COVID why do suffers have such different outcomes

I have brittle asthma, bronchiectasis and RA, an autoimmune disease and am in the extremely critically category.
There has been research recently to say that there appears to be evidence of a strong connection between these conditions.

growstuff

Don't you think there are other factors? Vit D might help, but I honestly don't think it's the whole answer.

Nothing will be the whole answer because it’s such a complex virus. But it may well be part of the solution and it’s being largely ignored because it’s so simple. Davis reckons there is actually a Vit D deficiency pandemic. The fact is that it isn’t a vitamin but a hormone and almost every part of the body needs it to function properly. It’s worth listening to Davis speaking about it on DrJohns blog.

That makes sense SueDonim. A lot of different factors to take into account isn’t there?

Don't you think there are other factors? Vit D might help, but I honestly don't think it's the whole answer.

The problem with VitD supplementation is that, no matter how many arguements are put forward for it’s efficacy (much of which is scientifically based) everyone still tries to find reasons why there are other factors at play. It’s cheap and it’s safe and it might just help. I’m not one for conspiracy theories, especially regarding the pandemic, but there’s no money to be made out of VitD.

I hadn't thought of that.

Regarding lower rates in African countries, there are two reasons I can think of. One is that many of them don’t have access to testing so they don’t know whether people have CV or not. Another is the age of populations.

In Nigeria, half of the population is under 19 years of age. They’re not the category that dies of CV. Also Nigerian life expectancy is less than fifty five years so they simply don’t have a population of older people who are vulnerable to dying of CV.

Yes, I’ve wondered about the importance of Vitamin D given that countries nearer the equator seem to be suffering fewer deaths.

I’m not sure where the figure of 72% of the BAME community rejecting the vaccine came from. This is one instance when that overarching BAME classification doesn’t really work. Different communities have different views.

A recent Public Health survey found that only around 50% of those of the Southern Asian communities would take the vaccine. There’s been a lot of fake news about animal products/alcohol in the vaccine and there’s been a big push by community leaders to reassure people, but we all know how fake news takes a hold?

Both DrJohn and David Davis are adamant that VitD deficiency is a reason why BAME groups suffer disproportionately. In African countries they will have greater exposure to the sun. In this country won’t stop them catching covid but it can greatly reduce how ill they get. Davis has been banging on about it in parliament for months. MP’s are taking it: he says all the doctors he knows take it. The amount given to people in care homes is far too low. And yet still no trials have been done in this country (I think there might be one now though ). In other countries huge doses of VitD given in hospital reduce the death rate dramatically. He does have a scientific background and talks ar great length about it in DrJohns blog.

That should have said uptake not update!

Is there a case for making the vaccination mandatory I wonder?
If too many ethnic minorities refuse the vaccine, then we could be in trouble.

In general I hate the idea of too much State intervention in our lives but maybe now is the time to keep a close eye on the update amongst those groups which refuse.

Greeneyedgirl

I agree Rosie59. Healthcare staff don’t die in their hundreds from flu either.

Flu doesn't kill so many people either. 2017/18 was a bad year for flu. I can only find the Public Health England figure, but the total was around 22,000. Covid-19 has already killed more than four times that many.

maddyone

Incidentally, I’m not from the BAME community. I live in a house in a pleasant area. I don’t work any longer. I’m not obese. I’m not diabetic. I’m not male. There just isn’t a reason apparently, apart from the asthma, and my age, 67, that would have singled me out to be so ill.

Asthma is the third most common underlying condition in those who are hospitalised (after heart/circulatory problems and diabetes), so maybe that was the reason. I don't know that much about asthma, but apparently there are different reasons people have it, including links with the immune system. Maybe it's connected with whatever the reason for your asthma is, but you'd probably need specialist tests to find out anything.

I hadn’t seen that you’d been in hospital maddyone. How frightening and hope you make a good recovery. It really does seem to be random doesn’t it, but there must be some other factor/s yet undiscovered.

Considering they are more at risk why are 72% of BAME people saying they won’t have the vaccination? It doesn’t make sense to me.

I agree Rosie59. Healthcare staff don’t die in their hundreds from flu either.

