Post by Nadica (She/Her) on Aug 4, 2024 3:26:28 GMT
Where are our leaders? - Published Nov 25, 2023
I do not have the time nor energy to format this correctly right now: to interact with the sources, check out the article via the link above
The social, economic and public health costs of pretending we can live normally by ignoring COVID-19 are not sustainable.
Newsweek recently published a commentary1, which notes the alarming rise in disability and excess mortality in the United States. Unfortunately, the authors suggest the declining state of general health might have something to do with COVID-19 vaccines and seem to ignore the enormous body of research showing that SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19 and is known to infect every organ system and cause widespread dysfunction) is responsible for these harms.
The authors of the Newsweek piece assume that COVID-19 deaths are limited to those directly ascribed to COVID-19 infection on the death certificate. They seem oblivious to the possibility that a virus that can infect every organ and has been shown to cause a wide range of sequelae2-5 might be leading to a rise in all-cause morbidity6,7 and mortality8-11 beyond the timescale of acute infection. Many countries have already experienced a drop in life expectancy, including in 2020 before vaccines were widely available. Vaccine skeptics are promoting the dangerous falsehood that COVID-19 vaccines, not COVID-19 itself, are the cause of the unprecedented decline in almost every measure of public health. In reality, evidence shows that excess mortality related to COVID-19 is highest in areas with low vaccination rates12.
By remaining silent or downplaying the ongoing risk of COVID-19, governments have abdicated their responsibility to provide their citizens with reliable public health information. Misinformation peddlers, grifters and the ill-informed have filled the gap, sowing doubt and fear about one of the most important things that might offer some protection from the harms of a widely circulating virus: vaccines. By every measure, be it reducing mortality13,14, improving short-term morbidity15,16, or reducing the long-term ill-health impacts17,18, vaccines are effective at taking the sting out of COVID-19’s tail. They are less effective against transmission because of waning immunity and immune escape due to virus mutation, but they are beneficial by any measure and are not responsible for the excess mortality and morbidity being seen around the world19. Vaccination rates are in fact strongly correlated with improved survival20,21.
Governments need to step up to correct the record loudly. The quiet warnings issued by the World Health Organization and some governments about the ongoing risks of COVID-1922,23 need to become much, much louder. People need to be made aware of the potential harms of each and every infection, and in addition to providing accurate information and closing the knowledge gap that is allowing merchants of doubt to flourish, governments need to take urgent action to address the root cause of the problem. We need to work towards stopping transmission of COVID-19 in the community, and we need to do it with a concerted push to broaden availability of vaccines and boosters, to clean the air and normalise N95/FFP2 or better respirators in all public settings, particularly in healthcare and education24, 25.
Some media organizations around the world are slowly starting to realize there is a global shortage of workers in high-contact professions. Teachers are in short supply everywhere from America to Australia26-33. Bus drivers are scarce across Europe34. Britain is running out of nursery workers35, prison officers36 and probation officers37. Medical professionals are unable to keep pace with demand and are experiencing record levels of burnout38-42. Healthcare workers are also suffering the impact of Long COVID43-47. A few more attentive media organizations are making the link and warning about the ongoing harms of repeat SARS-CoV-2 infections48-50. Long COVID is already impacting the economy by causing reduced workforce capacity51.
The general population is showing worrying signs of decline, with cognitive dysfunction being observed on a huge scale52. Chronic absence is generally defined as missing 10% or more of the academic year. Such absences from school have risen around the world, with 20% to 30% of students missing 10% or more of the school year in many high-income nations53-56. Australia has experienced a chronic absence rate of more than 50% in grades 1 to 1057.
People complain about being persistently ill and unable to shake infections throughout social media, and this is reflected in increased healthcare demand. Long COVID continues to be a huge and growing problem, as are the many sequelae of COVID-19 that aren’t caught by the official definitions of Long COVID58,59 which are much shorter than the symptom list curated by the Patient Led Research Collaborative60.
