Like an annoying foot fungus that just refuses to die, these quacks, armchair experts, so-called health gurus, and, yes, even doctors (interject a sad sigh at this point) have continued to issue dire warnings about the end of humanity.

We aren’t going to all perish from Covid of course (they will all tell you it actually doesn’t exist) but from the vaccines and evil Orwellian plots hatched by mad scientists and power-hungry politicians hell-bent on re-ordering the world. It is mass genocide or at best genetic re-engineering of the species, according to their siren song.

Clearly pissed that their Netflix subscriptions have lapsed, these individuals have taken it on themselves to weave their own tales of fantasy and fiction. Each new ‘series’ has its own plotline, villains, and heroes, and of course, is set in their version of a dystopian world. The same place most of us currently consider home.

The pitfall of calling tomorrow

If you’re trying to establish yourself as a seer of the future, you’re best suited to picking your predictions for a time that postdates your demise. The turn of the century, remember the impending global meltdown, and 2012 with those pesky Mayans and their calenders, just two classics that spring to mind.

Unless you’re onto a sure thing, outliving your predictions generally tends to be awkward and it’s been no different for our intrepid group of Covid naysayers and end-of-world scriptwriters. One by one, their predictions have come to naught. Nada. Nothing. Their predictions have exposed them for the true fraudsters and charlatans they really are.

Hindsight really is a bitch and in this instance, a highly effective antifungal. Rember the foot fungus analogy?

So just how have these con artists been proven wanting by the passage of time? We investigated a few of our older friends that we fact-checked months ago. It’s interesting to note how in many instances the original claims (ain’t digital history a bitch) made by many of these individuals have been subtly refined over time to accommodate for that annoying little thing called being horribly wrong.

Geert Van Den Bossche

You can read our original article on Van den Bossche here. In a simplified nutshell, Van Den Bossche’s pitch was based on selling us his version of a vaccine (the grift) after convincing us that mainstream vaccines (the competition) were going to cause a mutated virus that would end humanity. So, nearly a year later, or eighteen months on, in the case of trial candidates, where are we?

Aside from racking up an impressive amount of internet traffic from gullible and trusting souls seeking an explanation for their pandemic-induced misery, Van Den Bossche’s theory has so far proven completely unfounded. Despite having half the human population (that’s how many are now vaccinated) as incubators, Van Den Bosch’s killer virus appears to have gone golfing.

Perhaps he’d be better placed if he joined it.

Reiner Fuellmich

The punchline to possibly the worst legal joke ever constructed, Fuellmich propelled himself into popular conspiracy culture in early 2021. His rise was meteoric and his fanbase legion. We called bullshit early and have paid the price ever since, receiving literally thousands of comments and emails wishing us well (not really).

Fuellmich wanted, and we assume still does until the next best thing comes along, to sue the world for the SARS-CoV2 virus, claiming it didn’t really exist, Covid, according to Fuellmich wasn’t dangerous and lockdowns and mask had somehow managed to elevate themselves from effective countermeasures against a viral pandemic to crimes against humanity.

Not even the unfortunate Geneva Convention could escape Fuellmichs manic ambitions as he invoked ludicrously inappropriate responses to what he claimed were atrocities against humanity. You can see, of course, how people would lap this stuff up and why he’s developed such a devout following. People want a scapegoat to pin their misery on and who better than the large faceless behemoth we call modern society and all its appendages.

Eight months later and our intrepid attorney has made zero forward progress, mired as he is in the conspiracy circuit, his followers proving that the worshippers really do define the cult. Associate yourself with the chaff and the swine will feed.

Time has already eroded this deluded German’s fairytale and the lasting legacy of Fuellmich will undoubtedly be as the world’s most audacious and ambitious legal fraudster of all time. He really has raised the bar (pun intended).

America’s Frontline Doctors

I’ve included these grifters as a simple example of training wheels. They are by no means in the class of Fuellmich or Van Den Bossche, as their motives and narrative are simplistic and as transparent as daylight, but it doesn’t make them any less dangerous and as doctors, sworn to uphold the best interest of their patients, their actions are reprehensible.

Essentially, the group is a collection of morally bankrupt doctors who have clubbed together to fleece the public during the pandemic by selling them unproven treatments.

They aren’t alone and there are other similar groups that operate, but this group is perhaps most prominent on social media, thanks to its more than dubious membership, which includes the January 6 revolutionary, Dr. Simone Gold, currently under FBI investigation.

