NB: I am travelling, so this is going to be shorter than normal. I have stopped talking about some things because I decided to focus (mostly) on things that are more actionable. For two examples: papers about vaccine trials or biomarkers for Long COVID. For both, it takes a looooooong time for the papers to… Continue reading 2025-10-06 General
Category: Pathology
2025-09-21 General
Long COVID 🎉🎉🎉‼️ This case studies paper from USA (2025-02-09) reports that all nine of the study patients who got stellate ganglion blocks for three consecutive weeks improved significantly! I’m surprised that I missed it in February, and that there hasn’t been more excitement about it, as these are hugely encouraging results! 😢 This study… Continue reading 2025-09-21 General
2025-08-31 General
COVID-19 Vaccines 😲💉 This preprint from USA (2025-08-27) reports that vaccine-only immunity with a KP.2 vaccine (as tested in blood) is better against LP.8.1, LF.7.1, NB.1.8.1, XFG, and BA.3.2 than hybrid immunity with the KP.2 vaccine! I find it a bit suspicious that they were able to find sixteen people who had gotten a KP.2… Continue reading 2025-08-31 General
2025-08-25 General
Some weeks, there’s not much news; some weeks there’s a lot. This week had a lot and was a lot for me to process. Vaccines 💉 CORRECTION! I re-read the PHAC recommendations for who should/may get a second vaccination this year, and I believe that what I said on 2025-08-11 was (probably) wrong. I said… Continue reading 2025-08-25 General
2025-08-16 General
English-language health news this week has been swamped with political news from USA. It has not been fun to wade through articles on the CDC shooter, various politically-motivated firings of competent people, various notifications of programs being shut down, etc. COVID-19 Vaccines 💉 I WAS MISINFORMED! Last week, I said that you couldn’t get COVID-19… Continue reading 2025-08-16 General
2025-08-11 oops 13 General
(Addendum 2025-08-15: I actually published this on 2025-08-11, not on 2025-08-13, but it’s too late now to change the URL. Oops, sorry.) COVID-19 Vaccines 💉I might need to fly across the continent to support a relative who is going to get major surgery, so I tried to schedule a vax appointment in the US. No… Continue reading 2025-08-11 oops 13 General
2025-08-03 General
COVID-19 Vaccines ‼️🎉🐁🦷 Scientists have found an alternative method of giving mucousal vaccines: with dental floss! This paper (2025-07-22) found that flossing mice three times with floss covered with influenza virus, at two-week intervals, protected the mice from a lethal dose of influenza. All the mice who had been flossed survived, while all the unflossed… Continue reading 2025-08-03 General
2025-07-26 General
COVID-19 Long COVID ‼️‼️‼️🎉🎉🎉This article (2025-07-22) and this paper from Canada (2025-07-07) say that scientists have found a really easy blood test to diagnose ME/CFS! (They look for the protein SMPDL3B.) This is both great for testing purposes but also suggests a treatment! They haven’t looked for SMPDL3B in Long COVID patients yet, but I… Continue reading 2025-07-26 General
2025-07-12 General
Wastewater levels are all going down. Was that tiny little our summer wave? Did we already peak???? Long COVID ‼️😬 This preprint from Spain (2025-07-04) found that Long COVID prevalence was 3-10 times higher in individuals with three or more infections than in those with only one recorded infection. This paper from Denmark (2025-05-13) reports… Continue reading 2025-07-12 General
2025-07-04 General
Long COVID This paper from USA (2025-06-18) reports that a Delta or pre-Delta infection was protective against further Long COVID, while an Omicron infection was not. People whose first infection was pre-Omicron had about half the chance of getting more than three persistent symptoms after their second infection than after their first. However, people who… Continue reading 2025-07-04 General