Finally, data on the actual risk factors and protections for covid. By Oxford University Press.
Researchers here ran a study on 30 thousand internet users, recruiting participants using sites like Facebook and Twitter, in the Czech Republic who shared information about their exposure to 105 risk factors for COVID-19. …
Risk factors:
People predisposed to a severe course of COVID-19 [are] those who are overweight, suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or have diabetes …
People who live in larger cities and people with higher levels of education, especially women, had a lower risk of infection.
Larger household sizes and the number of children under 20 years of age (in men), were associated with a higher risk of infection. …
Being actively involved in sports, frequent singing, and cold-water swimming, increased the risk of infection. …
This study also indicated that having type B blood increased the risk for COVID-19 infection. …
[And by implication below, those with low vitamin D levels, low zinc, etc.]
Protective factors:
People living on their own had a much lower risk of infection than those who share the household with someone else. [Sweden has the highest fraction of people living alone of any country, so they should have done better.]
Singles also reported a less severe course of COVID-19.
Education level and (in women) also household size had the strongest protective effects against a severe or long course of COVID-19. …
Adherence to social distancing and frequent handwashing had only a weak protective effect. …
The most substantial protective factor against COVID-19 infection was strict adherence to mask-wearing.
The second most substantial protective factor was the consumption of vitamins and supplements. This study found in particular that taking vitamin D provided significant protection against acquiring COVID-19.
The study here found that tobacco smoking and also marijuana use (in women) have a relatively strong protective effect against infection. The researchers found that marijuana use and tobacco smoking could also have some protective effects against a severe course of COVID-19. …
No effect:
Having cats or dogs as pets did not affect the risk of infection and had a mostly insignificant positive effect on the risk of someone experiencing a severe course of the disease. …
That mask factor needs a little explanation:
The most unexpected result of the study was a positive correlation between higher severity of the course of COVID-19 and adherence to wearing masks and respirators and, to a lesser extent, keeping social distance.
The investigators speculate this is because people predisposed to a severe course of COVID-19 (those who are overweight, suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or have diabetes) tried hard to avoid infection and more strictly adhered to public health recommendations about masks and social distancing. But when they did become infected, they often had a more severe course of the disease due to their underlying health problems.
This is a mainstream source, so vaccines are not harmful and HCQ and ivermectin are not mentioned.