Their claims are simplistic – Buy Hydroxychloroquine or Ivermectin from us online. It works to cure Covid and the government and the media don’t want you to know about it. They have partnered with an equally unethical pharmaceutical supplier called Ravkoo Pharmacy and the two parties grift their merry way through the pandemic, fleecing gullible and vulnerable patients online.

Sadly, many bought into their lies, but time has exposed just how dodgy their business model is, false claims aside. You can read the reviews here from dissatisfied customers who lose their money and never receive anything.

In terms of their actual claims about these drugs treating Covid we now know beyond a reasonable doubt, they don’t help. Here’s the latest on Ivermectin and how we’ve been fooled into thinking the drug has benefits against Covid.

How have vaccine fairy tales faired?

Elon Musk is advertising for vaccinated astronauts with cellphones to man his Mars mission. Apparently, the vaccines boost reception.

Complete nonsense of course, but believed by many. People have, over the course of the pandemic proven themselves more than capable of believing in pretty much anything, no matter how ‘out there’ it sounds, and much of what floats about in the conspiracy ecosphere really is ‘out there’. Way out. The fact that much of this nonsense has been amplified by seemingly sane medical professionals doesn’t help.

In no particular order, here are some of the insane theories that have proven to be completely unfounded over time. Keep in mind we’ve just vaccinated half the world’s population.

• the vaccines will magnetize your body (this actually sounds useful)
• the vaccines contain trackers that allow the government to monitor your movement
• The vaccines interact with 5G cell towers
• We are all going to turn into genetically modified lizards
• The vaccine will render all women sterile (arguably not a bad thing if you consider the stupidity above)

My most recent favorite comes from a doctor, Ben Marble, whose license to practice was revoked in one state in 2012 and he has now resumed his less than illustrious career in Florida (where else).

Where to start. Aside from the fact Twitter clearly isn’t policing anti-vax posts aggressively enough, a simple observation. “All Americans” would, I assume include almost every race-based classification of humanity that exists on the planet. Ergo, everyone will die. It’s this kind of stupidity that almost beggars belief. Who would set about wiping out the entire human species? Doesnt really leave you with anyone to exploit, does it?

Does Marble think the virus does a nationality check first, weighs its intended victim, and then checks for skin color? Do you hear that knocking at the door doctor? It’s the men with the white coats and they’ve got a cozy, padded 3 x 3 waiting just for you.

Not one, in other words, NONE of the ridiculous claims made over the vaccines have come to fruition, despite them being administered in billions, and yet, people still choose to believe they pose a risk to us. People still choose to believe the virus does not pose a threat.

I’ll leave you with a very succinct line I saw recently on a Twitter profile.

𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚊𝚗’𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚊 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘…

Apparently, hindsight is equally useless.

The post Calling Tomorrow. Has Time Proven Covid Quacks and Conspiracy Theorists Right or Wrong? appeared first on Medika Life.

Am I panicking? Not really.

Some people getting COVID despite being vaccinated, a so called “breakthrough infection,” is to be expected. Ever since the original clinical trials, the efficacy of the vaccine was never 100%. Clinicians – like me – and public health experts have not said that a vaccine is a guarantee against getting COVID. No vaccine is a guarantee against getting sick.

Heck, I have gotten the flu numerous times despite getting vaccinated against the flu. Sure, it was miserable, but I was never sick enough to go the hospital. Thank God, I was never sick enough to get serious complications. And that is the point with the COVID vaccines.

The data seem to show that, for the vast majority of people who get vaccinated against COVID, they will neither get infected with the virus nor get sick. There are some who will get infected, but have no symptoms. And, sadly, there are others who will get infected and become symptomatic. But, those who get the vaccine will not get sick enough to die. The data on this is quite clear and clearly convincing.

All across the United States, the vast majority – well over 90-95% – of deaths from COVID have been in the unvaccinated. It is being called a “pandemic of the unvaccinated.” And given that very safe and very effective COVID vaccines are freely and widely available, every death from COVID now is even more senseless than it was before the vaccines.

And this is why it is so very important to continue the vaccination effort all across our country and our world. Chances are very good, if not great, that the vaccine will prevent you from getting COVID at all. At the very least, the vaccine will prevent you from getting so sick enough that you will die. And that’s the most important thing, right, because COVID – much more than the flu – can kill you. I have seen it personally, and it is absolutely horrific.