There was a period in 2020 and 2021 when vocal commentators on social media sought to downplay the harms of COVID-19, but there can now be no doubt. COVID-19 damages the heart, brain, kidneys, gut, lungs, liver – in fact there is no organ or system that is untouched by this virus. Not that there ever was real doubt this would be the case – all of these effects on internal organs other than the lungs as well as the long-term damage to the lungs itself were documented during the original SARS outbreak in 2002-2004 and in the course of subsequent research61-91. It was known that some of the damage from SARS was irreversible92.
COVID-19 causes an increased risk of death, heart attacks, strokes, and blood clots for at least 6 months after the infection, and is contributing to substantial disability in society93. While there is some recovery in people with Long COVID, some of the damage appears to be irreversible for some people93. These ongoing harms are recognized by some of the world’s leading scientific and medical organizations94-100 but, perhaps because the predominant messaging has downplayed risks for years now, their warnings have yet to infiltrate public consciousness or influence the thinking of policymakers.
We’ve previously written about the immune system dysfunction caused by COVID-19101, and more evidence has now come out in this regard. Children infected by COVID-19 appear to be at more risk of RSV infection102 and Strep A103. While often chalked up to the convenient fiction of ‘immunity debt’ (that lack of exposure has weakened humans’ immune systems—a theory that is unproven and is, frankly, contradicted by common sense and basic immunology101 - this is actually a signal of immune harm caused by a pernicious virus that exacts a toll for every infection and will reinfect many people many times in their lives.
The risk of heart attacks, strokes, blood clots and other cardiovascular illnesses caused by COVID-19 is exacerbating what was already the greatest global burden of disease - cardiovascular disease - and likely the cause of much of the observed excess mortality. It is also clear that vaccines provide a measure of protection against cardiovascular outcomes of COVID-19104.
With cognitive performance declining in the young, measured both by surveys as well as standardized test scores105-107, shortages across the world in a range of professions, increased acute and long-term absences from school and work due to ill-health, rises in long-term disability and associated social security claims, we need to ask where are our leaders?
Which government minister is going to take on the task of educating the public about the true harms of COVID-19? Which government will implement the measures needed to prevent the gradual attrition of key pillars of society?
The social, economic and public health costs of maintaining the fiction that we can live normally by ignoring COVID-19 are simply too high for this “business as usual” situation to continue and the rate of attrition is too high for this to be sustainable.
We need a concerted push for properly matched, updated boosters108; clean air policies; respirators to be made the standard in healthcare settings long-term and in everyday society when COVID-19 levels are high; a massive public information campaign to encourage regular testing and isolation to minimize cases and harm; and investment in next-generation vaccines and therapies that will reduce the threat posed by COVID-19. We also need massive investment in Long Covid therapies to help those already harmed by SARS-CoV-2.
This absurd pretense cannot continue. Many people already know it in their hearts. But who will be the leader brave enough to say it?
Reading Time
7 minutes
Author
John Snow Project Editorial
Learn more about the editorial group here
References
Why Are Death and Disability Rising Among Young Americans?
