#Seasonal Respiratory Viruses

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved on our archive

By Anthony Robledo

The side effects of newly discovered COVID-19 strain XEC might not be as severe, but is part of the more contagious variant class, experts say.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines XEC as recombinant or hybrid of the strains KS.1.1 and KP.3.3., both from the Omicron family that became the predominant strain in the U.S. late December 2022.

The variant, which first appeared in Berlin in late June, has increasingly seen hundreds of cases in Germany, France, Denmark and Netherlands, according to a report by Australia-based data integration specialist Mike Honey.

XEC has also been reported in at least 25 U.S. states though there could be more as genetic testing is not done on every positive test, RTI International epidemiologist Joëlla W. Adams said.

"We often use what happens in Europe as a good indication of what might happen here," Adams told USA TODAY Friday. "Whenever we're entering into a season where we have multiple viruses occurring at the same time, like we're entering into flu season, that obviously complicates things."

What is the XEC variant? New COVID strain XEC is a recombinant strain of two variants in the Omicron family: KS.1.1 and KP.3.3.

The hybrid strain was first reported in Berlin late June but has spread across Europe, North America and Asia with the countries Germany, France, the Netherlands and Denmark leading cases.

Is the XEC variant more contagious? While there's no indication the XEC strain will increase the severity of virus, it could potentially become a dominant strain as Omicron variants are more contagious. However, current available COVID-19 vaccines and booster shots are particularly protective against XEC as it is a hybrid of two Omicron strains.

"These strains do have the advantage in the fact that they are more transmissible compared to other families, and so the vaccines that are currently being offered were not based off of the XEC variant, but they are related," Adams said.

Like other respiratory infections, COVID-19 and its recent Omicron variants will increasingly spread during the fall and winter seasons as students return to classes, kids spend more time inside and people visit family for the holidays, according to Adams.

How can we protect ourselves from XEC and other variants? The CDC continues to monitor the emergence of variants in the population, according to spokesperson Rosa Norman.

"At this time, we anticipate that COVID-19 treatments and vaccines will continue to work against all circulating variants," Norman said in a statement to USA TODAY. "CDC will continue to monitor the effectiveness of treatment and vaccines against circulating variants."

The CDC recommends that everyone ages 6 months and older, with some exceptions, receive an updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine to protect against the virus, regardless whether or not you have previously been vaccinated or infected.

Norman urged Americans to monitor the agency's COVID Data Tracker for updates to new variants.

KP.3.1.1:This dominant COVID-19 variant accounts for over 50% of cases, new CDC data shows

What is the dominant strain of COVID in the US? COVID-19 variant KP.3.1.1 is currently the dominant strain accounting for more than half of positive infections in the U.S. according to recent CDC projections.

Between Sept. 1 and Sept. 14, 52.7% of positive infections were of the KP.3.1.1 strain, followed by KP.2.3 at 12.2%, according to the agency's Nowcast data tracker, which displays COVID-19 estimates and projections for two-week periods.

KP.3.1.1 first became the dominant strain in the two-week period, starting on July 21st and ending on August 3rd.

"The KP.3.1.1 variant is very similar to other circulating variants in the United States. All current lineages are descendants of JN.1, which emerged in late 2023," Norman previously told USA TODAY.

COVID XEC symptoms There is no indication that the XEC variant comes with its own unique symptoms.

The CDC continues to outline the basic COVID-19 symptoms, which can appear between two to 14 days after exposure to the virus and can range from mild to severe.

These are some of the symptoms of COVID-19:

Fever or chills Cough Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing Fatigue Muscle or body aches Headache Loss of taste or smell Sore throat Congestion or runny nose Nausea or vomiting Diarrhea

The CDC said you should seek medical attention if you have the following symptoms:

Trouble breathing Persistent pain or pressure in the chest New confusion Inability to wake or stay awake Pale, gray or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds

[reality-detective]

Let’s make natural antibiotic for cough and sore throat! 🍯

🌿 Natural healing for immunity, respiratory health, and relief from seasonal ailments! 🌿 This garlic-anise-Ceylon cinnamon honey blend combines nature’s powerful allies for combating coughs, sore throats, and respiratory inflammation.

🌱 9 cloves Garlic – Known as a natural antibiotic, garlic is rich in allicin, which helps fight bacteria, viruses, and fungi, strengthening the body’s defenses.

⭐️ 1 tsp Anise – With its expectorant properties, anise helps clear the airways, soothing stubborn coughs and aiding in the removal of mucus buildup.

🍯 ½ tsp Ceylon Cinnamon – Known for its mild, warming qualities, Ceylon cinnamon is anti-inflammatory and antioxidant-rich, further boosting immunity and overall respiratory health.

Mix with 1 cup of pure honey. One tbsp every 4-6 hours.

This blend supports your respiratory system, provides protection for the mucous membranes, and adds a natural immunity boost to your wellness routine. 🤔

[auratold]

@illuzijan

Outbreaks, by themselves, were nothing new. From standard communicable diseases to increasing antibacterial resistance, and emerging infectious diseases, Rebecca had seen a great deal over the years. But the events that truly filled her career, from the very beginning, were outbreaks of BOWs. No matter how hard they all fought against them, periodically a new virus would pop up, or an existing one reused.

Wyoming had entered her radar in the last few days, a string of circumstances catching her attention. Small towns popping up on the map was never a good sign, be it from the spread of diseases or bioterrorism in nature. Limited personnel and local resources, and distance from larger organizations- all of it was a recipe for disaster. This was no exception, the details coming out of an isolated town in the state far too reminiscent of BOW outbreaks she had seen in the past than the typical severe respiratory season bug.

When the conversation of sending personnel to investigate the situation arose, Rebecca was quick to volunteer. Quickly, armed with the vaccines she'd already made for previous viruses and a medical kit, she'd set out alongside swat medics and BSAA agents.

They'd split up once arriving onsite and established a command, Rebecca tasked with checking structures deemed less dangerous. Kit close, gun ready, and flashlight in hand, she'd chosen a small condemned farm first, something in her gut tugging her towards it.

As she'd swung the door slowly open, her gaze slowly tracking about looking for any signs of infected or survivors. A glance down and she spotted footprints disrupting a layer of dust on the ground, a step inside and the sounds of movement caught her ears from further inside. Rebecca paused, taking a moment to ensure her comms were on before continuing her steps. "Is anyone here?"

