I hope no one takes you seriously

More drek put out by Jillian MaiThi Epperly. It starts with this,,,

So let's take a look-see at the article shall we,,, 

While the focus of the COVID-19 pandemic has been on respiratory problems and securing enough ventilators, doctors on the front lines are grappling with a new medical mystery.
 

In addition to lung damage, many COVID-19 patients are also developing heart problems — and dying of cardiac arrest.

While mystery may not be the right words, KHN does elaborate further along in the article.

As more data comes in from China and Italy, as well as Washington state and New York, more cardiac experts are coming to believe the COVID-19 virus can infect the heart muscle. An initial study found cardiac damage in as many as 1 in 5 patients, leading to heart failure and death even among those who show no signs of respiratory distress.

I am a bit baffled by this statement. I was led to believe, early on, that one parameter of the “at risk” category was pre-existing heart issues.

After re-reading, a few times, what they are stating, the COVID-19 virus can infect the heart muscle causing heart damage leading to death. I know that point is stated plainly but it zoomed over my head. 

A form of myocarditis? My first thought, but that is not a mystery.

The question of whether the emerging heart problems are caused by the virus itself or are a byproduct of the body’s reaction to it has become one of the critical unknowns facing doctors as they race to understand the novel illness. Determining how the virus affects the heart is difficult, in part, because severe illness alone can influence heart health.

Pretty straight forward, kinda like the chicken or egg question but with serious consequences riding on the answer.

Doctors have long known that any serious medical event, even something as straightforward as hip surgery, can create enough stress to damage the heart. Moreover, a condition like pneumonia can cause widespread inflammation in the body. That, in turn, can lead to plaque in arteries becoming unstable, causing heart attacks. Inflammation can also cause a condition known as myocarditis, which can lead to the weakening of the heart muscle and, ultimately, heart failure.

But Bonow said the damage observed in COVID-19 patients could be from the virus directly infecting the heart muscle. Initial research suggests the coronavirus attaches to certain receptors in the lungs, and those same receptors are found in heart muscle as well.

 KHN then goes on to discuss a studiy out of China. The gist,

Those uncertainties underscore the need for closer monitoring of cardiac markers in COVID-19 patients, Jorde said. If doctors in New York, Washington state and other hot spots can start to tease out how the virus is affecting the heart, they may be able to provide a risk score or other guidance to help clinicians manage COVID-19 patients in other parts of the country.

And the obstacles of gathering data.

Ideally, doctors would take biopsies of the heart to determine whether the heart muscle is infected with the virus.

But COVID-19 patients are often so sick it’s difficult for them to undergo invasive procedures,,,

If there is a positive side to all this KHN notes this.

,,,despite the surge in patients, doctors continue to gather data, compile trends and publish their findings in near real time. Parikh and several colleagues recently penned a compilation of what’s known about cardiac complications of COVID-19, making the article available online immediately and adding new findings before the article comes out in print.

As well as new treatment protocols for a suspected heart attack.

New protocols now include bringing in a cardiologist and getting an EKG or an ultrasound to confirm a blockage.

,,,

Sorting out how the virus affects the heart should help doctors determine which therapies to pursue to keep patients alive.

So,,, if I am reading this correctly. IF you have a pre-existing condition you are at risk for further damage even death. We have known that since this all started.

But the big question is whether the virus can create enough stress to damage the heart. Or, said damage observed in COVID-19 patients could be from the virus directly infecting the heart muscle.

A totally different scenario than, “Your WEAKNESSES will come to surface with this VIRUS!!"

So with that in mind, lets jump to Jillian's video concerning her “substantiation.”

No Jillian,,, you never told us something we already didn't know. That pre-existing conditions could impact or be impacted by CV-19. What wasn't known and still isn't is whether CV-19 is a direct cause of heart damage. “Initial research suggests the coronavirus attaches to certain receptors in the lungs, and those same receptors are found in heart muscle as well.”

“,,,and anything that happened between November and now as far as heart attack stroke aneurysm is bronchitis most likely was triggered by this virus or some form of it.”

