Category: Europe
European Coronavirus News
Long COVID patients lack naive T and B cells
Nature article: “Patients with long COVID had highly activated innate immune cells, lacked naive T and B cells and showed elevated expression of type I IFN (IFN-β) and type III IFN (IFN-λ1) that remained persistently high at 8 months after infection”
“T cell activation (indicated by CD38 and HLA-DR), T cell exhaustion and increases in B cell plasmablasts occur during severe COVID-19”
Full Nature article: Immunological dysfunction persists for 8 months following initial mild-to-moderate SARS-CoV-2 infection
More...Dear people, please understand: the crux of these assumptions lie on prior t cell immunity, and the virus is one step ahead in this regard; it kills cd8+ t cells.
Poland: Scientists find gene that doubles risk of serious COVID
Polish scientists have found a gene that they say more than doubles the risk of becoming severely ill with COVID-19, a discovery they hope could help doctors identify people who are most at risk from the disease.
Bulgaria: Anti-vaccine protestors try to storm Parliament
Anti-vaccine protesters tried to storm the Bulgarian parliament on Wednesday and briefly scuffled with police officers during a massive rally against coronavirus restrictions in downtown Sofia. More...
EMA: Immune system could be overloaded by booster vaccinations
The European Medicines Agency warned this week that repeated booster shots are not a sustainable long-term plan. More...
Denmark: Over 90% of Covid infections are fully vaccinated *27 UPDATES*
Denmark’s SSI now publishes raw data for new Covid cases and hospitalizations by vaccination status. More...
Deltacron: a new variant that combines Omicron and Delta discovered in Cyprus *4 UPDATES*
Cypriot authorities have reported the detection of up to 25 cases of infection [now 77 cases – see updates] with a combined version of the Delta and Omicron variants of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus which they have named “Deltacron”. More...
Finland: 50% of infected adults have long COVID
Long COVID could become one of Finland’s largest groups of chronic diseases, according to a Finnish government Minister. More...
ICU doctor to UK Health Secretary: “I do not want to have a vaccination” *3 UPDATES*
Steve James, a consultant anaesthetist at King’s College Hospital in London who has worked in the ICU since early 2020 treating Covid patients, told UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid why he did not believe in vaccination. More...
UK ONS: 1.3 million long COVID cases in Britain – 2% of the population
ONS: An estimated 1.3 million people living in private households in the UK were experiencing self-reported long COVID as of 6 December 2021. More...
UK: First human case of H5N1 bird flu found in Buckfastleigh, Devon *3 UPDATES*
A person in the Buckfastleigh, Devon, area of the southwest of England has been confirmed as having contracted H5N1 bird flu, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said. More...