The third, most worrisome one is just recently noted.
As global mass vaccination is going on, we have been fixating on the risks of Covid-19 vaccines. At least I’ve written a number of such articles, namely on the biodistribution of mRNA and DNA vaccines, vaccine-induced blood clots and low platelets, and original antigen sin. But this time, let’s look at the virus (SARS-CoV-2) or disease (Covid-19) more closely.
First, let’s briefly recap what most of us already knows about the health risks of SARS-CoV-2 or Covid-19:
- It can cause severe pneumonia, blood clots, and multi-organ failure that can hospitalize a person and can be fatal, especially for those who…
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Humans don’t always win against evolving viruses, but there are reasons to be optimistic
In 1960, Thomas Francis Jr., MD, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan who was the first to isolate the influenza virus in the U.S., published a paper titled “On the Doctrine of Original Antigenic Sin” in the Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society that is pertinent to our understanding of immunological memory to this day.
Sadly, the concept of original antigenic sin (OAS) has not been given the scrutiny it deserves. …
A newsletter providing a brief account of the topics covered last month.
We have seen at least two major developments on Covid-19 during the past month: the vaccine-induced thrombotic (blood clots) thrombocytopenia (low platelets) and the origin of Covid-19. These two important topics, as well as other fascinating vaccine stores, are covered in Microbial Instincts. And here’s a short description of them that I hope keeps you more scientifically informed:
Coronavirus vaccines
- Platelet Disorders and Genetic Vaccines Might Have A Biological Link, but It’s Negligible: As genetic (mRNA/DNA) vaccines are relatively new technology, many things about them are still unclear. Specifically, data on the tissue biodistribution of mRNA (e.g., Pfizer and Moderna) and DNA…
Making sense of the information on vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) out there to see what this is all about.
Unfortunately, the Oxford/AstraZeneca (Ox/AZ) and Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccines for Covid-19 have caused — or at least with high certainty of causing —a few cases of severe and fatal blood clots for every million doses of vaccine injected. Although this rate is minuscule — bearing possible underreporting in mind — one unwanted death is always one too many. And deaths with unclear causes need to be examined to prevent more of the same.
That said, let’s see what the vaccine-induced blood clots (accompanied by low platelet levels) — that make everyone anxious and worried — are all about. …
An overview of the WHO-China investigation report, an update on current knowledge, and some next steps
The causative agent of Covid-19, SARS-CoV-2, is one successful coronavirus that has initiated a global pandemic. How did it emerge in humans, however, remains a question so crucial that nobody has a full answer to it. After all, knowing how a clinically important virus came into existence is key to anticipating and stopping the next one.
Just as the World Health Organization (WHO) did an investigational field visit in China between January 14 and February 10, 2021, and published their report on March 30, 2021, we thought we might finally have the answer to the origin of Covid-19. Unfortunately, we…
After 15 months of consistent scientific writing online, here’s what I’ve got to share
On 1st January 2020, I wrote and self-published my first blog article online. (It’s mediocre, obviously, so you might not want to read it.) After 15 months of consistent writing online, I’ve written about 200 articles and earned 20,000 USD. The time went by quickly, but the experiences gained are lasting. I’m sharing them here because I hope they can benefit you too.
1. Measure your cumulative progress rather than your weekly or monthly performance
Your content views and earnings can fluctuate wildly due to various factors, many of which are outside your control. Some months are simply disappointing. In December 2020, for example, my earnings fell by 1000 USD, almost half…
Understanding the nature of the potential harm helps us discern its risk.
While this article might fuel vaccine hesitancy in some, I hope it will mainly get dispelled instead. In a word, a possible biological explanation for how genetic (mRNA/DNA) vaccines might trigger platelet disorders every once in a blue moon has been proposed. Platelet is a blood component that clots blood in blood vessels.
This article will delve into the specifics and can be heavy to read, so if you have to skim through it, please at least read the last section.
Genetic vaccines and platelet disorders
Genetic vaccines include the mRNA vaccine from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, as well as the DNA vaccine from Oxford/AstraZeneca (Ox/AZ).
A newsletter providing a brief account of the topics covered in the past month.
As global vaccination is going on, I hope all is good at your end. Without further ado, here’s a short account of the articles published this month in Microbial Instincts that I hope keeps you more scientifically informed:
Vaccines
- What I Saw and Didn’t See at a COVID Vaccination Clinic: Ryan P. Gilley, Ph.D., an infectious disease researcher, describes his inspiring experiences as a volunteer administering vaccines for Covid-19. While the media tends to cover vaccine skepticism and hesitancy, Dr. Gilley witnessed the opposite, writing that “I saw what “in this together” really looks like.”
- Concerns of Lipid Nanoparticle Carrying mRNA…
A new hint into the pandemic origin — with input from a professor — that we may need to think beyond Yunnan.
The search for an intermediate host of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes Covid-19, has been disappointing. Animals like dogs, snakes, and turtles were suspected initially but were soon disproven. Then pangolins became the next suspect and remained unconfirmed to this day.
But what if there was no intermediate host involved all along? What if an intermediate host isn’t necessary for the evolution of SARS-CoV-2?
Coronavirus intermediate host in brief
When we discovered that a coronavirus, namely SARS-CoV-2, causes the pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan (a city in China) in December 2019, we also know that it most likely came from bats. …
Detailing the arguments for and against this concern with input from experts.
We are all-in into vaccinating as many people as possible against Covid-19, with mRNA vaccines at the forefront. So, we might as well go all-in into understanding the little intricacies of how mRNA vaccine encapsulated by lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) might interact with delicate cell types — such as neurons in the brain — that a few experts have raised.
Before going further, the conclusion herein is that the actual risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection or Covid-19 largely outweighs the hypothetical risks of the LNP-encapsulated mRNA vaccine. But there are still a few concerns left unanswered, which deserve more transparency.