So, is it unfortunate that some people who have done the right thing and gotten vaccinated end up getting COVID? Of course. I would be lying to you if I said these cases of breakthrough infections don’t worry me (I’ve been vaccinated now for more than 6 months). At the same time, I am not panicking at all, like I said before.

And, I am passionately recommending everyone who has not gotten vaccinated yet to get vaccinated. The vaccines are very safe. They are very effective. And they are our best shot at finally being free of the scourge of this virus.

The post Some Fully Vaccinated People Are Getting COVID appeared first on Medika Life.

In March, as the Southern Hemisphere braced for winter flu season while fighting COVID-19, epidemiologist Cheryl Cohen and colleagues at South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) set up a plan to learn from the double whammy. They hoped to study interactions between seasonal respiratory viruses and SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19. Does infection with one change a person’s risk of catching the other? How do people fare when they have both?

But the flu season — and the answers — never came. NICD’s Centre for Respiratory Disease and Meningitis, which Cohen leads, has logged only a single flu case since the end of March. In previous years, the country’s surveillance platforms, which capture a sampling of flu cases from doctors offices, hospitals, and clinics, have documented, on average, about 700 cases during that period, Cohen says. “We’ve been doing flu surveillance since 1984, and it’s unprecedented.”

There are a number of factors that may have affected the 2020 influenza season. Masks, for one. More focus on hand hygiene and the disinfection of household surfaces, and then, social distancing. Add to that the closure of schools, children are the major engine for influenza transmission, and you can see possibly why the seasonal flu is having a hard time.

There is another reason though, and it has to do with viruses in general. They seem to prefer healthy hosts.

Viruses exhibit really strange behavior that we don’t as yet fully understand. When a new strain emerges, older viruses will often go into a phase of inactivity. It’s almost as though they are able to assess the landscape of potential hosts and realize they offer slim pickings. Scientists don’t fully understand this mechanism or what drives it.

Anecdotally, where I find myself currently ensconced in a remote village in the Philippines, Covid-19 is a rarity, almost no cases have presented. Here, the common flu virus is still alive and well, doing the rounds, and our rainy season brought with it all the usual flu encapsulated miseries.

So does this mean that traditional influenza will be back when the coronavirus runs its course? Possibly. We just don’t know enough about viruses to be sure. There is an alternative scenario though. One that becomes more likely with each passing day.

The possibility that this particular coronavirus, which is, don’t forget, a member of the family of influenza viruses, sticks around. Permanently. That our new term for flu becomes Covid. That we are already in the midst of a really terrible “flu” season that we’ve simply chosen to intentionally ‘mislabel’.

What supports this potential outcome?

The SARS-CoV-2 is an influenza virus with a twist. Its symptoms, when you first start feeling the effects of being infected, are initially indistinguishable from regular influenza. That’s why we need to rely on tests before we treat Covid-19 patients.

I take issue with articles like those issued by the WHO that seek to underline the differences between the regular influenza virus and SARS-CoV-2. This simply increases the public perception that we are dealing with something that’s not an influenza virus. Surely the time has come to admit that despite the severity and transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2, it is nothing more than a really aggressive influenza. A new breed of “flu”.

If your body fails to destroy the virus, that’s when things take a turn for the worse and when SARS-CoV-2 shows its true colors. It possesses an array of tools, a viral box of tricks, if you will, that regular “old school” influenza can only dream of.

Although it follows the conventional flu virus by using our nose and mouth to gain access to our bodies, that’s pretty much where the similarities end. Initial symptoms that appear flu-like are actually a precursor or warning for what can and does follow in some people. Unlike influenza, which pretty much limits itself to cardio and pulmonary attacks, the SARS-Cov-2 virus uses our bloodstream to transport itself to every organ and orifice of our bodies.

From your little toe to your brain, everything you own is fair game for this virus and there is emerging evidence that even those who don’t develop severe Covid-19, still sustain damage to their lungs and, perhaps, even other organs. We are only just starting to understand the long term impacts on survivors.

We use the term “influenza” to describe a whole range of viruses that cause respiratory like symptoms in their hosts. The coronavirus is part of this family, and while your organs, brain, and circulatory system are all at risk from it, it is still the lungs that are most likely to sustain serious damage from Covid-19, If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, even though it may have grown a few new feathers, it’s still a duck. Just a far more dangerous duck.