Incidentally, I’m not from the BAME community. I live in a house in a pleasant area. I don’t work any longer. I’m not obese. I’m not diabetic. I’m not male. There just isn’t a reason apparently, apart from the asthma, and my age, 67, that would have singled me out to be so ill.

Well I’m recovering from Covid now. I was hospitalised for twelve days, was very ill, but received fantastic care from the the medics, and I firmly believe that’s why I survived.

I caught Covid from my mother indirectly. She was hospitalised after a fall and a small brain injury, and despite testing negative twice before discharge, she actually was discharged with the virus. We were aware that Covid patients had been put into her ward, they firstly tested negative, then positive and were moved, but she’d already contracted it. I had decided to leave everything to the carers and not visit her (she’s in a bubble with us) for a week, but my husband decided to go because she needed a table moving so she could use her new walking frame. He’s always kind and tries to help people, but I wish he hadn’t on this occasion. She had the virus, the carer had sent for the ambulance and wanted my husband to wait with her for what could be several hours. He was with her for 40 minutes before the carer decided to send her to hospital in a taxi. My husband pushed her down in her wheelchair, them came home. Later that day we found out she tested positive. Unfortunately my husband contracted it from her, and in turn, I got it too.
My husband was ill for one day. My 93 year old mother was barely ill at all, and was quickly sent off to the rehabilitation centre where she was cared for until she went home. She had no obvious symptoms.
However it was a different story for me. After becoming increasingly unwell over approximately ten days, my oxygen saturation levels were dangerously low at 80 to 86. I was being monitored at home by the Virtual Covid Ward and a decision to send me into hospital was made, and within an hour I was at the hospital. I’ve documented on another thread the progression of the Covid so won’t go into it here. My point is that my husband and my elderly mother both suffered very few symptoms and recovered quickly. Unfortunately I didn’t. Why did they escape so lightly? Why did I become so ill? There aren’t any answers at the moment. I have asthma, was that the reason? I don’t think we’ll know any time soon. But I hope one day we’ll have the answer.

I've just seen Kadinsky's post. Snap!

Peasblossom

Just going back to the BAME issue, growstuff. I’d be interested in your take on a couple of things.

Firstly, the BAME classification is far to wide for any meaningful research into genetic factors, because it encompasses many different ethnic groups. It’s a political classification really.

People that would be classified as BAME in Britain are not being affected by COVID in the same way throughout the world. Some African and Asian countries have fairly low rates of death per 100,000 of the population. I know this might be due to reporting techniques but their overall death rates don’t seem much higher than normal.

Any thoughts?

I honestly don't have a definitive answer, but it's interesting and would suggest it's not genetic, but environmental. It's known that people from certain "BAME" groups work in jobs where working from home isn't an option and that they often live in overcrowded housing. Maybe people in Africa and Asia tend to work outdoors, where transmission is lower. I really don't know, but there does need to be investigation. Apparently, black people in the US are being affected disproportionately too.

Elusivebutterfly

I think you can also compare Covid with influenza. A lot of people die every year from influenza, hence we are encouraged to have the flu vaccine. On the other hand, the majority of people are only ill for a short time and make a full recovery.

I don’t really think you can compare it with flu. Too many young very fit people have become seriously ill and some have lost their life this doesn’t happen on such a scale with flu

I think you can also compare Covid with influenza. A lot of people die every year from influenza, hence we are encouraged to have the flu vaccine. On the other hand, the majority of people are only ill for a short time and make a full recovery.

Thank you Santana I hope the same for your daughter too going forward. Ours can, in the wee small hours after a bad day, worry what this virus might be doing to her internal organs. Luckily she is a lot stronger now and doesn’t suffer with breathlessness now. Those 9 weeks she was off work really scared her as she is a fit 40y old with no underlying conditions.

Interesting theories coming up re blood groups too.

Regarding some ethnic minority groups & high rates of coronavirus ( in the UK )
They’re more likely to have customer facing jobs ( many of them low paid/ low skilled ) cab drivers /security guards for example.
Many of them work within the NHS or private care homes. Some live in overcrowded houses, and the vast majority live in big towns & cities.
So basically, you have poorer people living in over crowded houses in big cities in low paid customer facing jobs.
Certain groups also have a higher rate of diabetes.

It’s a terrible mix of circumstances where C19 is concerned unfortunately.