I’ve spent over 5 years examining not just what happened during the COVID pandemic, but where the science may be leading us next. My work now is less about looking back and more about anticipating the future. What could the next phase of this viral storm could look like, and how we can prepare.
In one of my recent explorations, I focused on the pancreas. At first glance, this might seem unusual—why the pancreas? But when you look closely at the data, the answer becomes clear.
COVID and the Pancreas: What We Know
A paper from Hungary showed that patients with acute pancreatitis who also had COVID were three times more likely to die in hospital. That’s a staggering risk.
Cai, Gefu, et al. "Concomitant virus infection increases mortality and worsens outcome of acute pancreatitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis." Pancreatology 25.1 (2025): 20-28.
The pancreas is a retroperitoneal organ—tucked behind the stomach and intestines, hidden deep in the abdomen. When it becomes inflamed, as in pancreatitis, it often goes unnoticed until late in the disease. And when it’s cancer, late detection is why outcomes are so poor.
COVID complicates this picture. The virus, through its spike protein and the ACE2 receptor, can damage both the insulin-producing beta cells and the acinar cells that secrete digestive enzymes. The result? Increased risk of diabetes, chemical injury to surrounding tissue, and silent inflammation that may not show obvious symptoms.
The Role of Immune Exhaustion
Here’s where the danger lies. With ongoing viral circulation, immune exhaustion becomes more common—similar to what we see in patients with AIDS, chemotherapy, or long-term immunosuppression. Diseases present atypically, often with muted or confusing symptoms.
In the case of the pancreas, that could mean subclinical pancreatitis: vague abdominal or back pain, mild nausea, or even no clear warning at all. But beneath the surface, tissue destruction could be progressing.
When HIVICRON Arrives: Predicting the Next Phase of the COVID Storm
Thursday 11th September at 7PM UK time
A Case That Points the Way
One case report described autoimmune pancreatitis after vaccination—a 39-year-old man developed severe epigastric pain radiating to his back just days after his second dose. Imaging showed characteristic pancreatic inflammation, and no other cause was found.
It’s only one case, but it illustrates the possibility of immune-triggered pancreatic disease. Now imagine this multiplied across populations where COVID continues to circulate, with immune systems already weakened by repeated exposures.
Chahed, Ferdaous, et al. "An unusual occurrence of autoimmune pancreatitis after gam‐Covid‐Vac (Sputnik V): A case report and literature review." British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 89.9 (2023): 2915-2919.
Why This Matters Now
If a highly virulent immune-escaping variant emerges—as Geert Vanden Bossche has warned with his “Hivicron” scenario—the pancreas could become a silent but deadly target. I believe subclinical pancreatic inflammation may be one of the overlooked clinical markers of this viral storm.
This isn’t alarmism, it’s risk mitigation. If nothing happens, I will be relieved to have been wrong. But if it does, then those who have been paying attention will be better prepared.
My Final Thought
The pancreas is a hidden organ, and COVID is a hidden storm. When the two meet, the danger lies in silence and delay. That is why I continue to build what I call a “Noah’s Ark” of knowledge—anticipating what may come, so that when the storm hits, we are not caught unprepared.
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