What causes severe Covid 19 illness starting to become clear

[Halbhh]

This was a very informative article about the immune system response in patients with the Covid 19 coronavirus, and why some become severely ill, and others have mild cases --

Scientists Uncover Biological Signatures of the Worst Covid-19 Cases
Studies of patients with severe cases of Covid-19 show the immune system lacks its usual coordinated response.

"...Why do some people get severely sick, whereas others quickly recover?

In certain patients, according to a flurry of recent studies, the virus appears to make the immune system go haywire.

Unable to marshal the right cells and molecules to fight off the invader, the bodies of the infected instead launch an entire arsenal of weapons — a misguided barrage that can wreak havoc on healthy tissues, experts said.
...
Researchers studying these unusual responses are finding patterns that distinguish patients on the path to recovery from those who fare far worse.
...
“A lot of these data are telling us that we need to be acting pretty early in this process,” said John Wherry, an immunologist at the University of Pennsylvania ....
...
When a more familiar respiratory infection, like a flu virus, tries to gain a foothold in the body, the immune response launches a defense in two orchestrated acts. First, a cavalry of fast-acting fighters flocks to the site of infection and tries to corral the invader, buying the rest of the immune system time to mount a more tailored attack.

Much of the early response depends on signaling molecules called cytokines that are produced in response to a virus. Like microscopic alarms, cytokines can mobilize reinforcements from elsewhere in the body, triggering a round of inflammation.

Eventually, these cells and molecules leading the initial charge will stand down, making way for antibodies and T cells — specialized assassins built to home in on the virus and the cells it has infected.

But this coordinated handoff seems to break down in people with severe Covid-19.
...
...This sustained signaling may result in part from the body’s inability to keep the virus in check, Dr. Iwasaki said. Many who struggle to recover from their illness seem to harbor the pathogen long after other patients have purged it, perhaps goading the immune system into prolonging its frantic inflammatory siege.

Plenty of other viruses, including those that cause AIDS and herpes, have evolved tricks to elude the immune system. Recent evidence hints that the new coronavirus might have a way of delaying or muffling interferon, one of the earliest cytokine defenses the body mounts.
...
Scientists Uncover Biological Signatures of the Worst Covid-19 Cases

 

[Halbhh]

Part of why even cloth masks help typical people -- people that are not front line medical workers!

The virus is almost entirely just transmitted is through the air. A cloth mask helps (a lot) to reduce the amount of virus taken in during any exposure, to a lower amount.

That initial amount of virus exposure can be the difference between a mild case and a severe case, for many people.

Because if one is infected with only 5 or 10 virus particles, it takes a long time for those to multiply into 10 or 100 million, and finally begin to cause significant harm.

But if one doesn't have any mask at all on, not even a cloth mask, then one could get exposed to a far high amount of virus, for instance 10,000 virus particles at once, instead of only 10. That would greatly shorten the time until the virus multiplies to 100 million. Less time means more harm begins before any antibodies can arrive.

The immune system needs that extra time (for many people)!

So, cloth masks will save lives, for non-medical workers -- for typical people going to the grocery store or walking through a place with many people.

(Of course, medical workers are repeatedly exposed to far more intense clouds of virus, and therefore need much stronger protection than a cloth mask can give. A cloth mask won't protect a medical worker, but will be valuable to an average grocery shopper!)

 

[Jonathan Walkerin]

Sounds logical enough but I am sure many would appreciate a link.

 

[Halbhh]

Sounds logical enough but I am sure many would appreciate a link.

For the 2nd post, about cloth masks?

Here's 3 links in this OP --
Masks protect others...But also *you* yourself

 

[Jonathan Walkerin]

Here's 3 links in this OP

Cheers.

 

[anna ~ grace]

It’s interesting. My husband and I went out to a grocery store the other day, which has a lot of elderly customers.

I observed a number of older people, seventies and eighties, roaming around happily with no masks. They didn’t care. They were arguably at most risk, but felt happy and comfortable not wearing one.

Is there any data on how effective or ineffective masks are in preventing folks from getting sick? It seems like a good, rational idea, and seems like it would likely work, at least a little. It was just kind of interesting to see retired folks who were aware, but didn’t seem to care or mind.

 

[Halbhh]

It’s interesting. My husband and I went out to a grocery store the other day, which has a lot of elderly customers.

I observed a number of older people, seventies and eighties, roaming around happily with no masks. They didn’t care. They were arguably at most risk, but felt happy and comfortable not wearing one.

Is there any data on how effective or ineffective masks are in preventing folks from getting sick? It seems like a good, rational idea, and seems like it would likely work, at least a little. It was just kind of interesting to see retired folks who were aware, but didn’t seem to care or mind.

Here's what I've seen recently:

"If you’re unlucky enough to encounter an infectious person, wearing any kind of face covering will reduce the amount of virus that your body will take in.

"As it turns out, that’s pretty important. Breathing in a small amount of virus may lead to no disease or far more mild infection. But inhaling a huge volume of virus particles can result in serious disease or death."

Masks offer much more protection against coronavirus than many think

additional articles:
How much of the coronavirus does it take to make you sick? - STAT

"A range of new research on face coverings shows that the risk of infection to the wearer is decreased by 65 percent, said Dean Blumberg, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at UC Davis Children’s Hospital."
Your Mask Cuts Own Risk by 65 Percent

 

[anna ~ grace]

Here's what I've seen recently:

"If you’re unlucky enough to encounter an infectious person, wearing any kind of face covering will reduce the amount of virus that your body will take in.

"As it turns out, that’s pretty important. Breathing in a small amount of virus may lead to no disease or far more mild infection. But inhaling a huge volume of virus particles can result in serious disease or death."

Masks offer much more protection against coronavirus than many think

additional articles:
How much of the coronavirus does it take to make you sick? - STAT

"A range of new research on face coverings shows that the risk of infection to the wearer is decreased by 65 percent, said Dean Blumberg, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at UC Davis Children’s Hospital."
Your Mask Cuts Own Risk by 65 Percent

Thanks, Halbhh!

 

[Halbhh]

Another article on the same topic of why some become severely ill from covid 19 while others do not, with interesting further information, for example:

"...With most viruses, “if you generate a robust interferon response within a few minutes of exposure to the virus, you’re likely going to be fine.

But, says Iwasaki, “in the case of COVID, this well-orchestrated line of events isn’t happening.” The virus shuts down the interferon response early on. That allows the virus to invade the lungs and do damage without setting off early intruder alarms. Other immune chemicals, called cytokines and chemokines, flood the damaged area attempting to expel invaders and heal the tissue, but can set off a “cytokine storm” that further batters tissues. The high levels of interferon alpha seen in severely ill patients may be produced by cells that don’t normally make those chemicals in a last-ditch effort to combat the virus, Iwasaki says."

“The earlier you can control the virus, the less damage you’re going to get,” Iwasaki says. And one promising way of potentially controlling the virus early is by giving people interferons.

Fish and others have already compiled data suggesting that two forms of the drug, interferon alpha and interferon beta, may help fight the coronavirus. ...

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/covid-19-coronavirus-immune-system-early-treatment-interferon