Research published today in Lancet Infectious Disease and supported by PolyBio Research Foundation provides the strongest evidence yet that the COVID virus can persist for months or years after infection. The findings, published by a UC San Francisco/Harvard Medical School team, found that proteins created by the virus were still present for up to 14 months in a quarter of people tested. This demonstrates SARS-CoV-2 viral persistence as an urgent area of research underlying a breadth of chronic disease after COVID.

“The fact that every new SARS-CoV-2 infection has the potential to become chronic is perhaps the single most concerning aspect of this virus” says Dr. Amy Proal, President of PolyBio. “We have compelling data that viral persistence is much more common than recognized which could have major health implications.”

wtf

However, with an estimated 18 million adults and 5.8 million children suffering from Long COVID, government investment is also needed. SARS-CoV-2 has even been found in the lymph nodes of children months after COVID, suggesting persistent infection can begin early in life.

long suspected and showed up in research before, but here’s more proof this is a thing.

Nearly all people in the study were not vaccinated, and generally the sicker they were the more likely they had viral persistance.

  • ButtBidet [he/him]@hexbear.netM
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    7 months ago

    I just want to highlight that this was published in The Lancet. Only because I’ve personally never heard of Polybio.

    Reactionaries and libs will take the most garbage YouTuber opinions on COVID, yet ignore the abundance of incredibly strong peer reviewed shit saying that covid is still dangerous.

    • VILenin [he/him]@hexbear.net
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      7 months ago

      Liberals believe they have the right to speak on subjects they know nothing about.

      You know the thing about the blind men and the elephant? The liberal is perfectly sighted but stands with their back facing the elephant, denies that there are such things as “elephants” and suggests that it must be a unicorn.

    • sappho [she/her]@hexbear.net
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      7 months ago

      I’m familiar with PolyBio because I have long covid and I follow organizations that are doing studies and looking for treatments. My impression thus far has been that they’re doing pretty promising research (unlike the government’s RECOVER trials, which have been inadequate and disappointing). Viral persistence as a root cause of long covid is something they’re investigating.