UNFATHOMABLE

UK researchers declare burden of Long Covid "so large as to be unfathomable"

Unfathomable.

#CovidIsNotOver #Covid #LongCovid
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/2018899512/prof-danny-altmann-the-burden-of-long-covid

Prof Danny Altmann: the burden of long COVID

World leading immunologist Professor Danny Altmann has declared the future burden of long COVID to be "so large as to be unfathomable". He has published a scientific review of long COVID in Nature, asserting if 10% of acute infections lead to persistent symptoms, up to 400 million people could be in need of support for long COVID worldwide. While the Australian government has allocated $50m for long COVID research, in New Zealand there has been zero investment for bio-medical long COVID research to understand and treat the condition. Professor in the Faculty of Medicine, Department of Immunology and Inflammation at Imperial College London, Professor Altmann has been studying T cells for four decades, and is interested in why people suffer debilitating consequences so long after COVID infection.

RNZ

@justyourluck

80% of SARS-CoV survivors developed permanent disabilities within ten years of infection. Half of those were unable to live without assistance. MERS-CoV had similar post-acute pathology, but survivors were not as well tracked. It was supposed to be not as bad as SARS, but still pretty bad.

There is no reason to expect SARS-CoV-2 and Omicron to be any different. Based upon outcomes w/SARS and MERS, 10% is wishful thinking.

@noyes @justyourluck MERS had a 34.4% fatality rate (vs. 9.5% for SARS and 1.4% for Covid). Mild MERS cases may have been missed, though.

Friend survived MERS and has myasthenia gravis (which can cause paralysis of the intercostals, which are required for breathing), so it’s amazing she didn’t die.

@deirdresm

Did she have MG before MERS, or develop it after? MG is an expected Pathogenic Coronavirus sequelae, which makes it all the more insane that we are just letting this rip.

@justyourluck