Viral Evolution

To have a context for the severity of influenza pandemics it might be helpful to know the death count of a typical flu season. Current estimates for the annual number of deaths from influenza are around 400,000 deaths per year. Paget et al (2019) suggest an average of 389,000 with an uncertainty range 294,000 from 518,000.

This means that in recent years (pre-Covid) the flu was responsible for the death of 0.0052% of the world population — one person out of 18,750. It is a number so negligible as to pay it no heed, which is exactly what flu became to us. A negligible concern. Unless you were old or suffered from a related condition that made contracting influenza potentially deadly, catching flu was simply an annoying part of life for most. Millions, possibly billions, were infected each year.

The interactive graph below shows our increase in life expectancy since the 1830s.

If the 1918 “Spanish Flu” pandemic estimates of 50 million deaths published by Johnson and Mueller are used, it implies that the Spanish flu killed 2.7% of the world population. If it was in fact higher, as the report suggests— 100 million— then the global death rate would have been 5.4% of the global population in 1918, estimated to have been around 1.8 billion.

In 2020, with over 140 million recorded births globally, you can see how even the 2 million deaths from Covid-19 cannot impact this curve. We have become too prolific and the old adage, “safety in numbers” may very well no longer count in our favor. Our proclivity for breeding and increased numbers merely offers viruses an untold wealth of opportunities.

Interestingly, as the graph shows, 1918 was the last time the world’s population experienced a contraction. In the last century, we’ve faced other influenza pandemics, but all have paled in comparison to the 1918 outbreak.

• The Russian Flu pandemic of 1977–78 was caused by the same H1N1 virus that caused the Spanish flu. According to Michaelis et al. (2009) around 700,000 died worldwide
• According to a WHO publication the “Hong Kong Flu” (1968–1969) killed between 1 and 4 million people
• Estimates for the death toll of the “Asian Flu” (1957–1958) vary between 1.5 and 4 million.
• Two decades before the Spanish flu the Russian flu pandemic (1889–1894) is believed to have killed 1 million people.

Viruses don’t just disappear. Take the H1N1 variant. Fifty years after the Spanish Flu pandemic, it was back. Reduced deaths can easily be attributed to our access to antibiotics, a relatively new medical tool to combat infections, and improved hygiene protocols. By the late seventies, we understood the nature of the enemy we were facing and how best to neutralize it.

So is the coronavirus flu, or isn’t it?

Yes, it is and no, it isn’t. In the strict sense of viral lineage, it is not an influenza virus. Both are enveloped, single-stranded RNA viruses, and both are encapsidated by nucleoprotein but there are fundamental differences between normal flu viruses and SARS-CoV2, notably the following;

• Polarity. The influenza virus is comprised of 8 single-stranded negative-sense, viral RNA segments. SARS-CoV-2 has single-stranded, non-segmented, positive-sense, viral RNA.
• Influenza viruses rely on the collaborative functions of 2 viral surface proteins, haemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) to enter and exit host cells. SARS-CoV-2 is covered in spike (S) proteins that facilitate invasion of host cells. S proteins bind to the host cell receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2)
• Scientists also point to the different strains of Influenza viruses and the single strain of SARS-CoV-2. It is, however, early days and the mutations of the virus are now in evidence.

There is a very real possibility that SARS-CoV-2 will replace older influenza strains by establishing dominance in the host population (us). Failure to acknowledge this may be one of the reasons we’ve mishandled the pandemic so badly in terms of information and disseminating “need to know” details to the public. Trying to classify it as anything other than a new deadly strain of influenza may very well have hurt our efforts to contain it.

Rather than reclassifying it as its own deadly disease, we need to consider expanding our classification of influenza viruses to include it.

Yes, it is far more deadly than conventional strains of influenza, but as we’ve discussed, that doesn’t change its origins and nature and at some point, we may have to face the one glaring and unpleasant fact we’ve been avoiding.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus has supplanted influenza strains, replacing H1N1 and other common strains. and is now, officially, here to stay.

We need to deal with this unpleasant reality, adjust the public perception of the virus, and call a spade a spade. The virus will not magically disappear at some point in the near future. Everything we know about it suggests otherwise. It is mutating, frequently and rapidly and we are not going to simply wake up one morning to a world that is free of SARS-CoV-2. That is a pipedream and needs to be removed from the publics’ mindset.