[musashi]

This is a strange question, but when it comes to masking, should we technically have always masked in public before COVID hit? Like, the flu used to be a big epidemic, but now we have vaccines and don't mask for it. I know there's still a COVID epidemic going on, but will there ever be a time to stop masking for that like we used to in your opinion? Is it best to be safe and just mask regardless of any recent/current pandemic to keep down the odds of catching or spreading any type of illness?

i mean, you can't compare covid and the flu. the flu is a respiratory virus that, while deadly, tends to only effect the respiratory system. it's true that anything including a cold can trigger dysautonomic conditions/symptoms, but nothing comes close to the disabling rate that covid has.

covid is a virus that affects every single organ, including the brain and heart. it's way scarier than the flu, and at present, way harder to manage/prevent due to frequent mutation, incredibly high r0, and the fact that it lingers in the air for hours after the infected person has shed virus.

flu vaccines are the result of decades of medical advancement, tons of time and effort has gone into tracking and predicting flu strains and rolling out vaccines. covid is still way too new for that despite mutating less than the flu.

whether you should be masking or not really depends on if you want to give someone else your viruses. like, yeah, if you weren't masking before during flu season, especially if you weren't getting your flu shot, if you've ever had the flu, you have 100% given it to someone else. the incubation period can last up to 5 days and, like covid, you can be contagious the whole time without a single symptom.

i wasn't masking then because, like, i was just raised in a world where the flu exists and so i just kind of assumed anyone who wanted to avoid it would be vaccinated & not crowding out indoors during the fall and winter. and because, like, while the flu can very much hospitalize, most people recover from it relatively unscathed. those who don't tend to take the proper precautions because that's what life is like when you're disabled, you have shit down to a system.

covid isn't like that tho. it does not matter who you are, covid can and will quite literally rot your brain and make your organs fail. covid has completely destroyed the cognitive function of half the population and it does not discriminate no matter how healthy or fit you are. no one is safe from it, even me fully vaccinated and wearing a kn100, a bitch who no longer eats out or attends events or does anything that might put me at risk. it could get me tomorrow and disable me for life.

like. i need to ask you why you're asking me. i'm not a medical professional, nor am i some holy beacon with all the right answers, i am just a tumblr user. my personal moral code is just that--personal. i will mask until it is safe. both for me, and for everyone else. i am a leftist, my actions and politics are rooted in empathy, masking is a no brainer. it's uncomfortable and i miss makeup but like... when i was 4 i used to dream myself a knight slaying beasts in the name of a vast kingdom because i wanted to be a hero who fought the good fight. and now i'm 29 and it turns out that's less 'big fucking sword' and more 'do a small thing that inconveniences you to stop people from dying.' it's literally not even a question.

why are you asking me, man? what do you wanna do? do you wanna ensure you don't give randos at the grocery store a preventable illness? then, like, yeah. wear a mask. just whenever.

i'm taking this thang off as soon as it stops being a hazard to my fellow man tho i fucking LOVE being sick gimme that sweet sweet fic insp omnomnom

[darkmaga-returns]

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. warns against taking the flu shot due to limited protection against circulating flu strains and increased risk of non-flu viral infections.

Research from the British Medical Journal indicates that the flu shot may prime the immune system for non-flu viral upper-respiratory infections.

A Pentagon study found that individuals who received the flu shot were 36% more likely to catch coronavirus.

Flu shots contain toxic mercury, with levels exceeding EPA standards, posing a risk of neurological damage as mercury can cross the blood-brain barrier.

Despite high mercury content, flu vaccines are marketed as risk-free without scientific clinical trials to prove efficacy, highlighting the need for transparency and accountability in the pharmaceutical industry.

“I would not take the flu shot in a million years, and I’ll tell you why,” says Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the newly appointed head of Health and Human Resources for the United States of America. Basically, when you get a flu shot, you are only protected against a few (sometimes only one) particular strains of flu, out of about a dozen or more possible that could be circulating that flu season, which lasts from October through May. Those injected folks are FOUR TIMES more likely to get a non-flu viral infection. Ever notice how many people who get the flu shot get sick right away?

[allthecanadianpolitics]

What is covid situation in Canada now?

[thoughtportal]

COVID-19 makes a worrying comeback, WHO warns amid summertime surge

COVID-19 infections are surging globally, including at the Paris Olympics, and are unlikely to decline anytime soon, the World Health Organization (WHO) says. The UN health agency is also warning that more severe variants of the coronavirus may soon be on the horizon.

“COVID-19 is still very much with us,” and circulating in all countries, Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove of WHO told journalists in Geneva.

“Data from our sentinel-based surveillance system across 84 countries reports that the percent of positive tests for SARS-CoV-2 has been rising over several weeks,” she said. “Overall, test positivity is above 10 per cent, but this fluctuates per region. In Europe, percent positivity is above 20 per cent,” Dr. Van Kerkhove added.

New waves of infection have been registered in the Americas, Europe and Western Pacific. Wastewater surveillance suggests that the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 is two to 20 times higher than what is currently being reported. Such high infection circulation rates in the northern hemisphere’s summer months are atypical for respiratory viruses, which tend to spread mostly in cold temperatures.

“In recent months, regardless of the season, many countries have experienced surges of COVID-19, including at the Olympics where at least 40 athletes have tested positive,” Dr. Van Kerkhove said.

As the virus continues to evolve and spread, there is a growing risk of a more severe strain of the virus that could potentially evade detection systems and be unresponsive to medical intervention. While COVID-19 hospital admissions, including for Intensive Care Units (ICUs), are still much lower than they were during the peak of the pandemic, WHO is urging governments to strengthen their vaccination campaigns, making sure that the highest risk groups get vaccinated once every 12 months.

“As individuals it is important to take measures to reduce risk of infection and severe disease, including ensuring that you have had a COVID-19 vaccination dose in the last 12 months, especially, if you are in an at-risk group,” stressed Dr. Van Kerkhove.

Vaccines availability has declined substantially over the last 12-18 months, WHO admits, because the number of producers of COVID-19 vaccines has recently decreased.“It is very difficult for them to maintain the pace,” Dr. Van Kerkhove explained. “And certainly, they don't need to maintain the pace that they had in 2021 and 2022. But let's be very clear, there is a market for COVID-19 vaccines that are out there.”

Nasal vaccines are still under development but could potentially address transmission, thereby reducing the risk of further variants, infection and severe disease.

“I am concerned, “ Dr. Van Kerkhove said. “With such low coverage and with such large circulation, if we were to have a variant that would be more severe, then the susceptibility of the at-risk populations to develop severe disease is huge,” Dr. Van Kerkhove warned.

