Christophe Veltsos

@drinfosec.bsky.social

8980 Followers 4694 Following

University prof. on cyber risk & systemic risk | He/him | Posts/RTs lots on #Covid #LongCovid. Covid is significant systemic risk. #COVIDisAirborne #MaskUp #IAQ #AirQ

Dynamic Coagulation Function Changes in COVID-19 Survivors With Coronary Artery Disease 🚨CAD + COVID = hypercoagulable for 2 FULL YEARS. TEG sees it. Routine blood tests don’t. Standard blood thinners fail to fix it…….and possibly broader consequences, outside "CAD" ! ➡️This retrospective single-center Chinees study examined 117 CAD patients admitted March–June 2022: 60 with confirmed acute COVID-19 and 57 carefully matched controls who never had COVID-19. ➡️All underwent conventional coagulation tests plus thromboelastography (TEG) at admission, 1 year, and 2 years post-discharge. ➡️Study findings:
Re: Approval of an mRNA flu vaccine, I keep seeing a lot of people excited about the idea that we can update the vaccine more quickly now, which means we can be better at quickly matching the vaccine to emerging strains. To be clear: That’s not a thing. The potential is technically there in theory, but it’s very far from becoming a reality. In fact, there are so many challenges that the FDA has been clear throughout this entire approval process: There’s no mechanism for an interim strain update, and there are no plans for how that might potentially be achieved…heck, there aren’t even any plans to make the plans.
Virus reactivation in acute and long COVID-19 🚨Hidden viruses reactivate in nearly half of hospitalized COVID patients, tied to severity, inflammation & LongC0VID physical symptoms. ➡️Let’s revisit this very interesting and revealing study in which multi-omic longitudinal data from 1,154 unvaccinated hospitalized COVID-19 patients (IMPACC cohort, 2020–2021) were analysed, with a personal interpretation! ➡️Key findings: - Significant reactivation of Herpesviridae (EBV, CMV, HSV1/2, HHV6) and Anelloviridae occurred in ~47.9% of patients during acute illness, with distinct temporal patterns (e.g, EBV earlier, CMV/HSV later),
🟣For the UK and Canada: Reiterated, obviously, that Nuvaxovid will be available for the fall 2026 season. However, no new information on availability was given (ie. Province availability for Canada, and private availability outside of the NHS campaign for the UK) 🟣For Australia, via SEC filings: “The Company [Novavax] has been pursuing a special access importation approval from the TGA to help ensure our supply is available for Australia. The Company is awaiting a final decision on the outcome of its application for special importation.”
🟣Here is a direct quote regarding the 2026 Nuvaxovid rollout: Sanofi has secured contacts “with *all* the major retailers in the US.” Maybe I’m being too pedantic here, but I don’t think Novavax leadership would be using hyperbole on an earrings call…so, to me, that probably means availability at Walgreens for the first time, in addition to previous partners like CVS, Walmart, Kroger, Publix, etc. After all, they are the 2nd largest pharmacy retailer in the US.
📢Takeaways from Novavax’s earnings call today: 🟣Sanofi is in advanced discussions with the FDA regarding Phase 3 trials for their combination Nuvaxovid/Flublok and Nuvaxovid/FluZone HD vaccines. Previously known: Sanofi has reported preliminary positive phase 1/2 data for both vaccines. No exact timeline was given today, but this likely means that phase 3 trials are on track to initiate this fall. If not, then next fall. Sanofi has said that they expect regulatory review for those vaccines in the 2027-2028 timeframe.
