SARS-CoV-2 headlines

If you're looking for a job to help make a COVID safer world, somebody is interested in funding it. I can't vet this kind of thing, but it's maybe worth a look.

We already knew that masks were effective at blocking SARS-CoV-2 transmission, but it's always nice to see new studies confirm it. This study led by University of Maryland found that N95 masks were very effective at blocking exhaled particles.

It's also good to see major news outlets like PBS continuing to publish news about Long COVID. This recent story covers a lot of ground with a multitude of supporting links.

I expected to see more athletes falling to disease, but I never expected to see an Olympic athlete intentionally compete with an active infection. I can imagine the cloud of particles exhaled during such heavy exertion. And we know that for many people, exertion is exactly the wrong action because it aggravates the mitochondrial dysfunction caused by the virus.

The worst news, however, I did expect to see eventually. Researchers much more knowledgeable than me are finally using those 4 magic words...

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

This new study actually uses the familiar term AIDS from the last epidemic to describe a condition resulting from this new epidemic, which they narrowed to 2 specific genotypes of the virus. This separate study observes that it uses a familiar pathway too, affecting immune cells before they leave the bone marrow. Of course, you already knew about that concept, if you've listened to me yell into the aether for the last few years.

Stay safe out there.