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COVID causes neurological damage which includes brain damage. (People who lost their sense of smell were suffering mild, localized brain damage.) Another obser

COVID causes neurological damage which includes brain damage. (People who lost their sense of smell were suffering mild, localized brain damage.) Another observable impact is a steady rise in car crashes post COVID. The data is there, but most people want to whistle past the proverbial graveyard.

npunt 2y ago
Another bit of evidence is unruly passenger reports from airlines [1]. There's a kind of mass PTSD / trauma response at work re covid that causes people to shy away from the obvious facts about its effects on us. That said, these test score effects are the result of many factors, only one of which is likely mild neurological damage. [1] https://x.com/AlecStapp/status/1864990443567562890 https://x.com/AlecStapp/status/1864990443567562890
- WillyWonkaJr 2y ago
  I for sure assume this is a multi-factorial problem, with COVID impacts being one of many. I understand why people are reluctant to acknowledge and discuss this. It would make repeated COVID infections a terrifying prospect. I had heard about the increase in rage outbursts, but hadn't seen the unruly passenger data. Interesting! (And not in a good way)
TexanFeller 2y ago
The psychological impact of isolation from covid lockdowns, disruption to routines, and uncertainty/anxiety/grief after jobs were lost and small businesses closed is another plausible explanation for mental changes. Remote school and remote work were a terrible fit for some people who struggled to adapt to working a new way. Drug use and overdoses increased. Obesity rates went way up from restricted activity and people staying home more. Obesity alone could explain mental decline.
- WillyWonkaJr 2y ago
  Yes, but study after study shows brain damage. In fact, viral reservoirs often persist in brain tissue for up to a year after infection. This is why we're seeing problems with very young children who were not born during lockdown or were infants. There were lots of additional problems, but at some point we need to own up to the brain damage and other neurological impacts being caused by repeated COVID infections.
  - TexanFeller 2y ago
    Children born after lockdowns ended came into a world massively transformed by our response to the disease. Years later it still takes a week longer than it used to for my doctor to get blood work back because they are still short staffed. Parents that used to go out more often and take their kids into the world with them do so less often because they WFH and the covid response disrupted social relationships. Many people are still to this day more isolated than before. I’m not so sure it’s possible to separate effects on the world from effects from the disease for newborns. Covid isn’t the only viral disease that has neurological effects. Covid is probably the most thoroughly studied disease in history by a mile though. It’s possible we are just more aware of its neuro effects due to insane levels of scrutiny rather than those effects being much more significant than for other common diseases.
    - serf 2y ago
      >Covid is probably the most thoroughly studied disease in history by a mile though. last estimates I read mentioned 400k covid research papers, diabetes had over 1.5m and 'cancers' , as varied as that topic is , has many many millions of papers. The intensity of research was high, and the technology yielded quick high quality results, but there isn't much reason to consider it to be 'the most thoroughly studied disease' -- maybe if you go by some arbitrary figure like 'megabytes of genomic data sequenced' ?
      - TexanFeller 2y ago
        Diabetes and cancer aren’t comparable diseases. I thought it would go without saying that we’re talking about _infectious_ diseases.
joenot443 2y ago
> The data is there, but most people want to whistle past the proverbial graveyard. The data's there and it's super grim, I'm with you on that. What should we be doing to help?
- WillyWonkaJr 2y ago
  The only thing I can think of that shouldn't result in a big societal argument would be quality air filters in schools and workplaces. Preferably with a CO2 monitor so people get used to checking if air is relatively clean or not. But as someone with long covid I've given up on anything being done.
levocardia 2y ago
The increase in car crashes coincided with de-policing and related unrest, not with COVID infections per se. Car fatalities didn't spike until the end of May / early June 2020.
- animal_spirits 2y ago
  The argument I find most convincing for the increase in car crashes is due to the drop in traffic. People are driving the same, but less congestion meant they can drive faster in more places than before.
  - bongodongobob 2y ago
    And they still are, it somehow became normalized. Avg speed before covid on my highway commute was about 75, now it's 80+. There have been days where I've followed a string of cars going 90. That was way out of the norm before covid.
lubujackson 2y ago
I mean, you can point any random bad thing at COVID I guess. But as far as car accidents, LED headlights are more than twice as bright as they were 10 years ago. Certainly not helping things... https://old.reddit.com/r/fuckyourheadlights https://old.reddit.com/r/fuckyourheadlights
schainks 2y ago
Couldn't the rise in car crashes post COVID also be attributed by people having more jobs they have to run around to at the same time? More drivers on the road at any given moment due to ridesharing / food delivery? A large majority of the population suffering more sleep loss due to more smartphone usage thanks to lockdowns and taking on extra jobs? Tired drivers get in more accidents, don't they?

