protection for that short period. Most people won't be in that unique situation.

 

[jerry33]

Been a while since any comments in this epic thread (possibly the biggest thread on TMC?).

So I tested positive for COVID (for the first time) on the second week of October this year. Let's just say my travel itinerary before this made it impossible NOT to get it. I've had 5 prior vaccinations (4 Pfizer, 1 Moderna). I had the classic symptoms for almost a week: malaise, myalgia, fever, no sense of taste or smell, etc. The CDC says wait 3 months after testing positive for COVID before getting a vaccination. Any other views on this 3 month recommendation?

I tested positive last week too. The annoying part is that Denise is asymptomatic, so the only reason she got a test, which was also positive, was because I did. When through the Paxlovid, so the symptoms weren't that bad, but yesterday and today I'm a sniffly mess.

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

When through the Paxlovid, so the symptoms weren't that bad, but yesterday and today I'm a sniffly mess.

Paxlovid rebound is real too. I know someone who gave it to his wife because he took Paxlovid (would likely not have happened otherwise). Definitely worth continuing to test and mask if you are around anyone vulnerable even after symptoms subside due to Pax.

JN.1 wave is just getting started. Escaped holiday party without disease. Looks like it will be perfectly timed for Christmas unless it makes a rapid turnaround (the peaks are always super hard to predict, but this is trending above his model).

Seems plausible it could get to half of Omicron wave, which would mean a lot of disease. Hopefully it just runs out of susceptibles in a couple weeks instead and makes a rapid decline.

 

[madodel]

Inhaled COVID vaccines stop infection in its tracks in monkey trials

Delivery of COVID vaccines directly to the lungs and nose can stop SARS-CoV-2 infections in their tracks, according to a trio of new studies in monkeys. The research offers a boost to the wave of ‘mucosal’ COVID-19 vaccines now in development — and provides clues about how they might be improved.

 

[scottf200]

JN.1 is taking over.

Via: COVID Data Tracker

 

[DrGriz]

JN.1 is taking over.

Via: COVID Data Tracker

It's different enough from it's Omicron forebears that it will probably make a lot of people sick who have been skating by. Hopefully not hospital sick, though.

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

I did my own research and followed the science and got my booster of the booster on Wednesday. Novavax, obtained 3 months plus a few days after Moderna. #7 for me.

I wonder if it will hurt or help?

Sadly, I also had a close contact yesterday. New vax is not going to be effective against that!!! Someone exposed Tuesday night, had intestinal symptoms on Thursday at noon (about 36 hours). Was in my office Thursday for about 15 minutes at work, door was closed briefly, distance about 8 feet. Had a very faint line positive on the antigen test this morning, Friday (at home, no exposures today).

Sadly, I also broke my rule and had my mask off in my office itself. Generally it is ventilated well and pushes air outwards (if the door is open!); typical CO2 levels are about 600-700ppm though I'll have to go back and check the Aranet during this exposure, to see what the CO2 level rose to. I always wear my mask elsewhere in the office! Kicking myself for this stupidity now of course - it was the height of stupidity to even show my face at work this week (of course the reason I went in was an "important" meeting). And of course should have been 100% mask wearing with upcoming travel to minimize risk. My wife is extremely unhappy with me.

So if I get sick it will be an unmasked exposure; not a reflection of N95 efficacy. I should know by tomorrow or this evening, most likely. First antigen test (yes, a waste) was negative today (~24 hours post exposure).

Totally screws up all the holiday plans of course. Can't go see anyone until I know I'm in the clear, so will have to delay travel by at least a day. Obviously cancel entirely if I end up sick. I'm wearing my mask now inside the house of course, monitoring for symptoms, while we determine what to do for travel. Will keep that on, possibly will sleep outside (I'm comfortably equipped for that), though I can sleep with the mask on no problems.

I do wonder if the higher JN.1 spikes in wastewater are partially due to it manifesting even more in the digestive tract than prior variants. They seem too extreme to purely reflect infection counts.

Stay safe out there, and unfortunately if you don't want to get COVID, you still have to mask up with N95 indoors (all the time). That's what I've learned. Lol.

 

[madodel]

It's different enough from it's Omicron forebears that it will probably make a lot of people sick who have been scraping by. Hopefully not hospital sick, though.

Are you seeing more pneumonia cases now? My wife said her hospital is being packed by RSV, Influenza and to a lesser extant COVID cases now.

 

[DrGriz]

Are you seeing more pneumonia cases now? My wife said her hospital is being packed by RSV, Influenza and to a lesser extant COVID cases now.

Yeah, not seeing the levels of Covid hospitalizations we saw as of this date last year, yet, but it looks like the Northwest is going to be the last region to fall to JN.1. It may just be a matter of time. We're busy with the usual suspects, though.

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

Yeah, not seeing the levels of Covid hospitalizations we saw as of this date last year, yet, but it looks like the Northwest is going to be the last region to fall to JN.1. It may just be a matter of time. We're busy with the usual suspects, though.

https://x.com/JPWeiland/status/1737911391288266789?s=20

Perhaps not the last region (though hard to say for sure of course). Sadly, I fear that I may finally be involved in this round of fun. We'll see. Wishing I had got my booster of my booster a few days earlier!

 

[DrGriz]

https://x.com/JPWeiland/status/1737911391288266789?s=20

Perhaps not the last region (though hard to say for sure of course). Sadly, I fear that I may finally be involved in this round of fun. We'll see. Wishing I had got my booster of my booster a few days earlier!

View attachment 1002217

Ah, yes. I guess Idaho is not in the Northwest this week! Joining mountain states (or maybe it's the inland north) for a bit!

 

[wdolson]

Yeah, not seeing the levels of Covid hospitalizations we saw as of this date last year, yet, but it looks like the Northwest is going to be the last region to fall to JN.1. It may just be a matter of time. We're busy with the usual suspects, though.

JN-1 is rampant here in the Portland area. We probably had it a couple of weeks ago and just about everyone we know has had it in the last month.

I'm still a tick down with fatigue. Getting out of bed is a bit tougher, but otherwise I'm over it completely.

 

[DrGriz]

JN-1 is rampant here in the Portland area. We probably had it a couple of weeks ago and just about everyone we know has had it in the last month.

I'm still a tick down with fatigue. Getting out of bed is a bit tougher, but otherwise I'm over it completely.

Noticed that half of the cars in our grocery store parking lot were from Washington and Oregon this afternoon. So I suspect we aren't really far behind.