Comprehensive cardiovascular prevention: the role of vaccination in older adults with cardiovascular disease. Expert consensus document 🚨Vaccines are the 4th pillar of heart protection in older adults with CVD. New Spanish expert consensus: stop treating vaccination as optional! (CVD prevention: prevention, early detection and screening, VACCINES, treatment and care) ➡️Important recent Spanish EXPERT CONSENSUS DOCUMENT! ➡️Respiratory and systemic infections (influenza, pneumococcus, RSV, COVID-19, herpes zoster) trigger inflammation, plaque instability, and prothrombotic states that precipitate major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), heart-failure decompensations, and death, especially in older adults with established CVD,
Can mild COVID-19 leave a biological footprint that persists for years? ➡️ In a rare postmortem study of individuals who had only mild COVID-19 and died >250 days later from unrelated causes, researchers detected persistent SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid antigen together with organ-specific immune abnormalities. ➡️ The lungs and heart exhibited ongoing, self-sustaining inflammation, while the brain showed vascular dysfunction and disrupted neuroimmune homeostasis. 1/
Six years into the pandemic, COVID-19 is no longer just an acute respiratory illness—it has become a chronic public health challenge. A new review highlights how our understanding has evolved: ➡️ #LongCOVID has emerged as one of the pandemic’s most significant legacies, with persistent symptoms affecting multiple organ systems and substantial impacts on quality of life. ➡️ At the same time, vaccines and early antiviral treatment have dramatically reduced severe disease and are increasingly being investigated for their role in lowering the risk of LongCOVID. 1/
Part of the reason many clinicians hesitate to engage with the possibility that Long Covid is highly prevalent is because medicine is still heavily anchored to what can be objectively measured, standardized, coded, and reimbursed. If there isn’t a definitive biomarker panel, a universally accepted diagnostic algorithm, or a clean clinical test result, many providers become reluctant to fully acknowledge the scale of the problem. I understand that instinct. Science requires rigor. I’m a scientist too. But science is also supposed to investigate signals before they become impossible to ignore.
"Lockdown" was and is an anti-public health term. If nobody locked your door, it was not a lockdown, despite some using that term, sometimes even as "official" language. It was shelter in place, which was good, because many in public health and medicine recommended *against* masking or only recommended cloth and procedure masks not designed to block virus-laden aerosols, which follow the laws of fluid dynamics. You're seeing more public health folks use that term recently because they are engaged in cognitive dissonance and denial, taking
Universal SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR admission screening over 21 months in a German tertiary care hospital: detection of asymptomatic infections 🚨110 completely silent SARSCoV2 carriers walked into a hospital, zero symptoms, zero known contacts. Universal PCR screening caught them. ➡️Interesting German study confirming what many of us already know and are still warning for: #asymptomaticspread #NosocomialInfections
🧵It’s almost that time: Flu shots will likely be rolling out later this month. Flu might be more “simple” than SARS2, but it’s important to stay vigilant and informed. I made a short guide on what you need to know for flu season: vaccine choice, tests, & treatments⬇️ (1/11)
A new mouse study gives us a hard close-up of something long COVID data keeps hinting at. SARS2 gets into the brain, clears out within a month - and the damage it leaves behind doesn’t just persist, it keeps growing. The virus clears out and leaves scorched earth behind it🧵
Determinants and Consequences of Long Impact of COVID-19: A National Cross-Sectional Study in Saudi Arabia 🔥There we go again: 32% "Long COVID affects approximately ONE-THIRD of COVID-19 survivors in Saudi Arabia, imposing a significant healthcare and socioeconomic burden. These findings highlight the need for swift action and policy implementation within the health care system to mitigate long-term consequences." (June 2023 and December 2024, 1790 adults with PCR-confirmed COVID-19 infection)
1/10 I am incredibly proud to share our latest study, published today in @NatureComms , a follow-up to our 2024 paper on skeletal muscle abnormalities in long COVID. Open access: https://nature.com/articles/s41467-026-75725-y #LongCOVID #MECFS
We live in the dumbest age in human history. Not because knowledge is unavailable. We carry nearly all of it in our pockets. We are dumb because billionaires own the platforms, hire obedient idiots to narrate the world burning, and teach us to treat catastrophe as normal. The people on television do not mask, so the public assumes the pandemic is over. They do not warn us, so we assume there is no danger. They tell us nothing can be done, so we sit quietly while billionaires sell us more bullshit and steal everything generations of ordinary people built. The greatest propaganda trick of our time was convincing everyone that reality is whatever the people on television are willing to acknowledge.
