‘General Hospital’ Icon Emma Samms Talks Latest Return to the Show Amid Her Battle With Long COVID (EXCLUSIVE)
“I’ve been like this now for four and a half years nearly, and it’s baffling to not just the people who have it, but it’s baffling to the doctors,” she says. “They are some very smart people who are investigating and studying it and doing research, but all they keep finding is more and more damage that COVID has done to people’s bodies.
“I got some really good scans done and they found that at some point I had had myocarditis, which has scarred my heart,” Samms continues. “The consequences of COVID — I think we still have only just scratched the surface, and it’s terrifying to me that people think we are no longer in a pandemic. Because they so desperately want it to not affect them, they sort of pretend that it is has gone, and it so hasn’t.”
As COVID Surges, the High Price of Viral Denial | The Tyee
“Repeated studies show in the bluntest terms that the initial acute infection is only the tip of the iceberg. Even a mild bout of COVID can leave a legacy of blood clots, heart failure, diabetes, decreased brain function (see sidebar), long COVID (now affecting 400 million people worldwide) and immune damage that increasingly makes people more vulnerable to a plethora of infectious diseases and possibly cancers.
These problems can erupt three years after an infection”
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Long COVID: 3-Month Follow up Results from a Prospective Registry of 232 patients
Study on hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) for Long Covid
After 3 months, 65% reported improved quality of life, especially in cognitive functions, but 15% experienced worsening symptoms.
Scientists Develop Game-Changing Needle-Free COVID-19 Intranasal Vaccine
“The vaccine induces strong memory responses in the nasal mucosa offering long-term protection for up to a year or more. It’s been designed to be administered as a single dose, ideally as a booster vaccine, as a safe alternative to needles with no adverse reactions in the short or long term.”
SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant induces severe damages in the nasal cavity from the first day post-infection in the Syrian hamster model.
“SARS-CoV-2 variant severe damages in the nasal cavity from the first day post-infection”
SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant induces severe damages in the nasal cavity from the first day post-infection
The two main takeaways from this graph are the following:
Overall, fewer than 20% of COVID-19 deaths are being reported in these public places in all provinces (a bit higher in Quebec in fall/winter season, but not much).
Provinces are only reporting 20% of COVID deaths, that would mean that Alberta's 735 deaths in the last 12 months is actually around 3675. Which would be by far the #1 cause of death.
US record-keeping is similarly limited/skewed
World's Largest Mortality Data Repository! - Mortality Watch
it's very clear from the pre pandemic baseline that covid rather than cancer or drugs is doing the heavy lifting on these deaths. age groups registering excess death are 10-19 and 30-49. All those died young and suddenly anecdotes, while down from the heights of the pandemic, continue to tally with the data
The Changing Composition of Disability among America’s Workers
“As a result, it was difficult to determine whether the increase in the E-P ratio was primarily driven by changes in workplace culture and the availability of remote work or by a higher prevalence of pandemic-related disabilities among people already employed.”
Column: University Approved Absences must be expanded for illness
“Only significant health conditions that cause students to be absent for around five or more consecutive class days will be approved. This includes ‘severe communicable diseases that require isolation.’ While this would have included COVID-19 a few years ago when a 14-day isolation period was expected, new CDC guidelines only require isolation until the person is fever-free for 24 hours with no fever-reducing medicine.”
Only significant health conditions that cause students to be absent for around five or more consecutive class days will be approved. This includes “severe communicable diseases that require isolation.” While this would have included COVID-19 a few years ago when a 14-day isolation period was expected, new CDC guidelines only require isolation until the person is fever-free for 24 hours with no fever-reducing medicine.
I'm used to not fitting in, but this whole society balls deep in its covid denial has transformed me into a complete outcast . I don't belong anywhere nor do I desire to be part of this pro infection society. This experience has left a lasting mark on me😷
“I'm used to not fitting in, but this whole society balls deep in its covid denial has transformed me into a complete outcast . I don't belong anywhere nor do I desire to be part of this pro infection society. #CovidIsNotOver This experience has left a lasting mark on me😷”
Why has COVID been so much worse this summer? The health belief model has the answer
“This is the biggest summer wave because people are under-vaccinated and have stopped taking other precautions like distancing or wearing masks. And the reasons why we’re not taking these important risk-reduction behaviours is because many of us believe that COVID is over, or, if not over, that it’s not a big deal…
…But long COVID is still a risk and as of mid-August, the Public Health Agency of Canada reported over four million COVID cases in Canada. It’s not ‘just the flu’ either, as with this summer surge, the World Health Organization also reports increases in hospitalizations and deaths”
A Journey Through Grief: Experiences of Loss Among Patients With Long COVID - Ann Scheck McAlearney, Leanna P Eiterman, Elizabeth Mayers, Jennifer L Eramo, Sarah R MacEwan, 2024
“We aimed to improve understanding of the experiences of patients with Long COVID, focusing on emotional impacts arising from experiences of loss and grief caused by persistent physical symptoms and changes in lifestyle and social support.”
Long COVID Clinical Evaluation, Research and Impact on Society: A Global Expert Consensus
Long COVID Clinical Evaluation, Research and Impact on Society: A Global Expert Consensus
Background: Long COVID is a complex, heterogeneous syndrome affecting at least one hundred million people globally.
She’s on day 4 of covid & says:
She’s on day 4 of covid & says:
“I had a lot of errands to run. I didn’t wear a mask—when I have covid, I can’t breathe worth a flip as it is… it’s not like I’m in anybody’s face, breathing all over them. Bash me if you want, but I’m not wearing a mask when I’m sick like this.”
A dual inhibitor of PIP5K1C and PIKfyve prevents SARS-CoV-2 entry into cells
“the development of new small molecule-based antiviral candidates is imperative to improve clinical outcomes against SARS-CoV-2. In this study, we identified UNI418, a dual PIKfyve and PIP5K1C inhibitor, as a new chemical agent that inhibits SARS-CoV-2 entry into host cells.”
the development of new small molecule-based antiviral candidates is imperative to improve clinical outcomes against SARS-CoV-2. In this study, we identified UNI418, a dual PIKfyve and PIP5K1C inhibitor, as a new chemical agent that inhibits SARS-CoV-2 entry into host cells.
Only 33% of hospitals in the U.S. submitted COVID data this week, which is similar to last week but down from 91% in May. This means actual case numbers and hospitalizations are substantially higher than reported.
“Only 33% of hospitals in the U.S. submitted COVID data this week, which is similar to last week but down from 91% in May. This means actual case numbers and hospitalizations are substantially higher than reported.”
Simple measures lessen hospital-acquired COVID-19 infections
“People shouldn’t die or have medical complications from a COVID-19 infection they caught in hospital, and hospital workers shouldn’t have to take sick leave due to a COVID-19 infection they caught at work.”
In a new study published in the Journal of Hospital Infections, Burnet researchers found simple infection control measures could save lives and reduce costs for hospitals.
These measures include testing patients for COVID-19 on admission, requiring staff to wear N95 masks in clinical areas and using Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT) or Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests to prevent transmissions.