Here's the thing about viral FB posts. While there might be a kernel of truth, this issue is still being investigated.

Researchers have tied the origin of the virus to a live animal market in Wuhan, China. The World Health Organization first received a report of the outbreak on Dec. 31, but the virus originated in China more than a month earlier than that. A study published in early March by researchers at ETH Zurich puts the origin of the virus in the first half of November.

Why does Jillian not acknowledge that fact? Might it be that it does not fit her narrative? Why does she ignore this fact as well?

On Jan. 21, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the first case of novel coronavirus in the United States from a person who had recently returned to Washington from Wuhan. The United States has since surpassed China and Italy to become the most infected country in the world, according to a tracker from Johns Hopkins University.  

Experts say it's plausible that coronavirus came over to the U.S. from China before that first January case, but more testing is needed to be sure. 

While Jillian throws in the qualifier of “most likely,” she doesn't know and neither do the experts.

"Anecdotally, we've heard about some influenza-like illnesses in December and January that were a little bit atypical," said Dr. Luis Ostrosky, a professor of infectious diseases at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth in Houston. "But the thing we need to solve that puzzle is when we actually start doing testing of antibodies, not just detecting the virus." 

,,,

However, Benjamin said it's "plausible but not likely" that the coronavirus was in the United States in November and December. If it were in the U.S. before the end of the year, the case would also have likely been connected to travel from China, he said, and likely not widespread. 

A side note in regards to antibodies:

“Do people who survive the infection become immune to the virus?

The answer is a qualified yes, with some significant

unknowns. That’s important for several reasons.” 

 

,,,

A study in macaques infected with the new coronavirus 

suggested that once infected, the monkeys produce

 neutralizing antibodies and resist further infection. But 

it is unclear how long the monkeys, or people infected 

with the virus, will remain immune.

OK,,, now the video. 

"Viruses will cause antibody accumulation,,, and you have all theses antibodies clogging up your arteries, your capillaries you could potentially not survive a heart attack." 

Antibodies are the good boys and girls.  We need them to fight pathogens.  Full stop!! 

"I already told you this that rapid antibody accumulation will trigger heart attacks and strokes and aneurysms,,," 

And what you told people is flat out wrong! 

"And these virus strains are mutating. Because there are so many sick people in this population that are taking on this virus and they're communicable and then they just mutated the strain. And so now another person gets a very different version of this virus and it is making its way through the population. And it;s going to play pinball with all of your predispositions,,,"

And while the virus is mutating, it is doing so at a slow pace. In this case, a good thing.

The coronavirus is not mutating significantly as it circulates through the human population, according to scientists who are closely studying the novel pathogen’s genetic code. That relative stability suggests the virus is less likely to become more or less dangerous as it spreads, and represents encouraging news for researchers hoping to create a long-lasting vaccine.

,,,

There are only about four to 10 genetic differences between the strains that have infected people in the United States and the original virus that spread in Wuhan, he said. 

“That’s a relatively small number of mutations for having passed through a large number of people,” Thielen said. “At this point, the mutation rate of the virus would suggest that the vaccine developed for SARS-CoV-2 would be a single vaccine, rather than a new vaccine every year like the flu vaccine.”

It's important to note, and I find it funny, she also ignores one of her own cites from a previous post, which states, 

“The outbreaks are trackable. We have the ability to do genomic sequencing almost in real-time to see what strains or lineages are circulating,” he said. 

So far, most cases on the U.S. West Coast are linked to a strain first identified in Washington state. It may have come from a man who had been in Wuhan, China, the virus’ epicenter, and returned home on Jan. 15. It is only three mutations away from the original Wuhan strain, according to work done early in the outbreak by Trevor Bedford, a computational biologist at Fred Hutch, a medical research center in Seattle.

On the East Coast there are several strains, including the one from Washington and others that appear to have made their way from China to Europe and then to New York and beyond, Chiu said.

Bottom line, the virus has only 8 strains currently; it is not mutating person to person as Jillian states. 

No Jillian, I hope no one takes you seriously because you're a fucking idiot.