www.newsweek.com/why-are-death-disability-rising-among-young-americans-opinion-1837006
Long COVID or Post-COVID Conditions
www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/long-term-effects/index.html
Multiorgan MRI findings after hospitalisation with COVID-19 in the UK (C-MORE): a prospective, multicentre, observational cohort study
www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600(23)00262-X/fulltext
59% of long Covid patients had organ damage a year later
www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2023/feb/59-long-covid-patients-had-organ-damage-year-later
Long Covid May Affect Organs Like The Heart And Kidneys After Lungs Recover, New Research Says
www.forbes.com/sites/ariannajohnson/2023/08/09/long-covid-may-affect-organs-like-the-heart-and-kidneys-after-lungs-recover-new-research-says/?sh=2f0de1385466
Population - With a Disability, 16 Years and over
fred.stlouisfed.org/series/LNU00074597
Rising ill-health and economic inactivity because of long-term sickness, UK: 2019 to 2023
www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peoplenotinwork/economicinactivity/articles/risingillhealthandeconomicinactivitybecauseoflongtermsicknessuk/2019to2023
Measuring Australia's excess mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic until the first quarter 2023
www.abs.gov.au/articles/measuring-australias-excess-mortality-during-covid-19-pandemic-until-first-quarter-2023
US mortality continues to worsen when compared with other rich nations, study finds
www.bmj.com/content/382/bmj.p2034.full
Deaths registered weekly in England and Wales, provisional: week ending 06 October 2023
www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsregisteredweeklyinenglandandwalesprovisional/weekending06october2023
CMI mortality monitor – week 44 of 2023
www.actuaries.org.uk/system/files/field/document/Mortality%20monitor%20Week%2044%202023%20v01%202023-11-14.pdf
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jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2798990
Global impact of the first year of COVID-19 vaccination: a mathematical modelling study
www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(22)00320-6/fulltext
Recent COVID-19 vaccination highly effective against death caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection in older Australians
ncirs.org.au/recent-covid-19-vaccination-highly-effective-against-death-caused-sars-cov-2-infection-older
Association of Primary and Booster Vaccination and Prior Infection With SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Severe COVID-19 Outcomes
jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2796893
Effectiveness of the second COVID-19 booster against Omicron: a large-scale cohort study in Chile
www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-41942-y
Covid-19: Vaccination reduces severity and duration of long covid, study finds
www.bmj.com/content/380/bmj.p491
The effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccine in the prevention of post-COVID conditions: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis of the latest research
www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antimicrobial-stewardship-and-healthcare-epidemiology/article/effectiveness-of-covid19-vaccine-in-the-prevention-of-postcovid-conditions-a-systematic-literature-review-and-metaanalysis-of-the-latest-research/A0B115B5D3AA60846799857B801D116E
COVID-19 and Excess All-Cause Mortality in the US and 20 Comparison Countries, June 2021-March 2022
jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2798990
The Impact and Progression of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Bulgaria in Its First Two Years
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36366409/
COVID-19 Incidence and Mortality Among Unvaccinated and Vaccinated Persons Aged ≥12 Years by Receipt of Bivalent Booster Doses and Time Since Vaccination — 24 U.S. Jurisdictions, October 3, 2021–December 24, 2022
www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7206a3.htm
International Guidance on Preventing Long Covid
johnsnowproject.org/primers/international-guidance-on-preventing-long-covid/
US National Institutes of Health Updated Guidelines on Long Covid in Children
johnsnowproject.org/primers/ni-updated-guidelines-on-long-covid-in-children/
An Open Letter to Healthcare Providers
johnsnowproject.org/do-no-harm/
More than 70% of US household COVID spread started with a child, study suggests
www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/more-70-us-household-covid-spread-started-child-study-suggests
Lehrermangel verschärft sich weiter
deutsches-schulportal.de/bildungswesen/lehrermangel-bleibt-bundesweit-ein-problem/
Een nieuw schooljaar, maar zorgen over lerarentekort onverminderd
nos.nl/artikel/2487415-een-nieuw-schooljaar-maar-zorgen-over-lerarentekort-onverminderd
DfE workforce plan delay ‘dispiriting’ amid teacher shortage
www.tes.com/magazine/news/general/teacher-shortage-dfe-recruitment-strategy-delay
‘The holes are everywhere’: Schools despair as teacher shortage extends to casuals
