How do you feel about the uncertainty surrounding the effectiveness of masks, medications, and mandates to minimize the pandemic that President Biden said is no more?
I have seen articles discuss that the calcium deposition in the intima of arteries resembles what happens in bone. Perhaps there are cells in the intima that resemble the osteoclasts that perform the function of laying down new bone.
It's too bad this virus was politicized before it even started. We could have learned a great deal about how such a virus spreads globally and been better prepared for the next one. Instead, we learned almost nothing.
My wife just read Erin French's autobiography and "applied" for an invite to Lost kitchen. We may use that as an excuse to visit Maine. I've never been there and I hear it is beautiful. it's on my bucket list.
thanks for the reference on the eye as portal for SARS-CoV . Early in the pandemic concern was raised about. I was wearing a face shield for a short time. But given the viruses airborne nature a physical shield seems like a waste of time and my spectacles aren't likely to help either.
Mar 21, 2023·edited Mar 21, 2023Liked by The Skeptical Cardiologist
I think that I don’t mind the uncertainty around mask effectiveness, medications, and mandates to minimize the pandemic, although some measures seemed excessive - such as stopping people shopping in non-grocery supermarket aisles, cordoning-off park benches, and allowing people to socialize in smaller groups at more of a distance than usual within otherwise enclosed spaces. Is the pandemic ‘over’, or are we only in a temporary lull that can best be managed with a population-wide open attitude towards public health measures that are on-going? I’d prefer experienced, qualified professionals to answer that one.
Mask wearing seemed to have been effective at limiting the spread of Covid-19 in Taiwan in the early part of the pandemic (before the vaccines were available), whereas in Italy and Spain at this time it seemed to spread rapidly among their populations (also in the UK), so perhaps masks might have been protective in places where more people might have used them early on. However, I think that Taiwan also restricted flights into and out of the country from early on.
The downside of all the lockdowns and restrictions for me, was the feeling of becoming more housebound and unfit, sitting at a table in front of the computer/television day after day, monitoring the ongoing situation on the news and online. Happily, I’m now going out most days and walking about more too. I’ll be interested to read about research on face masking and Covid as I’m more likely to be one of those who favours the view that they can be protective.
Regarding cardiovascular topics - is it usual for heart muscle cells to become more like bone cells in later life?
I don’t know how we will be able to accurately separate the cardiovascular effects of vaccinated and unvaccinated recovered from Covid. Too many people were forced to vaccinate and ignore natural immunity post infection and then plenty got Covid after being vaccinated. As someone who had issues with heart after vaccine and still contracted Covid if I have additional problems down the road, would it be the vaccine that did not prevent me from getting Covid or the virus itself that brings on CV issues? There is not an adequate control group and way too many subject variables to give accurate numbers. And seriously, the issue of “long Covid” was being broached by the summer of 2020 and touted on TV. And now it’s all over the place with vague sequelae - how could we have “long” anything with a new virus within just a few months of the outbreak? So many in the public have embraced this idea of long Covid and they see it everywhere. And let’s keep in mind the original variant was the most devastating and evolved to be more transmissible and less deadly. Are we recovering now because we were vaccinated or because the virus has evolved? Why is this ignored?
Mar 21, 2023·edited Mar 21, 2023Liked by The Skeptical Cardiologist
The argument/discussion over masking is basically irrelevant in the real world. A trip to any mall in America reveals that nearly all mask wearers do not wear them in accordance with accepted protocols. Loose fit, worn under nose, handled continually, same mask worn for days or weeks, etc. Finally, I have read that recent studies show virus particles easily enter the nose via the eyes.
