Interesting article by ABCNews.go on the potential benefit of the Covid vaccine on those affected by Long Covid. The theory as stated in the article is that the vaccine will stimulate the bodies own immune defenses to search out and destroy any lingering pockets of the virus. Or if Long Covid is being caused my an autoimmune response in the body, the vaccine will divert the immune system away from attacking its host to turning on any pockets of virus that remains.
The science is still to be worked out if the vaccine will really help the effects of Long Covid. As you will see in the article, a blind study would be required to truly and scientifically make a correlation between the vaccine and its potential benefits for Long Haulers. However, what is clear is that we all will need to get the vaccine to improve our bodies ability to fight of the virus even if we have been infected previously.
I have tried for weeks now to get on a vaccine list here in Colorado. I am not a front line worker and so I am probably a few months away from being successful. Until then I will need to focus on other strategies to feel better. More sleep, increasing exercise, diet and medication.
Stay strong!
From the article. “Last year, Iwasaki proposed several possible causes of long COVID, which she now says may explain why a vaccine can help.
According to one theory, long COVID may result from a long-term viral infection or from viral fragments in the body, which the vaccine could drive the body to destroy, said Iwasaki.
“Once you do that, you cure the symptoms by eliminating the source of the problem,” she said.
But another theory posits that long COVID is an autoimmune response, in which the immune system attacks the body’s own cells, said Iwasaki. If so, the immune response triggered by the vaccine may divert immune cells that had been attacking body cells.
“These are not mutually exclusive,” said Iwasaki. “A person can have a persistent virus and autoimmunity.”
Some scientists, like immunologist Dr. Nancy Klimas, wonder if long COVID is caused by old viruses that stay in the body but are typically held in check, like infectious mononucleosis. She speculates that COVID damages the immune system and lets these viruses loose. The vaccine may then “restore a normal antiviral response, so long-haulers can effectively prevent latent viruses from reactivating,” said Klimas.”
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/experts-weigh-covid-vaccines-long-haulers/story?id=76416783
Covid Long Haulers 