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Don't Mess With COVID
Even as we try to push past the COVID pandemic, the virus is here to stay, not only as a current infection threat but as a chronic disease in the form of long COVID. Global estimates are that some 400 million people have experienced long COVID - when an infected person’s symptoms persist past three months. Some can no longer work or return to their lives due to fatigue and brain fog. Five years after the pandemic, we have a clearer picture of the challenges. Lingering inflammation across the body is a major cause of “long COVID” symptoms.
Because the virus infects cells along our airway, the resulting inflammation damages the lungs of about ten percent of those infected. There’s lung scarring, shortness of breath, and persistent coughing. Long COVID can also lead to problems in our intestinal tracts. Diarrhea and constipation can continue for months or years. Up to a third suffer some neurological problems.
They’re more at risk for heart attack, stroke, and irregular heart rate. The virus may be causing inflammation of the heart muscle, and their bodies are less efficient at moving blood around.
Other results suggest our mitochondria, the powerhouse of our cells become dysfunctional at delivering the energy needed for full function.
With these long-term effects, it seems unwise to reduce support for COVID testing, vaccines and research. We support the lifesaving value of vaccination. Trust reputable science and medical sources and consult your physician.
More Information
A Clearer Picture of Covid’s Lasting Effects on the Body
Five years on, scientists are starting to understand how the virus can lead to long-term, sometimes invisible changes.
Preliminary Estimates of COVID-19 Burden for 2024-2025
Weekly updated estimates of COVID-19-related symptomatic illnesses, outpatient visits, hospitalizations, and deaths in the United States, starting October 1, 2024, help us understand how COVID-19 is impacting people’s health. These burden estimates are preliminary and based on weekly hospitalizations reported among persons with laboratory-confirmed infections of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19.
WHO COVID-19 Dashboard
The objective of this report is to provide a comprehensive overview of reported data on SARS-CoV-2 viral activity and the burden of the COVID-19 on the human population over the past seven to 28 days from the last reporting date. This overview and other sections are based on data submitted by Member States' Ministries of Health to the World Health Organization (WHO) through various surveillance systems, as well as updates from the health ministries' websites of the Member States. Information in this overview should be interpreted considering the data limitations detailed beneath each section.
