There is a legend where in an old west ghost town, an entire card table full of skeletons were found, dead, still holding their cards. They had been shot. Presumbly some nasty bandits came in and pumped them full of lead and took their loot. But nobody ever found out who they were, or why they were never noticed for over 100 years.
It was always the still holding their cards part that got to me. Of course this is caused by a reflex when one encounters a traumatic brain injury, but on top of that they were also upright. This is a legend and I have not verified it.
It could be true, I suppose. There are a lot of abandoned towns out west, and on my trips through Arizona over the years, even some of the still operating ones creep me out. Apparently there are some scary ones up towards Kingman, but I don’t look for them. Red Kingman is scary enough.
In Pennsylvania, a real life horror story unfolded when three siblings, ages 68-72, were all found dead of Covid on their property. But it is the autopsy report that in my case gives me the willies.
Ruth Kinsey was found dead on the floor. She was 68. 70 year-old Richard was found sitting upright in his chair. He had just quit breathing until dead, and didn’t even topple over. 72 year-old Donald was found in the camper on the site.
All dead of Covid.
A coroner in Pennsylvania said on Wednesday that three siblings who were found dead at a house in October have passed away due to COVID.
Cambria County coroner Jeff Lees has determined the cause of the death after autopsies, toxicology tests, and microbiology exams, the Associated Press reported.
All three siblings died five days before they were found at a house in Conemaugh Township in Somerset County on October 25. The autopsies carried out on October 26 didn't mention any trauma, according to WJAC TV. "They were positive for COVID-19, the lungs were heavy and congested," Lees said, per the AP.
For more context a local paper goes into detail here-
Ruth Kinsey, 68, and brothers Richland Kinsey, 70, and Donald Kinsey, 62, all died from COVID-19, Lees said. All had underlying medical conditions, he said.
The bodies of Ruth and Richard Kinsey were found inside a Baiker Street home. Donald Kinsey was found in a camper on the property, located near Daisytown.
“At the time of the deaths, it was odd that you have three individuals deceased within a short period of time in the same proximity to each other,” Lees said. “That’s why we did the autopsy, the toxicology and microbiology tests. The forensic facts are what they are.”
People ask me why life is passing me by, and I say because I do not want to shorten it. I turn down free event tickets regularly and stay inside, because if you have “underlying conditions” Covid can literally eat you alive.
To most readers, heavy and congested sounds like pneumonia, which while awful is not something we are unfamilar with. But the story is soft pedalling the nature of the description.
Both studies were supported by NIH. One comes from a team led by Benjamin Izar, Columbia University, New York. The other involves a group led by Aviv Regev, now at Genentech, and formerly at Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA.
As a person clears and recovers from a typical respiratory infection, such as the flu, the lung repairs the damage. But in severe COVID-19, both studies suggest this isn’t always possible. Not only does SARS-CoV-2 destroy cells within air sacs, called alveoli, that are essential for the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide, but the unchecked inflammation apparently also impairs remaining cells from repairing the damage. In fact, the lungs’ regenerative cells are suspended in a kind of reparative limbo, unable to complete the last steps needed to replace healthy alveolar tissue.
In both studies, the lung tissue also contained an unusually large number of fibroblast cells. Izar’s team went a step further to show increased numbers of a specific type of pathological fibroblast, which likely drives the rapid lung scarring (pulmonary fibrosis) seen in severe COVID-19. The findings point to specific fibroblast proteins that may serve as drug targets to block deleterious effects.
Covid has been described by some as having concrete poured into one’s lungs. Literally sealing off one’s ability to breathe. I have seen it referred to as black lung, and even fiberglass. Some survivors end up needing lung transplants. Others have had organ failure, some brain damage. This is a Swiss-Army Knife of a virus. There are many ways it kills, and we are still learning about it.
The siblings in this story probably were not vaccinated, and while I do not know their living conditions, perhaps did little to help themselves in the way mitigation strategies. As this was October, it was likely Delta that got them.
But it was efficient, as it is believed they all died at around the same time. Tomorrow I will tell you just how efficient Covid can be in killing. A musical mentor of mine enjoyed Thanksgiving with all of the trimmings, seemingly fine.
60 hours later he was dead.
He barely even coughed.
-ROC
As most of you know I am working the only way I can to provide for my family and trying to reclaim my health post-cancer surgery. Recently, Covid struck my family, again. I have lost precious productivity and have fallen behind, so if you will support my writing, it will do so much to help me. Everyone will get value, and my best works.
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Love,
-ROC