COVID-19 is a nasty disease – the 990,000 people who have died from it in the US would agree, if they were alive. And many survivors have endured near-death experiences but have recovered. Or mostly recovered. A distressingly high percentage of those who survive have lingering long-term effects. These people are “long haulers” or victims of “long COVID“. Typical symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, muscle aches and memory problems. No one knows if any of these symptoms are permanent or, if temporary, how long it takes for them to disappear.
But the worst effect, perhaps, is that people either don’t believe that you have lingering effects or, if you admit that you have “long COVID”, that you are not infectious.
I know all of this because Ooma is dealing with long COVID. She has had COVID twice – both times after she was fully vaccinated and boosted. I tell her that she is lucky because if she is that vulnerable to the virus she probably would have died if she had contracted it before being vaccinated. But somehow telling a person who doesn’t feel well that she is lucky lacks impact.