From a study in the U.S., "Long COVID affects an estimated 10–20% of SARS-CoV-2 survivors with heterogeneous, multi-system symptoms persisting for months to years, contributing to significant workforce disruption and reduced functional capacity.. [In this analysis,] Three preliminary clusters emerged: - Cluster 1 (“brain fog”), characterized by fatigue (96%), difficulty remembering (97%), and difficulty concentrating (94%); - Cluster 2 (“undifferentiated”), with low prevalence across all symptoms; and - Cluster 3 (“persistent acute”), marked by cough (92%), congestion (80%), headaches (78%), and body aches (78%). Notably, among Cluster 1 (“brain fog”) respondents, 44% reported not working.."
The more unequal a society is the less efficient it becomes. It takes a lot of resources to maintain that disparity. We are ripping through resources and trashing the planet primarily to keep people down. We can easily make everyone comfortable, we can never satisfy greed.
Long COVID Basics For Everyone May 6, 2026 Español Key points Long COVID is a serious illness that can result in chronic conditions, require comprehensive care, and can sometimes cause disability. Long COVID can include a wide range of ongoing symptoms and conditions that can last months to years after COVID-19 illness. Anyone who had a SARS-CoV-2 infection, the virus that causes COVID-19, can experience Long COVID, including children. Following core strategies to lower your risk of severe COVID-19 illness is the best way to prevent Long COVID. Living with Long COVID can be difficult and isolating, especially when there are no approved tests that can determine if your symptoms or conditions are due to Long COVID and there are no approved treatments.
Caring for someone with Long COVID Caring for children, including adolescents, with Long COVID Although Long COVID appears to be less common in children than in adults, children can develop Long COVID. As of 2023, roughly one million US children aged 5-17 years have experienced Long COVID. Research suggests an estimated 1.4% of children who get COVID-19 may go on to develop Long COVID.45Recognizing and identifying Long COVID can be difficult, especially for children. Young children may have even more trouble describing the symptoms or problems they are experiencing.
Trend line is above 1.0 (so growing), staying fairly steady at an Rt level of 1.05 with a couple of spikes to 1.06. "This figure shows the estimated Rt and uncertainty interval from June 16 through July 14 at the national, state, or HSA level. Click lines in the legend below to hide them on chart."
I prefer “altered brain” to “brain fog.” “Brain fog” sounds harmless. Temporary. Like you just need a nap or another cup of coffee. But altered brain function raises a different question: What changed? We have evidence of neuroinflammation. Evidence of vascular injury. Evidence of elevated inflammatory markers. Evidence of neuronal damage and structural changes in some patients.
Harry Spoelstra @HarrySpoelstra Six Years of COVID-19: Lessons from Epidemiology, Vaccination Campaigns, Clinical Risk Stratification, and Thromboembolic Surveillance 🚨The pandemic is not “over.” Its most insidious phase may still be unfolding in the form of incremental, compounding damage that we are only beginning to measure. ➡️This interesting recent Italian narrative review examines six years of COVID-19, ➡️SARSCoV2 has shifted from pandemic emergency to "endemic circulation", with vaccination markedly reducing severe outcomes, hospitalizations, and deaths,
🔴⚠️‼️Have you heard a flood of news stories about Epstein-Barr virus and multiple sclerosis over the last few days? Pay attention, because many headlines are telling the story incorrectly. Or, at the very least, they are telling you only part of it. The news is not simply that “the mononucleosis virus activates certain lymphocytes.” Nor have we only just discovered that Epstein-Barr virus is associated with multiple sclerosis. This had been suspected for decades and became extraordinarily well supported in 2022.
