A question, not a definitive statement this time, as we wonder could COVID fragments trigger new events after lying dormant. We have learned remnants of the virus can linger in sanctuaries in our bodies after the infection has passed. We return to David Cox’s interview with Melissa Heightman. That’s because she runs a post-Covid-19 clinic at University College London Hospitals, and is a fount of knowledge.
A Virus Can Remain Active in a Reservoir Site for Years
We don’t have an abundance of information about lingering fragments of the SARS-Cov-2 virus yet. However, we do have data about other coronavirus events like the recent Ebola outbreak in Guinea.
David Cox reveals this may have originated from an Ebola survivor who initially contracted the infection between 2014 and 2016. The surge began again after he infected his sexual partner. A microbiologist at University of Liverpool Georgios Pollakis suspects the man’s body ‘failed to completely clear the virus’.
He explains how viral particles ‘hide in reservoirs where they induce local inflammation’. However, these reserves may ‘periodically slip back into the bloodstream, and trigger an immune reaction, along with other symptoms’.
Could COVID Fragments Trigger a Range of New Events?
We have been exploring the trigger of lingering post-COVID fatigue, drawing inspiration from David Cox’s BBC article. However, Georgios Pollakis says COVID fragments can trigger new events in a wider range of tissues in the body, from the brain to the testes.
But the rogue fragments of the Sars-CoV-2 virus are unlikely to be the sole cause of long COVID alone. The topic broadens when we discover the remaining virus may trigger an autoimmune reaction in some instances too. This may be what’s behind joint and muscle pain, and the sudden appearances of new allergies.
‘We think something about COVID stimulates the immune system to attack the body’s own tissue in some patients. This might be in a similar manner to autoimmune lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis,’ ponders Melissa Heightman.
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Preview Image: Auto Immune System and Disease
