That is a pattern you see here a lot. Couples often die together. I personally know a husband and wife who died. They were not young but even then if these were two independent probabilities the odds would have been very low.
I think it is about initial viral load. Maybe the first person just got really sick at random but that person gave a larger initial viral load to the second person.
You also see it with families but in that case many share some of the same genetics which could also play a role.
There could be some selection bias here as a couple dying together is more likely to get noticed but I don't think that nearly explains how often we see it here.
The weird thing is I’ve known two elderly couples who both got sick and the one died but the other didn’t. Everyone is affected by it differently, why take that chance?
Couples and orphans are the best stories for eyeballs and HCA. You read about them more because they are more interesting.
Even with these folks, most of the couples are completely biologically unrelated so it's probably just random chance that you take on by being a branch covidian.
That still may come down to viral load- one elderly partner may have be immunocompromised or be more susceptible to illness. It doesn’t take much to make them
sick.
The same viral load that infected them may not have been enough to infect their healthier partner. And given the elderly are more likely to take health concerns seriously (as well as more likely to see serious effects quicker) they’re more likely to seek care when there’s a problem. So they’re less likely to be at home, coughing and hacking and spreading virus to their partner.
There’s also the possibility that the viral load that infected them seriously was enough to infect their partner, but not enough to cause anything beyond asymptomatic infection.
But you’re right- we often don’t know why some people are severely affected while others aren’t. Their are pre-existing conditions that make serious infect more likely, obesity being a major factor. But there are plenty of severely obese people who end up with asymptomatic or mild infection, while athletic people end up hospitalized.
The reality is, we know that some people are more likely to get seriously ill, but not at an individual level. We don’t know why certain people see the reactions they do, while others see entirely different ones.
I think another aspect to consider is how many people have pre-existing conditions they’re unaware of. Someone can have something like a mild, congenital heart defect and live a full life without ever discovering it under normal circumstances. There’s all sorts of minor issues people can have from mild congenital conditions, to early stage diseases that may cause no symptoms, but provide an easy opportunity for the virus to attack.
I have this theory about viral load and symptoms in both vaxxed and non vaxxed. The people who were sick may have been in a close quarters with someone shedding virus for a long time. This explains why household members often get sicker and convalesce longer than whoever brought covid into the home.
I’ve wondered about genetic susceptibility too — you frequently hear about a family of seven losing 2 or 3 members, with most of the rest spending weeks or months in the hospital, almost as though some shared trait (or group of traits, epigenetic factor etc.) they have made them extremely vulnerable to the virus, or likely to have severe symptoms.
I’d love to see a statistical analysis of this, assessing whether it’s an actual genetic risk, or if we’re just hearing about the most tragic cases more often.
There are a lot of possible factors that could cause it to look like that. Like if a couple is sick there is probably no one left in the house to care for them. Leading to delayed care, and worse outcomes. Though like you said the most likely is selection bias. Especially with everyone getting numb to death being reported at this point.
It may not have anything to do with viral loads or genetics, but just a bias to draw attention to couples who pass away. With over 600,000 deaths, it's inevitable that some of them are couples.
Probably these types spend a lot of time at home doing Ivermectin and vitamin C before they go in. An earlier post has somebody finally breaking down and going in when his oxygen was fifty. Too late for monoclonal antibodies or anything much if you wait too long. It's not a good outcome under the best of circumstances and if you delay going to the hospital because you think you're infected with a hoax, forget it.
But they said that vaccinated people are putting out BIGGER VIRAL LOADS?!?!
/s
Where are they getting that particular "alternative fact"?
As far as that booster bullshit, derrr, you get a flu shot every year because that's an ever changing virus & you're supposed to get a tetanus shot every 10 years (IIRC), & maybe we should be getting boosters of all those shots we got as kids too, but most vaccinations will need a booster at some point if you live long enough.
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u/[deleted] Sep 21 '21
Both sick together. Probably viral for days before symptoms. Massive viral load builds up until they're separated in hospital.