Coronamonomania Lives Forever, Part 140

We live in a very sick society, one in which people find so little meaning or purpose in their lives that they latch on to completely delusional themes.  So we actually have whackos who are salivating at the prospect of increased cases this summer or fall and the return of lockdowns and mask mandates, etc.  The broader population is done with the epidemic and wants to hear nothing of that ilk.

Is long-CV-19 real or just a figment of the imagination.  Appears that the latter is the case, as other research has suggested.  This study looked at a group of CV-19 infected persons versus a control group.  Since supposed long-CV-19 relies almost exclusively on self-reported symptoms, it isn’t surprising that the infected group had higher levels of these than the uninfected one.  But on objective test measures, there was absolutely no difference.  People with anxiety issues were understandably more likely to report the symptoms.  Long CV-19 is truly just imagined but it will become another opportunity for malingerers and hypochondriacs to get sympathy and go on Social Security disability and for doctors to make lots of money treating their made-up syndrome.   (Annals Study)

Another study that, although the authors don’t highlight it, shows the enhanced adaptive immune response from infection versus vaccination.  The research looked specifically at the upper respiratory tract response following vaccination in those who subsequently were infected versus those who weren’t.  The infected group had a more robust response, with both helper and killer T cells being present in the nasal passages, a response that did not occur in vaccinated persons who were not also infected.  (Medrxiv Study)

Survivors of the original SARS epidemic over 20 years ago have been found to have antibodies that are effective against CV-19, but this study suggests that even after vaccination, those antibodies are less effective against Omicron.  (Medrxiv Paper)

This very large ongoing study in England tracked reported symptoms over successive waves of CV-19 with different variants.  It found less reported loss of sense of smell and taste during Omicron, but more cold and flu-type symptoms.  (Medrxiv Paper)

This study using rapid antigen tests in California to do repeat testing on infected persons similarly found that with Omicron there was less loss of sense and smell and more cold symptoms.  It also said that a large percentage of people remain positive for ten days.  (Medrxiv Paper)

I have no clue why we are even thinking about giving CV-19 vaccines to children under 5 years of age.  They have no risk and they are better off getting infected and developing an adaptive immune response that way than enduring the risks of adverse events.  This study from Germany finds few serious adverse events in this group from vax, but again, why vaccinate when there is no disease risk.  (Medrxiv Paper)

From the vax til you drop department, this study finds, which is believable, that higher antibody levels are correlated with lower subsequent infection risk, and then suggests people just keep getting shots.  Ignores the clear evidence of waning of effect.  (Medrxiv Paper)

This study looked at excess deaths in Massachusetts during the Delta and Omicron waves.  Contrary to expectations that Omicron was milder, it found a higher level of excess deaths during that wave, although this could be an effect of a higher level of overall infections.  But what is really striking is that the authors don’t even try to look at what the cause of the deaths is, just imply that it is all CV-19.  They have a table that supposedly shows the excess deaths compared to CV-19 reported deaths, but it doesn’t actually do that.  The reality is that most of it is likely due to other causes, such as drug overdoses and homicides.  (JAMA Article)

This study purports to examine factors related to varying levels of CV-19 mortality in different counties.  It comes to no clear conclusions, but does point out that many factors inter-relate, complicating the analysis.  A bigger problem may be that different reporting and death attribution methods exist across the country.  Health status is almost certainly the primary determinant in death risk, and that health status is in turn linked to various social and demographic factors.  (Medrxiv Paper)