The COVID-19 pandemic magnified many of the challenges people with disabilities already faced, and its impact continues today. Although infections have declined and vaccines are widely available, the pandemic continues to affect our communities. In addition to novel infections, many people are still developing Long Covid, the name for ongoing symptoms that may become chronic after a COVID-19 infection. According to CDC, one in six North Carolinians has experienced Long Covid.
What is Long Covid?
According to a resource series by The Sick Times x Long COVID Justice, “Long COVID is a set of health issues after someone has COVID-19. These could be: new health issues, ongoing issues, or worsening of previous symptoms or conditions. Long COVID is a biological disease that affects hundreds of millions of people around the world. It can cause significant disability and can be fatal. It is a continuing health crisis.
Long COVID is an ‘umbrella’ term. This means it can include many symptoms as well as other diseases or medical diagnoses. It can affect all parts of the body. It affects people in all age groups, races and ethnicities, genders, and sexual orientations. People with or without prior health issues can develop the disease. It can happen after asymptomatic or mild infection.”
The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic continue despite declining reporting from most major media outlets. A recent study Long COVID Persistence and Surveillance Gaps Across 58 US Hospitals | Infectious Diseases | JAMA Network Open | JAMA Network suggests that long COVID may affect about 1 in 6 people who get COVID-19. This translates to around 15 million Americans. Researchers looked at health records from nearly 458,000 adults and found many long COVID cases are missed because they are not officially labeled in medical records. As a result, current estimates may understate how many people are actually living with Long COVID.
Most people identified with long COVID developed ongoing health problems that required continued medical care. And this need is not going away. The number of long COVID cases has continued to rise, showing it is not just a problem from the early pandemic years. Better tracking, coordinated care, and personalized treatments are needed because symptoms vary widely from person to person.
Another recent study Long COVID may affect 1 in 6 infected patients | CIDRAP found that the current health and economic burden of long COVID may already exceed that of several other chronic diseases and will continue to grow each year as COVID-19 cases increase.
To help those navigating these ongoing challenges, DRNC has complied the following resources.
COVID-19 Resources
https://covid19.ncdhhs.gov/long-covid
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) | Covid | CDC
National Wastewater Data for Respiratory Viruses | Wastewater Monitoring | CDC
What is Long COVID | RECOVER COVID Initiative
Long COVID Basics | Long COVID | CDC
Caregiver Connect – Long Covid Families
Resources – Long Covid Families
Worldwide Mask Bloc Directory – Find your local Mask Bloc
MaskBloc.org lists active Mask Blocs around the world. Blocs provide masks, COVID-19 tests and other equipment to their communities for free.
Long COVID Essentials – Long COVID Justicea resource sheet series by The Sick Times x Long COVID Justice
Research
The Current and Future Burden of Long COVID in the United States – PubMed
In the news
We must free Long COVID and the people living with it from the mind-body trap – The Sick Times