Are the possible lasting effects of COVID-19 worth the risk?
I learned a new term today… “long-haulers.” Long-haulers are defined as COVID-19 infections in which the person is hospitalized and suffers lasting physiological damage. A recent study in England showed that 74% of those hospitalized for a median period of 5 days (and recovered to testing negative), have lasting problems in which they have difficulty breathing, doing simple tasks to even include showering or talking without extreme fatigue.
A physician friend of mine shared this story last night. “I have a patient, a young woman, who was hospitalized but recovered and now tests negative. She can’t walk more than 20 paces without turning blue.”
Sure, you might be asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic but consider this: 1. what lasting damage was done by that mild case?
2. Do I have contact with older individuals? People over the age of 60 have 100x more pathology than young people.
3. A recent study also revealed that in some cases, demyelination of nerves has occurred. This refers to the damage to the myelin sheath which insulates nerves and allows the nerves to transmit quickly and accurately. (Multiple Sclerosis is caused by damage to the myelin sheath).
4. You may suffer chronic health issues for the rest of your life.
Sure, you may not develop any of these issues. But, is it worth taking that risk?
At the same time, our leader in a conversation with Bob Woodward acknowledges how deadly the virus is while simultaneously telling the public it was no worse than the common flu…”you get the sniffles”…and more subterfuge over the past 6 months. Make a educated decision on Nov. 3. Your life, your loved one’s life and your livelihood depend on it.
Tom Buckelew
Uniontown