 I recently listened to an excellent podcast by the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC) in which clinicians discussed the topic of current COVID omicron variants BA 4/5. The doctors discussed the nature of the variant, how treatment varies from previous strains of Omicron, and took questions from the audience. You can listen to the complete podcast here: https://odysee.com/@FrontlineCovid19CriticalCareAlliance:c/FLCCC-WEBINAR-062922_FINAL#6 The takeaway is clear - everyone should be prepared by having ALL the FLCCC recommendations on hand. Why Are There So Many COVID Cases in Highly Vaccinated States/Countries? Let’s look at some figures: in countries that are highly vaccinated (e.g., Brazil is 100% vaccinated, other highly vaccinated countries include Iceland, Gibraltar, and Denmark, as well as U.S. states such as California, Vermont, Maine, and others) vs. places like South Africa, which is only 30 % vaccinated, COVID patients who are ending up hospitalized, particularly with the new Ba4 and Ba5 variants, are predominantly vaccinated individuals. This is most likely due to a level of immunosuppression, immune imprinting, original antigenic sin, antibody dependent enhancement, and other mechanisms we’ve previously discussed in our long COVID blog series. We devastatingly underestimated the evolutionary capacity of the COVID virus to evolve and adapt to the suboptimal immune pressure on the spike protein. Many have warned that mass vaccination during a pandemic would force the COVID virus to evolve and become more aggressive and escape immunity due to massive infectious pressure. And now we have to consider that recent omicron sub-variants such as BA.4 and BA.5 may be completely novel COVID viruses and not necessarily variants of omicron. It is not thought that immunity to BA.1 or BA.2 (omicron) will give you future immunity. So, when will this ever end? Bottom line: the COVID vaccines create antibodies to the initial Wuhan strain, which was in our distant past and early on. And if you have been vaccinated, you may be at increased risk of getting sick and you may be at risk of future medical problems. We are all susceptible despite our naturally acquired immunity due to evolutionary pressure placed on the virus. See the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System for additional information: https://vaers.hhs.gov/ What we can do. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of early treatment for COVID cases. Sadly, most doctors are not aware of these hugely effective regimens. I encourage you to review and download this important protocol and continue to check the FLCCC website for additional updates. If you are exposed to someone with COVID, start the prevention protocol. Points about the early treatment protocol and podcast. Begin antiviral preventative protocol early on, and then add an antibiotic at day 4-6 given if there are signs of bacterial pneumonia which seems to be more common with the new variants (at least that is what they are seeing in South Africa and Brazil) With acute infection use: Ivermectin: 0.3 to 0.6 mg/kg – one dose daily for at least 5 days or until symptoms resolve. Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ): 200 mg twice a day for 5 to 10 days; Some have noted that HCQ may be more effective against omicron, but the FLCCC still prefers using Ivermectin as the antiviral of choice. The FLCCC doctors do not think Paxlovid is very effective. Rebound symptoms can occur after Paxlovid. In some patients, a course of steroids might be helpful, but steroids are not first line on the FLCCC protocol. Antiplatelet therapy such as full dose ASA or other more aggressive measures to prevent clotting may be needed. The doctors on this podcast state that they are seeing more clotting risk in those that have been vaccinated. See the FLCCC protocol for full supplements recommendation, but these include: Vitamin C 500-1000 bid Vitamin D3/K 2 Quercetin 250 mg bid Curcumin 500 mg bid Zinc 75-100mg / day Melatonin 5-10 mg at bedtime Mouthwash: 3 times daily; gargle three times a day (do not swallow) with an antiseptic-antimicrobial mouthwash containing chlorhexidine, cetylpyridinium chloride (e.g., ScopeTM, ActTM, CrestTM) or povidone-iodine.  Nasal spray with 1% povidone-iodine: 2-3 times a day. You can make 1% povidone-iodine concentrated solution:
• Pour 1 1⁄2 tablespoons (25 ml) of 10% povidone-iodine solution into a clean 250 ml nasal irrigation bottle. • Fill the bottle to top with distilled, sterile, or previously boiled and cooled water. • To use: tilt head back, apply 4-5 drops to each nostril. Keep head tilted for a few minutes, then let drain. In the FLCCC protocol there are multiple second line therapies so please consult that material for additional recommendations: https://covid19criticalcare.com/covid-19-protocols/i-care-early-covid-treatment/ Early treatment is key for everyone. Please don't wait until you test positive to have all these recommendations at your fingertips Find a doctor that understands the importance of early treatment and is aligned with the FLCCC. Stay well and stay curious! In health and hope, Dr. Suzanne K. Gazda References: Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC) https://covid19criticalcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/I-CARE-Early-Treatment-Protocol-V1-June2022.pdf The unintended consequences of COVID-19 vaccine policy: why mandates, passports and restrictions may cause more harm than good May 2022 Bardosh K et al BMJ Global Health https://gh.bmj.com/content/bmjgh/7/5/e008684.full.pdf High rate of BA.1, BA.1.1 and BA.2 infection in triple vaccinated 2022 preprint https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.04.02.22273333v1.full The Rollout of COVID-19 Booster Vaccines is Associated With Rising Excess Mortality in New Zealand Gibson, J et al EconPapers July 2022 Increasing SARS-CoV2 cases, hospitalizations and deaths among the vaccinated elderly populations during the Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant surge in UK Preprint June 2022 https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.06.28.22276926v1 Yahi N, Chahinian H, Fantini J. Infection-enhancing anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies recognize both the original Wuhan/D614G strain and Delta variants. A potential risk for mass vaccination?. J Infect. 2021;83(5):607-635. doi:10.1016/j.jinf.2021.08.010 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8351274/ Covid cases are rising in highly vaccinated Israel but it doesn’t mean Australia should give up. UNSW, Australia (2021); retrieved July 6, 2022 https://www.unsw.edu.au/news/2021/08/covid-cases-are-rising-in-highly-vaccinated-israel--but-it-doesn From Positive to Negative to Positive Again- The Mystery of Why COVID 19 Rebounds in Some Patients Who Take Paxlovid Rubin R JAMA June 2022 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2793357 Hart, R. Covid cases surge in 4 of 5 world’s most vaccinated countries. Forbes (2021). https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/05/11/covid-surges-in-4-of-5-worlds-most-vaccinated-countries-heres-why-the-us-should-worry/?sh=57d06f9dd677 Stableford, D., Romano, A. Why covid cases are surging in states with high vaccination rates. Yahoo News. (November 2021) https://news.yahoo.com/why-covid-cases-are-surging-in-states-with-high-vaccination-rates-and-what-it-means-for-the-winter-ahead-204548703.html Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) https://vaers.hhs.gov/ Risk of persistent and new clinical sequelae among adults aged 65 years and older during the post-acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection: retrospective cohort study BMJ Feb 2022 https://www.bmj.com/content/376/bmj-2021-068414 Protection and Waning of Natural and Hybrid Immunity to SARS-CoV-2 | NEJM https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2118946 Effects of Previous Infection and Vaccination on Symptomatic Omicron Infections | NEJM https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2203965 Infection-enhancing anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies recognize both the original Wuhan/D614G strain and Delta variants. A potential risk for mass vaccination? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8351274/ Walgreens COVID-19 Index https://www.walgreens.com/businesssolutions/covid-19-index.jsp?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email Windsor, R. Non-covid excess deaths, why are they on the rise? The Week. July 6, 2022. https://www.theweek.co.uk/news/uk-news/957270/non-covid-excess-deaths-why-are-they-on-the-rise?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
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