‘Long Covid’ Makes the Pandemic Even Scarier
It’s becoming clear that the coronavirus can do lasting damage to our organs. Should that change how we feel about its risk?
This could be chronic.
Photographer: Jaime Reina/AFP via Getty Images
Unless you learned Latin and Greek or went to medical school, words such as “sequelae,” “encephalopathy” or “anosmia” probably mean nothing to you. That may be about to change, at least if you try to keep up with the literature about Covid-19. And if you’re like me, the more you learn, the more you’ll worry.
Sequelae are the aftereffects of a disease. Encephalopathy is sickness of the brain. But “brain fog” is just one sequela, or potential long-term condition, of Covid-19 being observed. Others include damage to the heart, lungs or nervous system, as well as general aching and fatigue. The possible consequences also include a lasting loss of smell (anosmia) or taste (ageusia), and more.