Or maybe he thought that the week of Christmas wasn’t the most appropriate time to discuss this largely overlooked byproduct of the pandemic that has disrupted, and, in some cases, ruined so many lives.īut if Biden was looking to get tough on those who refuse to get vaccinated, instead of telling them they have an obligation to their country to get their shots, he should have shared a few of the many symptoms of Long Covid, including but not limited to hair loss, erectile dysfunction, disruptive digestive issues (to put it mildly), and an array of rashes and other skin conditions. Perhaps the president was trying to avoid scaring people - particularly those who are vaccinated - by mentioning the possibility that even breakthrough Covid infections could leave them with lingering symptoms, neurological challenges, and/or a new disability for a yet-to-be-determined amount of time. So why, given all we know about Long Covid and its sometimes-devastating effects, would Biden (or his speechwriters) leave it out entirely? And, as the name suggests, it is a potential outcome of a Covid-19 infection. The CDC and World Health Organization (WHO) have both recognized and defined Long Covid. 17, Fauci said that while there’s not currently enough information on Omicron and Long Covid, he “would not expect it’s going to be any different” than previous variants, including Delta, which have left an estimated 9.4 million Americans with the chronic condition. Speaking at a White House press briefing on Dec. Anthony Fauci, have indicated that it appears to be likely. Īt this point, it’s not yet known whether Covid infections caused by Omicron can result in Long Covid, but experts, including Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Dr. becoming out of breath more easily, sleep disruptions, intermittent joint pain) to those that are so severe they leave some people unable to work - like debilitating exhaustion, loss of mobility, cognitive impairment, and drastic personality changes. Like Covid-19 itself, the symptoms of Long Covid can range from being relatively mild (e.g. It’s still unclear how many people infected by the novel coronavirus end up developing Long Covid, but the researchers behind a recent study published in the journal JAMA Network Open estimate that at least 50 percent of those who survive their initial illness go on to experience a number of physical, psychological, and neurological symptoms for a minimum of six months. In fact, Biden didn’t mention Long Covid at any point during his speech. That’s because Long Covid - a dizzyingly lengthy list of new, returning, or ongoing health problems some people experience for months (and in some cases, close to two years) following their initial infection - wasn’t mentioned as one of the potential outcomes of Omicron infection. 4': 'It Was Absolute Pandemonium'īut in reality, the president’s message didn’t give it to anyone straight, or even accurately. Taking great pains to avoid mixed messaging on the effectiveness of the existing vaccines - which, to be clear, are extremely effective in preventing severe illness and death - Biden stressed that “we should all be concerned about Omicron, but not panicked.” He noted that because the variant spreads so easily, some fully vaccinated (and boosted) people will experience breakthrough Covid infections - “potentially in high numbers” - but that they have “much less reason to worry.” It was almost as if he was suggesting a triple-dose could be a substitute for caution.īlack Sabbath on the Making of 'Vol. But despite providing additional details and updates to his Covid-19 action plan, and making a World War II-era plea to unvaccinated individuals (“Honest to God, I believe it’s your patriotic duty ”), he didn’t deliver. 21 to address the country amid the massive surge in Covid-19 cases from the highly transmissible Omicron variant, he promised to give it to us straight. When President Joe Biden took the podium on the afternoon of Dec.
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