<
https://johnsnowproject.org/primers/honesty-about-covid-is-essential-for-progress/>
"One of the criticisms often leveled at members of the Covid-cautious community
is that they believe ‘everything is Covid.’ Critics say there is an element of
alarmism or neurosis in the concerns this community has about COVID-19 because
no pathogen could cause all the harms being laid at its door.
Unfortunately, the newest widely circulating pathogen in the human population
uses a broadly expressed ACE2 receptor to infect cells, meaning it can damage
almost any part of the body. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, few people
believed coronaviruses could linger in the body, but members of the John Snow
Project outlined their concerns in 2021 because there was extensive evidence
going back decades to suggest coronaviruses could persist. These concerns have
since been shown to be justified, with numerous studies now demonstrating
prolonged viral persistence and immune activation.
The combination of a widely expressed receptor and persistent infection means
the acute and long-term effects of SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19,
can be unpredictable.
SARS-CoV-2 has also been shown to harm the immune system in various ways, many
of which are common to other pathogens. This harm seems to have increased
susceptibility to other pathogens such as dengue and strep A.
We’ve previously written about government efforts to return to pre-2020 norms
and how official messaging that we must all assess our own level of risk has
been interpreted by most people to mean that it is safe to engage with the
world in the same way one would have done in 2019 and that there will be no
additional risk in doing so.
Most people have resumed pre-pandemic behaviours, but there has been an
increase in general ill-health, which can be demonstrated in rising levels of
long-term illness, disability, GP appointments, chronic absence among school
pupils, rising absence among teachers and worker shortages in a wide range of
industries. Many commentators theorize about the reasons for these phenomena,
blaming a mysterious malaise among workers, indulgent or irresponsible parents,
or post-lockdown laziness."
Via Violet Blue’s
Pandemic Roundup: May 16, 2024
https://www.patreon.com/posts/pandemic-roundup-104353958
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
