2026-09-26 General

COVID-19

Long COVID

This paper from USA (2026-09-21) looked at health care workers and Long COVID. They found that 11.3% of the healthcare personnel reported persistent Long COVID symptoms. Different groups had different risks:

  • Compared to young adults, people 50-64 had almost twice the risk of Long COVID;
  • Women had about three times the risk of Long COVID as men;
  • Having had a previous COVID-19 infection gave a 78% higher risk than people for whom the instigating Long COVID event was their first infection;
  • “Clinical” positions — which I think means higher skilled positions — had a strikingly lower risk than non-clinical positions (which I guess is people like orderlies, receptionists, and janitors?). Compared to non-clinical staff:
    • physicians had a 79% lower risk of Long COVID;
    • LPNs and RNs had a 41% lower risk;
    • therapists or therapist assistants had a 73% lower risk.

I found the clinical/non-clinical split surprising. In the discussion, the authors theorize that the clinical people probably had better masks/better fit testing, more flexibility in taking time off (i.e. more sick leave), access to care, and better/higher socioeconomic positions.

This paper from Sweden (2026-09-23) reports that a fourth dose of vaccine reduced the risk of Long COVID by 31% compared to people who only had three doses.

RSV

Vaccines

Get your RSV shot if you can! (In BC, it’s free for anybody over 75, or over 60 for First Nations/Inuit/Metis. People over 60, pregnant people, and various classes of vulnerable people, can get it if they pay for it.)

💉 AGAIN This paper from USA (2026-09-18) reports that a recent RSV vaccine was 81.8% effective against hospitalization compared to the unvaccinated, and 85% effective against death.

Meanwhile, this paper from USA (2026-09-18) has vaccine effectiveness estimates over time! The vaccines have finally been out for long enough that we can see how they wane.

AgainstYear 1Year 2Year 3
lower respiratory tract infection hospitalization or ED visits80%70%51%
acute respiratory illness hospitalization or ED visits81%64%60%

I am not a doctor, but if I had to bet, I’d bet that we Old People will need to get RSV boosters every five years or so.

Measles

Transmission

According to the Government of Canada Measles and Rubella Monitoring Report (updated 2026-09-21), in the week ending 12 September 2026, the following jurisdictions had the following number of new measles cases:

  • Canada: 1;
  • Ontario: 1.

The lack of measles cases was nice while it lasted. 🙁