4 ms·
"Long COVID" is overwhelmingly laypeople sharing their self-diagnosis on the internet. These are just the same kind of people who, pre-COVID, would have claimed
by Mediterraneo10 6y ago
"Long COVID" is overwhelmingly laypeople sharing their self-diagnosis on the internet. These are just the same kind of people who, pre-COVID, would have claimed to have "chronic Lyme" or whatever.
Of course scientists are finding some cases of people with symptoms lasting many weeks, but this does not appear to be common enough that special strict public health measures should be instituted for it, just like we do little to prevent flu or colds that affect a small segment of the population with long-term complications. It is the elderly demographic that remains the real cause of concern for public-health officials.
- pjc50 6y agoshrug I know enough people personally who've experienced some of this - and before, enough chronic pain/underdiagnosed conditions - that there's definitely something there. (Someone spent fifteen years reporting chronic pain to their doctor before finally getting an endometriosis diagnosis...) > It is the elderly demographic that remains the real cause of concern for public-health officials. Yes, and this is also very bad. It tends to sweep through nursing homes, and is often brought in by the young staff who may live in shared accomodation with other young people, or have children in school, etc.
- Mediterraneo10 6y agoI have no doubt that people who self-report "long COVID" really feel distress. I just don't believe that distress is COVID-related, just like it was almost never Lyme disease-related when that was the faddish self-diagnosis.