Quote:
Originally Posted by JRutledge
The issue is not dying. There are other things that can happen to you if you contract the virus ...
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Agree.
According to the Mayo Clinic (a pretty reliable source), long term COVID-19 effects may include:
Fatigue
Cough
Shortness of breath
Headache
Joint pain
Lasting damage to the heart muscle that may increase the risk of heart failure or other heart complications in the future.
The type of pneumonia often associated with COVID-19 can cause long-standing damage to the tiny air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs. The resulting scar tissue can lead to long-term breathing problems.
COVID-19 can cause strokes, seizures and Guillain-Barre syndrome, a condition that causes temporary paralysis. COVID-19 may also increase the risk of developing Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.
COVID-19 can make blood cells more likely to clump up and form clots. While large clots can cause heart attacks and strokes, much of the heart damage caused by COVID-19 is believed to stem from very small clots that block tiny blood vessels (capillaries) in the heart muscle. Other organs affected by blood clots include the lungs, legs, liver and kidneys.
COVID-19 can weaken blood vessels, which contributes to potentially long-lasting problems with the liver and kidneys.
COVID-19 patients treated in a hospital's intensive care unit with mechanical assistance such as ventilators can make a person more likely to later develop post-traumatic stress syndrome, depression and anxiety.
Yesterday, on a "bad day" when I was experiencing a lot of pain in my arthritic right ankle, I visited Home Depot to purchase some lumber to make new ramp for my backyard chickens. Reached the entrance and realized that I had left my mask in the car. Turned around and limped back to my car to get my mask. Was pissed at myself for forgetting, but didn't give a second thought to how stupid and fruitless, as some people think, wearing a mask was. Didn't give a second thought to how high the survival rate of COVID is. Didn't give a second thought to how, as some people think, my governor and Home Depot were depriving me of my liberty, turning people like me into "sheep". I was just happy (and felt patriotic) to wear my mask to protect other people, both shoppers and Home Depot workers (who have to work to provide for their families), from the slight possibility of me asymptomatically having the coronavirus. I did give COVID a second thought when, for my own safety, I (with the advice of my physician daughter, nurse daughter, and my own primary care physician) decided that it's still too early to go back to church, or to go back to my gym.