Since we last spoke, the vastly more contagious Delta variant has taken over the world, threatened in its supremacy only by this Omicron newcomer (which… ugh, remember my rant about vaccine equity? YEAH). Those of us who’d felt more comfortable taking off masks have gone back to wearing them. Children have returned to school full time and are becoming infected at wild rates, prompting even the most stubborn minimisers to admit they are indeed major drivers of transmission. The fifth wave is here.
In more positive news, childhood vaccines are now available in a few countries at least for those older than 12, and in others for those older than five (or even three, for those that have validated the Chinese vaccine Sinopharm). Hello, it’s nice to chat with you again.
😓 Vaccines’ limited protection against long Covid
Let’s start with the hard part first. Over the summer, Diana Zicklin Berrent, who founded Survivor Corps, a grassroots movement that provides resources for Covid survivors, tweeted something that’s been nagging at me:
I didn’t retweet this for two reasons:
it was a Facebook poll;
The sample was extremely small as breakthrough symptomatic cases seemed to be minimal.
I left it alone, but that 55% number stuck, and it became a thorn in my side the more we learnt about breakthrough infections (i.e., infections after jabs).
Then, on November 23rd, Nature ran a piece about this. The early findings show that Zicklin Berrent and her team were onto something. It is less than reassuring:
Vaccines reduce the risk of long COVID by lowering the chances of contracting COVID-19 in the first place. But for those who do experience a breakthrough infection, studies suggest that vaccination might only halve the risk of long COVID — or have no effect on it at all.
A few studies have started trickling in, but it’s tricky because vaxxed people tend to be laxer about getting tested. Some might develop long-term symptoms without even knowing they had Covid. What we do know, though, should stand as a warning.
Overall, [Yale Immunologist Akiko] Iwasaki has found the results of these studies disappointing. “I honestly thought the vaccine would protect against long COVID much more extensively,” she says. Iwasaki proposes that Delta — which is more transmissible than other variants are — might have weakened the vaccines’ protection against long COVID. If people infected with Delta breathe out a great number of infectious particles, as is thought, the infections that they pass on will have higher initial amounts of virus. That could allow Delta to replicate more readily than other variants, even in fully vaccinated people, says Iwasaki. This higher dose could give the virus a better opportunity to establish a reservoir or provoke an overactive immune response, either of which might then lead to long COVID, she suggests.
How to use this: aside from the fact that authorities everywhere should be tracking breakthrough infections, we should test regardless of immunisation status. That would allow us to document in case some of us end up with unexplained chronic conditions. And of course, this only confirms the growing understanding that vaccines, crucial as they are, represent only one part of the Emmental defence against Covid.
🧐 What to do during the holidays 🕎 🎄
Given all this, what are we to expect for the holidays? Aside from the fact that half of Europe is heading back into lockdown, recommendations have necessarily evolved compared with last year. Many of us didn’t travel then, we avoided visiting elderly relatives or friends with infants.
Now most of us are vaccinated, some have even received a booster, and kids five and up are well on their way to full immunisation. We’re planning to see loved ones we haven’t seen in a while. So what do we do to keep safe?
Ventilation is where it’s at. Open windows as a start. Invest in CO2 monitors, which are a great proxy for the concentration of viral particles in the air.
If open windows aren’t an option, we can purify the air. HEPA filters are great, but if not, you can DIY a Corsi-Rosenthal box:
How to use this: vaccinate, boost, keep the air clean and enjoy yourself! And a Happy Whatever-You-Celebrate to you and yours.
🍬 Treat
Did I tell you we got a puppy? We got a puppy. Her name is Mimolette, she was three and a half months when we adopted her in September, she’s a pitbull with a bit of border collie in her. I’ll spare you all the research on the benefits of dogs for human wellbeing, but in honour of her, here’s Open Puppies. Enjoy.