"The burden of disease and disability from Long COVID is on par with the burden of cancer and heart disease. The best way to prevent Long COVID is to prevent COVID in the first place. There is no Long COVID without COVID." Brilliant testimony by @zalaly! #HELPLongCovid
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@luckytran @zalaly Long COVID and other post-viral diseases are real, affect millions, and more should be done to help patients and develop effective treatments. But it is truly absurd to say that Long COVID is on par with cancer & heart disease. That is a comical claim with no basis in reality.
When he said: 'we just didn't connect the dots'... I was practically screaming it. The other dot that they are missing is the climate one... As these viral illnesses cause inflammatory issues, there's an increased burden on the climate from utilising extra energy resources in order to artificially thermally regulate ourselves. You have the choices of either bringing the hot/cold to you or going to where the hot/cold is. Both require energy expenditure, only, in different ways. Letting Covid run rampant has directly had an adverse impact on the Environment for these reasons.
When he said: 'we just didn't connect the dots'... I was practically screaming it. The other dot that they are missing is the climate one... As these viral illnesses cause inflammatory issues, there's an increased burden on the climate from utilising extra energy resources in order to artificially thermally regulate ourselves. You have the choices of either bringing the hot/cold to you or going to where the hot/cold is. Both require energy expenditure, only, in different ways. Letting Covid run rampant has directly had an adverse impact on the Environment for these reasons.
My email to my Colorado Senator: Dear Senator John Hickenlooper, I have been stricken by Long COVID since April of 2020. That is almost 4 years of chronic fatigue, head pressure, difficulty concentrating, memory issues, gut ache and scary random spikes in my heart rate. And I am on the "mild" end of the severity spectrum. There are about 70 common symptoms that vary from person to person. In addition to fatigue, there is a big cluster of symptoms around cognitive issues and another around dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system. Like me, millions in the USA are less productive, unable to work, or barely able to get out of bed. Also, I believe that the reported cases of Long COVID are just the tip of the iceberg. As a Ph.D. researcher, I am helping to run a clinical trial called "Diet and Fasting for Long Covid" and have done many informal and formal surveys of those with Long Covid and "Long Vax" symptoms. Yes, many people, perhaps 20% first developed their symptoms following one of their Covid-19 vaccinations. One 61 year old women recently told me that she had a severe 20 min siezure 24 hours after her first jab. In her case, the vaccine tie was dismissed by her ER doctors and was not reported to VAERS (vaccine adverse effects reporting system). After that, she developed 24 typical Long COVID symptoms. As an Immunologist and Cell Biologist, I do not fault the vaccine. Rather, I think that the vaccines stimulate innate immunity and can make a silent or hidden persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection suddenly "visible" to a person's immune system. I strongly feel that we need more research funds for Long COVID and that researchers should include those with Long Vax in all their Long COVID studies. I think we need a "Warp Speed" type initiative for new effective SARS-CoV-2 antivirals. And clinical trials and animal research funds are need to speed development of combinations of highly effective antiviral treatments. Based on the drug develpment timelines for Hepatitis and HIV, effective treatments are at least a decade away. That is simply not acceptable. Society and the world economy is taking a huge hit with the loss of productive workers. Further, chronic illness strains the fabric of our society. I have had to go on Medicaid. I have lost my income. Chronic illness negatively impacts personal relationships, burdens families, and decreases workforce productivity. TOP PRIORITY should be to get a Long COVID diagnostic lab test made available to all Americans. Medical providers are stuck trying to treat mysterious symptoms and their previous training leaves them without a clue. Viral persistence in tissues (rather than blood) is a huge "blind spot" for modern medicine. Several research labs have identified good biomarkers for Long COVID. Dr. Douglas Fraser's lab in Ontario has now had their ANG-1, P-SEL blood biomarker assay independently validated. Until this is available as a standardized lab test the treatment of Long COVID will remain a perfect mess. For example, 95% of Long haulers that visit the ER for concerning symptoms are sent back home after traditional tests come back negative. I am happy to answer any questions. I have a unique "front-row" seat as I am talking with Long-haulers every day. It is a total DISASTER. Imagine stage IV cancer patients with zero diagnostic tests and no treatments available... My comparison of Long COVID and Long Vax patient-reported symptoms: recoverfromlongcovid.com/vaccine-injure… The Canadian lab of Dr. Douglas Fraser that has identified two easy to assay blood biomarkers that identify those with Long COVID with 95% accuracy. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36217108/ I sincerely hope that you decide to participate in the hearing. The Long Covid community badly needs a Senator to take a leadership role and spearhead moving research, diagnosis and treaments forward in an expeditious manner. Sincerely, Thomas Bunker Ph.D.
@luckytran @zalaly Too late. I guess we are all going to die from Long Covid. Thank Fauci.
@luckytran @zalaly Why is the audio quality so poor? This testimony is excellent.
@luckytran @zalaly What an extraordinary 6 mins. Clear and compelling.