SARS-CoV-2 is here to stay and we have to start working with that knowledge as the basis for our plans for the future. Medically, scientifically, economically, and as societies. We need to open up our world again and at the same time implement enforceable mandates for effective (not the current tea strainers we use) masks and social distancing.

Vaccines make up an integral part of our limited arsenal, but it is critical that they do not cause us to become complacent, that would be a false currency, given the nature of the virus and protection can be transient.

We need to start learning to co-exist with the new enemy, as we can no longer afford to try and “sit it out”. The virus doesn’t need to pay a mortgage our feed its children. We do and there are workable solutions we can implement to achieve this. We need to be addressing these now and with urgency.

SARS-CoV-2 has established itself as the top dog, and other common influenza strains will now take a back seat, waiting for it to show weakness. Perhaps in ten years, perhaps in fifty. When the opportunity presents, these “old familiars” will return, possibly exhibiting new tricks their years of isolation may have enabled. H1N1 is proof of their longevity, patience, and resilience.

We are directly responsible for many of these changes in viral behavior and viral evolution. Our drugs are not without impact on the viruses and we should never lose sight of the fact that for each countermeasure we deploy, viruses possess the ability to evolve and respond in kind. We need to be hyper-vigilant as our use of new technologies simply amplifies this risk.

Viruses have evolved and co-existed alongside us and our fates are, like it or not, inseparably intertwined.

We may also be dependant on viruses in ways we don’t yet fully understand. Our genetic code is in part comprised of bits of viral DNA amassed over generations, some of which are beneficial to our survival. This symbiotic relationship shouldn’t be ignored in our efforts to eradicate them. We need to examine ways of controlling and negating their impact on us as a species, rather than seeking to destroy them.

In our haste to counter, we may unleash a new strain that is far less tolerant of human life. To date, we’ve simply been lucky. We need to responsibly engineer our way to more good fortune and find ways to sustain this incredibly complex relationship in relative safety till we fully understand it. Only then can we seek to alter it.

So to re-examine our opening question again, you do know someone who contracted influenza this season, only it’s Covid-19, not the “normal flu” virus we would far rather have bumped into. It’s fair to say, considering this, that globally, the outlook for the 2021 “flu season” just became really bleak. It’s going to be a killer unless we act now to negate the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. That means all of us, on the same page, acting cohesively and responsibly.

Spread the word. Killer flu on the loose! Get your flu (covid vaccine)shot, mask up and mind the gap.

The post Covid is Never Going to Be Over. We Need to Plan Accordingly appeared first on Medika Life.

Much remains unknown about the coronavirus’s effects on pregnant women and babies, but a recent pre-published manuscript titled “Infant Outcomes Following Maternal Infection With SARS-CoV-2” demonstrates highly encouraging results.

The new data shows that babies born to women with Covid-19 demonstrate no increase in low birth weight, difficulty breathing, apnea, or respiratory infections through the first eight weeks of life.

Based on what scientists know right now, there is no evidence indicating pregnant women are more at risk of contracting Covid-19 than the general public, but they are at a higher risk of getting sick from the virus.

During pregnancy, women have a temporarily suppressed immune system and physiologic changes in their lung function. These changes put pregnant women at a higher risk of respiratory problems when they contract similar viruses, such as influenza or pneumonia. OB-GYNs, therefore, consider pregnant women to be an at-risk group for respiratory compromise if they contract Covid-19. Additionally, preterm labor is a known risk when pregnant women contract viral illnesses such as MERS, SARS, and influenza. Preterm labor most likely results from the severity of the maternal illness and is not directly linked to the virus itself. In other words, preterm labor is not simply a result of contracting these viruses but rather dependent on the degree of illness that results.

In addition to preterm labor, OB-GYNs are concerned about a pregnant woman’s potential to pass Covid-19 to her baby during gestation. This is an example of what doctors call vertical transmission. Fortunately, data surveillance so far indicates that in utero coronavirus infections are very rare. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists July practice advisory, “the data are reassuring that vertical transmission appears to be uncommon.”

The new data shows that babies born to women with Covid-19 demonstrate no increase in low birth weight, difficulty breathing, apnea, or respiratory infections through the first eight weeks of life.

NIH research indicates that in utero mom-to-baby transmission is rare because the placenta is missing key components the virus needs to enter the fetal circulation, namely ACE2 receptors and the TMPRSS2 enzyme. Both the ACE2 receptor and TMPRSS2 are present in the placenta but only in tiny amounts. The low levels likely explain why SARS-CoV-2 is unlikely to cross the placenta from mom to baby.

