Scientists are Getting Closer to Solving the Long COVID Puzzle
The pandemic is entering its third year, and every day the number of people living with Long COVID increases. In the U.S. alone there are thought to be over 15 million Long COVID patients. Yet so much remains unknown about the condition and unsurprisingly, more and more people want answers about what exactly is causing their prolonged suffering. Scientists have been tirelessly trying to solve this mystery, writes my colleague Jamie Ducharme, and each piece of new research helps complete the puzzle.
The most recent study on the subject, published today, suggests the COVID-19 virus can damage the brain, even among mild cases. This damage could lead to long-lasting impacts such as smell loss, inflammation of the nervous system, and cognitive decline. Other recent research found many patients with Long COVID had damage to their vagus nerve—extending from the brainstem, this nerve is responsible for regulating everything from digestion to heart and respiratory rates. But with more than 200 different symptoms identified so far, it’s unlikely there will be one sole cause behind Long COVID, Dr. Gemma Lladós, an infectious disease physician at Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol in Spain, told Jamie.
Scientists have some hypotheses about what risk factors might make someone more susceptible to Long COVID, and early research supports some of these lines of thinking. For example, conditions like type 2 diabetes, and evidence of Epstein-Barr virus in the blood both show correlations with the likelihood of Long COVID. Until there’s more evidence on this front, however, it won’t really change how doctors treat current Long COVID cases. Here too, things remain unclear. Helping people manage their symptoms is like a sophisticated game of trial and error, Dr. Jeffrey Parsonnet, an infectious disease physician, told Jamie. Some treatments which seem to work best, like occupational therapy and mental health support, don’t necessarily align with what studies are finding.
Some experts are hopeful, though, that gaining a full understanding of Long COVID’s causes, symptoms, and effective treatments, will not only help those suffering from this virus but may also lead to breakthroughs for other chronic health conditions like Lyme disease and fibromyalgia which affect millions of people around the world, but have historically not received much research funding.
In the meantime, people continue to live with Long COVID as we wait for more answers.
More than 446.2 million people around the world had been diagnosed with COVID-19 as of 12 a.m. E.T. today, and nearly 6 million people had died. On March 6 there were more than 1.1 million new cases and 3,913 new deaths confirmed globally.
Here's how the world as a whole is currently trending, in terms of cases:
And in terms of deaths:
Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
And here's every country that has reported over 6 million cases:
The U.S. had recorded more than 79.2 million coronavirus cases as of 12 a.m. E.T. today. More than 958,000 people have died. On March 6, there were 5,740 new cases and 184 new deaths confirmed in the U.S.
Here's how the country as a whole is currently trending in terms of cases:
And in terms of deaths:
Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
All numbers unless otherwise specified are from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, and are accurate as of Mar. 7, 12 a.m. E.T. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
As the pandemic enters its third year, the global death toll from COVID-19 is now over 6 million people,according to Johns Hopkins University. Recent death rates are highest among unvaccinated people. In the U.S., nearly one million lives have been lost.
Top global health organizations are starting to shift their efforts away from tackling COVID-19 and towards preparing for the next major outbreak,reports Politico. But some experts warn this may be premature as low- and middle-income countries continue to struggle for vaccine access.
The Biden Administration’s plans to supply free antiviral pills and monoclonal antibody treatments to people in the U.S. who test positive for COVID-19 are being delayed due to a dispute with Republican senators. At issue, the New York Times reports, is that a group of Republican lawmakers are arguing the White House hasn’t provided enough detail justifying why additional funding is needed for COVID relief spending.
A report by the World Health Organization estimates that the pandemic has led to 87,000 metric tons of medical waste, including test kits, gloves, masks, and other supplies. While global in scale, the problem is exacerbated in poorer countries where much of the waste is burned in open pits or aging incinerators, leading to more air pollution.
Thanks for reading. We hope you find the Coronavirus Brief newsletter to be a helpful tool to navigate this very complex situation, and welcome feedback at coronavirus.brief@time.com. If you have specific questions you'd like us to answer, please send them to covidquestions@time.com.
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Today's newsletter was written by Kyla Mandel and edited by Elijah Wolfson.
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