Long Covid

[Nalaar]

It's a lone anecdote - but a friends mum caught COVID early on about mid-March, she's late 40s, healthy and well off, with no history of illness. She is yet to fully recover and it's possible will never fully heal, gets out of breath very easily, as is no longer able to go on family walks along the coast etc.

The death toll is truly awful, but I think it also takes all the press away from the 'survived but now living with the after effects' stories that are likewise horrifying.

[Borg Refinery]

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/new-stem-cell-identified-lung-tissue-regeneration

https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/repairing-the-heart-with-stem-cells#:~:text=Stem%20cell%20therapy%20for%20the,help%20regenerate%20damaged%20heart%20tissue.

https://directorsblog.nih.gov/tag/tissue-nanotransfection/

This is what we need to be rushed-funded, trialled, with every country throwing everything at it they can. We're going to need to repair the damage. The 'TNT' is the most promising.

[T00ts]

Sadly long Covid is no myth. Everyone who is suffering looks as though the damage to lung tissue will have symptoms like COPD. The few scans I have seen look similar to my own and the energy loss is familiar.

Unfortunately such lung damage cannot repair and additional infections will only worsen. The impact on individuals and ultimately the NHS are likely to be huge. It is very worrying.

[BeElBeeBub]

So I've previously mentioned 2 acquaintances who had CV back in late March/April and still have issues.

This weekend we saw some close friends for the first time since March. They both had CV symptoms in early April. He (early 50's) spent 2 weeks in bed "the worst he has ever felt", she (early 40's) had very mild symptoms, to "no worse than a cold".

Both were extremely fit beforehand, both rowed at a high level and still competed in triathlons regularly did "park runs" etc

Both are now recovered in a day to day sense. They can work from home, do domestic work etc.  How we both report they still well below their previous fitness levels

He reckons to be about ⅓ down on his previous levels and she struggles with any kind of exercise.  We went for a light river swim and she had to stop after about 5 minutes as her heart rate was getting out of control.  She says if she over does anything it wipes her out for the next day.

So that's 4 out of the 5 people I know to have had CV who have lingering symptoms.  Of course my sample doesn't include anyone in their teens or 20's and obviously not anyone who was asymptomatic.

Still. t shows that long Covid isn't a myth and may not be that uncommon.

There is also slightly worrying news confirmed reinfections are being spotted. Several have had much milder cases the second time (so not too bad, apart from it means herd immunity isn't going to be a thing) but there is a case in Nevada where a 25yo man caught it a second time and it was worse.  If that is not untypical we could be in for a very tough ride