Thanks to everyone who donated pictures. IAQ tools cleaned up and explained a bit better. This calculates your room ACH by measuring the decline in C02 over time- requires a CO2 meter. https://filterboxbuilder.com/ach-calculator.html So that number, plus enough CADR to get to 6 ACH is a good goal. This calculates the CADR of your DIY air purifier just by putting your smartphone inside. All recent iOS phones and most recent Android phones have the required barometer built in. https://filterboxbuilder.com/cadr-calculator.html
Multiorgan Outcomes Following BNT162b2 mRNA Vaccination vs SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A 30-MillionPerson Real-World Cohort Analysis 🚨SARS-CoV-2 infection causes dramatically greater and longer-lasting cardiovascular damage than the BNT162b2 vaccine, which temporally protects your heart. IMPORTANT! ➡️A large retrospective cohort study analysed 30.3 million U.S. individuals (TriNetX database, Dec 2020–Dec 2024) stratified into four groups: - Uninfected/unvaccinated controls, - SARS-CoV-2 infected only, - BNT162b2 vaccinated only, and - Hybrid immunity (infected then vaccinated),
📢💉🇨🇦 Novavax/Nuvaxovid availability update for Canada: Manitoba Public Health, in a July 16th letter to Health Care providers, confirms that Nuvaxovid will be available in the province for the fall 2026 vaccination program! Manitoba now joins British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick as provinces that have confirmed the 2026 return of Nuvaxovid (Prior reporting on PEI and NB via @stillcovidingca : https://bsky.app/profile/stillcovidingca.bsky.social/post/3mlctvf2akc2t) ⚠️However, there is some notable bad news: It seems that Nuvaxovid will only be available in a disappointing quantity and with a short shelf life:
There has been a discussion on X lately about biomarkers for #LongCOVID, so I thought I would share some blood markers available that might point to immune, clotting and endothelial dysfunction. Encouragingly, all of them are available at specialised pathology labs worldwide. These are also the molecules we keep finding trapped in fibrinaloid microclot...
📢 @ShionogiUS ’s Xocova, the 2nd-generation 3CLpro inhibitor SARS-CoV-2 antiviral that recently received FDA approval for post-exposure prophylaxis (ie. if a household contact tests positive), has reportedly started being distributed to U.S. pharmacies⬇️ Shionogi has also introduced a co-pay offer, which is already active, where eligible patients with commercial insurance coverage may pay $0 for the drug: https://xocovahcp.com/access-resources/savings-support/ As reported by @thesicktimes , Shionogi plans to introduce an assistance program in mid-August for uninsured patients “who need financial assistance and meet program eligibility requirements, including an annual household income at/below 300% of the Federal Poverty Level, as well as other criteria which are still being determined." My original post after approval: https://x.com/biff234523/status/2060976621146837285?s=46
A Toronto group took the same brain scan used to track Parkinsons - and pointed it at people with long COVID. Dopamine nerve terminals in the striatum - reduced. Down in the range you’d see in mild-to-moderate Parkinson’s. Lancet family.🧵
Even a full year after infection, COVID-19 is still driving dramatically higher healthcare costs, 27% more for adults and a shocking 42% more for children, according to a large new U.S. study of nearly 2 million people. ➡️“These findings underscore the substantial long-term healthcare burden that follows a COVID-19 diagnosis and the importance of preventive public health measures” #AvoidSars2 #AvoidReinfections #Mitigation https://tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13696998.2026.2699643
The real question is not: “Is antigen detectable in blood forever?” The real question is: which patients have tissue reservoirs, where are they located, how do they fluctuate, and how do they interact with immune dysregulation, herpesvirus reactivation and autoimmunity? That is where the biology becomes interesting.
⚠️‼️Some opinions circulating about this paper are not correct. This study does not show that viral persistence cannot matter in Long COVID. It shows something much narrower: circulating SARS-CoV-2 antigens in plasma are not a reliable standalone biomarker for Long COVID. That is very different. The study measured viral antigens in blood. At 6–12 months, antigens were detected in some people with Long COVID, but also in some people who had fully recovered.
SARS2 doesn’t have to infect the brain to damage it. A new review in Frontiers Neurol. lays out how - and builds the whole thing on a cell long COVID coverage almost never mentions. The mast cells in your meninges.🧵
EU Academy of Neurology urges preparation for an "increase in the incidence of neurodegenerative diseases in the upcoming years" due to SARS2.
