Much of the COVID-19 coverage focuses on statistics on mortality and infections. It’s important to have an accurate statistical image of the pandemic, but the problem with this image is what it omits.
Statistics do not mention thousands of COVID-19 patients who have been suffering from relentless and unpredictable symptoms for months. These are COVID-19 long haul carriers. They live with illness and their situation has been neglected and ignored.
The best report on long-haul carriers was made by Ed Young. Atlantic ocean.. Yong points out that he maintains a false stereotype about those affected by the pandemic. President Trump misunderstood the view that COVID-19 only affects older people in their existing condition. Elderly people are not the only ones suffering.
According to Yong, the typical victim of long-haul carriers is a 44-year-old woman who was previously healthy and healthy. He says there is an inaccurate caricature that COVID-19 kills some, but the rest are calm. He disagrees with the view that it is “gentle” for many.
There is a lot of talk about the ongoing suffering of long-haul carriers, where various symptoms have been reported. Heart abnormalities, shortness of breath, malaise, fever, headache, brain fog, memory loss, and post-exercise malaise have all been reported. According to Yong, the symptoms resemble dysautonomia, where the autonomic nervous system is not functioning properly.
WBUR reported the story of Diana Belent, a mother in the suburbs of New York. Diana Belent experienced debilitating symptoms even after tests showed that she did not carry the virus. Berrent has been symptomatic for the past seven months, including poor vision, gastrointestinal complications, and recurrent headaches. She discovered that she suffered from borderline glaucoma, a condition that can cause blindness.
Berrent has formed Survivor Corps, an online group where members record symptoms and provide support. She told WBUR that because the coronavirus is a vascular disease, members of the Survivor Corps are damaging almost every organ system.
She said respiratory problems are the most common long-term symptom of long-haul carriers. She also mentioned neurological problems, especially “soul-breaking headaches.”
WBUR also spoke of Dr. Scott Kracauer, a 40-year-old psychiatrist from New York. He had chills and fever in April for nearly two weeks, after which the test was positive. He shut himself up in his room to protect his wife and two children.
He lost his sense of taste and smell. He developed an unstoppable cough and eventually hemoptysis. His doctor reported that he had a cytokine storm in his throat. Inflammation of the lungs and accumulation of water caused dyspnea. He began to choke his food as it could no longer be swallowed. After he lost £ 15, his family took him to the hospital.
His doctor put him on IV steroids. It helped reduce the swelling of his throat. The treatment that opened his throat saved his life. He survived, but a few months later he still feels involved in a short walk and has a hard time swallowing and talking.
Business insider We interviewed many people who survived the coronavirus but were unable to shake their symptoms months after being diagnosed. Elissa Mioren, 27, from New York City, said: “I still feel the exact same symptoms 115 days later. My life wakes up at midnight and I’m crying because I’m so suffering and I don’t know why.”
She currently relies on virtual physiotherapy to help her deal with her constant back and chest pain. She said. “I’m walking down the street and I can be completely fine. And I’m crouching and can’t walk the next step.”
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognizes that COVID-19 can cause long-term illness, but the problem of people with advanced coronavirus symptoms is largely ignored. ..
President Trump gives himself A + about the handling of the virus, pretending that this group does not exist. He doesn’t want to talk about it. Dealing with long-haul carriers is in line with the Trump administration’s overall approach to the virus. Minimize the story, stand by and move on.
Although not ill enough to be hospitalized, there are thousands of people living with the virus that they are experiencing long-term effects. Doctors continue to suffer from persistent COVID-19 symptoms. It is unclear why the symptoms persist and how long they last.
In 2021, a wave of disability is expected, as for many people, even if their symptoms worsen or diminish, they will interfere with their work and daily life.
Our knowledge of COVID-19 is still preliminary, tentative, and evolving. There are more questions than answers. As the pandemic progresses, long-haul carriers are certainly a population that gets more attention.
(Jonathan P. Baird lives in Wilmot and is on the jonathanpbaird.com blog.)
