<
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2023-07-31/long-covid-prevalence-research-treatments>
"In a world where most pandemic safety protocols have evaporated, where is the
sense of urgency to treat, or at the very least support, people with long
COVID?
Early in the pandemic, we saw significant mobilization of the healthcare
infrastructure across the world to determine how to prevent and treat COVID-19,
leading to substantial reduction in morbidity and mortality. Conversely, the
response to long COVID has been muted. In the rush to declare the pandemic
over, the low quality of life experienced by millions with long COVID has
apparently been deemed acceptable. It is not acceptable.
My firsthand knowledge of long COVID began in July 2020. Social distancing
protocols were still in effect, masks were mandated in most of the country, and
vaccines for the “novel coronavirus” were a distant hope. This was when I
contracted COVID-19. I had the usual symptoms of fever, loss of taste and
smell, and shortness of breath. But as my symptoms lingered even weeks later, I
wondered when I would recover. Weeks turned into months. And months eventually
turned into years.
Three years later, I have learned to manage long COVID — which in my case
includes extreme fatigue, near-constant headaches and the relentless need to
restrict activities of daily living to avoid exacerbating symptoms. Long COVID
can include a wide variety of other debilitating effects, including cardiac
dysfunction and memory loss. To put it in perspective: It leaves many with a
quality of life worse than what people with advanced cancer experience.
There are at least 65 million people across the world and an estimated 6% of
adults in the United States who live with long COVID, and new cases are added
every day. It has left at least 4 million Americans unable to work. You can
imagine why 20% of people with long COVID have difficulty paying for housing,
including many whose disability claims are denied. Accompanying these
devastating symptoms and lack of support is an increased suicide risk. If you
think you don’t know anyone with long COVID, think again. Most people choose
not to disclose it, even to close friends."
Via Violet Blue’s
Pandemic Roundup: August 3, 2023
https://www.patreon.com/posts/pandemic-roundup-87116817
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
