The TWiV team reviews the observation that infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant causes reduced reproduction and pathogenesis in mice and hamsters.
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Dickson Despommier, Rich Condit, Brianne Barker, and Amy Rosenfeld
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Download TWiV 851 (61 MB .mp3, 102 min)
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Links for this episode
- Vaccine Town Hall (ASV) 6:46
- Travel Award Applications (ASV) 7:01
- Omicron infection in mice and hamsters (Res Square) 8:30
- Letters read on TWiV 851 58:59
- Timestamps by Jolene. Thanks!
Weekly Picks 1:26:51
Dickson – Engineering the James Webb Space Telescope
Amy – T cells might be our bodies’ best shot against Omicron
Brianne – Where is Webb?
Rich – First U.S. vaccine mandate in 1809 launched 200 years of court battles
Vincent – The Secret of Life by Howard Markel
Listener Picks
Jen – Antidote
David – Rosie Revere, Engineer
Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees
Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]
Regarding Kara’s question. One issue as to why Ontario’s health care system may be overwhelmed is because we have “free” healthcare and people go to hospital emergency departments for ANYTHING. So people with minor infections with minor symptoms will still go to the emergency ward for conditions that do not require emergency ward attention.. Also Ontario’s hospitals, especially in Toronto are severely understaffed now due to the wholly incompetent, somewhat Trumpian, Conservative government response, exacerbated by a profit driven Unity Health corporate style management policy, which emphasizes billing the tax payer for every hospital admission, necessary from a healthcare perspective or not, which has abused front care workers, especially nurses, to the point there are only 30% of required staff available in some of the major hospital emergency and ICU departments due to burnout and illness. It’s a scandal that is under reported here.
“Prevalence of long COVID symptoms and COVID-19 complications”
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthandlifeexpectancies/datasets/prevalenceoflongcovidsymptomsandcovid19complications
From U.K. Office of National Statistics
As of December 6, 2021, Long COVID continues to affect more than a million people 1.3 million people (2% of the entire population).
Those experiencing LC for less than 12 weeks 21% of all LC cases (270,000 people).
LC for more than 12 weeks 70% of all LC cases (892,000 people).
LC for a year or more 40% of all LC cases (506,000 people).
20% reported their ability to undertake day-to-day activities had been “limited a lot” Symptoms Fatigue; 51% Loss of smell; 37% Shortness of breath; 36% Difficulty in concentrating 28%.
Self-reported long COVID was greatest in: aged 35 to 69 years females, people living in more deprived areas, those working in health care and social care, those with another activity-limiting health condition or disability, and those in teaching and education.
Video timestamps are ~1.06 times later than audio
08:20 Links
08:27 Vaccine Town Hall
08:40 Travel Award Applications
10:47 Omicron infection in mice and hamsters
1:03:50 Letters
1:03:54 Annette Adenovirus shot then mRNA protects
1:06:11 preschool vaccination
1:11:18 Cara omicron population level effects
1:23:10 Jill mild COVID and long COVID
1:26:19 Jen Breadth of antibodies vaccine vs infection
1:28:34 Rich how spaced shot 3 helps
1:32:08 Weekly Picks
1:32:14 Dickson Engineering Webb Space Telescope
1:35:28 Amy T cells best shot against Omicron
1:36:30 Brianne Where is Webb
1:40:55 Rich vaccine mandate court battles
1:47:54 Vincent The Secret of Life by Howard Markel
1:51:00 Listener Picks
1:51:05 Jen Antidote
1:52:40 David Rosie Revere Engineer
1:54:14 Donate