www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/the-holes-are-everywhere-schools-despair-as-teacher-shortage-extends-to-casuals-20231108-p5eime.html
Education Policy – Teacher Shortage and Other Challenges
capitolweekly.net/special-episode-education-policy-teacher-shortage-and-other-challenges/
NSTU survey sheds light on teacher shortage
www.1015thehawk.com/2023/11/10/53011/#
World Teachers’ Day: Audrey Azoulay pleads for an upgrade of teachers’ status to reduce the global shortage
www.unesco.org/en/articles/world-teachers-day-audrey-azoulay-pleads-upgrade-teachers-status-reduce-global-shortage
High schoolers teaching younger students in first-of-its-kind program in Philly
www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/student-to-teacher-pipeline-in-philadelphia/3693081/
Europe’s bus and coach driver shortage widens 54%, grim outlook to 2028
www.iru.org/news-resources/newsroom/europes-bus-and-coach-driver-shortage-widens-54-grim-outlook-2028
The Guardian view on public sector work: the nursery shortage points to a deeper crisis
www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/nov/12/the-guardian-view-on-public-sector-work-the-nursery-shortage-points-to-a-deeper-crisis
Staff shortages an issue amid ‘deeply worrying’ prison deaths in England
www.theguardian.com/society/2023/sep/16/staff-shortages-prison-deaths-coroners-inquests-suicide
Probation officers fear repeat of failings in murder case as pressures mount
www.theguardian.com/society/2023/oct/23/probation-officers-fear-repeat-of-failings-in-case-as-pressures-mount
The mental health crisis among doctors is a problem for patients
www.vox.com/health/23921266/mental-health-doctors-physicians-depression-burnout
'Frustrated, burned out, abandoning hope' – physicians need support now in Washington, D.C., and around the nation
www.medicaleconomics.com/view/-frustrated-burned-out-abandoning-hope-physicians-need-support-now-in-washington-d-c-and-around-the-nation
It’s getting harder to find and hire doctors
www.medicaleconomics.com/view/it-s-getting-harder-to-find-and-hire-doctors
Is there a nursing shortage in the United States? Depends on whom you ask
www.statnews.com/2023/10/16/nursing-shortage-us-hospitals-unions/
NHS medical staffing data analysis
www.bma.org.uk/advice-and-support/nhs-delivery-and-workforce/workforce/nhs-medical-staffing-data-analysis
First major survey of doctors with Long Covid reveals debilitating impact on health, life and work
www.bma.org.uk/bma-media-centre/first-major-survey-of-doctors-with-long-covid-reveals-debilitating-impact-on-health-life-and-work-and-wider-implications-for-workforce-and-health-services
Long covid: the doctors’ lives destroyed by an illness they caught while doing their jobs
www.bmj.com/content/382/bmj.p1983
Exclusive survey reveals ‘worryingly high’ levels of long Covid among nurses
www.nursingtimes.net/news/nurse-wellbeing/exclusive-survey-reveals-worryingly-high-levels-of-long-covid-among-nurses-01-02-2023/
Long COVID Takes Toll on Already Stretched Health Care Workforce
www.webmd.com/covid/news/20230306/long-covid-takes-toll-on-health-care-system
Long Covid: One of the most serious impacts of the pandemic on nurses
www.nursinginpractice.com/latest-news/long-covid-one-of-the-most-serious-impacts-of-pandemic-on-nurses/
What the latest Covid-19 wave means for Australia
www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/health/2023/11/11/what-the-latest-covid-19-wave-means-australia#mtr
COVID crisis: Authorities accused of dropping the ball on COVID and creating future chronic illness burden
thewest.com.au/news/coronavirus/covid-crisis-authorities-accused-of-dropping-the-ball-on-covid-and-creating-future-chronic-illness-burden-c-12459711
We Interrupt This Mood of Denial to Update COVID’s Threat
thetyee.ca/Analysis/2023/11/10/Update-COVID-Threat/
One billion days lost: How COVID-19 is hurting the US workforce
www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare/our-insights/one-billion-days-lost-how-covid-19-is-hurting-the-us-workforce
Can’t Think, Can’t Remember: More Americans Say They’re in a Cognitive Fog
www.nytimes.com/2023/11/13/upshot/long-covid-disability.html
High 2021-22 chronic absenteeism levels persisted last school year
www.k12dive.com/news/high-2021-22-chronic-absenteeism-levels-2022-23/696481/
High Absenteeism Hits More Schools, Affecting Students With Strong Attendance, Too
www.edweek.org/leadership/high-absenteeism-hits-more-schools-affecting-students-with-strong-attendance-too/2023/10
The rising tide of school absences in the post-pandemic era
blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/the-rising-tide-of-school-absences-in-the-post-pandemic-era/
‘More to be done’ to bring down school absences, says education secretary
www.theguardian.com/education/2023/aug/10/more-to-be-done-to-bring-down-school-absences-says-education-secretary
Student attendance in Australia in 2022
www.acara.edu.au/reporting/national-report-on-schooling-in-australia/student-attendance
NHS: Long-term effects of COVID-19 (long COVID)
