In all the reporting on COVID-19 something very important is being overlooked. No one is reporting on the long term impacts on our health and COVID 19. Even asymptomatic infections can cause damage to our internal organs.
Official record keep Is currently binary. It offers only three options:
1. Infection
2. Recover; or
3. Death
These statistic don’t provide any information on the long term impacts of COVID-19. That is partially due to a lack of Federal Leadership and partially because the virus has not been around long enough to get long term statistics on morbidity.
What we do know
X-rays show scaring in the lungs of even asymptomatic patients.
Heart attacks and strokes and common among COVID-19 survivors.
Organ damage including brain damage occurs in 40% of survivors.
In general, doctors do not take post COVID-19 symptoms seriously.
Support groups on Slack and Facebook host thousands of people who say they have serious COVID-19 symptoms for several months after recovering from the disease. Based on the long term impacts of Ebol and other virus infection, we know after effects can be life long and seriously debilitating.
Some survivors are calling themselves “long-termers” or “long-haulers” They have organized on line support groups and expect to have to live with the debilitating effects of COVID-19 the rest of their lives.
Hopefully they will be able to draw more attention to the morbidity caused by the impacts of viral diseases.
What I am doing to protect myself.
I’m retired so I can stay home and I do.
I believe I am the safest outdoors. I take breaks to walk up my hill and I ride my bike every afternoon. When I go to the beach I make sure I go directly to the water and swim where I am by myself. When I finish my swim, I leave.
When I go shopping I know what I want, get it and leave the store as quickly as possable. I know that risk of infection equals virus density times time exposed. I only attend virtual meetings. I avoid any meeting held in a small, poorly ventilated room.
I wear a mask. When people around me refuse to wear a mask I leave. When I cannot leave I will fight to maintain my 6 foot social distancing. When I go to the doctors, I call them when I arrive and tell them to call me when they are ready to take me in their examining room.
Living with COVID-19
I’m 90. I expect to die when I get COVID-19. I am reconciled to God taking me at any moment. I know what I want to accomplish in my life. I live with purpose and plan what I want to accomplish in the next year. I work on the important things in my life at least 4 hours a day. 4 hours a day are devoted to the routine chaos of life. In the evening I read, communicate with friends and generally do things that help me learn new skills and grow as a person.
It is important for me to have a routine. I work on creative stuff in the morning. In the afternoon I do physical stuff and in the evening I read and concentrate on activities that will contribute to my personal growth.
I do everything I can to avoid COVID-19, but life goes on. I will not social distance from family. Hugs are important. I have a mission to help people achieve their dreams. Part of that is helping them avoid COVID-19. I work with people in transition to help them know what is important to them and develop a strategy to achieve their goals. Fortunately, an internet business is an effective tool to integrate into your business model. It enables us to work remotely and minimize personal meetings.
Stay SAFE.
S for social distancing
A for air flow. You’re safest outdoors. Small, closed rooms with poor venation are most dangerous.
F for Face Masks. Wear them to protect others from your spray.
E for expectorate. Avoid people who spray the room with coughing, sneezing or even singing or loud talking.
Remember, Virus Density X Timer Exposed = Probability of infection. A trip to a store with a quick in and out is probably pretty safe. Working in that same store for an 8-hour shift could be pretty dangerous.
Be safe, just because Trump says it is safe to open up doesn’t mean it is. Stay informed and make your own decision as to when it is safe to relax your guard.
Take your kids outside. Hiking and surfing may be the safest thing you can do. I go for a bike ride every afternoon. It is great to get out of the house and feel the wind in my face.
Sources for this article include:
https://link.medium.com/zTwHykPi97
https://medium.com/the-atlantic/covid-19-can-last-for-several-months-c3391bddbe6c
Oh! Isn’t this just great to see here. Thank you so much fosharing this. The covid19 lockdown and all has really limited us all in so many ways and unless we are willing enough to be resourceful and look for a way to just generate the right energy from us all, it becomes very difficult to actually thrives at this. Thank you for sharing this here
Yes, COVID-19 is disruptive in so many ways. I’m trying to figure out how to strengthen relationships with people in a pandemic. The things we do outdoors are probably the safest things we can do. The more time we spend together the stronger relationships become. Hiking with proper social distancing is one thing we can do.
At least we are in the right business. My business is thriving because so many people need help to learn how to work from home and brick and mortar stores are trying to make their businesses as safe as possible.
This is a very good post you have here on the impact of the virus on our health during the long term. I don’t think that this is something that so many people are actually considering which in my own candid opinion is very wrong. We should think of how this can impact our lives and that of our children. I have not seen anyone with the virus or that have recovered but I think people need to understand that there are some bad after symptoms of the virus too.
Covid 19 is a pandemic the general public need to take serious. We didn’t plan for this but it has happened, the only way to it is to keep safe. Take all the necessary precautions, wash our hands and sanitize it, stay off any social gathering. Get yourself tested because a lot of people are asymptomatic, which is making some think Covid is not real but it’s damn real.
I don’t trust the Fed to give us accurate information. I look to Dr. Fauci and other specialists in controlling pandemics and then decide for my self what I must do.
Have you noticed the current logic? If we don’t test there will be no COVID cases and therefore the pandemic will go away.
We have been hearing so much about COVID-19’s effects in the short term that I have particularly not stopped to think in its impact in the long run.
I found useful this SAFE acrimonious. Easy to remember and it covers all grounds. I haven’t been able to keep social distance from mine own family. I agree with you, hugs are important.
There is a limit to how far I will go to stay safe. We don’t wear masks amongst our family and I still hug my kids. We use Hawaiian Style hugs where our head is over the huggee’s shoulder and we are breathing behind the other person’s back