I had joined Twitter (pre X) to talk about Covid-linked chronic illness and advocate for employment rights, so people losing health wouldn't lose jobs. But I end up talking a lot about welfare because people do lose jobs, employers discriminate, and disability injustice is vast. Covid is a special case study — disability discrimination began the instant the decision was made that some lives were expendable, ostensibly to protect others' "freedoms" (to get infected and disabled too, as it mostly turned out). But it's not unique, and solidarity is vital. Six years on, many people don't know why their health is gone. Not just why they quickly get exhausted or can't remember what they were saying minutes ago. But why they've had a heart attack. Why they can't walk. Why they have waves of pain, sight, hearing, neurological problems.
#LongCOVID doesn’t just cause fatigue—it may leave a lasting imprint on heart fitness. ➡️ Nearly 2 years after infection, people with a higher LongCOVID symptom burden were found to take fewer daily steps, spend more time sedentary, have lower heart rate variability (HRV), and higher resting heart rates—objective markers linked to poorer cardiovascular health and an increased risk of future heart disease. 1/
An Italian group took stomach lining biopsies from people with Long COVID and counted the nerve fibers in them. Under endoscopy the mucosa looked normal. Under a fluorescence microscope, roughly half the fibers were gone.🧵
One of the biggest questions in #LongCOVID: Does persistent virus drive persistent symptoms? ➡️ In this new 2-year longitudinal study, SARS-CoV-2 antigens were detectable in the blood of some individuals for up to a year after infection. ➡️ Surprisingly, they were found not only in people with Long COVID, but also in some who had recovered completely. 1/
Covid-19 vax: Pfizer ↔ Novavax 🤔Let’s stick to the science and stop subjective unscientific narratives. A personal review! ➡️Current science shows NO evidence that Novavax outperforms Pfizer in protecting against COVID-19. THEY PERFORM COMPARABLY. - Early trials actually gave Pfizer a slight edge (~95% vs ~90% efficacy against symptomatic infection), while both were highly effective against severe disease. - Real-world data on updated 2024–2026 formulations show equivalent effectiveness. Pooled analyses and multi-brand studies (including one covering Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax) found comparable results against JN.1-lineage variants.
Prevalence and determinants of long COVID and SARS-CoV-2 reinfection in the Spanish adult population: A nationwide public health survey 🚨BREAKING: LongC0VID is not a rare or minor after-effect, it affects 14.3% of Spanish adults in this nationwide survey(January 2024 and April 2025). ➡️ Women have a 70% higher risk than men. ➡️ People with COPD face over 4 times the odds. ➡️ Reinfection (reported by 47% of participants) independently raises the risk by 64%. ➡️ Mixed vaccination schedules increase risk compared with Pfizer regimens only. ➡️ Vaccination status did not reliably protect against longC0VID once reinfection occurred. ➡️ Reinfection itself emerged as a major driver.
Implications of RNA virus persistence for post-acute sequelae and chronic inflammatory syndromes 🚨Textbooks are obsolete. I was right again! The bad news SarsCoV2 brought for all those rooted ID/Virologists, their textbooks of acute RNA viruses is dead according to this new review! ➡️This new and very interesting review synthesizes evidence that many RNA viruses long considered strictly acute (SARSCoV2, influenza, RSV, measles, CHIKV, EBOV, etc.) can leave behind persistent viral products like replication-competent genomes, proteins, mutated forms, and non-standard viral genomes (nsVGs), even months to years after infectious virus is cleared.
🚨📢Vaxart has reported topline safety and efficacy data for their oral COVID-19 vaccine candidate from a 400-person sentinel cohort in their phase 2b trial. These results are a long time coming, after many delays (some of which were absolutely not Vaxart’s fault, eg. temporary Stop Work orders from the incoming Trump administration in 2025). 🟠n=400 • 201 received Vaxart’s oral vaccine (XBB formulation) • 199 received Pfizer’s mRNA vaccine (XBB formulation)
An answer to the loneliness crisis isn't telling people with long Covid & other disabilities to take more health risks. It's creating a society where people don't have to choose between protecting their health & participating in community in the first place
My hatred towards a society that intentionally sacrificed the future of its children so that they could soothe their own anxieties about not being able to shop and eat brunch is the driving force behind my continuing to hammer on the denial that’s been prevalent for years.