I very much appreciate your writings on all subjects, and especially medical, and will read each and every one of them! As a 68 yr old with hypertension, (controlled by amlodipine and hctz) and medium high cholesterol who needs to decide about taking statins your cardiology writings have been especially helpful to me. But I do enjoy reading all of them. Thank you
Why the low mortality? It may have to do with the food supply. The citizens of that country prefer beef. In addition, lack of agricultural resources and animal processing infrastructure translates into limited access to grain-fed animal products. So, the food supply in Bhutan has a low polyunsaturated fat content. https://factsanddetails.com/south-asia/Bhutan/Life_Bhutan/entry-7910.html
How does that make the citizenry resistant to COVID-19 complications? (Web search - Vijay P. Singh COVID-19)
As someone (in my 70s) who suddenly became “differently abled” due to a back issue rendering pain in one leg which necessitates the use of an (awesome) all terrain outdoor rollator for daily walks with my dog, an indoor rollator to zip around the house with, various canes and SmartCrutches…my biggest fear is getting long covid because it takes all I have to manage this changed life from the very active life I used to have. I could not bear to have what I’ve managed to do to stay as active as possible taken away from me by lingering side effects from a virus. So my husband and I continue to wear masks when we go anywhere indoors in public and continue to only eat outside at restaurants. He still hikes and plays tennis with no masks necessary. I have also had two Afib episodes in my life, 11 years apart, apparently caused by stress. So I don’t need a stressful event to cause another one.
But I have had friends and family, all vaccinated, boosted and careful, get Covid. They all recovered, some with Paxlovid, most without, and none have gotten long covid. (Maybe one has who isn’t telling but seems to need a lot of down time since getting the virus months ago.) They now go to movies and eat out in restaurants, sans masks. So I often wonder if I’m being foolish. I hope that more definitive studies are done regarding masks and treatments. We all have to weigh our options and make our choices and the better information we have, the better choices we can make.
Also, I am thankful I won’t be alive for the next pandemic(assuming the virology community can control themselves). We had to live through the stupidest of times for naught I’m afraid. Next time the evolving technology state will more easily clamp down society.
Regarding your question about topics you are covering, I would be happy to keep reading your thoughts on all of these topics--cardiovascular health, music, COVID-19--all of it!
While the definition and parameters of long covid are very much up for debate, many of these questions hinge not on opinion but on data. Of course that doesn't mean all the data are going to point the same way as trials and studies have different levels of validity. There's far too much confirmation bias, which is fairly apparent even in these comments.
I would only point out that in a pandemic emergency, the consequences of NOT acting seriously are difficult to know, but I'm reasonably sure it would be "damned if you do, and damned if you don't".
Write about whatever moves you, your posts are always informative and often entertaining as well. Would love to read more about all of it (including heart rhythm disorders - but that is for selfish reasons lol)
I have seen articles discuss that the calcium deposition in the intima of arteries resembles what happens in bone. Perhaps there are cells in the intima that resemble the osteoclasts that perform the function of laying down new bone.
"on holiday" suggests you are in UK?
Indeed
It's too bad this virus was politicized before it even started. We could have learned a great deal about how such a virus spreads globally and been better prepared for the next one. Instead, we learned almost nothing.
My wife just read Erin French's autobiography and "applied" for an invite to Lost kitchen. We may use that as an excuse to visit Maine. I've never been there and I hear it is beautiful. it's on my bucket list.
thanks for the reference on the eye as portal for SARS-CoV . Early in the pandemic concern was raised about. I was wearing a face shield for a short time. But given the viruses airborne nature a physical shield seems like a waste of time and my spectacles aren't likely to help either.
Just a skeptic.
I think that I don’t mind the uncertainty around mask effectiveness, medications, and mandates to minimize the pandemic, although some measures seemed excessive - such as stopping people shopping in non-grocery supermarket aisles, cordoning-off park benches, and allowing people to socialize in smaller groups at more of a distance than usual within otherwise enclosed spaces. Is the pandemic ‘over’, or are we only in a temporary lull that can best be managed with a population-wide open attitude towards public health measures that are on-going? I’d prefer experienced, qualified professionals to answer that one.
Mask wearing seemed to have been effective at limiting the spread of Covid-19 in Taiwan in the early part of the pandemic (before the vaccines were available), whereas in Italy and Spain at this time it seemed to spread rapidly among their populations (also in the UK), so perhaps masks might have been protective in places where more people might have used them early on. However, I think that Taiwan also restricted flights into and out of the country from early on.
The downside of all the lockdowns and restrictions for me, was the feeling of becoming more housebound and unfit, sitting at a table in front of the computer/television day after day, monitoring the ongoing situation on the news and online. Happily, I’m now going out most days and walking about more too. I’ll be interested to read about research on face masking and Covid as I’m more likely to be one of those who favours the view that they can be protective.
Regarding cardiovascular topics - is it usual for heart muscle cells to become more like bone cells in later life?