www.nhs.uk/conditions/covid-19/long-term-effects-of-covid-19-long-covid/
CDC: Long COVID or Post-COVID Conditions
www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/long-term-effects/index.html
Patient Led Research Collaborative: Long Covid Symptom List
patientresearchcovid19.com/resources-for-long-covid-researchers/
Large artery ischaemic stroke in severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15503102/
Factors associated with psychosis among patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome: a case-control study
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15486852/
[Study on the damage of liver in patients with SARS]
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15132787/
Persistence of physical symptoms in and abnormal laboratory findings for survivors of severe acute respiratory syndrome
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15127357/
Psychiatric complications in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) during the acute treatment phase: a series of 10 cases
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15056583/
Possible central nervous system infection by SARS coronavirus
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15030709/
SARS: prognosis, outcome and sequelae
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15018132/
Peripheral nerve disease in SARS:: report of a case
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14694063/
Temporal patterns of hepatic dysfunction and disease severity in patients with SARS
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14645306/
Enteric involvement of severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus infection
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14517783/
Long-term sequelae of SARS in children
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7106002/
SARS, SIRS, and neurological disease
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15534173/
Neuromuscular disorders in severe acute respiratory syndrome
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15534177/
Severe acute respiratory syndrome associated coronavirus is detected in intestinal tissues of fatal cases
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15654797/
Acute renal impairment in coronavirus-associated severe acute respiratory syndrome
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15673319/
Clinical significance of hepatic derangement in severe acute respiratory syndrome
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15810082/
Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related diarrhea
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15836711/
Pulmonary artery thrombosis in a patient with severe acute respiratory syndrome
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15937197/
Rhabdomyolysis associated with acute renal failure in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16178983/
Post-SARS sickness syndrome manifestations and endocrinopathy: how, why, and so what?
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16181227/
Neurological manifestations in severe acute respiratory syndrome
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16252612/
Posttraumatic stress, anxiety, and depression in survivors of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16281194/
Cardiovascular complications of severe acute respiratory syndrome
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16461478/
Acute renal failure in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16607445/
Long-term outcome of acute respiratory distress syndrome caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS): an observational study
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17227266/
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus infection causes neuronal death in the absence of encephalitis in mice transgenic for human ACE2
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18495771/
Long-term psychiatric morbidities among SARS survivors
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19555791/
The long-term impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome on pulmonary function, exercise capacity and health status
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20337995/
Long-term sequelae of SARS: physical, neuropsychiatric, and quality-of-life assessment
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20393208/
Chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, depression and disordered sleep in chronic post-SARS syndrome; a case-controlled study
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21435231/
Musculoskeletal complications of severe acute respiratory syndrome
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22081289/
SARS 10 years later: How are survivors faring now?
globalnews.ca/news/404562/sars-10-years-later-how-are-survivors-faring-now/
Postacute sequelae of COVID-19 at 2 years
www.nature.com/articles/s41591-023-02521-2
American Heart Association COVID-19 News
www.heart.org/en/news/coronavirus-news
British Heart Foundation: How does COVID-19 affect your heart?
