Welcome to episode 493 of The Whole View! This week, Dr. Sarah and Stacy discuss what you can do to prepare for the new Omicron Variant of Covid-19. This is the second of a two-part episode, so be sure to check out last week’s episode for the science behind Omicron and how it compares to other variants.
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Key Takeaways
- As a reminder, Stacy and Dr. Sarah are not here to tell you what to do with your health, wellness, and body or how to do it. They present this information for the sole purpose of keeping you informed so you can make the best decision for you and your health. They are not medical professionals, so be sure to include a primary care doctor in any medical decisions you make.
- As discussed in last week’s episode, the Omicron Variant is (mis)regarded as “milder” due to a decrease in symptom severity. However, that does not mean you want to get it. Omicron is still very new, and we don’t have a lot of variant-specific data just yet, especially in terms of Long Covid. But if you do catch it, don’t feel guilty about it!
- Studies from the last year show Long Covid rates are actually very high. It’s also likely Long Covid is more than just one thing, including damage from Microclots, a triggered autoimmune disease, and/or persistent infection. We don’t know if the risk is as high with Omicron, but we do know we can still get Long Covid even after mild or breakthrough infections.
- If we ignore symptoms on long-covid or shrug them off and not talk to a doctor about them, there could be long-term impacts we’re not even aware of. Doctors may have suggestions or advisements to help improve your overall quality of living while you heal. Also, documentation is necessary because that’s what scientists use to keep up and understand what’s going on, the scope of the issue, and how we can fix things.
- The best way to prepare yourself for Omicron is to get vaccinated and boosted. If you’re unsure if vaccination is right for you, talk to your doctor and strategize an alternative that works best for your situation. Also, wear N95 or KN95 masks and avoid high-risk activities like large, indoor, and unmasked events and large unvaccinated groups (where Covid can spread from person-to-person faster).
- Optimize Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Zinc, and Magnesium levels, and prioritize nutrient sufficiency with fruits and vegetables to help improve Long Covid symptoms. Also, be sure you’re getting enough high-quality sleep and plenty of activity.
- It’s important to reiterate that this is not a “fat person” disease. Being overweight does not automatically make you unhealthy, nor does being “normal weight” make you automatically healthy. We’ve seen far too many young, healthy, and fit people die from Covid-19.
- Work with your doctor to manage your comorbidities that covid can influence and reduce any high-risk habits like smoking, drinking, etc. Have a thermometer and oximeter in your house and some at-home test kits (if you can get them) for early diagnosis. Find free Covid test kits here.
- If you get sick, make sure you get tested early (especially if you’re considered high-risk) and isolate to reduce your spread contribution. Get plenty of rest and high-quality sleep, and be sure to hydrate! There’s not much science on the benefit of supplements while you have covid, but it’s unlikely to hurt.
- Many experts agree Omicron will most likely become endemic, meaning low levels of it will be circulating through the public at all times. We still don’t know how long immunity lasts after natural or breakthrough infection of Omicron. Don’t try to get it- better tools are coming (like antivirals and a potentially omicron-specific booster).
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Recommended Reading & Listening
- Could microclots help explain the mystery of long Covid? | Resia Pretorius | The Guardian
- Risk for Newly Diagnosed Diabetes 30 Days After SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Persons Aged 18 Years — United States, March 1, 2020–June 28, 2021 | MMWR
- Omicron variant to create a massive long-COVID wave in February – Deseret News
- COVID-19: Up to 82% critically ill patients had low Vitamin C values | Nutrition Journal | Full Text
- Eating a plant-rich diet helps to protect against COVID-19
- USPS Covid test FAQ
Past Covid Shows
- 492: The Omicron Variant of Covid-19
- 486: Covid-19 Vaccines for Children
- 485: Covid-19 Boosters for Adults
- 468: The Delta Covid-19 Variant
- 455: Covid-19 Vaccines – Real World Data and Updated Vaccine Studies
- 454: The J&J and AstraZeneca Covid-19 Vaccines
- 444: Covid-19 Vaccine Myths and FAQ Part 4
- 443: Covid-19 Vaccines Part 3 – Myths and FAQ’s
- 441: COVID-19 Vaccines Part 2 – Pfizer/BioNTech vs Moderna
- 440: COVID-19 Vaccines Part 1 – mRNA Vaccine Technology
- 425: Covid-19 FAQ Part 4
- 412: Covid-19 FAQ, Part 3
- 403: Stacy Has Covid-19, Now What?
- 401: Covid-19 NEW FAQ
Sources & References
- Short-term and Long-term Rates of Postacute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Systematic Review | Infectious Diseases | JAMA Network Open | JAMA Network
- Global Prevalence of Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) or Long COVID: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review | medRxiv
- Symptoms and Health Outcomes Among Survivors of COVID-19 Infection 1 Year After Discharge From Hospitals in Wuhan, China | Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease | JAMA Network Open | JAMA Network
- SARS-CoV-2 spike protein S1 induces fibrin(ogen) resistant to fibrinolysis: implications for microclot formation in COVID-19
- Development of ACE2 autoantibodies after SARS-CoV-2 infection
- SARS-CoV-2 infection and persistence throughout the human body and brain
- Growing Public Health Concern of COVID-19 Chronic Olfactory Dysfunction | Public Health | JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery | JAMA Network
- Paradoxical sex-specific patterns of autoantibody response to SARS-CoV-2 infection | Journal of Translational Medicine | Full Text
- Severity of Omicron variant of concern and vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic disease: national cohort with nested test negative design study in Scotland — University of Edinburgh Research Explorer
- Frontiers | Vitamin D Status and SARS-CoV-2 Infection and COVID-19 Clinical Outcomes | Public Health
- Frontiers | A Case-Control Study for the Effectiveness of Oral Zinc in the Prevention and Mitigation of COVID-19 | Medicine
- Effect of High-Dose Zinc and Ascorbic Acid Supplementation vs Usual Care on Symptom Length and Reduction Among Ambulatory Patients With SARS-CoV-2 Infection: The COVID A to Z Randomized Clinical Trial | Complementary and Alternative Medicine | JAMA Network Open | JAMA Network
- Magnesium and Vitamin D Deficiency as a Potential Cause of Immune Dysfunction, Cytokine Storm and Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation in covid-19 patients
- Cohort study to evaluate the effect of vitamin D, magnesium, and vitamin B12 in combination on progression to severe outcomes in older patients with coronavirus (COVID-19) – ScienceDirect
- SARS-CoV-2: influence of phosphate and magnesium, moderated by vitamin D, on energy (ATP) metabolism and on severity of COVID-19 | American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism
- The efficiency and safety of high-dose vitamin C in patients with COVID-19: a retrospective cohort study
- Plant-based diets, pescatarian diets and COVID-19 severity: a population-based case–control study in six countries | BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health
- Cleveland Clinic Study Suggests Sleep Disorders Linked with More Severe Outcomes from COVID-19 – Cleveland Clinic Newsroom
- Reduced Sleep in the Week Prior to Diagnosis of COVID-19 is Associated | NSS
- Associations of sleep and circadian phenotypes with COVID-19 susceptibility and hospitalization: an observational cohort study based on the UK Biobank and a two-sample Mendelian randomization study – Docwire News
- Physical inactivity is associated with a higher risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes: a study in 48 440 adult patients | British Journal of Sports Medicine
- Physical activity and COVID-19: an observational and Mendelian randomisation study
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