What if HIV had Been Airborne Like COVID, or is it?

Is COVID-19 Similar Airborne AIDS?

What if COVID-19 is very similar to AIDS?

AIDS:

- Severe immunodeficiency: A CD4 cell count of less than 200 cells per cubic millimeter of blood.

- Recurrent opportunistic infections: Such as pneumocystis pneumonia, tuberculosis, and herpes simplex virus infections.

- Cancer: Such as Kaposi’s sarcoma, lymphoma, and cervical cancer.

- Progressive weight loss: A significant loss of body mass.

My Daughter’s Night

I want to start with something hopeful. My daughter Jay came into my room and woke me. She wanted to show me the stars as she has become interested in those. We live in the deep rural part of northern Vermont, and the sky was very clear tonight in a cold clear, very rural place. We looked at Orions Belt, coming over the top of our forest. That was the best feeling of hope!

She has been through so many health trials before becoming an adult, so seeing that passion for some small lights in the sky, was overwhelming.

Hope was described to me recently, as when all the normal answers to a problem seem gone.

On Covid and Long Covid now, for a while…

People say, it’s been five years and nothing really bad has happened outside the millions of Americans who have died from this virus. The argument is that they were just old or vulnerable.

Now let’s imagine a little bit. Let’s think about a virus called HIV had been airborne.

If AIDS had been airborne—a virus wafting invisibly through the air, infecting lungs at concerts, during family dinners, or in classrooms. With HIV, symptoms often remain invisible for years. After the acute infection phase, it can take anywhere from 8 to 10 years for AIDS to develop in an untreated individual, during which time the virus silently damages the immune system. Now imagine if it wasn’t limited to transmission through blood or bodily fluids but instead spread as easily as a cold.

So, it’s been five years. You’ve been infected a few times—once at a family dinner, maybe again at work. You feel okay. A little fatigue here and there, but nothing life-changing. But so did HIV patients in the early years. HIV to AIDS took more than eight years for untreated individuals. These viruses play the long game. What if SARS-CoV-2 is doing the same, quietly laying groundwork for long-term destruction?

In this scenario, the virus wouldn’t have stayed confined to specific populations. It would have infected nearly the entire global population before anyone realized what was happening. People would have continued their lives for years, unaware they were carrying a ticking time bomb in their bodies. By the time the devastation became undeniable—when immune systems failed en masse and opportunistic infections became rampant—it might have been too late. Entire populations could have collapsed, leaving only a few thousand survivors to rebuild from the ashes of a near-extinction event.

Sounds terrifying, doesn’t it? Now let me introduce you to SARS-CoV-2.

Unlike the common cold or flu, SARS-CoV-2 is a biohacker extraordinaire, finding new ways to wreak havoc at every level of human biology. It infiltrates the bloodstream, leading to the formation of microscopic clots that can cause strokes, heart attacks, and other cardiovascular issues. These tiny clots act as invisible landmines, disrupting normal blood flow and damaging organs. In the brain, the virus can trigger inflammation and even kill brain cells, resulting in cognitive decline, memory loss, and emotional instability. What many dismiss as “brain fog” is, in reality, a sign of neurological damage.

SARS-CoV-2 also interferes with bone marrow function, disrupting the production of vital blood cells and potentially weakening bones. It targets vital organs like the liver and kidneys, causing damage both directly through infection and indirectly through inflammation. In severe cases, this can lead to organ failure. The virus also invades the nervous system, which is why some people lose their sense of smell and taste—symptoms that signal its deeper reach into the body’s neural pathways.

Perhaps most troubling is how SARS-CoV-2 manipulates the immune system. Much like HIV, it hijacks immune cells, leading to immune exhaustion and leaving the body vulnerable to other infections and even cancers. This is not merely a respiratory virus—it’s a systemic invader with the capability to wreak havoc throughout the body.

When comparing SARS-CoV-2 to HIV, the similarities are striking. Both viruses excel at evading the immune system, mutating rapidly to avoid detection. HIV integrates into a person’s DNA, while SARS-CoV-2 lingers in reservoirs like the gut, brain, and lymph nodes, even after the acute phase of the infection has passed. The damage they cause unfolds slowly. With HIV, it may take years before AIDS develops. With SARS-CoV-2, the long-term effects may similarly take years to fully manifest, as evidence of lingering inflammation, organ damage, and immune dysfunction continues to grow.

The possibility of SARS-CoV-2 promoting cancer adds another layer of concern. Chronic inflammation and immune dysfunction create an ideal environment for cancerous growths to take hold. While HIV is known for increasing the risk of Kaposi’s sarcoma and lymphoma, SARS-CoV-2 could drive a broader range of malignancies, including leukemia and thyroid cancer. These developments may not become apparent for years, underscoring the virus’s potential to disrupt human health in ways we are only beginning to understand.

SARS-CoV-2’s ability to manipulate the immune system is particularly alarming. By mutating its spike protein, it escapes neutralizing antibodies, rendering vaccines and prior immunity less effective. The virus hides in reservoirs within the body, such as the brain and gut, where it continues to cause damage undetected. It also suppresses the body’s antiviral responses, delaying the immune system’s ability to respond effectively. Over time, the prolonged strain on immune cells leads to exhaustion, weakening the body’s defenses against future infections and diseases.

Even as society rushes to move on, SARS-CoV-2 is quietly reshaping global health. The list of conditions linked to the virus continues to expand. Rates of diabetes—both Type 1 and Type 2—are rising among those who have been infected. Vascular damage is contributing to persistent hypertension, while neuropsychiatric disorders like anxiety, depression, and even psychosis are becoming more common.

Autoimmune diseases such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and thyroid dysfunction are being triggered in people who were previously healthy. What’s most concerning is that these outcomes aren’t isolated cases but part of a broader pattern, suggesting that SARS-CoV-2 is leaving a lasting imprint on the human body.

The parallels to an airborne AIDS scenario are not speculative—they’re already playing out in real time. This virus has changed the rules of human biology, turning “mild colds” into chronic illnesses that will burden healthcare systems for decades to come. If we continue to ignore the long-term consequences of repeated SARS-CoV-2 infections, we’re gambling with the future of public health on a global scale.

Lastly, where does hope play in? It’s the place we go for solutions.

Hope: Hope, particularly when there are no other options, can be understood as a profound and resilient state of mind that transcends mere optimism. It is the belief or expectation of a better future, even in the face of overwhelming odds or despair. This type of hope is often described as an act of defiance against circumstances, discipline, or even a form of courage.