[ricisidro]

COVID-19 doesn't follow normal seasonal patterns, like other respiratory viruses — waves of nfection can happen at any time of year. That being said, the most vulnerable people must remain fully vaccinated and have access to necessary antivirals on a year-round basis.

https://bbc.com/future/article/20240719-why-covid-19-is-spreading-this-summer

[pandemic-info]

No seasonal reprieve for COVID with cases rising heading into summer | CTV News

"We have to remember COVID is not gone. So, this is a little different than things like influenza where we see it nearly disappear in the summer. The last two summers, COVID has really hung around and as a result, we continue to see waves and upticks of virus throughout the year," said Craig Jenne with the University of Calgary's department of microbiology, immunology, and infectious diseases.

[feminist-space]

https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/opinion-this-holiday-season-lets-spread-kindness-not-covid

"Many people seem to believe that the pandemic is over. Or, at least, they don’t hear about COVID-19 much anymore. Tests are difficult to find. Mask mandates are a thing of the past. “Surely if it was still a problem,” one might speculate, “then the government would say something, right?” And one might be forgiven for thinking so.

However, governments are political entities, and politicians seem to have learned that COVID-19 is not a popular subject. Yet, if one were to look at data from wastewater testing, hospitalization numbers, and test positivity rates, it would be obvious that COVID-19 is thriving in Quebec.

Because public health appears to have dropped the ball on public communication, volunteer organizations have had to fill that role. COVID-19 Resources Canada is one such entity, run by a team of volunteers with a broad range of skills and expertise, including researchers and health care professionals. They publish a weekly Canadian COVID Forecast in which they estimate the risk of COVID-19 in each province.

This week, the numbers for Quebec show that around one in 44 people are infected. This statistic is useful, as it allows us to estimate the risk of a COVID-19 exposure based on the number of people at a gathering. For example, the risk that someone is positive is 11 per cent for a gathering of five, 21 per cent for a gathering of 10, and 37 per cent for a gathering of 20.

Anywhere you would share air with at least 130 people — such as for in-person Christmas shopping — the risk that you would encounter someone positive for COVID-19 is over 95 per cent. Clearly, COVID-19 has not gone anywhere.

“True,” one might say, “but COVID-19 is mild now, right?”

Again, one might be forgiven for thinking so, as we have indeed come a long way when it comes to treating the acute phase of COVID-19. However, COVID truly is the gift that keeps on giving, and research shows that “long COVID” is an ever-increasing and serious problem. It is neither rare nor mild.

A Statistics Canada study published last December shows that one in nine Canadian adults “have experienced long-term COVID-19 symptoms; most continue to experience symptoms.”

The study also shows that the risk of long-term symptoms increased with the number of infections. After one infection, the risk of long COVID was 14.6 per cent. This rose to 37.9 per cent by the third infection.

In October, the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ) published a report showing that six per cent of the province’s health care workers are suffering from long COVID. When did we stop caring about our “guardian angels,” whom we worked so hard to protect in 2020?

This holiday season, let’s embody the values of benevolence, kindness and generosity and do our best to avoid spreading a disabling virus to strangers and loved ones alike.

It can be surprisingly simple to protect our health and the health of others — by masking in public with high-quality masks (such as KN95 or N95), testing before gatherings, increasing ventilation, and staying home if sick. Not only will this help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, but also all other respiratory illnesses of the season, like the flu and RSV.

This year, let’s become better versions of ourselves and spread kindness, not viruses."

-Emily Oelberg holds a master’s degree in engineering from Concordia University and is a proponent of community care. She lives in Lachine.

https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/opinion-this-holiday-season-lets-spread-kindness-not-covid

[covid-safer-hotties]

also preserved on our archive

By Erica Sloan

These days, it’s tempting to compare COVID-19 with the common cold or flu. It can similarly leave you with a nasty cough, fever, sore throat—the full works of respiratory symptoms. And it’s also become a part of the societal fabric, perhaps something you’ve resigned yourself to catching at least a few times in your life (even if you haven’t already). But let’s not forget: SARS-CoV-2 (the virus responsible for COVID) is still relatively new, and researchers are actively investigating the toll of reinfection on the body. While there are still a lot of unknowns, one thing seems to be increasingly true: Getting COVID again and again is a good deal riskier than repeat hits of its seasonal counterparts.

It turns out, SARS-CoV-2 is more nefarious than these other contagious bugs, and our immune response to it, often larger and longer-lasting. COVID has a better ability to camouflage itself in the body, “and it has the keys to the kingdom in the sense that it can unlock any cell and get in,” says Esther Melamed, PhD, an assistant professor in the department of neurology at Dell Medical School, University of Texas Austin, and the research director of the Post-COVID-19 program at UT Health Austin. That’s because SARS-CoV-2 binds to ACE2 receptors, which exist in cells all over your body, from your heart to your gut to your brain. (By contrast, cold and flu viruses replicate mostly in your respiratory tract.)

It only follows that a bigger threat can trigger an outsize immune response. In some people, the body’s reaction to COVID can turn into a “cytokine storm,” Dr. Melamed tells SELF, which is characterized by an excessive release of inflammatory proteins that can wreak havoc on multiple organ systems—not a common scenario for your garden-variety cold or flu. But even a “mild” case of COVID can throw your immune system into a tizzy as it works to quickly shore up your defenses. And each reinfection is a fresh opportunity for the virus to win the battle.

While you develop some immunity after a COVID infection, it doesn’t just grow with each additional hit. You might be thinking, “Aren’t I more protected against COVID and less likely to have a serious case after having been infected?” Part of that is true, to an extent. In the first couple years after COVID burst onto the scene, reinfections were generally (though not always) milder than a person’s initial bout of the virus. “The way we understand classic immunology is that your body will say to a virus [it’s seen before], ‘Oh, I know how to deal with you, and I’m now going to deal with you in a better way the second time around,’” says Ziyad Al-Aly, PhD, a clinical epidemiologist at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine and the chief of research and development at the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System.

But any encounter with COVID can also cause your immune system to “go awry or develop some form of dysfunction,” Dr. Al-Aly tells SELF. Specifically, “immune imprinting” can happen, where, upon a second (or third or fourth) exposure to the virus, your immune cells launch the same response as they did for the initial infection, in turn blocking or limiting the development of new antibodies necessary to fight off the current variant that’s stirring up trouble. So, “when you get hit an [additional] time, your immune system may not behave classically,” Dr. Al-Aly says, and could struggle with mounting a good defense.