I don’t know how we will be able to accurately separate the cardiovascular effects of vaccinated and unvaccinated recovered from Covid. Too many people were forced to vaccinate and ignore natural immunity post infection and then plenty got Covid after being vaccinated. As someone who had issues with heart after vaccine and still contracted Covid if I have additional problems down the road, would it be the vaccine that did not prevent me from getting Covid or the virus itself that brings on CV issues? There is not an adequate control group and way too many subject variables to give accurate numbers. And seriously, the issue of “long Covid” was being broached by the summer of 2020 and touted on TV. And now it’s all over the place with vague sequelae - how could we have “long” anything with a new virus within just a few months of the outbreak? So many in the public have embraced this idea of long Covid and they see it everywhere. And let’s keep in mind the original variant was the most devastating and evolved to be more transmissible and less deadly. Are we recovering now because we were vaccinated or because the virus has evolved? Why is this ignored?
The argument/discussion over masking is basically irrelevant in the real world. A trip to any mall in America reveals that nearly all mask wearers do not wear them in accordance with accepted protocols. Loose fit, worn under nose, handled continually, same mask worn for days or weeks, etc. Finally, I have read that recent studies show virus particles easily enter the nose via the eyes.
I very much appreciate your writings on all subjects, and especially medical, and will read each and every one of them! As a 68 yr old with hypertension, (controlled by amlodipine and hctz) and medium high cholesterol who needs to decide about taking statins your cardiology writings have been especially helpful to me. But I do enjoy reading all of them. Thank you
I find it interesting that Bhutan has an extremely low case/fatality rate; 21 deaths and 62,637 infections. Like most other countries, Bhutan masked up, locked down, and vaccinated as soon as the shots became available. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-bhutan/bhutan-orders-first-coronavirus-lockdown-as-cases-hit-113-idUSKCN2570U0
Why the low mortality? It may have to do with the food supply. The citizens of that country prefer beef. In addition, lack of agricultural resources and animal processing infrastructure translates into limited access to grain-fed animal products. So, the food supply in Bhutan has a low polyunsaturated fat content. https://factsanddetails.com/south-asia/Bhutan/Life_Bhutan/entry-7910.html
How does that make the citizenry resistant to COVID-19 complications? (Web search - Vijay P. Singh COVID-19)
As someone (in my 70s) who suddenly became “differently abled” due to a back issue rendering pain in one leg which necessitates the use of an (awesome) all terrain outdoor rollator for daily walks with my dog, an indoor rollator to zip around the house with, various canes and SmartCrutches…my biggest fear is getting long covid because it takes all I have to manage this changed life from the very active life I used to have. I could not bear to have what I’ve managed to do to stay as active as possible taken away from me by lingering side effects from a virus. So my husband and I continue to wear masks when we go anywhere indoors in public and continue to only eat outside at restaurants. He still hikes and plays tennis with no masks necessary. I have also had two Afib episodes in my life, 11 years apart, apparently caused by stress. So I don’t need a stressful event to cause another one.
But I have had friends and family, all vaccinated, boosted and careful, get Covid. They all recovered, some with Paxlovid, most without, and none have gotten long covid. (Maybe one has who isn’t telling but seems to need a lot of down time since getting the virus months ago.) They now go to movies and eat out in restaurants, sans masks. So I often wonder if I’m being foolish. I hope that more definitive studies are done regarding masks and treatments. We all have to weigh our options and make our choices and the better information we have, the better choices we can make.
Also, I am thankful I won’t be alive for the next pandemic(assuming the virology community can control themselves). We had to live through the stupidest of times for naught I’m afraid. Next time the evolving technology state will more easily clamp down society.
Regarding your question about topics you are covering, I would be happy to keep reading your thoughts on all of these topics--cardiovascular health, music, COVID-19--all of it!
While the definition and parameters of long covid are very much up for debate, many of these questions hinge not on opinion but on data. Of course that doesn't mean all the data are going to point the same way as trials and studies have different levels of validity. There's far too much confirmation bias, which is fairly apparent even in these comments.
I would only point out that in a pandemic emergency, the consequences of NOT acting seriously are difficult to know, but I'm reasonably sure it would be "damned if you do, and damned if you don't".
Write about whatever moves you, your posts are always informative and often entertaining as well. Would love to read more about all of it (including heart rhythm disorders - but that is for selfish reasons lol)