Over the past few months, scientists have studied more than 1,500 cases of maternal coronavirus infections. Current management guidelines for infants born to mothers with SARS-CoV-2 are based on data from the National Registry for Surveillance and Epidemiology of Perinatal Covid-19 Infection.

Current guidelines are based on data from previous experience with maternal respiratory infections, such as SARS and MERS, combined with incoming studies on Covid-19. The PRIORITY study(Pregnancy Coronavirus Outcomes Registry), a collaborative project between researchers at UCSF and UCLA, is an ongoing effort to track outcomes of pregnant women who contract SARS-CoV-2. This data surveillance adds valuable additional infant-outcome data beyond the neonatal period to better inform management policies and guidelines.

The PRIORITY study’s first publication brings some encouraging and reassuring news to the medical community.Data indicates that infants born to Covid-19-positive mothers do well in the first six to eight weeks after birth.

The manuscript, accepted for publication in Clinical Infectious Diseases, reports the infant outcomes of 179 pregnancies complicated by Covid-19 infection compared to a control group of 84 Covid-19-negative gestations.

The PRIORITY study data showed no increase in preterm birth, NICU admission, or upper-respiratory infections. The study cohort yielded no pneumonia or lower-respiratory infection cases through the first eight weeks of life.

The babies born to mothers with Covid-19 also showed a very low rate of acquiring the infection. Only 1.1% of infants tested positive in the first six to eight weeks when born to a mother who had Covid-19, confirmed by a positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test. The Covid-19-positive infants demonstrated minimal symptoms.

The study authors note the limitations of the paper and encourage further studies to confirm newborn incidence rates, as they “were unable to estimate the incidence of infant SARS-CoV-2 infection because infant testing was incomplete and might be biased by both false-positive and false-negative results.”

The PRIORITY study’s control group includes both symptomatic and asymptomatic women who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. The researchers indicate this cohort may not be representative of all U.S. pregnancies. The authors also note an underrepresentation of Black and LatinX moms in the study cohort compared to the current CDC statistics of pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV-2.

To improve future study participation, PRIORITY launched a Reproductive Health Equity and Birth Justice Core to increase enrollment of underrepresented groups.

Finally, the authors note that infant admissions to the NICU were higher among infants born to Covid-19-positive moms, and the babies were born at an earlier gestational age. The study authors were unable to determine if the increase in NICU admissions was directly related to SARS-CoV-2 or if the hospital practices for the management of mothers testing positive for Covid-19 explain the difference.

The post Most Babies Born to Covid-19 Moms Do Well appeared first on Medika Life.

What is “herd immunity”?

The precise scientific term is “indirect protection” or “community immunity.” This is the protection against infection of a susceptible group of individuals when a sufficient proportion of the larger population is immune from the infection. When there are enough immune individuals, then sustained transmission is interrupted.

How many people need to get infected or vaccinated to achieve “herd immunity”?

This is not arbitrary. There is actually a formula, and it is based on the R0, or “R-naught,” which is the average number of persons that get infected by one infected person. The formula for the threshold of “herd immunity” is:

1–(1/R0)

Studies estimate that the R0 for SARS CoV-2 is between 2 and 3. Doing the math then, the estimated threshold of individuals that will need to get infected to achieve “herd immunity” is 50–67% of the population. Studies have estimated that less than 10% of the U.S. population has been infected with SARS CoV-2.

Do the math

In order to achieve “herd immunity” in the United States, between 165,000,000 and 221,100,000 people need to get infected by SARS CoV-2, according to the formula above. Assuming a case fatality rate of 0.5%, if we let the infection rip through society to achieve “herd immunity,” between 825,000 and 1,105,500 people will die. As of this writing, 219,499 have died. So, for those embracing “herd immunity,” it seems that they are OK with orders of magnitude more people dying.

Caveats to “herd immunity”

All of the above assumes that immunity to SARS CoV-2 is long-lasting. We don’t know that. All of the above also assumes that people interact with each other in a random fashion. That does not happen in America, given the vastness of our country and the variable population density. So, it will take a lot longer time — with much more death and destruction — to achieve “herd immunity.”

What about Sweden?