Pair that dip in immune efficiency with the fact that your antibody levels also wane with time post-infection, and it’s easy to see how another hit can rock your body in a new way. Indeed, the more time that passes after any given COVID infection, the less of a “competitive advantage” you’ll have against any future one, Richard Moffitt, PhD, an associate professor at Emory University, in Atlanta, tells SELF. His research found that, while people who got sick initially during the delta phase were less likely to get reinfected during the first omicron wave (as compared to folks who were infected in a prior period), that benefit leveled off with following omicron variants.

There’s also the fact that no matter how your immune system has responded to a prior strain (or strains!) of the virus, it could react differently to a new mutation. “We tend to think of COVID as one homogeneous thing, but it’s really not,” Dr. Al-Aly says. So even if your body successfully thwarted one of these intruders in the past, there’s no guarantee it’ll do the same for another, now or in the future, he says.

Getting COVID again and again is especially risky if it previously made you very ill. Dr. Moffitt’s study above also found that the “severity of your first infection is very predictive of the severity of a reinfection,” he says. Meaning, you’re more likely to have a severe case of COVID—for instance, requiring hospitalization or intensive care, such as ventilation—when reinfected if you had a rough go of it the first time around.

It’s possible that some folks are more prone to an off-kilter immune response to the virus, which could then happen consistently with reinfections. The antibodies created in people who’ve had severe cases “may not function as well as those in folks who’ve had mild infections or were able to fight the virus off,” Dr. Melamed says. Though researchers don’t fully understand why, some people’s immune systems are also more likely to overreact to COVID (remember the cytokine storm?), which can cause serious symptoms��like fluid in the lungs and shortness of breath—whenever they’re infected.

Being over the age of 65, having a chronic illness or other medical condition, and lacking access to health care have all been shown to spike your risk of serious outcomes with a COVID infection, whether it’s your first or fifth fight with the virus.

But you’re not home free if you’ve only had, say, a brief fever or cough with COVID in the past; Dr. Moffitt points out that a small subset of people in his research who had minor reactions with their initial infection went on to be hospitalized with a repeat hit. The probability of that might be lower, but it’s still a possibility, he says.

Even if you’ve only had “mild” cases, each reinfection strains your body, upping your chances of developing long COVID. A 2022 study led by Dr. Al-Aly found that COVID reinfections also increase your risk of complications across the board, regardless of whether you recovered just fine in the past or got vaccinated. In particular, it showed that reinfection raises the likelihood that you’ll need hospitalization; have heart or lung problems; or experience, among other possible issues, GI, neurological, mental health, or musculoskeletal symptoms. “We use the term ‘cumulative effects,’” Dr. Al-Aly says, “so, multiple hits accrue and then leave the body more vulnerable to all the potential long-term health effects of COVID.”

That doesn’t mean your experience of a second (or third or fourth) infection will necessarily be worse, in and of itself, than what you felt during a prior case. But with each new hit, a fresh batch of the virus seeps into your system, where, even if you have a mild case, it has another chance to trigger any of the longer-term complications above. While the likelihood of getting long COVID (a constellation of symptoms lingering for three months or longer post-infection) is likely greatest after initial infection, “The bottom line is, people are still getting diagnosed with long COVID after reinfection,” Dr. Moffitt says.

Researchers don’t totally know why one person might deal with lasting health effects over another, but it seems that, in some folks, the immune system misfires, generating not only antibodies to attack the virus but also autoantibodies that go after the body’s own healthy cells, Dr. Al-Aly says. This may be one reason why COVID has been linked to the onset of autoimmune conditions like psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis.

A different hypothesis suggests that pieces of the virus could linger in the body, even after a person has seemingly “recovered” (reminder that SARS-CoV-2 is scarily good at weaseling its way into all sorts of cells). “Maybe the first time, your immune system was able to fully clear it, but the second time, it found a way to hang around,” Dr. Al-Aly posits. And a third theory involves your gut microbiome, the community of microbes in your GI tract, including beneficial bacteria. It’s conceivable that “when we get sick with COVID, these bacteria do, too, and perhaps they recover [on initial infection], but not on the second or third hit,” he says, throwing off your balance of good-to-bad gut bugs (which can impact your health in all sorts of ways).

Another unnerving possibility: The shock to your system triggered by COVID may “wake up” a latent (a.k.a. dormant) virus or two lurking in your body, Dr. Melamed says. We all carry anywhere from eight to 12 of these undetected bugs at a time—things like Epstein-Barr, varicella-zoster (which causes chickenpox and shingles), and herpes simplex. And research suggests their reactivation could be a contributing factor in long COVID. Separately, the systemic inflammation often created by COVID may spark the onset of high blood pressure and increased clotting (which can up your risk of stroke and pulmonary embolism), as well as type 2 diabetes, Dr. Melamed says.

There’s no guarantee that any given COVID infection snowballs into something debilitating, but each hit is like another round of Russian roulette, Dr. Al-Aly says. From a sheer numbers standpoint, the more times you play a game with the possibility of a negative outcome, the greater your chances are of that bad result occurring. And because every COVID case has at least some potential to leave you very ill or dealing with a host of persistent symptoms, why take the risk any more times than you need to?

Bottom line: You should do your best to avoid COVID reinfection and bolster your defenses against the virus. At this stage of the pandemic’s progression, it’s not realistic to suggest you can avoid any exposure to the virus, given that societal protections against its spread have been rolled back. But what you should do is take some common-sense precautions, which can help you avoid any contagious respiratory virus. (A cold or the flu may not pose as many potential health risks as COVID, but being sick is still not fun!)

It’s a good idea to wear a mask when you’re in a crowded environment (especially indoors), choose well-ventilated or outdoor spaces for group hangouts, and test for COVID if you have cold or flu-like symptoms, Dr. Al-Aly says. If you do get infected, talk to your doctor about whether your personal risk of a severe case is enough to qualify for a Paxlovid prescription (which you need to take within the first five days of symptoms for it to be effective).

The other important thing you should do is get the updated COVID vaccine (the 2024-2025 formula was recently approved and released). Unlike getting reinfected, the vaccine triggers “a very targeted immune response…because it’s [made with] a specific tiny part of the virus,” Dr. Melamed says. Meaning, you get the immune benefit of a little exposure without the potential of your whole system going haywire. Getting the current shot also ensures you restore any protection that has waned since you received a prior jab and that you have an effective shield against the dominant circulating strains. Plus, research shows that being vaccinated doesn’t just lower your chances of catching the virus; it also reduces your risk of having a severe case or winding up with long COVID if you do get it.

