Yesterday we released “The Persistent Dozen.”
It includes 12 papers on SARS-CoV-2 persistence. There are 100s & we are currently sorting through them, but here are 12 interesting ones.
There is no doubt, SC2 & spike protein persist.
“…one team found that almost two years after infection, long COVID patients had not yet cleared the virus from their gut tissue. These persistent viral reservoirs appear to leak spike protein — the part of the virus that gives coronaviruses their distinctive ‘crown’ appearance — into blood circulation, potentially driving inflammation of the brain and other organs, and increasing health consequences such as heart disease.
While early efforts are underway to help clear persistent viral reservoirs, more well-designed clinical trials are desperately needed to help the millions suffering from long COVID return to normal life.”
“Basically this is not a standard respiratory virus but one that finds its way into every cell that has a receptor which exists on our blood vessels to a protein called AcE2 - so the virus through the spike protein can enter many tissues in our body- colon, pancreas, lung, blood vessels of brain etc.
Of concern is that the virus seems capable of replicating and persisting years after the infection. The consequence is chronic inflammation and other issues we will discuss.”
“COVID-19 Virus Can Stay in the Body More Than a Year after Infection New research provides the strongest evidence yet of long-term viral persistence in otherwise healthy people.”
Autopsies of 15 COVID-19 cases showed SARS-CoV-2 in multiple organs (lungs, heart, liver, etc.) even in non-immunocompromised individuals.
The virus mutated differently in each organ, supporting theories of viral reservoirs and rapid evolution.
“The SARS-CoV-2 spike protein stays in the brain after a COVID-19 infection.”
“Modeling suggests SARS-CoV-2 rebound after nirmatrelvir-ritonavir treatment is driven by target cell preservation coupled with incomplete viral clearance
Altogether, our results suggest that in some individuals, a standard 5-day course of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir starting around the time of symptom onset may not completely eliminate the virus. Thus, after treatment ends, the virus can rebound if an effective adaptive immune response has not fully developed. These findings on the role of target cell preservation and incomplete viral clearance also offer a possible explanation for viral rebounds following other antiviral treatments for SARS-CoV-2.”
SARS-CoV-2 peptide fragments can reassemble with dsRNA into proinflammatory complexes, amplifying immune responses.
These complexes trigger cytokine secretion in various cell types, mimicking severe COVID-19 inflammation.
“Stunning interview w former @CDCgov director, virologist Robert Redfield:
COVID vaccines ‘Do not prevent infection & didn’t impact kinetics of pandemic…They don’t work that well, they’re not durable. What does work better is antiviral drug development [EARLY TX!!!] & we haven’t invested heavily there... Annual flu vaccines only work 25-50% of the time. Vaccines…won’t protect us against bird flu.’”
“Evidence is now clear from scientists in the field that this virus persists and even quietly replicates in the colon for years The question we are beginning to answer: is this virus oncogenic meaning can it lead to cancer in years to come?”
“Here is the first randomized trial to show that an antiviral can prevent Long Covid.
In the PANORAMIC trial, people randomized to molnupiravir had less risk of Long Covid than people who received no antivirals
My comment in the link below. A short🧵”
Literally living WITH Covid.
The use of antivirals to reduce the risk of long COVID is grounded in the hypothesis that viral persistence and possible ongoing replication of SARS-CoV-2 are major mechanistic pathways responsible for long COVID
