5 Years Later, Do We Have to Let it Linger?
Elizabeth Walen ’28
As time passes, we can feel the grasp of quarantine leave. To be frank, seeing mandated mask signs still shocks me. Last year, BHSEC brought back the rigorous process of conducting in-person interviews and exams. Towards the end of the school day on interview day, the line of eighth graders seemed unending. School-life experiences have changed completely since the pandemic. Five years ago there was zero chance you would catch me complaining about how the air in school makes my hair frizz up or how some classroom’s lighting gave me a headache. Rather, I would begrudgingly turn on my camera during my Zoom classes, still in my pajamas. Even so, I still find myself washing my hands incessantly, or getting weirdly wary of sharing food utensils. Although the quarantine regulations have been lifted, coronavirus still lingers.
Despite the lifting of COVID restrictions, long COVID has been on the rise. The National Library of Medicine defines long COVID as, “the condition whereby affected individuals do not recover for several weeks or months following the onset of symptoms suggestive of COVID-19.” SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus, upsets immune system communication. This may lead immune cells to mistake the body’s own cells as a threat, also known as an autoimmune reaction. The symptoms of long COVID include chronic pain, brain fog, and fatigue, which experts have found directly relates to POTS. Those affected by long COVID are most likely to have had severe COVID-19 illness, enough for them to be hospitalized, may be older and female. So far, around 11% to 24% of COVID-19 cases have resulted in continuous symptoms.
In addition to long COVID, a significant number of COVID-19 survivors have developed POTS. POTS is a type of blood circulation disorder that causes extreme fatigue when someone stands for too long. It is still unclear exactly how post-COVID-19 POTS arises, yet some medical specialists theorize that it may be due to the direct toxic effects of SARS-CoV-2. Long COVID and POTS, although similar, are not the same. POTS is not always triggered by COVID-19, yet long COVID is contracted after being exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Due to the similar nature of these illnesses, it can be difficult for medical professionals to differentiate between the two.
Though you may be assuming COVID-19 is behind us, there are still remaining worries. Developing coronavirus, even after you have been vaccinated, is not unheard of. Practices that were common during quarantine should not be abandoned, they should become a habit. With the recent rise of other viruses, such as norovirus, an intensely contagious stomach virus, there is no reason to be lax with our public health. Due to the lack of research and media coverage, there is still minimal information on the long term effects of COVID-19.