"Infections before COVID could leave the immune system compromised. Infections during acute illness could compound tissue damage. Infections afterward could exploit post-COVID immune dysfunction."

Delighted to see our founder @salwitcher.bsky.social in the #ThereForME advent calendar, nominated by @murtoz.bsky.social, a member of our INN the Benefits System group. Many thanks to Social Security Scotland & for listening to us & Edel Harris for including our input in her ADP review report.

COVID-19 Damage to Blood Brain Barrier Raises New Concerns www.thailandmedical.news/news/covid-1...

University of Pennsylvania scientists analyzed blood from long COVID patients and found that virus-specific T cells targeting SARS-CoV-2, EBV, or VZV were highly active in at least 40% of them, suggesting persistent immune activation drives symptoms. academic.oup.com/jimmunol/art...

1️⃣ A new Nature Communications study from the RECOVER-Adult consortium tracks how #LongCovid symptoms evolve over 15 months in 3,659 adults infected in the Omicron era. This isn’t just “who has LC” it’s about what path the symptoms take.

UK vax eligibility is based on fundamentally flawed cost-benefit analysis & total failure to understand the cumulative damage Covid reinfection is doing to our population's health, & how this drives economic damage & benefit costs. It makes no clinical or economic sense. Come and find out more 👇

Do get in touch if you'd like a copy of our INN the Arts group's framework for safe 'indoor air inclusion' in the arts.

Excellent news that there's now a Covid positivity map for Scotland! A very useful tool to help predict incoming pressures on local NHS & Local Authority services, for CV people & anyone needing to manage risk. Thanks @skeuomorphology.bsky.social & @publichealthscot.bsky.social for supplying data 🙏

Excellent report 👇

ME Connect (helpline & email service) is available to offer support and information. ** Freephone number - 0808 801 0484 ** Opening times: Monday to Friday: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m Thursday: Late night until 9pm Saturdays: 10 a.m. - 12 noon. You can also email us at meconnect@meassociation.org.uk #pwME

"Engineering Healthier Indoor Environments" this Friday, 7th November 12.00-1.00pm GMT, to mark World Ventil8 Day (8th November). Great panel of expert speakers. www.eventbrite.com/e/world-vent...

Ep26 | Long COVID Clinic Fireside Chat with @binitakane.bsky.social & @helenoakleigh.bsky.social Hydration, Appetite & Blood Sugar in POTS 🗓️ Wed 5 Nov 18:00 GMT | 📺 YouTube Dr Binita Kane & @angryhacademic.bsky.social unpack low blood volume, thirst, “low blood sugar” sensations & hunger in POTS.

Wondering how/ if this intersects with DECODE ME @cgatist.bsky.social

The evidence is overwhelming. Surgical masks were not designed to protect against respiratory infection & are vastly inferior to respirators. For the WHO's advice not to reflect this is indefensible & dangerous. Please sign & share - open to scientists, doctors, patient advocate organisations, etc.

Wondering if that would suggest that vaccination to stimulate the immune system would be a bad idea if the immune system is already over-activated and stressed. Does anyone know anything about the interaction? Is there research on this? @putrinolab.bsky.social @virusesimmunity.bsky.social

Polluted indoor air - harmful particles, gases, chemicals, infection-spreading aerosols, mould spores, etc - is a key driver of ill-health yet largely ignored. Delighted our founder @salwitcher.bsky.social is a Commissioner for this landmark global initiative healthandcare.scot/stories/4307...

💙 People across the UK are still living with Long Covid — their stories show why clean, safe air matters for everyone. 📖 Read and support the call for #SafeAir4All. Read More Here: shh-uk.org/sineads-s...#SafeAir4All #LongCovid #SHHUK #longcovidawareness #longcovidrecovery #publichealth

University of Minnesota scientists found that people with certain HLA genes linked to chronic fatigue syndrome bind weakly to viral and bacterial antigens, suggesting poor immune clearance may underlie ME/CFS, long COVID, and post-Lyme illness. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Fantastic news! Well done @london.gov.uk 👏. Now please can everyone who values children's health and development, and workplace health and safety, do the same? 🙏

No surprise there (not to anyone who has paid any attention to the impact of air quality on health). Links to studies in 🧵👇. Worth flagging that outdoor air pollution isn't the full story. Indoors it can be compounded by pollution generated indoors & airborne pathogens- infections, allergens, etc

Interesting @thewhn.bsky.social event with some big names in the 'clean air world' (though the panel gender balance was perhaps a little less than balanced!) youtu.be/EXaP-1jkUvM?...

"Big news for healthier buildings in Canada: #HealthCanada has published Guidance for #IndoorAirQuality Professionals, a practical, science-based resource for Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) experts, building operators, and employers": ospe.on.ca/advocacy/pol....

Scientists Warn That COVID-19 Infection Found to Trigger New Autoimmune Liver Disorders www.thailandmedical.news/news/scienti...