So, too, can the deceivingly simple act of keeping up with healthy habits—like exercising regularly, eating nutritious foods, and clocking quality sleep. Maintaining this kind of lifestyle can help you stave off other health issues that could increase your risk of harm from COVID, Harlan Krumholz, PhD, a cardiologist at Yale University and founder of the Yale Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation (CORE), tells SELF. “Given that we will be repetitively exposed to the virus, the best investments we can make are in our baseline health,” he says.

Doing any (or all!) of the above is a big act of compassion for yourself, the people you love, and your greater community. “For the average person, it’s like, ‘Oh, COVID is gone,’ but they’re just not seeing the impact,” Dr. Al-Aly says, noting the invisibility of long COVID symptoms like disorienting brain fog and crushing fatigue. The truth is, in plenty of people, just one more infection could be the difference between living their best life and facing a devastating chronic condition.

[aressida]

Wrote a long one cos the in law family wanted him to take the flu shot, I said no.

"Dear Family, Friends, and Medical Professionals,

I am writing to share some thoughts and questions about vaccines, particularly in light of recent developments.

Do we believe that vaccines are the ultimate solution in medicine?

It is commonly known that influenza vaccines are reformulated each season due to the virus’s constant mutation, making it challenging to predict and protect against new strains accurately.

Is it true that these vaccines bypass the liver’s natural filtration system, potentially causing a shock to our bodies?

How should we classify these ingredients—as toxic or benign?

Here are just some vaccine ingredients, and these are being injected into your body and into your children’s bodies if you choose to vaccinate:

– Formaldehyde/Formalin – Highly toxic systemic poison and carcinogen.

– Betapropiolactone – Toxic chemical and carcinogen. May cause death or permanent injury after very short exposure to small quantities. Corrosive chemical.

– Hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide – May cause damage to the liver, cardiovascular system, and central nervous system. May cause reproductive effects and birth defects.

– Aluminum hydroxide, aluminum phosphate, and aluminum salts – Neurotoxin. Carries risk for long-term brain inflammation/swelling, neurological disorders, autoimmune disease, Alzheimer’s, dementia, and autism. It penetrates the brain where it persists indefinitely.

– Thimerosal (mercury) – Neurotoxin. Induces cellular damage, reduces oxidation-reduction activity, cellular degeneration, and cell death. Linked to neurological disorders, Alzheimer’s, dementia, and autism.

– Polysorbate 80 & 20 – Trespasses the blood-brain barrier and carries with it aluminum, thimerosal, and viruses; allowing them to enter the brain.

– Glutaraldehyde – Toxic chemical used as a disinfectant for heat-sensitive medical equipment.

– Fetal Bovine Serum – Harvested from bovine (cow) fetuses taken from pregnant cows before slaughter.

– Human Diploid Fibroblast Cells – Aborted fetal cells. Foreign DNA has the ability to interact with our own.

– African Green Monkey Kidney Cells – Can carry the SV-40 cancer-causing virus that has already tainted about 30 million Americans.

– Acetone – Can cause kidney, liver, and nerve damage.

– E. Coli – Yes, you read that right.

– DNA from porcine (pig) Circovirus type-1

– Human embryonic lung cell cultures (from aborted fetuses)

You can view all of these ingredients on the CDC’s website. I encourage everyone to do their own research. Look up the MSDS on these chemicals. Read the thousands of peer-reviewed studies that have evaluated the biological consequences these chemicals can have on the body, especially when being injected.

Injecting foreign substances directly into the bloodstream—viruses, toxins, and proteins—has been linked to various diseases and disorders. These include conditions like atypical measles, cancer, leukemia, multiple sclerosis, and even SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).

Conditions like Addison’s disease, anaphylactic shock, arthritis, asthma, asymptomatic COVID-19, Crohn’s disease, epilepsy, facial paralysis, fibromyalgia, fetal distress syndrome, foreign body embolism, genital herpes, hepatitis, hyperthyroidism, inflammatory bowel disease, jugular vein embolism, lung abscess, lupus, meningitis, MERS-CoV test positive, migraine-triggered seizures, multiple organ dysfunction syndrome, multiple sclerosis, multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, pneumonia, stiff leg syndrome, stiff person syndrome, stillbirth, sudden heart attack, sudden respiratory failure, type 1 diabetes, uterine rupture, viral bronchitis—and much more.

This does not mean everyone will experience these reactions, but a significant number of test subjects have experienced one or more.

It is more than enough evidence to show that vaccine mandates are completely anti-scientific.

How can you make an informed decision if you do not have all the information?

We have also seen a shift where flu vaccines are now mRNA-based. But does a "vaccine" really prevent a virus or its recurrence as we expect it to?

The annual flu shot is, at best, a partial defense, aimed at last year’s strain. Does it truly help against the ever-mutating new flu, or is it just a temporary fix?

My concern is that this mindset—that a vaccine is a quick fix for everything—is flawed. The immune system may struggle to handle these types of agents, leading to breakthrough infections and potentially higher mortality rates.

For those who are vaccinated, I respect your choice. I simply ask for the same respect in return for my decision not to vaccinate. My reasons are personal and grounded in a belief that the government should not dictate my health choices and my family's.

Have you heard about Pfizer’s side effects?

Have you read the Pfizer documentation? Ask yourself if a drug with 32 pages of side effects is right for you.

The list of potential vaccine side effects released by Pfizer is alarming, ranging from autoimmune disorders to serious conditions like multiple organ dysfunction and sudden respiratory failure. Yet, this information was kept under wraps and only recently made public. Shouldn’t we be informed of the risks?

Do we even know the medium- or long-term effects of these vaccines?

Are they still in clinical trials? Is there a control group? What about Antibody-Dependent Enhancement (ADE) – has it been adequately tested? And why are ingredients like formaldehyde and mercury, known toxins, included in these vaccines?

Do you truly think this vaccine is 100% safe?

Transparency is crucial.

How can we make informed decisions if we are not given all the information?

We must ask ourselves, do we trust the pharmaceutical companies and their relationships with organizations like the CDC and FDA?

The FDA requested 75 years to release data on the Pfizer vaccine—why? Why did it take only 108 days to approve this vaccine, yet it supposedly requires decades to fully understand its effects?

Do you believe that SARS-CoV-2 has been isolated?

How well-informed are you about the CDC, FDA, pharmaceutical companies, and their donors? Do you think their qualifications are reliable?

