COVID-19 Update: Friday, April 30th, 2021
- Ginger Cameron, PhD
- Apr 30, 2021
- 5 min read
Double Mutant Variant, Estrogen & COVID, and Numbers - it's a little complicated today.
1. The variant in India is currently categorized as a VOI - variant of interest. You may recall we have discussed these classifications in the past. VOI means the variant has been "found to cause community transmission, has been found in multiple COVID-19 cases or clusters or has been found in multiple countries." It does not mean it is more transmissible or more deadly. We have to watch and study a VOI to see if it becomes a VOC (variant of concern). Right now, the variant in India is not, although that may change. (I suspect that it will, but we need to let the science play out).
However, it is being dubbed as a "double mutant variant" which sounds pretty terrifying so I thought we should discuss what that really means. It means the variant in India (B.1.617) actually has about 13 mutations, 7 of which are in that infamous spike protein. But two of them have been found in other variants - the one first seen in California and one found in the South African (SA) and Brazilian (B) variants. The mutation found in the SA and B variants are considered "escape mutations" because they are harder for the vaccines to work against them. Thus far, the vaccines are holding up - but we are seeing breakthrough infections in people exposed to those variants. The India variant is in the United States. The presence of it is not cause for alarm, but it is part of the reason that people who are vaccinated are asked to continue wearing masks for now - unless around other people who are vaccinated.
2. Misinformation persists regarding the vaccines and female reproduction so I want to spend a little time on that. First, let me clarify that the protein used in the vaccines is not the same protein as is at work in pregnancy. We have covered this before but I just want to reiterate that. Your body is a well-oiled machine and it does not confuse the two. So getting the vaccine will not suddenly cause your physiological processes to become confused and create pregnancy issues or infertility - that is simply not how it works. Women in the clinical trials became pregnant and women all over the world have gotten pregnant, carried their babies to term, and given birth all while getting vaccinated. So that isn't the question here. Some theories have even emerged that women who have been vaccinated are shedding this questionable protein and therefore contaminating other women rendering them infertile. So I want to clarify what is really happening, and no, vaccinated women are not shedding a protein that is causing women to be infertile.
The reality of where this all stems from is the changes were are seeing in the menstrual cycle of women who have had COVID, not women who are vaccinated. This is being studied because we have seen some things that seem odd and we need to figure them out. Reports have come in that women who have had COVID have experienced some irregularities with their periods. One woman had been menopausal for 2 years (so no periods for 2 years), then she got COVID and her period restarted. That had to be a shock. Some women have noticed differences in the frequency or length of their periods. In the majority of cases, periods have occurred more frequently, not less (which further disputes the idea that it is decreasing fertility). This hasn't been tons of women, but enough that we noticed. Interestingly, in women with long-COVID, their COVID symptoms improve while they are on their periods, then get worse when the period is over. This helped direct the research because it suggests that hormones are the answer to what is happening. Which leads us to Estrogen.
Estrogen is a "female" hormone, a statement that is slightly misleading because men have estrogen too - just not as much as women. But estrogen plays a big role in the immune system too. Estrogen helps with immune response and suppresses those hyper-cytokine storms we have heard so much about. This is one reason we believe that women have better outcomes from COVID than men - more estrogen to help prevent the cytokine storms and improve immune response. The evidence is strong enough that current work is actually being done to develop estrogen patches that can be given to men who have COVID to help prevent hospitalization. Several studies have been done that found that estrogen was a protective factor in viral infections and specifically in COVID. So the information about women's menstrual cycles and COVID is unrelated to the vaccines and really that the menstrual cycle can be protective because of the fluctuations in estrogen. This has somehow gotten twisted into misinformation about infertility. All of this information is still very much in the research phase but so far this is what we know. I will include some references below for those who would like to read more about the current research and/or clinical trials.
Worth noting, we can't yet answer the question of, is COVID-itself (meaning the virus) causing the menstrual cycle changes, or is the immune response - which results in a surge of estrogen - causing the changes? We can't completely answer that yet. This may seem like it doesn't matter - but in fact, it is important. While the result is the same, the catalyst is different - and it doesn't make a lot of sense that COVID would CAUSE your body to react in a way that would increase your ability to defeat the virus. That would be self-destructive of the virus. Remember, correlation is not causation. Ice cream sales go up when crime also goes up. But selling more ice cream doesn't cause crime. And committing a crime doesn't cause you to eat ice cream. It just so happens that ice cream sales increase in the summer, as does crime. I guess criminals find it easier to work when they won't leave footprints in the snow.
3. Charts below to show you the numbers. It is also the end of a month so I included monthly numbers as well.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Stress can sneak up on you when you least expect it. Often, you may not even realize you are stressed until something ridiculous sets you off. This week I found myself really preoccupied with things that were just silly. Logically, I knew they shouldn't be anything that bothered me, and about 92% of me wasn't bothered....but that 8% that was, was quite fixated and mentally vocal. My internal struggle was so real because I knew it was petty and that really I didn't care, so why did I care so much? Then I watched as I started to see the same thing happening to people around me. I suddenly noticed how many people were saying they were burned out at work and were looking to change jobs. I noticed how people would get bothered over seemingly minor things, shedding tears over stuff that really was inconsequential. Truth is, people are stressed and worn out and at the end of their proverbial ropes. Sometimes they don't even realize it. Be kind to yourself and others. Give yourself a break this weekend. Step away. Do something relaxing and fun. Personally, I am planning a trip to the farmer's market and planting my vegetable garden. I hope you find something that will help you quell that 8% of you that really needs it.
Further Reading:
I chuckled when I read the part about ice cream sales and crime... that example has stuck with me ever since Biostats class with you :)
Like you, I find my vegetable garden to a place to reduce stress. Gardens are work but rewarding. I started my heirloom by seed this year. Unfortunately, I moved them to garage too soon , cold snap happened, went out of town, left hubby in charge. Needless to say the combo was too much and seedlings failed. I was bummed for sure. I will still have my garden once I make my yearly trip to favorite nursery. Having the garden to allow me to escape is imperative! Wishing everyone a fantastic weekend. As always thanks for the great info in post! So helpful.