www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/news/coronavirus-and-your-health/what-does-coronavirus-do-to-your-body
New Zealand Heart Foundation: COVID-19 and your heart
www.heartfoundation.org.nz/your-heart/covid-19-and-your-heart
Diabetes UK: Coronavirus and diabetes updates
www.diabetes.org.uk/about_us/news/coronavirus
American Diabetes Association: Frequently Asked Questions: COVID-19 and Diabetes
diabetes.org/getting-sick-with-diabetes/coronavirus-covid-19/how-coronavirus-impacts-people-with-diabetes
US National Kidney Foundation: What you need to know about COVID-19 in 2023
www.kidney.org/coronavirus/reopening-second-wave-kidney-disease-covid-19
Canadian Kidney Foundation: COVID-19: How to Protect Yourself
kidney.ca/Kidney-Health/Living-With-Kidney-Disease/COVID-19-How-to-Protect-Yourself
SARS-CoV-2 and "Textbook" Immunity
johnsnowproject.org/primers/textbook-immunity/
Association of COVID-19 with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections in children aged 0–5 years in the USA in 2022: a multicentre retrospective cohort study
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10582888/
Long covid outcomes at one year after mild SARS-CoV-2 infection: nationwide cohort study
www.bmj.com/content/380/bmj-2022-072529
The impact of COVID-19 and COVID vaccination on cardiovascular outcomes
academic.oup.com/eurheartjsupp/article/25/Supplement_A/A42/7036729
Students’ lowest English, math standardized test scores in decades
winknews.com/2023/06/21/english-math-standardized-test-scores-lowest-in-decades/
U.S. reading and math scores drop to lowest level in decades
www.npr.org/2023/06/21/1183445544/u-s-reading-and-math-scores-drop-to-lowest-level-in-decades
ACT scores drop to new 30-year low, SAT scores drop as well
www.abcactionnews.com/news/national/act-scores-drop-to-new-30-year-low-sat-scores-drop-as-well
Statement on the antigen composition of COVID-19 vaccines
www.who.int/news/item/18-05-2023-statement-on-the-antigen-composition-of-covid-19-vaccines
I do not have the time nor energy to format this correctly right now: to interact with the sources, check out the article via the link above
The social, economic and public health costs of pretending we can live normally by ignoring COVID-19 are not sustainable.
Newsweek recently published a commentary1, which notes the alarming rise in disability and excess mortality in the United States. Unfortunately, the authors suggest the declining state of general health might have something to do with COVID-19 vaccines and seem to ignore the enormous body of research showing that SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19 and is known to infect every organ system and cause widespread dysfunction) is responsible for these harms.
The authors of the Newsweek piece assume that COVID-19 deaths are limited to those directly ascribed to COVID-19 infection on the death certificate. They seem oblivious to the possibility that a virus that can infect every organ and has been shown to cause a wide range of sequelae2-5 might be leading to a rise in all-cause morbidity6,7 and mortality8-11 beyond the timescale of acute infection. Many countries have already experienced a drop in life expectancy, including in 2020 before vaccines were widely available. Vaccine skeptics are promoting the dangerous falsehood that COVID-19 vaccines, not COVID-19 itself, are the cause of the unprecedented decline in almost every measure of public health. In reality, evidence shows that excess mortality related to COVID-19 is highest in areas with low vaccination rates12.
By remaining silent or downplaying the ongoing risk of COVID-19, governments have abdicated their responsibility to provide their citizens with reliable public health information. Misinformation peddlers, grifters and the ill-informed have filled the gap, sowing doubt and fear about one of the most important things that might offer some protection from the harms of a widely circulating virus: vaccines. By every measure, be it reducing mortality13,14, improving short-term morbidity15,16, or reducing the long-term ill-health impacts17,18, vaccines are effective at taking the sting out of COVID-19’s tail. They are less effective against transmission because of waning immunity and immune escape due to virus mutation, but they are beneficial by any measure and are not responsible for the excess mortality and morbidity being seen around the world19. Vaccination rates are in fact strongly correlated with improved survival20,21.
Governments need to step up to correct the record loudly. The quiet warnings issued by the World Health Organization and some governments about the ongoing risks of COVID-1922,23 need to become much, much louder. People need to be made aware of the potential harms of each and every infection, and in addition to providing accurate information and closing the knowledge gap that is allowing merchants of doubt to flourish, governments need to take urgent action to address the root cause of the problem. We need to work towards stopping transmission of COVID-19 in the community, and we need to do it with a concerted push to broaden availability of vaccines and boosters, to clean the air and normalise N95/FFP2 or better respirators in all public settings, particularly in healthcare and education24, 25.