The joint union guidance on classroom ventilation has been updated. Find it in our toolkit, alongside the DfE’s Seven Steps to Healthier Schools & Higher Attendance and updated short, medium & long-term actions on our Improving Classroom Air page. ⛓️‍💥 www.safeairschools.org

You know how we keep being told that repeated reinfection strengthens our immune system, builds population/ herd immunity, so almost no one needs boosters now? Oh dear... 👇 www.aj4/fulltext

Traws Pharma has dosed the first patient in two Phase 2 trials of ratutrelvir, a ritonavir-free oral COVID-19 antiviral. One compares it with Paxlovid, the other tests patients ineligible for Paxlovid. Results are expected by the end of 2025. www.stocktitan.net/news/TRAW/tr...

We have to get the corrupting influence of political & commercial imperatives out of 'independent' scientific bodies. Democracies everywhere - if they exist in more than name - should be taking action now, before too late. Like so much learning from the pandemic this continues to be wholly ignored.

⚠️The NHS once protected us. Now, millions of Clinically Vulnerable people are being told we don’t qualify for a Covid vaccine - even as new variants spread. This is a dangerous, preventable mistake. #KeepCovidBoosters

Very helpful thread 🙏

🧠 New Research Summary Healthcare worker stress when treating Long Covid patients. 📚Read Summary: shh-uk.org/?p=34787 📚 Full study: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.... #LongCovid #LongCovidSupport #LongCovidRecovery #LongCovidAwareness #LongCovidCommunity #LongCovidResources

More evidence of the role of viral persistance as an underlying disease mechanism.

The MILLIONS of people who were denied vaccines are suddenly realising. @rthonwesstreeting.bsky.social this was a terrible idea. Not only will the NHS struggle this autumn / winter, but people will suffer and die unnecessarily. It isn't too late for a U-turn!

Well, part of the reason is because Universities and educational establishments in general do absolutely nothing to ensure clean, safe, healthy indoor quality, so it's not just students having a party but airborne infections. No mention of that or the current Covid wave www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

It's also vital to reduce the damage to public health, economy and education still being caused by the current pandemic. theconversation.com/why-investme...

Children and teens who had a Covid reinfection had a doubling of #LongCovid risk (PASC) and a significant increase in many other adverse outcomes (Figure) www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

The (ongoing) adverse impact of SARS CoV 2 on our children is a scandal, particularly when so much could now be done to prevent it. Big week for @cvcev.bsky.social & @longcovidkids.bsky.social at the UK Covid Inquiry. Wishing you the best of luck in forcing those responsible to be held to account 🍀

Now that's a novel twist. Hands up how many of you have recently been to the doctors and asked them questions because you 'became more aware of yourselves' during lockdowns 5 years ago.... 🤔

“We invite governments, non-governmental organizations, cities, universities, schools, healthcare facilities, professional associations, advocacy organizations, businesses, and community groups to sign the Pledge”. Has yours signed? #AirClub #SafeAirSchools www.airclub.org

Hugely proud that our Founder & Director Dr Sally Witcher is be part of this incredible initiative. Keen to know what your priorities would be for action on healthy indoor air. There's a long way to go to get even health, social care & education settings to take this seriously here in Scotland & UK.

Vancouver researchers studied 30 people and found that pulmonary long COVID is linked to an overactive T cell response in the blood and lungs along with higher autoantibodies. This points to lingering airway inflammation driven by autoimmunity. www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...

A consensus report on the cardiovascular manifestations, diagnosis, prevention and treatment from Covid and #LongCovid academic.oup.com/eurjpc/advan...

1/ "University of Michigan, Yale, & others conducted a meta-analysis of 442 studies (429 meta-analysed) covering confirmed #COVID cases, with follow-ups of at least 2 months. They estimated that worldwide, about 36% of people who had #COVID develop #LongCOVID": academic.oup.com/ofid/article...

Wonderful, powerful exhibition of art works by kids with Long Covid. Many congratulations to the hugely talented artists and to the organisers 👏

Our 'benefits' group was thrilled to have an amazing opportunity recently to talk to Social Security Scotland staff (devolved benefits delivery body) about the reality of Long Covid, ME/CFS, vax injury, high clinical risk, & the need for inclusive assessment & delivery processes. Thanks so much! 🙏

Indoor air can be as polluted as outdoor, we spend 80+% of our time indoors, yet pay little attention to what we're breathing in. Hope you can make this campaign call on safe-indoor-air activism, with our founder @salwitcher.bsky.social, to share ideas. Register at bit.ly/ccseptsw

When scientists say things like, "opening a window lowers the risk of transmission by 38%", where do they get these numbers? Well, they use airborne transmission models. In my latest explainer video I walk through the history of these models, what they do, and what the don't.

1/ "A world-first clinical trial has found that a simple daily nasal spray can significantly reduce the risk of COVID-19 in cancer patients, offering a potential new tool to protect vulnerable people from the virus": www.petermac.org/about-us/new...

Long COVID-19: A 4-Year prospective cohort study of risk factors, recovery, and quality of life. In a 4-year follow-up of 816 COVID patients, 29% developed long COVID per WHO criteria. This finding matches higher global prevalence estimates and highlights the enduring burden of post-COVID illness.

Covid infection levels in England, which jumped up the week before last, remain at roughly the same level this week. We advise people to start resuming strict precautions if they do not wish to catch Covid, as we believe the trend in infection levels is still upwards. buds.org.uk/covid-19-ris...