These are important questions that deserve honest discussions. And, I believe it is crucial to acknowledge the existence of these alternative perspectives and engage in open discussions to gain a more comprehensive understanding.

Our health and freedom are at stake, and I urge everyone to think critically and seek out all the information before making decisions.

Thank you for taking the time to consider these points."

[feytouched]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! also may you feel better soon, don't let any viruses bring you down ♥️🌼

(and yeah, whatever's going around right now is very weird. my local hospital has all the beds in the infectious disease section occupied, with some patients staying there as long as 5 weeks because of something that started out as a common cold but got worse 🙃)

thank you!!

and yeah this winter has been uhh. bad. for respiratory infections all around, idk what's going on but if this was pre-pandemic i feel like this year's flu strain would have been taken a lot more seriously. now ppl / health ministries are just burying their heads in the sand :// i hope as the season ends it'll get better but i also got my recent bloodworks back and my immunoglobulins are in an absolute state LOL so i'm particularly vulnerable rn. i hope those results will prompt some changes in my treatment plan!

[didanawisgi]

Geert Vanden Bossche: “Many are likely wondering by now whether my theory regarding the further evolution of the virus and the escalation toward a tsunami of C-19 hospitalizations and deaths will ever come to pass and whether such a frightening outcome is indeed the only scientifically plausible scenario for the chronic phase of this pandemic to end. I have asked myself that question hundreds of times. Essentially, people are wondering whether there might be another way to bring this SARS-CoV-2 (SC-2) pandemic to an end. That this pandemic is still very much ongoing is beyond the slightest doubt. The virus continues to systematically produce new variants, even though for quite some time now, these have taken the form of quasispecies[1]. The viral transmission rate is still relatively high, especially because of the high intrinsic infectiousness of the circulating variants and since infections by the currently circulating variants are often mild or asymptomatic.

Even though symptomatic infections now frequently have a milder or more chronic course and viral concentrations in wastewater remain relatively low, it is crystal clear that the currently circulating SC-2 variants still cause C-19 illness, hospitalizations and even deaths. The interpretation by our health authorities and, unfortunately, also by many scientists and experts that this pandemic is gradually fading out to transition into a seasonal infection—like the flu—is, therefore, pure nonsense. It has long been evident that populations in highly C-19 vaccinated regions are unable to develop sterilizing herd immunity. In other words, the SC-2 pandemic is far from over; at most, it has taken on a different course (i.e., a more chronic progression) and has meanwhile caused many animal species to now also serve as reservoirs for the virus.

In my view, the relatively ‘milder’ course of the declining number of acute reinfections can be attributed to a buffering effect exerted by migratory dendritic cells (DCs) patrolling the upper respiratory tract. Their lectin receptors strongly interact with viral sugars on the surface of the highly infectious circulating variants (see Fig. 1 appended below). Upon exposure, an increasing number of these highly infectious variants are ‘parked’ on these DCs instead of being internalized into susceptible epithelial cells. This likely explains the decline in the rate of productive viral infection. This is the main reason why both laypeople and scientists are under the mistaken impression that the pandemic is waning and will soon transition into a seasonal epidemic that—according to our poorly educated health authorities—could be managed in a flu-like manner through annual vaccination of the most vulnerable in the population! However, those among us who made just a bit more effort to understand these complex biological phenomena realize that vaccination against actively circulating respiratory viruses that easily mutate and/or tend to recombine in animal reservoirs not only further promotes viral immune escape but may even be dangerous when the neutralizing capacity of vaccine-induced antibodies (Abs) against new variants to which vaccinated individuals are exposed decreases significantly. This is because such Abs markedly increase the risk of Ab-dependent enhancement (ADE) of infection. Both suboptimal virus neutralization and ADE of infection promote the further spread of the virus, respectively by facilitating natural selection of viral immune escape variants and ‘enhancing’ viral infectiousness.

This begs the question: If vaccination is far from an effective method to curb the spread of currently circulating SC-2 variants that easily mutate or are prone to recombination, what alternative options do we have to contain the ongoing C-19 pandemic, which is now increasingly characterized by viral transmission from individuals with milder but prolonged clinical symptoms?

Given the current immune-epidemiological situation in highly C-19 vaccinated countries, I can only think of two scenarios that could contribute to ending the pandemic -both, however, by promoting the hyperacute tsunami of C-19 hospitalizations and deaths that I have been predicting.

I recently discussed one of these scenarios in a previous contribution that is available on the VSS website (https://www.voiceforscienceandsolidarity.org/scientific-blog/large-scale-flu-vaccination-could-facilitate-or-expedite-a-tsunami-of-case-fatalities). It involves the reverse zoonosis of SC-2 in highly vaccinated C-19 populations, leading to a higher prevalence of mild to asymptomatic infections by avian influenza viruses in birds. The fulminant expansion of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAI) involving multiple genetic lineages (primarily belonging to the H5N1 subtype) that have evolved through genetic drift and reassortment, is clearly increasing the likelihood that a strain could emerge that is well adapted to humans and capable of enabling human-to-human transmission upon zoonotic spill-over to humans. Airborne avian influenza virus spread by birds could theoretically trigger rapid global panzootics in several mammalian species or even a global pandemic in humans, causing high morbidity and mortality rates, especially in immunologically naïve populations. While this possibility cannot be fully ruled out, I don’t believe HPAI will sufficiently adapt to mammalian populations that have a high prevalence of species-specific anti-influenza antibodies (Abs). Indeed, it is reasonable to assume that the better newly emerging avian flu strains bind to cell-surface receptors of susceptible mammalian cells, the more likely they are to be recognized by pre-existing infection- or vaccine-induced Abs against species-specific seasonal flu viruses. For example, it is estimated that about 50–60% of the human population in the United States has such Abs. However, this recognition is non-functional or suboptimal because these Abs only cross-react with, but do not cross-neutralize, avian flu strains due to some antigenic similarity between certain epitopes on the hemagglutinin (HA) or neuraminidase (NA) proteins. Such cross-reactivity may lead to ADE of disease (ADED) in populations with high levels of anti-flu Abs.