We tried to get back to normal, but we never arrived there. We went a much worse place instead. A place where illness and death are much more common, where people are left by the wayside. And the worse part about this new place is that everybody is convinced it’s somewhere else.
🚨📢NEW: Diagnostics company @visbymedical has been granted @US_FDA clearance for a new OTC at-home COVID-19 and influenza A/B combo molecular test. This will become the second molecular test available on the U.S. market — the sole option now being Aptitude Medical’s Metrix platform following the exit of Cue, Lucira, and 3EO in recent years. This test will be single-use (disposable), and fully integrated, so following the Lucira model instead of the Metrix/Pluslife model with a reusable reader. However, it will be powered via USB-C cable instead of batteries like Lucira. It will be nasal swab only, requires a mobile app, and results will be available in 30 minutes. The Visby test boasts a much lower Limit of Detection than Metrix’s combo test:
🚨Still think “mild” Covid-19 is “just a cold” for you and your children?😧 Insights from an infectious disease specialist at Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital, Singapore, worth your time and attention! This paper reviews, as the author mentioned, some of the intriguing and still poorly understood extra-pulmonary complications of COVID-19, focusing on its links to diabetes, cerebrovascular disease, dementia, and Long COVID (PASC), while noting that these represent only a selection of the many virus’s systemic effects.( My note: All are actually "LC"!!)
"We can’t pathologize people for being affected by this world. People are anxious because they’re paying attention. People are depressed because they’re stuck in systems that take away their hope and connection. People are angry because they should be."
📢PSA: HHS has officially ended all COVID-19 emergency use authorization declarations. They’re giving a 12-month “advance notice” / grace period to manufactures of drugs or biological products, and a 6-month period to manufacturers of medical devices, to shift to full approval/clearance. As far as I can tell, this impacts:
When universal mask mandates dropped, a dangerous logical fallacy took their place… the belief that the absence of a rule equals the absence of a threat.
📢 PSA as the first round of people with #LongCOVID go through the “Continuing Disability” review process with the SSA. When many of the first people who were #DisabledbyCOVID applied for SSDI, they applied under Long COVID and likely a handful of other diagnoses and symptoms. However, at this time there was no definition for Long COVID yet. There was no directive to SSA for reviewing Long COVID applications. We were lucky we got on, as many are still waiting or unsuccessfu. Since applying to the time of “continuing disability” (which can vary person to person) the list of issues, conditions, symptoms, limitations, and medications (as well as their side effects) has grown significantly for the majority of people with Long COVID, which is also recognized as a progressive disease.
If you wear a Fitbit or a smartwatch, you may have noticed your HRV drop and your resting heart rate climb after COVID. Data from 1,475 people in the RECOVER cohort now confirm that pattern objectively - from passively collected sensor data
Bronchovascular texture pattern on quantitative CT reveals airway and vascular remodeling in post-COVID-19 Lungs 🚨"Your lungs still remember COVID, 3–4 years later." ➡️Interesting USA study(pulmonary function tests (PFTs) and inspiratory/expiratory CT scan), ➡️Longitudinal study of 80 post-COVID survivors (81% pre-Alpha strain) scanned at ~5 months (V1) and 3–4 years (V2) post-infection vs 78 healthy controls, ➡️Pulmonary function tests mostly normal, but persistently lower DLCO at both time points,
Banner on product page reads: "Summer sales 2026 - Save 8% on all products at checking out" Along with a countdown timer (2days before sale ends).
It’s very hot in Europe, and it’s just as hot here in China. The AirFanta Wear not only protects you from COVID‑19 and flu infections, but also helps keep you cool. It is on sales now. https://air-fanta.com/products/airfanta-personal-wearable-laminar-air-purifier
Researchers built a mouse with a human immune system to finally watch how human defenses fight COVID. They expected the virus to get wiped out. Instead, the human immune cells helped it spread from the lungs into other organs and muffled the body's own early alarm system🧵