datum (n=1)

I have been worrying about this for days but don't have the spoons to dig in:

BA.3.2 lost its ability to bind tightly to ACE-2 receptors on cells [1]

Remember that Long COVID rates were much higher during Delta? Remember that Delta was much more prone to syncytia (not needing ACE2 at all) in part because it had reduced ACE-2 affinity?

syncytia formation via the highly fusogenic Delta spike promotes cellular senescence and extracellular cytokine release [2]

and I know I read (skimmed) a paper suggesting that this method of direct contact cell-cell transmission was driving Long COVID - aha here:

We propose the hypothesis that SARS-CoV-2 transitions to persistent infection, facilitated by syncytia formation [3]

[1] https://archive.md/HWOHt#selection-3205.38-3205.105
[2] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10785701/
[3] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40535019/

#COVID #COVID19 #SARSCoV2 #CovidIsNotOver #BA32 #syncytia #syncytial

Apr 5 at 8:31pmWeb
Show threadDucky 🇨🇦19h ago
@datum This one? https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1561274/full
Frontiers | Syncytium: the viral escape room secret to persistent infection of SARS-CoV-2

RNA viruses (i.e. alphaviruses) employ sophisticated strategies to avoid host defenses and develop persistent infection. Two fascinating mechanisms have emer...

Frontiers
Show threaddatum (n=1)2h ago
@ducky Yep I thought I posted that among the links, [3]. Great minds cite alike?  
Show threadJohn2h ago

@datum

I read your post and made that face where you crunch your eyes closed because you're feeling pain but are too tired to react to it

Hoerger also recently said he's hearing that kids are getting much more severe acute cases than with previous strains.

Show threaddatum (n=1)1h ago

@johnzajac

Hoerger also recently said he's hearing that kids are getting much more severe acute cases than with previous strains.

If Michael Hoerger he or another happens to share citations to quantified kid illness, if you happen to think of this please do share the citation.

I'm all for on the ground reporting, but to change behaviours and convince HCWs takes a higher burden of proof than it should given the precautionary principle and, you know, half a decade of evidence to date. And the acute phase's severity is such a small % of the harm, but so over-valued in people's minds.

But still, "this variant is worse for kids" could be leveraged.

Show threadJohn1h ago

@datum

That's why I said "he's hearing" because he didn't have hard evidence and acknowledged that. The tone was "abundance of caution", not "I know this to be true!"

Sorry if I was unclear.

Show threadJohn1h ago

@datum

Also 100% agree that the acute illness is not the story here.

This upcoming strain just has so many different mutations (from what I've read) that I've re-tuned in a bit to the discourse around its characteristics.

Show threaddatum (n=1)1h ago

@johnzajac No you were super clear - that's why I'm hoping that if you see a citeable claim (doesn't need to be a paper, can be reporting or a hospital PR or whatever) that you pass it along.

I appreciate you passing along the on the ground observation (so far)!

Show threadJohn1h ago

@datum

If the "more severe in kids" stuff is shown to be true, I will be interested in seeing if it changes people's behavior at all, or if folks are so far gone on prevention that you get infection parties and "who's kid will die?" betting pools

sigh other discourse I'm part of on here is making me so negative today (like I'm positive other days lol)

Show threaddatum (n=1)1h ago

@johnzajac My hope is that folks who need an excuse will latch on. "This one is so much worse for kids, we need to improve school ventilation, require masks (if only), keep kids home when sick" - it won't be lots of folks, but there will be some, and "all" we need is about 5% of folks to be well-engaged to see drastically higher odds of meaningful change.

One Vancouver Sun headline "new C19 variant poses greater risk to kids" even if they omit masking and minimize and do bad journalism, such a headline alone would convince some parents to write the school board and more.

I hope you have a less negative day going forward.

Show threadK-ZO da Snowman37m ago

@datum @johnzajac it reminds me of that one org trying to get clean air in schools, they don't mention COVID at all in their advocacy. I watched one of their outreach presentations and they said don't mention the big C. Which is fine, we need many avenues of attack. Some enviro orgs don't mention climate crisis but do mention duty of stewardship etc.

Personally I don't think omission is the best, but I respect it. Impact over intent and all.

Show threadJohn34m ago

@kzodasnowman @datum

COVID is one area where I think stepping around people's opposition is more important than aligning their point of view with reality.

The fact is that we could dramatically reduce the spread of *all infectious disease*, a public health coup on par with water treatment or Semmelweis, for a cost that is a rounding error of the cost to treat all drinking water and an amount of effort that is minimal compared to introducing a practice of thorough personal hygiene.