... cont'd
Long COVID is affecting more people than we likely know.
And it eerily parallels other post-acute infection syndrome scenarios throughout history, including those potentially linked to epidemics of Parkinsonism. Hence, the threat of long COVID could lead to a future public health catastrophe, much as the "long" effects of the Spanish Flu did a hundred years ago.j
... cont'd
As a result, there is a real danger that a broad-scale investigation into the origin of long COVID is postponed or neglected by funding agencies and the medical establishment.
While the initial pandemic forced governments to organize a response to the sudden crisis, an epidemic of chronic illness may not raise alarms that spur us into immediate action.
Like climate change, a gradually-evolving threat, especially one perceived to be far away, is much harder to address.
...
