Thousands have suffered for months after getting the virus
COVID RECOVERY
So much of the coverage of Covid-19 has focused on statistics about the number of deaths and the number of infections. While it is important to have an accurate statistical picture of the pandemic, the problem with this picture is what it leaves out.
The statistics fail to mention the many thousands of Covid-19 patients who have suffered for months from unrelenting and unpredictable symptoms. These are the Covid-19 long-haulers. They are living with the disease and their situation has been downplayed and ignored.
The best reporting about the long-haulers has been done by Ed Yong, who writes for The Atlantic. Yong points out that we are maintaining incorrect stereotypes about who is being affected by the pandemic. President Trump has incorrectly pushed the view that Covid-19 is affecting only elderly people with pre-existing conditions. The elderly are not the only ones suffering.
Yong says that among the long-haulers the typical victim is a 44-year-old woman who was previously fit and healthy. He says there is an inaccurate caricature that Covid kills some but is mild for the rest. He challenges the view is “mild” for many.
There are a large number of stories out there about the ongoing suffering of the long-haulers with a wide constellation of symptoms reported. Heart abnormalities, shortness of breath, fatigue, fevers, headaches, brain fog, memory loss and post-exertional malaise are all reported. Yong says the symptoms resemble dysautonomia, a condition where the autonomic nervous system is not working properly.
WBUR reported the story of Diana Berrent, a suburban mom from New York, who has experienced debilitating symptoms even after tests showed she no longer carried the virus. Berrent has had symptoms for the last seven months, including vision deterioration, gastrointestinal tract complications and recurring headaches. She found out she has borderline glaucoma, a condition that could cause blindness.
She formed an online group, Survivor Corps, where members document their symptoms and provide support. She told WBUR that Survivor Corps members are experiencing damage to almost every organ system because coronavirus is a vascular disease.
She said that respiratory issues are the most common long-term symptom of the long-haulers. She also noted neurological issues, particularly “soul-crushing headaches.”
Business Insider interviewed numerous people who have survived coronavirus but cannot shake the symptoms months after they were diagnosed. Elissa Miolene, a 27-year-old from New York City, was quoted: “It is now 115 days later and I am still feeling the exact same symptoms. Life for me is waking up in the middle of the night and crying because I’m in so much pain and not knowing why.”
There are many thousands living with the virus who are not sick enough to be hospitalized, but they are experiencing long-term effects. Physicians remain stymied by the persistence of Covid-19 symptoms. There is no certainty about why symptoms last and how long they will last.
Our knowledge about Covid-19 is still preliminary, tentative and evolving. There are more questions than answers. It is a certainty, though, that long-haulers are a population who will be commanding more attention as the pandemic unfolds.
Jonathan P. Baird lives in Wilmot and blogs at jonathanpbaird.com.