Given the current surge in seasonal influenza cases—especially in C-19 vaccinated individuals—and the recommendations to vaccinate against seasonal influenza, the proportion of the population with high anti-flu Ab titers is now certainly increasing in many highly C-19 vaccinated countries. It is therefore likely that, instead of witnessing a truly global avian flu pandemic, we will see an increasing number of individual case fatalities due to ADED in highly C-19 vaccinated populations. This will not only affect individuals who developed high titers of infection-induced anti-flu Abs after suffering from serious breakthrough infections with seasonal flu, but also those with high vaccine-induced anti-flu Ab titers, regardless of their C-19 vaccination status. For this reason, I strongly advise against vaccination against the seasonal influenza virus, even in the context of current multi-country flu surges. On the other hand, individuals with weak innate immunity (e.g., those with underlying diseases or those who failed to train their cell-mediated innate immunity due to C-19 vaccination) could also develop high anti-flu Ab titers. These individuals might consider taking antiviral medications at the early onset of symptoms.

However, given the current surge in viral respiratory infections unrelated to SC-2 (e.g., seasonal flu, Respiratory Syncytial Virus [RSV], and Human Metapneumovirus [hMPV]) in highly C-19 vaccinated populations, a much more compelling factor is likely to drive the end of the chronic phase of the C-19 pandemic. As previously explained, circulating, highly infectious SC-2 variants are increasingly being adsorbed onto migratory DCs patrolling the upper respiratory tract (URT). This not only dampens the rate of productive viral infection but also prevents antiviral immunity from being stimulated, as DCs cannot serve as antigen-presenting cells (APCs) unless the virus or antigen is internalized into these cells—rather than merely adsorbed onto them. This explains why the evolutionary dynamics of this pandemic seem delayed, as viral production and shedding are diminished but cannot be entirely abrogated due to the lack of sterilizing immunity. At this ‘metastable’ stage of the pandemic, viral transmission largely relies on weak but prolonged viral shedding by an increasing number of repetitively or ‘chronically’ infected individuals.

As this metastable equilibrium[2] creates a sort of steady-state situation, viral inter-host transmission is not yet under sufficient threat to pressure the virus into shifting to a new phenotype capable of overcoming the virus-neutralizing effect of its attachment to URT-patrolling DCs. Such a shift would enable trans infection and trans fusion of susceptible cells in distant organs (see Fig. 1, with reference from the literature provided below).

I have been wondering how this metastable equilibrium could suddenly transition to a more stable, lower-energy state. In other words, the question remains whether the pressure currently exerted on viral infectivity and transmissibility is high enough to trigger such a spectacular immune selection event. Departing from the metastable equilibrium currently evidenced by relatively low SC-2 wastewater levels, along with relatively low C-19 hospitalization and mortality rates, a dramatic ‘Omicron-like’ mutation event would likely be required to reduce the pressure on the viral infection and transmission rate, shifting the system to a more stable state where viral propagation is no longer constrained by hostile host factors.

But what kind of push would provide enough energy for this transition to occur?

It would have to be an event that further hampers viral transmission. Such an event could only arise from the outbreaks of flu or flu-like illnesses, which are currently emerging in several countries. These outbreaks are likely triggered by the shift of acute C-19 illness to chronicity, thereby preventing broadly functional cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) from mitigating symptomatic SC-2 infection in individuals with poorly trained cell-mediated immunity (CMII). During the acute phase of the pandemic, the overwhelming prevalence of acute SC-2 infections inhibited the training of CMII in C-19 vaccinees, as well as in unvaccinated individuals who suffered severe C-19 disease. Now, however, symptomatic infections caused by other seasonal cold viruses are helping to train their CMII. Consequently, broadly cross-functional CTLs are being activated. These CTLs not only contribute to abrogating viral infection and curb the spread of these other respiratory viruses but also help reduce the transmission of circulating SC-2 variants.

However, instead of enabling herd immunity[3], this additional reduction in the overall SC-2 transmission rate is likely to increase immune pressure on viral transmission beyond the threshold SC-2 can tolerate. Consequently, the current surge in non-SC-2 respiratory infections in highly C-19 vaccinated countries is expected to drive the natural selection of a new coronavirus (CoV) lineage. Such a lineage could prove virulent in individuals who failed to train their CMII, either during the acute phase of the SC-2 immune escape pandemic or during the acute seasonal epidemics currently occurring in the chronic phase of this pandemic.

The emergence of virulence in highly C-19 vaccinated populations would cause a hyperacute C-19 tsunami of hospitalizations and deaths, rapidly eliminating large parts of the population (i.e., those with deficient or insufficiently trained CMII) and enabling the remainder of the population, largely unvaccinated, to end this immune escape pandemic through a combination of sterilizing natural immunity and diminished population density. Indeed, there is a considerable chance that even C-19 vaccinees who still managed to rev up their immune protection following training of their CMII upon exposure to the other, currently circulating respiratory viruses may still not survive. This could particularly be the case in regions where there is currently a high prevalence of seasonal flu infections, which will provide large parts of the C-19 vaccinated population with high titers of anti-flu Abs, even in the absence of vaccination against seasonal flu! As mentioned above, these high titers could make them highly susceptible to ADED when exposed to the rapidly spreading avian influenza strains. The bottom line is that highly C-19 vaccinated countries are on the brink of a major health crisis that could cause healthcare systems to collapse. Fig. 2 below summarizes the virological and immunological changes that occurred at the population level during the C-19 pandemic in highly C-19 vaccinated populations. The graph on the left-hand side illustrates the corresponding changes in the pandemic's evolutionary dynamics.

However, no one knows when the collective pressure on the viral transmission rate will rise to a high enough level to collectively trigger the natural selection of phenotypic variants capable of dramatically reducing the increasing population-level pressure on SC-2, thereby fully unleashing its virulence[4].

As we cannot measure the level of pressure collectively exerted on the viral infection/ transmissibility rate, and since we do not know the level of pressure the virus can tolerate before it transforms into a virulent phenotype, it is impossible to predict when the tsunami of CoV hospitalizations and deaths will occur and how high mortality rates will arise.

No matter how much data is collected on the evolution of mutants, including details about their sequences and prevalence, it will not change the uncertainty of any prediction. The same applies to data collected on the evolution of viral wastewater activity, hospitalization rates, and death rates.

It has taken me quite some time to realize that, regardless of how much surveillance and sequencing data are gathered, any prediction about the timing and amplitude of the tsunami event remains pure speculation. All I can say for certain is that the multitude of current outbreaks of respiratory viral infections in highly C-19 vaccinated countries is now expediting the end of the C-19 pandemic.

A sudden exponential increase in the rate of hyperacute deaths will unambiguously signal the start of a powerful but brief CoV tsunami. None of this, however, will affect the health of unvaccinated individuals who have been regularly exposed during the immune escape pandemic and do not suffer from underlying immunosuppressive conditions.