Ah yes, Sweden. The authors addressed the case of Sweden and its approach to the pandemic:

There are only rare instances of seemingly sustained herd immunity being achieved through infection. The most recent and well-documented example relates to Zika in Salvador, Brazil. Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, as other countries in Europe were locking down in late February and early March of 2020, Sweden made a decision against lockdown. Initially, some local authorities and journalists described this as the herd immunity strategy: Sweden would do its best to protect the most vulnerable, but otherwise aim to see sufficient numbers of citizens become infected with the goal of achieving true infection-based herd immunity. By late March 2020, Sweden abandoned this strategy in favor of active interventions; most universities and high schools were closed to students, travel restrictions were put in place, work from home was encouraged, and bans on groups of more than 50 individuals were enacted.

And you know how much of the population of Stockholm got infected with SARS CoV-2? It was estimated to be 8% in April 2020.

I am not arguing that we should completely lock down the country, and I recognize that this is an incredibly difficult situation. What would you choose: dying from Covid-19 or dying from starvation? My recent discussion about lockdowns further emphasizes this point.

That said, it bears repeating that this “strategy” — apparently embraced by the White House — of letting SARS CoV-2 freely propagate through the population to achieve “herd immunity” is a path lined with death, destruction, and misery. Do not let anyone convince you otherwise.

The post What Science Has To Say About “Herd Immunity” appeared first on Medika Life.

White coat syndrome, or ‘white coat hypertension’, is a phenomenon whereby patients experience elevated blood pressure when they are in the presence of a medical professional or when their blood pressure is being measured at a medical office.

When not in the presence of a medical professional or ‘white coat’, these same patients exhibit normative blood pressure levels. The presence of the ‘white coat’ triggers the physiological response of a subsequent rise in blood pressure. Essentially, it is a conditioned response by the body to react in response to the stimulus of the white coat. It is not unlike the renowned Pavlov’s Dog findings — except, instead of salivating when you hear a bell, your blood pressure rises when you’re in a medical setting.

If we consider that one of the criteria for white coat hypertension dictates that a patient’s blood pressure is otherwise normal outside of the medical environment, some may assume it is a minor problem. But research suggests this is not the case.

Patients with white coat hypertension are at a greater risk for heart disease when compared to others with normative blood pressure. For those that are aware of their white coat hypertension, and/or experience anxiety in response to a medical setting, it is not unusual for patients to avoid the medical environment altogether.

Conscious awareness isn’t always needed, of course. It is often the human tendency to simply avoid what we don’t like. This can spell trouble in a myriad of different ways, from a decrease in regular checkups to missed medical tests.

Double trouble — viral exposure concerns & hypertension

The challenges of white coat syndrome coupled with those of the novel coronavirus create a double threat. At the beginning of the pandemic, the National Syndromic Surveillance Program (NSSP) discovered a 42% decline in Emergency Department visits. A similar decline was seen in ER visits for heart attack, stroke, and uncontrolled high blood pressure. Some medical professionals have reported patients declining organ transplants due to fears of exposure to COVID-19 or because they cannot have a family member with them in the hospital. For persons with white coat hypertension, these effects may be amplified.

Unfortunately, heart attacks don’t stop just because we are in the middle of a global pandemic.

It is still important to get regular checkups and undergo any procedures which are essential to maintaining health. As we continue to navigate these uncertain waters, it is important that we do not allow fear to prevent us from taking care of our health.

Staying healthy during a pandemic means being your own advocate. Listen to your doctor and do your own research. Explore options for telemedicine, which can make healthcare more accessible whilst mitigating risks of in-person visits. One of the most important things you can do is to be mindful of your own health. In these uncertain times, being your own advocate is one of the few things you can control.

The post Why ‘White Coat Syndrome’ and The Pandemic Are A Double Threat appeared first on Medika Life.

Feeling burned out and overwhelmed? Here are some strategies that might help you during these very difficult times.

Check-in with yourself

Are you feeling anxious? Depressed? Angry? Scared? Worried? Try to identify all of the emotions you are experiencing. If it helps, write it down in a journal. Exploring your recent thoughts and feelings enables you to make sense of what is happening in your inner world and how the health pandemic is impacting you.

Access mental health supports

If you need professional help, reach out to your doctor if you are noticing difficulties with your sleeping and eating patterns, mood, energy, and if you are having distressing thoughts. You can use the Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) mental health services available to you through your workplace for free, short term counseling for you and your family members.

The Ontario COVID-19 Mental Health Network offers temporary, free, short term, individual counseling to healthcare workers, where interested workers are matched with a therapist through their network website .
The Canadian Psychological Association is also offering free, short-term therapy by registered psychologists and has more information on their website.

