The biology of coronavirus COVID-19 - including research and treatments

I thought this was useful:

https://www.theatlantic.com/science...619783/?utm_source=pocket-newtab-global-en-GB

The Coronavirus Is Here Forever. This Is How We Live With It.
We can’t avoid the virus for the rest of our lives, but we can minimize its impact.

 

This just left me speechless .
https://twitter.com/user/status/1430476392786010112

 

I make a point of never believing anything Jenny Harries says: it's served me well so far.

 

I just saw a twitter thread about a study comparing the transmission of coronavirus by vaccinated vs. un-vaccinated people.

First tweet - "A study out of the University of Illinois shows vaccinated individuals with a 'breakthrough' infection are LESS likely to shed infectious virus at a given viral load, shed for a SHORTER period of time compared to unvaccinated individuals, AND report fewer days of symptoms."

Code:

https://twitter.com/sailorrooscout/status/1433788553465679906

I don't have the scientific background to analyze this study, so please don't ask me what it means! Just passing along the information!

Link to study (from last tweet in the twitter thread) - https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.08.30.21262701v1

 

https://twitter.com/user/status/1433793029803069448

 

Ros Atkins .... can he be cloned?

https://twitter.com/user/status/1437891722005078016

 

https://twitter.com/user/status/1438432388376317956

 

Can't think of a better place to post this:

(UK) Charges to be introduced for Covid lateral flow tests within ‘months’ in ‘reckless’ move

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/ukne...ckless-move/ar-AAOzR5W?ocid=ASUDHP&li=BBoPWjQ

Absolute genius. Discourage people from getting tested by making them pay for their LFTs. A great way of keeping track of the disease. Not. Because it will cost the NHS so much less if we have additional outbreaks requiring hospitalisation than it will to pay for the kits.

 

[Not sure if this has been posted elsewhere...]

Merck has announced that they have developed an antiviral pill, "molnupiravir," that has cut Covid-19 hospitalizations and deaths in half. "The pills could be available by late this year."

A limitation of the drug is that, like some other Covid-19 drugs, it is more effective when taken earlier in the disease. This requires rapid diagnosis as well as quick access to the drug.

 

This is great news, though I can't seem to find published results yet. If the results aren't nearly as good as monoclonal antibodies then I'll be slightly less excited.

Prior data was reported here, but an effect on clinical outcomes wasn't measured. https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.06.17.21258639v1

 

Are monoclonal antibodies available in pill form?

I thought that one of the benefits of molnupiravir was oral delivery, no IV required -

https://qz.com/2068158/mercks-new-covid-19-drug-is-an-antiviral-pill/

 

Study reveals why some people get Covid toe condition

(looks rather like gout, and often hurts like hell!)

Study reveals why some people get Covid toe condition - BBC News

Scientists believe they can explain why some people who catch Covid develop chilblain-like lesions on their toes and even fingers.

Covid toe appears to be a side effect of the body switching into attack mode to fight off the virus.
The researchers say they have pinpointed the parts of the immune system that appear to be involved.
The findings, in the British Journal of Dermatology, may help with treatments to ease the symptoms.

Continues at link, dated 6.10.21

 

Fingers, too. But I guess that's lost because it's not as visible. Lots of things get lost because they aren't obvious at first. So many things, almost all the things.

I had this for years, fingers and toes (almost like it's about extremities...), so it's not a temporary switch to fight off infection, it can clearly be chronic, but medicine won't see that for years, if ever, because once you remove the obvious discoloration, it just becomes another symptom that can't be verified.

 

The Swedish guidelines for covid-19 testing will be changed on November 1st. Those who are fully vaccinated or have recently had covid-19, and children younger than 6 years old, will no longer be recommended to get tested when they have symptoms.

This will obviously affect everything, including research.

Currently about 79% of the Swedish population 16 years or older have been vaccinated with two doses. Approx 64% if you include the whole population.

An opinion piece published in SvD last week explains some of the problems with this approach:

”Fel att sluta testa vaccinerade personer”
https://www.svd.se/fel-att-sluta-testa-vaccinerade-personer

 

Delta sub-variant: what is AY.4.2 and is it contributing to a surge in cases?

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/health/me...ge-in-cases/ar-AAPKmJ1?ocid=ASUDHP&li=BBoPWjQ

 

https://twitter.com/user/status/1451284826645049349

https://twitter.com/user/status/1451284862485372933

 

Direct SARS-CoV-2 infection of the human inner ear may underlie COVID-19-associated audiovestibular dysfunction

https://www.nature.com/articles/s43856-021-00044-w.pdf

@Mij

 

Well that’s interesting. One of the symptoms I had whilst covid infected was earache. It was a stabbing pain occurred just over a couple of days and then just stopped. This reoccurred a few times over the next 6 months as short bouts of the same stabbing pain that would come and go in less than a couple of hours. One of my daughters who had covid at the same time reported the same thing. No visible sign of infection. I can’t say that I know what’s happened with that or what my experience means, but I’m not surprised by this:

 

https://twitter.com/user/status/1387140392794079236