In other words, the transition from a metastable pandemic state to a stable post-pandemic state will likely occur as a short but spectacular surge in case fatalities, triggered once a CoV lineage capable of escaping DC-mediated inhibition of trans infection is selected. There can be no doubt that the virulence of such a CoV will primarily affect C-19 vaccinees and unvaccinated individuals who previously suffered severe C-19 disease.

The laws of thermodynamics are increasingly making it clear to me that no single model, no single method of surveillance, sequencing, or any other tracking of viral mutants can exactly predict when Nature will proceed with this hyperacute event in order to restore a sound, low-energy equilibrium.

As it has always been my goal to share scientific truth—not only to warn people about the harmful outcomes of human intervention in this pandemic but also to predict when Nature will retaliate—it is now time for me to end my deductive research and communications on this disastrous yet intriguing phenomenon, brought about by the largest gain-of-function experiment ever conducted in the history of mankind, one that, however, involved the human species itself. I have never been interested in the molecular details revealed by either virological or immunological analyses unless they could potentially help me predict the type and timing of the end of this pandemic. I believe I have largely succeeded in sharing substantial parts of the biological truth. However, I eventually have to admit that I will not be able to predict the exact moment when Nature will finally take back control over the health chaos orchestrated by mankind. As I said, no single analysis can shed light on that. This is the complete uncertainty in which we currently find ourselves, despite living in an era of unprecedented technological revolution. We are nothing compared to Nature. From now on, I intend to spend more of the precious time that remains exploring and admiring its beauty, as well as that of the people who respect it. I will continue to participate in the Immune Biology Forum for as long as there is broad and genuine interest of those who want to learn more about the unimaginably disastrous consequences of this insane and unprecedented interference with the immune system of individuals and even with the collective immune protection of entire populations.

Conclusion

Connecting the dots between the overwhelming occurrence of a diverse spectrum of diseases, the ongoing evolution of the virus, the various manifestations of collective immune dysregulation, and the emergence of other viral panzootics (e.g., avian flu) and ongoing outbreaks of viral respiratory infections (e.g., seasonal flu, RSV, hMPV) in highly C-19 vaccinated populations, it becomes difficult to avoid the conclusion that these unprecedented phenomena—particularly their temporal and spatial overlap—are indirectly the result of reckless human intervention in the collective host immune response to the SC-2 pandemic.

In my view, these unprecedented phenomena and their spatial and temporal overlapping in highly C-19 vaccinated countries highlight the detrimental consequences of interfering with natural immunity at both, the individual and population level during a pandemic caused by an acute, self-limiting viral infection. When attempting to connect all these dots, I believe we must acknowledge that only Nature can ultimately bring an end to this pandemic, and its course will not be positively influenced by any of the vaccines that our public health authorities or so-called ‘experts’, who have shown incompetence and ignorance all along, continue advising as the holy grail of public health interventions.

[1] A quasispecies is a well-defined distribution of highly similar but genetically distinct variants that is generated by a mutation-selection process. The composition of a quasispecies is dynamic, with certain variants becoming dominant under selective pressures from environmental changes such as the immune response or antiviral treatments. The diversity within a quasispecies gives the virus a survival advantage by allowing rapid adaptation to such environmental changes.

[2] ‘Metastable’ refers to a state where the equilibrium is only temporarily stable. This can be visualized by the position of a golf ball in a small hole on a steep slope. It is stable under small disturbances (e.g., in the case of weak selection pressure) as those will only make it roll around inside the small hole but then leave it to return to its resting position. However, if perturbed strongly enough (i.e., in the case of strong selection pressure), it can transition to a much lower and stable energy state as a strong push will provide it with enough energy to escape the confines of the hole (i.e., to overcome the energy barrier preventing its transition to a lower energy state) and roll down the steep slope to a much lower position, which represents a more stable equilibrium.

[3] To explain why additional acquisition of CMII training in vaccinees at this late stage cannot longer contribute to herd immunity, I’d like to refer to my answer to a Q raised on the Immune Biology Forum (https://lnkd.in/e9ZRVsFQ):

“You seem to be suggesting that C-19 vaccinees could benefit from exposure (to other currently circulating cold viruses). If so, then wouldn't that create counter pressure to the imminent tsunami? And if an inflection point is reached, herd immunity is then possible?”

Answer: As the pandemic has transitioned into a chronic phase, other "cold" viruses are no longer being largely outcompeted by SARS-CoV-2 (SC-2) variants (see more accurate explanation above in the text). This allows these viruses to cause illness, particularly in poorly trained COVID-19 (C-19) vaccinees and those recovering from severe COVID-19. This situation is especially concerning for vaccinated individuals with underlying immunosuppressive conditions, as they are at higher risk of severe illness and may, therefore, require antiviral treatment.

However, for others, this could present an opportunity for innate immune system training. It is important to note, though, that while this may enhance their immune protection, it will not result in sterilizing immunity. Achieving sterilizing immunity requires the synergistic collaboration of the innate and adaptive immune systems unless cell-mediated innate immunity (CMII) becomes exceptionally robust, capable of eliminating all viral load independently of the adaptive immune system. This level of immune competence has now been observed in unvaccinated individuals who were repeatedly exposed to the virus during this immune escape pandemic. For vaccinated individuals, exposure to one or more of the other circulating respiratory viruses may now enable their CMII to synergize with their adaptive immune system, potentially sterilizing these new infections. However, they won’t be able to strengthen their CMII strongly enough to sterilize the remaining circulating SC-2 variants and generate herd immunity. There are two key reasons for this:

1. Other respiratory infections will be effectively contained, as sterilizing immunity prevents immune escape and recurrent infection.

2. The partial reduction—but not complete sterilization—of SC-2 transmission will rapidly cause the population to exert selective pressure on viral infectivity and transmission.

As SC-2's intrinsic infectiousness is already nearing its upper limit (recent increases have only been marginal), the virus's survival will now likely require the brakes on viral trans infectiousness and intra-host transmission to be lifted. This, in turn, is expected to drive increased virulence and triggering a tsunami of hyperacute fatalities. Tragically, this is likely to happen before all "healthy" C-19 vaccinees got their CMII revved up by circulating flu viruses or other currently circulating respiratory viruses (e.g., RSV, hMPV).

[4] For the purpose of this article, ‘virulence’ refers to the capacity of the virus to trans infect and trans fuse host cells in susceptible individuals. Virulence, therefore, greatly depends on the immune status of the exposed individual.