Another resource is The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), which offers short term psychotherapy and psychiatry services via their website.

If you feel you need more intensive or ongoing psychosocial support, reach out to a therapist through Psychology Today to find a counsellor who has a therapeutic approach or style that fits with your needs.
If you need urgent support, call a crisis line in your local area, which you can find through websites such as this one. In mental health emergencies where you feel you are at risk of harming yourself, call 911 or go to your nearest hospital emergency room.

Challenge negative thoughts

In health care, where you are surrounded by upsetting news daily, it is common to have a whirlwind of thoughts going around in your head that might further increase your stress and anxiety.

Some examples may be: “I’m going to get COVID-19”, “I’m going to give COVID-19 to my patients”, “My family will get COVID-19 because of me”, and so on.

While there is sadly no guarantee in life that these things won’t happen, we can still try to challenge these thoughts with more positive ones that may feel real to us, such as: “I’m following all of the safety protocols to protect myself, my patients and my family”, “I’m doing everything I can to be safe”, “I’m washing and sanitizing my hands regularly and that is the best strategy to stay healthy”, or “By staying at home when I’m not working, I’m doing what I can to slow the spread of the pandemic”.

Insert any other positive thoughts here that may help you manage your anxiety, stress, and overwhelm.

Remind yourself of your professional values and interests

In this pandemic, it is hard to think about anything but the risks associated with working in health care and it may be hard to see beyond that. If you find yourself questioning everything and feel unsure of yourself in your role or position, it may be useful to keep in mind why you went into your field of practice in the first place.

Was it because you always knew you wanted to help people? Or because you wanted to make a difference in the world and contribute to society? Or perhaps you have a unique interest in a certain client population or area of expertise and this is your specialty now? What other reasons led you to do the meaningful work you do?
These reminders might ground you and help you feel refreshed in an unsettling and confusing time.

Know that you are doing the best you can

When you feel that you aren’t doing enough to make a difference, take a moment, stop, and look around you.

See the clients or patients in your line of sight that you have helped. Notice their smiles of thanks, the gratitude you hear in their voice, and the efforts they make as they try to follow your recommendations and guidelines.

These types of mindful moments will help you shift your focus away from your stress toward focusing on why you chose to do this valuable work in the first place — to provide excellent care to your clients and patients.

Talk to coworkers you confide in and trust

The people you work with are the people you often spend the most time with as so much of our days are spent working. In your group of colleagues, hopefully, there is at least one person you really connect with and who you feel you can talk to. Reach out to them if you need a moment to vent, to share a funny story, or discuss how you are feeling. This helps foster a sense of trust, community, and shared experiences.

Connect with loved ones

Calling and video calling your close family and friends and spending time with your spouse or partner or children during this time of uncertainty can help manage feelings of stress and burnout.

Talking with important others about things that are not related to the pandemic can help get your mind off of it. This allows you to focus on other topics that interest you and make you happy while also investing in key relationships in your life.

Limit media

Watching the news or reading articles on your phone or computer constantly can add to your anxiety, stress, worry, and overwhelm. You may already be supporting patients who are COVID-positive daily, you may be concerned about eventually working with COVID patients, or perhaps you are worried about passing it on to or getting it from others. Constant consumption of media further feeds into this stress and exacerbates it. This cycle of thoughts can continue to spiral if they are not kept in check.

A mental break from all things COVID at points throughout your day can be just what is needed to help you refocus. Permit yourself to turn off your phone and computer when you need to.

Focus on the basics

Eat. Drink water. Sleep. Exercise. No need to follow a perfect and ideal routine here, but try to do what you can, when you can. Do activities that help refuel and relax you, such as deep breathing, yoga, meditation, mindfulness-based activities, or anything that rejuvenates you, such as losing yourself in a hobby that you are passionate about. Building in positive habits and routines, especially when you feel stressed and overwhelmed, can go a long way toward helping you feel better.

Focusing on these basics can motivate you, re-energize you, and keep you going through those long and tiring workdays.

This is a very challenging time for everyone. Your health is number one and needs to be stable before you can fully help others. Take care of yourself and be well so that you can continue to do the important work you do to support patients and clients every day.

The post Working in Healthcare During COVID-19? Tips for Reducing Burnout and Overwhelm appeared first on Medika Life.