2026-06-26 General

Canadian Respiratory Viruses

🦠 We don’t have data from the province, but the all-Canada data on the big three “kick-your-ass” viruses are all really really low right now. From the Canadian Respiratory Virus Surveillance Report (2026-06-26) with data through June 20th:

Even measles is down (see way below).

Also per the Canadian Respiratory Virus Surveillance Report, there are still a few of the “lesser” viruses — rhinovirus, parainfluenza, metapneumovirus, etc. — circulating:

However, those viruses almost never cause severe illness.

If there is something you have been waiting to do until virus levels were lower, doing it now will probably be better than waiting. (Uh, though you might want to avoid places teeming with soccer fans from around the world.)

COVID-19

Long COVID

‼️ There is a study in Toronto which will evaluate stellate ganglion blocks as a treatment for Long COVID. If you are in Toronto, or know someone who is, please tell them about this study! I have seen a fair number of papers and anecdata with very promising results* from stellate ganglion blocks, and the study is now recruiting. Prospective participants should ask their physician (GP or specialist) to send a referral to Emad Al Azazi, emad.al-azazi@uhn.ca.

*E.g. this paper from USA (2023-09-13)

Treatments

🎉💊 This paper from Japan (2026-06-03) reports that a dementia drug significantly helped an identifiable segment of people with Long COVID! Human herpesvirus 6B (HHV-6B) is known to make a protein SITH-1, which reduces the level of acetylcholine (a neurotransmitter). When they made mice express SITH-1 and gave them donepezil — a dementia medication which increases acetylcholine — the mice improved.

They also happened to have the results of a study which looked at donepezil in Long COVID patients which didn’t find a statistically significant benefit. However, when they re-examined blood samples from that study, they found that when they looked only at patients who had anti-SITH-1 antibodies, donepezil did significantly reduce patients’ fatigue and depression.

It didn’t look to me like donepezil gave a huge benefit, but with Long COVID, any improvement is a big deal. The difference between only being able to take a shower during the day and not being able to do anything during the day is highly meaningful.

Vaccines

AGAIN 💉 This paper from USA (2026-06-23) reports that the 2025/2026 vaccine cut risks of serious COVID-19 in about half. The actual estimated Vaccine Effectiveness was:

againstall peoplepeople over 65
ED/UC visit50%48%
hospitalization55%53%

This is consistent with the European estimates from the paper (2026-06-15) that I mentioned last week, and higher than the previous year’s VE according to this study from USA (2026-06-15).

💉 This preprint from India (2026-06-15) reports that vaccination is protective against Long COVID-ish symptoms and also major cardiac events. Compared to unvaccinated people, vaccinated people had:

  • lower breathlessness (15.3% vs. 24%);
  • palpitations (15.5% vs. 30.5%);
  • anxiety (28.4% vs. 39.7%);
  • new-onset major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) (10.2% vs. 19.0%):
    • 1 dose: +49% higher risk of MACE;
    • 2 doses: -24% risk of MACE;
    • 3 doses: -46% lower risk of MACE.

Interestingly, in adjusted models, vaccination did not reduce the risk of death over the study period.

COVID-Related Excess Death and Sickness

🧠 This paper from Israel (2026-06-19) reports that severe cases of COVID-19 increase the risk of dementia:

  • +139% higher risk for people hospitalized with mild COVID-19 (NB: I don’t know what a “mild” hospitalization is);
  • +93% higher risk for people hospitalized with moderate-to-severe COVID-19.

This risk was comparable to pneumonia, which gives a +89% higher risk of dementia.

The elevated risk was no longer evident after six months.

BC Wastewater

Reminder that BC is doing extra wastewater measurements during the World Cup. COVID-19 looks like it might be going up slightly, but I think that’s just noise.

💩💧 From Jeff’s wastewater spreadsheet with data through 2026-06-10:

Measles

Transmission

According to the Government of Canada Measles and Rubella Monitoring Report (updated 2026-06-22), in the week ending 13 June 2025, the following jurisdictions had the following number of new measles cases:

  • Canada: 3;
  • Manitoba: 1;
  • Alberta: 1;
  • BC: 1.