H5N1 Transmission This article (2024-11-12) reports that a teenager from BC in the Fraser Health Authority region is in critical care with the bird-version of H5N1 (clade 2.3.4.4b, genotype D1.1, i.e. not the cattle version). Nobody knows how the teen caught it — the teen had contact with other people, dogs, cats, and reptiles, but… Continue reading 2024-11-16 General
Category: Pathology
2024-11-08 General
The outlets where I usually get my news are filled this week with articles speculating on what the Trump win means for health care in the USA, crowding out pandemic news. So it’s a slow news week. COVID-19 Vaccines ⭐ This article (2024-11-04) helps to explain why we aren’t getting Novavax vaccine in Canada. In… Continue reading 2024-11-08 General
2024-11-03 General
Vaccines ⭐ This preprint from USA (2024-10-12) is about an influenza vaccine study, but it relevant to both COVID-19 and bird flu so I’m putting it at the top. In this study, the researchers used what they call “prime and spike” strategy for influenza where “prime” is an intramuscular injection and “spike” is a nasal… Continue reading 2024-11-03 General
2024-10-26 General
COVID-19 Long COVID ⭐ This paper from Sweden (2024-10-16) reports that many Long COVID patients have cardiovascular problems. 41% had microvascular endothelial dysfunction — basically, messed up blood vessels. Another 20% had a poor reactive hyperemia index — IIUC, something that measures the ability of the cardiovascular system to self-regulate. In addition, the patients who… Continue reading 2024-10-26 General
2024-10-14 General
I’m going to try marking snippets with “AGAIN:” if it’s more evidence of something that we already knew, like that COVID-19 infections increase your risk of autoimmune disorders. COVID-19 COVID-Related Excess Sickness and Death It looks like one of the ways that COVID-19 kills people that doesn’t get listed as a COVID-19 death is car… Continue reading 2024-10-14 General
2024-09-25 General/BC
About scheduling: I seem to take longer and longer to get this done. Unless anybody says something about it, that’s not likely to change. COVID-19 Long COVID This paper from USA (2024-08-09) reports that 71% of pediatric Long COVID patients have problems with orthostatic intolerance, which basically means they have trouble with maintaining blood pressure… Continue reading 2024-09-25 General/BC
2024-09-07 General
COVID-19 Long COVID This paper (2024-09-05) reports that baricitinib and anakinra — relatively commonly used immunomodulatory drugs — can effectively treat lung fibrosis in mice (which can cause the Long COVID symptom of shortness of breath). This paper from USA (2024-08-26) reports that even mild COVID-19 infections can cause increased levels of autoantibodies, and Long… Continue reading 2024-09-07 General
2024-08-31 General
COVID-19 I’m going to put stars ⭐ next to papers that I think are particularly exciting. My Bad! I have, in the past, referred to the nucleocapsid as the “ball” part of the spiky ball that is a SARS-CoV-2 virion. I was wrong: the “ball” part is called the “envelope”. Inside the envelope is the… Continue reading 2024-08-31 General
2024-08-26 General
This post is shorter than normal because Life. And because I spent a lot of time on the Novavax post. Which the literal next day became irrelevant to Canadians, sigh. Long COVID This older case study (2022-02-07) reports that two women with Long COVID got back like 90% of their pre-Long COVID function by taking… Continue reading 2024-08-26 General
2024-08-18 General/BC
This article reports that the World Health Organization has declared mpox to be a pandemic, so I guess I will occasionally cover mpox as well. Honestly, world, can we stop having so many pandemics?!?! This article (2024-08-13) reports that World Health Organisation has added Black Death, H5N1 and mpox to its priority pathogens list. That… Continue reading 2024-08-18 General/BC