Some media organizations around the world are slowly starting to realize there is a global shortage of workers in high-contact professions. Teachers are in short supply everywhere from America to Australia26-33. Bus drivers are scarce across Europe34. Britain is running out of nursery workers35, prison officers36 and probation officers37. Medical professionals are unable to keep pace with demand and are experiencing record levels of burnout38-42. Healthcare workers are also suffering the impact of Long COVID43-47. A few more attentive media organizations are making the link and warning about the ongoing harms of repeat SARS-CoV-2 infections48-50. Long COVID is already impacting the economy by causing reduced workforce capacity51.
The general population is showing worrying signs of decline, with cognitive dysfunction being observed on a huge scale52. Chronic absence is generally defined as missing 10% or more of the academic year. Such absences from school have risen around the world, with 20% to 30% of students missing 10% or more of the school year in many high-income nations53-56. Australia has experienced a chronic absence rate of more than 50% in grades 1 to 1057.
People complain about being persistently ill and unable to shake infections throughout social media, and this is reflected in increased healthcare demand. Long COVID continues to be a huge and growing problem, as are the many sequelae of COVID-19 that aren’t caught by the official definitions of Long COVID58,59 which are much shorter than the symptom list curated by the Patient Led Research Collaborative60.
There was a period in 2020 and 2021 when vocal commentators on social media sought to downplay the harms of COVID-19, but there can now be no doubt. COVID-19 damages the heart, brain, kidneys, gut, lungs, liver – in fact there is no organ or system that is untouched by this virus. Not that there ever was real doubt this would be the case – all of these effects on internal organs other than the lungs as well as the long-term damage to the lungs itself were documented during the original SARS outbreak in 2002-2004 and in the course of subsequent research61-91. It was known that some of the damage from SARS was irreversible92.
COVID-19 causes an increased risk of death, heart attacks, strokes, and blood clots for at least 6 months after the infection, and is contributing to substantial disability in society93. While there is some recovery in people with Long COVID, some of the damage appears to be irreversible for some people93. These ongoing harms are recognized by some of the world’s leading scientific and medical organizations94-100 but, perhaps because the predominant messaging has downplayed risks for years now, their warnings have yet to infiltrate public consciousness or influence the thinking of policymakers.
We’ve previously written about the immune system dysfunction caused by COVID-19101, and more evidence has now come out in this regard. Children infected by COVID-19 appear to be at more risk of RSV infection102 and Strep A103. While often chalked up to the convenient fiction of ‘immunity debt’ (that lack of exposure has weakened humans’ immune systems—a theory that is unproven and is, frankly, contradicted by common sense and basic immunology101 - this is actually a signal of immune harm caused by a pernicious virus that exacts a toll for every infection and will reinfect many people many times in their lives.
The risk of heart attacks, strokes, blood clots and other cardiovascular illnesses caused by COVID-19 is exacerbating what was already the greatest global burden of disease - cardiovascular disease - and likely the cause of much of the observed excess mortality. It is also clear that vaccines provide a measure of protection against cardiovascular outcomes of COVID-19104.
With cognitive performance declining in the young, measured both by surveys as well as standardized test scores105-107, shortages across the world in a range of professions, increased acute and long-term absences from school and work due to ill-health, rises in long-term disability and associated social security claims, we need to ask where are our leaders?
Which government minister is going to take on the task of educating the public about the true harms of COVID-19? Which government will implement the measures needed to prevent the gradual attrition of key pillars of society?
The social, economic and public health costs of maintaining the fiction that we can live normally by ignoring COVID-19 are simply too high for this “business as usual” situation to continue and the rate of attrition is too high for this to be sustainable.
We need a concerted push for properly matched, updated boosters108; clean air policies; respirators to be made the standard in healthcare settings long-term and in everyday society when COVID-19 levels are high; a massive public information campaign to encourage regular testing and isolation to minimize cases and harm; and investment in next-generation vaccines and therapies that will reduce the threat posed by COVID-19. We also need massive investment in Long Covid therapies to help those already harmed by SARS-CoV-2.
This absurd pretense cannot continue. Many people already know it in their hearts. But who will be the leader brave enough to say it?
Reading Time
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Author
John Snow Project Editorial
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