Health

A paper  published in the latest issue of “Pathogen” hypothesizes what might be the cause of COVID Long Haulers. In the study scientists noticed a “reactivation of a virus, the Epstein Barr virus”  in many patients and believe that this could be the cause of Long Haulers. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recently stated that 90% of people worldwide have had the Epstein Barr virus. Studies showed that the Epstein Barr virus and COVID-19 are almost identical, because both include organ inflammation, extreme fatigue, and fever.  Although the Epstein Barr virus stays in the body forever, it becomes inactive and  remains dormant most of the time. Researchers believe that COVID-19 is waking up the immune system and reactivating the Epstein Barr virus. ...

Well-known filmmaker, Nick Guthe lost his wife this past May from suicide due to the suffering from COVID Long Haulers. After a thirteen month battle of symptoms that kept getting worse, Heidi Ferrier could not take it anymore and left behind her husband and 13 year old son.  The first long-haul symptom was feet pain that debilitated Heidi’s mobility and soon after gastrointestinal issues, followed with severe body aches and chronic exhaustion.  Even after all that, the symptoms persisted. New symptoms taking a toll on the screenwriter’s body kept coming until she simply could not take it any longer.  The worst symptoms that showed up were the neurological and psychiatric ones. For example, a symptom in long-haulers is the inflammation of the brain, which develops sui...

Overall ten to thirty percent of people who are infected with COVID-19 have reported to develop Long Haulers. Even a mild case of COVID-19 can lead to harsher and longer complications after the “recovery” of the initial COVID-19 infection.  Scientists and researchers are looking into it in hopes to find some sort of relief for the population with clinical trials of several drugs. They are not excluding any outcomes because they want to find and create a substantial treatment plan for those who are suffering.  Many still believe that prevention is key and pushing for the population to receive the vaccine, but scientists are looking into a drug or treatment that will prevent or alleviate long-haulers from developing or worsening one's conditions. To read the full article,...

Those that are suffering from long-term symptoms of the coronavirus, known as COVID Long Haulers, have not yet recovered from the disease and are now also facing financial burden. Many are seeking support such as disability and health care coverage and being denied. For those seeking these disability, their claims are being turned down and being defined as “psychosomatic” or preexisting conditions and being denied  financial support. Many insurance companies are stating that they are not seeing a “consistent diagnosis” to be labeled as COVID Long Haulers.  Experts are suggesting them to turn to an attorney to help them with their medical claims and disability. To read the full article, Click Here

In North Carolina, there is still a large mass of people suffering from COVID. Not so much from COVID itself but from COVID symptoms, months after the infection. They are called COVID Long Haulers.  COVID Long Haulers are suffering from a wide array of symptoms from  shortness of breath to heart palpitations, chronic fatigue and neurological issues. Some have seen specialists like pulmonologists, cardiologists and neurologists for little to no answers and are now looking at hefty medical bills.  Health professionals and scientists are still unsure what causes COVID Long Haulers and how long it affects patients. Due to this many people are seeking support outside the “box” and trying anything and everything to minimize the symptoms and how it affects daily life. To ...

There may be some good news for Granville High School junior Drew Coffey, after what has been a five-month ordeal with COVID Long Haulers. Sensitivity to light is just one of several debilitating symptoms that make it hard for the 16-year-old to go back to a normal life after having having COVID and becoming a COVID Long Hauler. University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital is offering Drew Coffey hope. They plan to open a new clinic just for pediatric patients in August, and would be the first in the country to focus on COVID Long Haulers. To read the full article, Click Here

In order to help patients with chronic COVID lingering symptoms (COVID Long Haulers), a new clinic in Stanford looks to help. This clinic is unlike other clinics at Stanford, as it will focus on this specific population with long-term COVID symptoms. The aim is to both help these patients and also to better understand why they are suffering. To read the full article, Click Here

A more troubling issue is that doctors are starting to pay more attention to extremely rare cases in which patients who have been fully vaccinated can still develop long-term symptoms. One such case involves 33-year-old nurse practitioner, Anna Kern. She was diagnosed with COVID in April even after being fully vaccinated 5 months prior. She has been struggling with COVID symptoms since then. The post-viral illness is characterized by symptoms that last a minimum of three weeks but can often drag on for months. At first, Kern felt rundown so she cut back her work hours -- she was doing COVID-19 tests in the Detroit To read more about this story, Click Here

Some 30% of people who've recovered from coronavirus infections have lingering symptoms they can't explain. They are called COVID Long Haulers One of the most peculiar incidents arising from Long Haulers is those who had been previously infected with the Epstein Barr Virus. In a recent study 30% of patients have seen the Epstein Barr virus (EBV) reactivated. Researchers surveyed 185 random patients who had EBV. Out of the 185 selected patients 30.3% had long-term symptoms and out of the 30.3%, a following of 10%  showed a reactivation of EBV. To read more about the study, Click Here

Stanford Clinic is currently treating 35 patients that are exhibiting COVID Long Haulers. The university created this new clinic to help survivors find answers and hopefully, recover. Also by treating Long Haulers, they are giving  doctors and researchers the opportunity to understand why some patients are not getting better.  The work that is being done consists of research and therapy in order to see what is working and what causes and the type of symptoms patients are suffering. Out of the 35 patients at the clinic, they all exhibit one to several different symptoms.  More research is still needed as there are people who are still suffering from COVID symptoms months after infection, while others are better in a couple of weeks after their initial contraction. T...