The Summer Flu?
Get the real facts about COVID - simple, beginner friendly, and cited.
I hate to say it, but we are in yet another severe covid wave. First some info (with citations), and then some resources.
This is going to be an article that likely puts some hackles up, but it’s really important to get some accurate data about what’s going on right now. The wastewater data 1 (which must be used since the CDC stopped requiring hospitals to record their covid data) 2 is showing sky high levels of Covid-19 3. Unfortunately, it’s becoming incredibly clear that there is no herd immunity4 and even one asymptomatic5 infection will have severe implications on one’s entire body. Asymptomatic does not mean not contagious or not wreaking havoc on the body, instead it simply means that you don’t realize you are sick6 , and at least 60% of covid cases are asymptomatic7. It’s these kinds of infections that spread the illness around the most, since if we only mask when we’re feeling ill, we’re only part of the time protecting ourselves and others from illness. It’s estimated that 1 in 40 people have covid currently (1), which means that if you are in a room of 40 people, at least 1 likely has covid, with more than a 50% chance that they don’t know it. And if you’re in a room with 80 people, two people likely have covid and so on and so forth.
The reason it’s important to be aware of this is that covid has been shown to affect every system and organ in the body – if you’ve found yourself more tired, more forgetful, more achy, with gastrointestinal issues and more, these are likely results of an infection and symptoms of long covid 8,9. Studies have shown that covid virus cells are found in organs more than 4 months after an infection. 10, 11, 12 Most worryingly, it has been found to be oncogenic13 – which means that an infection can cause cancer. Even if you never smoke or partake in otherwise cancer-risky behaviors, a simply covid infection can put you at risk for cancer. There is also an increased risk for strokes in people of all ages14, as well as heart15, blood vessel16, lung17, nervous system18, and brain problems19, even in “mild” cases20.
I want to emphasize the importance of rest21 during and after a covid infection. Your chances for suffering from Long Covid significantly decrease if you keep your heart rate as low as possible after an infection for 4-6 months. Yes, that means no morning runs, jumping jacks, football games. If your job requires a lot of movement, be sure to rest as much as you can outside of work. Believe me, not taking medication every day and being able to still run for the rest of your life is worth the time to rest.
So this sounds scary, but what can you do? If you physically cannot mask, there are still ways to stay safe!
Good ventilation (open windows, air purifiers)
mouthwash with CPC before and after going out kills covid virus in your mouth (and it’s in most regular mouth wash you can find at the store! Check the ingredients.) 22, 23, 24, 25
Nasal sprays like Covixyl used the same way as the mouth wash will also protect you. 26
The World Health Organization posted just 2 weeks ago about masking in public spaces and care facilities again 33, 34, as did NYC Healthy35, 36and San Francisco health officials37. The Tour de France reintroduced a mask mandate38, and many athletes can be seen masking while traveling to the Olympics39.
Finally, when you take covid tests, instead of only swabbing your nose, first swab your cheeks, then your throat, then your nasal passages 40, 41. The more recent strains of covid show up first in your mouth, and the covid tests have not been updated for accuracy yet, so this is the most reliable way to get accurate test results. If those results are positive, it’s in your best interest to then get a PCR test, as those are needed to apply for covid related disability in the future if you should need it. 42
Stay safe out there,
Alekz Thoms
Sources:
Additional Reading
Efficacy of Masks, a collection of studies
If 80% of Americans Wore Masks, COVID-19 Infections Would Plummet, New Study Says, Vanity Fair
“US State Restrictions and Excess COVID-19 Pandemic Deaths” by Christopher J. Ruhm, PhD, July 26, 2024 (excerpt below)
The CDC is beholden to corporations and lost our trust. We need to start our own: The People's CDC
A People's Covid Library with reputable studies and articles on everything you’d ever want to know about covid, organized by topic
https://newlevant.com/COVIDzine
White people feared COVID less after learning other races were hit hardest, data show
What the Fight Against HIV Can Teach Us About Surviving the COVID Era
“You may now become who you thought was disposable”: COVID-19 Politics and Ableism
Thread of Covid PPE deals for the month of July
**Layman Explanation of Citation #7 (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03131-2)
Explanation by Nick Anderegg “The paper is fairly complex, but the takeaways are pretty straightforward, so I'll start with the highlights. Method is robust, data collection was EXTENSIVE: It's a longitudinal study (follows the same individuals over time) with regular nasal swabs and blood draws. Because they have blood draws from just before each wave, it's the perfect data to examine the immunity conferred by prior infections. Because South Africa had a low vaccination rate at the beginning of Omicron, this is also great data for examining natural immunity! This study is also an important contribution to the overall body of knowledge, because much of what we know of SARS-CoV-2 antibody dynamics comes from vaccine studies. In comparison, much less is known about the dynamics of serum antibodies in natural infections. Now, there's one thing to keep in mind before we continue: This study looks at serum antibodies in unvaccinated people. We already know that the mRNA vaccines induce less-robust mucosal (airway lining) immunity, but a stronger serum (blood) antibody response, which means that for all the results we see here, vaccinated people will likely have much higher serum antibodies, but less-robust mucosal immunity.
As we go, consider what this flipped pattern implies for the ability of the vaccines to PREVENT transmission/infection! As for the potential for immunity acquired via infection, the rapid evolution of SARS-CoV-2 has consistently meant that more recent variants are more transmissible, even with equivalent levels of antibodies in the blood.
Of course, the antibodies also decline over time!
During the Delta wave, 34% of the cohort was infected:
- 42% of those WITHOUT prior infection were infected
- 17% of those WITH prior infection were infected
This indicates that, up until that point, prior infection did confer SOME (but not full) immunity to infection. Things changed A LOT when Omicron entered the picture.
During the Omicron wave, 67% of the cohort was infected:
- 77% of those WITHOUT prior infection were infected
- 61% of those WITH prior infection were infected
So while prior infections did, at one point, have a protective effect against further SARS-Cov-2 infection, that hasn't been true since the beginning of the Omicron wave. The mutations just escape the immune system too well.
Excerpt from the study:
“Results Mask requirements and vaccine mandates were negatively associated with [there were less] excess deaths, prohibitions on vaccine or mask mandates were positively associated with [there were more] death rates, and activity limitations were mostly not associated with death rates. If all states had imposed restrictions similar to those used in the 10 most restrictive states, excess deaths would have been an estimated 10% to 21% lower than the 1.18 million that actually occurred during the 2-year analysis period; conversely, the estimates suggest counterfactual increases of 13% to 17% if all states had restrictions similar to those in the 10 least-restrictive states. The estimated strong vs weak state restriction difference was 271 000 to 447 000 deaths, with behavior changes associated with 49% to 79% of the overall disparity.
Conclusions and Relevance This cross-sectional study indicates that stringent COVID-19 restrictions, as a group, were associated with substantial decreases in pandemic mortality, with behavior changes plausibly serving as an important explanatory mechanism. These findings do not support the views that COVID-19 restrictions were ineffective. However, not all restrictions were equally effective; some, such as school closings, likely provided minimal benefit while imposing substantial cost.”
SARS-CoV-2 correlates of protection from infection against variants of concern, Nature *layman explanation in additional reading