An Update On Dianna's Health

While long Covid is an encompassing term, there is symptom overlap between long COVID and ME/CFS. Around 50% of people with long COVID meet the criteria for a diagnosis of ME/CFS. [link] [link] [link] Mild ME/CFS is usually associated with around 50% reduction in daily functioning. Moderate will usually lead to people being housebound and intermittently bed-bound. Severe and very severe are associated with a level of suffering that is hard to imagine possible. An example of someone becoming severe is PhysicsGirl - Dianna Cowern. [this video] The associated severe dysautonomia means that people are unable to sit or stand and often they can not eat or digest. They may require intravenous nutrition. Regrettably there are cases where the disease has not been treated appropriately and young people have died as a result. A recent example is Maeve Boothby-O'Neill and her father Sean O'Neill wrote in The Times with an interview with Maeve's Mother by Dr David Tuller. [link] [link]

The two easy areas I can cite are the lackluster results of the RECOVER initiative ( [link] ), and the complete failure of any government to distribute vaccines well. Another: 19 September 2022, US President Biden declares COVID to be "over" [link] Meanwhile, it is easy to get Pfizer and Moderna vaccines (mRNA based), and hard to get Novavax (protein based). By hard I mean impossible. mRNA are not well understood, have nasty side effects for some people (including me), and lose their efficacy after a few months, thus the need for boosters. You can verify this with blood tests that show antibody levels. With Novavax, which is based on technology that's been around for 20 years, it appears (based on studies) that it keeps its efficacy for at least a year after multiple doses, and it has minimal side effects (including my own shot). That said, many governments have relationships with Pfizer and Moderna, and so these vaccines are easily attainable, while no such relationship exists with Novavax, and it is impossible to get it. I say impossible after asking about 50 doctors, contacting pharmacies, and finally contacting Novavax themselves, who told me that it is not possible to get until the new mix comes out. So why would a vaccine that seems to actually work be unavailable, while ones that do not work are easy to get? I realize that this is more a commentary on COVID than ME/CFS, but I'm arguing that they are very similar. Just consider Physics Girl, who contracted COVID a year