A Reddit community for the COVID cautious

Zero COVID

Covid is not over, because long covid has no cure.

The virus may not kill the victim but instead make them disabled with crushing fatigue, debilitating brain fog or over 200 other recorded problems. People with long covid often lose the ability to work or even get out of bed. About half of long covid is ME/CFS [ref1 ref2 ref3 ref4], which is the extremely disabling disease causing fatigue and brain fog.

Somewhere between 5% and 20% of covid infections become long covid. For reference a "medically rare event" is considered 0.1%. Long covid isn't rare. Serious disability from long covid isn't rare. Vaccines and antivirals reduce the chances a little bit but are not a solution on their own. Long covid lasts for years. Most never recover but instead will be disabled and chronically ill for the rest of their lives. Scientific research into treatments is only just starting and will be many years before it produces results.

The only thing left then to not get covid in the first place. Or if you've already had it to not get it again, as we know the damage to the body accumulates with repeat infections. Not getting it again also gives you the best chance of recovery if you already have long covid.

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The five pillars of prevention are: 

1. clean air, 
2. masks, 
3. testing, 
4. physical distancing and 
5. vaccination. 

We must also redouble efforts into research, for example better ways of cleaning the air, better vaccines, better tests.