npunt 2y ago

Another bit of evidence is unruly passenger reports from airlines [1]. There's a kind of mass PTSD / trauma response at work re covid that causes people to shy away from the obvious facts about its effects on us. That said, these test score effects are the result of many factors, only one of which is likely mild neurological damage. [1] https://x.com/AlecStapp/status/1864990443567562890 https://x.com/AlecStapp/status/1864990443567562890

WillyWonkaJr 2y ago
I for sure assume this is a multi-factorial problem, with COVID impacts being one of many. I understand why people are reluctant to acknowledge and discuss this. It would make repeated COVID infections a terrifying prospect. I had heard about the increase in rage outbursts, but hadn't seen the unruly passenger data. Interesting! (And not in a good way)

TexanFeller 2y ago

The psychological impact of isolation from covid lockdowns, disruption to routines, and uncertainty/anxiety/grief after jobs were lost and small businesses closed is another plausible explanation for mental changes. Remote school and remote work were a terrible fit for some people who struggled to adapt to working a new way. Drug use and overdoses increased. Obesity rates went way up from restricted activity and people staying home more. Obesity alone could explain mental decline.

WillyWonkaJr 2y ago
Yes, but study after study shows brain damage. In fact, viral reservoirs often persist in brain tissue for up to a year after infection. This is why we're seeing problems with very young children who were not born during lockdown or were infants. There were lots of additional problems, but at some point we need to own up to the brain damage and other neurological impacts being caused by repeated COVID infections.
- TexanFeller 2y ago
  Children born after lockdowns ended came into a world massively transformed by our response to the disease. Years later it still takes a week longer than it used to for my doctor to get blood work back because they are still short staffed. Parents that used to go out more often and take their kids into the world with them do so less often because they WFH and the covid response disrupted social relationships. Many people are still to this day more isolated than before. I’m not so sure it’s possible to separate effects on the world from effects from the disease for newborns. Covid isn’t the only viral disease that has neurological effects. Covid is probably the most thoroughly studied disease in history by a mile though. It’s possible we are just more aware of its neuro effects due to insane levels of scrutiny rather than those effects being much more significant than for other common diseases.
  - serf 2y ago
    >Covid is probably the most thoroughly studied disease in history by a mile though. last estimates I read mentioned 400k covid research papers, diabetes had over 1.5m and 'cancers' , as varied as that topic is , has many many millions of papers. The intensity of research was high, and the technology yielded quick high quality results, but there isn't much reason to consider it to be 'the most thoroughly studied disease' -- maybe if you go by some arbitrary figure like 'megabytes of genomic data sequenced' ?
    - TexanFeller 2y ago
      Diabetes and cancer aren’t comparable diseases. I thought it would go without saying that we’re talking about _infectious_ diseases.

joenot443 2y ago

> The data is there, but most people want to whistle past the proverbial graveyard. The data's there and it's super grim, I'm with you on that. What should we be doing to help?

WillyWonkaJr 2y ago
The only thing I can think of that shouldn't result in a big societal argument would be quality air filters in schools and workplaces. Preferably with a CO2 monitor so people get used to checking if air is relatively clean or not. But as someone with long covid I've given up on anything being done.

levocardia 2y ago

The increase in car crashes coincided with de-policing and related unrest, not with COVID infections per se. Car fatalities didn't spike until the end of May / early June 2020.

animal_spirits 2y ago
The argument I find most convincing for the increase in car crashes is due to the drop in traffic. People are driving the same, but less congestion meant they can drive faster in more places than before.
- bongodongobob 2y ago
  And they still are, it somehow became normalized. Avg speed before covid on my highway commute was about 75, now it's 80+. There have been days where I've followed a string of cars going 90. That was way out of the norm before covid.

lubujackson 2y ago

I mean, you can point any random bad thing at COVID I guess. But as far as car accidents, LED headlights are more than twice as bright as they were 10 years ago. Certainly not helping things... https://old.reddit.com/r/fuckyourheadlights https://old.reddit.com/r/fuckyourheadlights

schainks 2y ago

Couldn't the rise in car crashes post COVID also be attributed by people having more jobs they have to run around to at the same time? More drivers on the road at any given moment due to ridesharing / food delivery? A large majority of the population suffering more sleep loss due to more smartphone usage thanks to lockdowns and taking on extra jobs? Tired drivers get in more accidents, don't they?