For over a year now, coronavirus and the resulting COVID-19 pandemic have overtaken media headlines all over the globe. With over 159 million cases and 3.3 million deaths worldwide, it’s easy to see that the short-term impacts this virus has had has been devastating.
Most of that 159 million have thankfully recovered completely within a few weeks’ time. But some have not and continue to experience symptoms after their recovery, as such they have been coined “long haulers.” The health issues that many long haulers are dealing with are generally considered to be the side effects of the disease. It’s also known that folks with medical conditions and older generations are more likely to experience side effects from COVID-19.
Common health issues post COVID-19:
Joint Pain
Chest Pain
Cough
Fatigue
Shortness of Breath / Difficulty Breathing
Memory, Sleep, and Concentrations Issues
Headaches
Muscle Pain
Loss of Taste and/or Smell
Depression / Anxiety
Fever
Dizziness
Increased Heart Rate
Organ Damage - Heart, Lungs, Brain
Blood Clots
We still are in the grips of the pandemic and much is still unknown about how COVID-19 will affect people over time, but we can look at our history for some clues.
While the ongoing pandemic feels very ‘new’ to all of us, it’s not entirely foreign. A little over 100 years ago, the world faced a similar pandemic with the H1N1 influenza virus which is also known as the Spanish Flu.
Like COVID-19, the H1N1 virus was "novel," meaning it was a new virus that hadn't been seen before. Because it was novel, no one had developed an immunity and the virus was highly infectious, spreading through respiratory droplets.
The H1N1 pandemic lasted for two years, occurring in three waves, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The first wave began in March 1918 and the second wave was when the pandemic peaked in the US that fall, but there was more to come. In January 1919, a third wave started in Australia and worked its way to the US and Europe. By the summer of 1919, the third wave subsided.
Both the Spanish Flu and COVID-19 manifest as "influenza-like illnesses," with fever, muscle aches, headache, and respiratory symptoms being most common. Similar to the ongoing COIVD-19 pandemic, in 1918, health officials urged people to wear masks to help slow the spread of disease. During that time they were made of gauze and cheesecloth, and those who refused to wear them faced a fine or even imprisonment in cities that mandated them, reported The New York Times.
Where COVID-19 and the Spanish Flu differ is in who it affected the most. With the coronavirus we saw/are seeing a much higher mortality rate with older populations whereas with the Spanish Flu, mortality was high in people younger than 5 years old and 65 years and older. But younger adults (ages 20 to 40) were the most at risk.
We know that the Spanish Flu was extremely deadly, but beyond the high death toll, the full impact of the 1918–1919 pandemic wouldn’t be realized until more than 60 years later. In 2009, Finch and Crimmins published a study examining epidemiological data on those born in 1919, who were newborns or second- or third- trimester fetuses during the height of the pandemic. The data showed that these individuals had approximately 25% more heart disease after age 60, as well as increased diabetes risk, compared to a similar cohort of individuals not born in 1919, including those who were older infants during the pandemic. This could be a possible foreshadowing for what’s to come with the long-term health impacts of COVID-19.
But what about impacts beyond one’s health?
Remember when I said coronavirus has been in mainstream media’s headlines for the better part of a year? During the Spanish Flu that was also true and echoes a similar level of mistrust.
In news articles found from 1918 and 1919, both public health officials and scientists asked people to not gather in crowds, urged the use of masks, and promoted everyone to quarantine and isolate to help stop the spread of the virus. Some complied and some opposed. Those that fought against the ideas that public officials were putting forth believed that the shutting down of public spaces and imposing a mask mandate would cause large economic issues. Fast forward to 2020 and 2021 we are seeing similar behavior.
Like with the Spanish Flu, much was and is still unknown about how COVID-19 will affect people over time, and with research still ongoing, it’s best that doctors closely monitor patient who have had COVID-19 to see how their bodies are functioning after recovery. It's also important to remember that most people who have COVID-19 recover quickly. But the potentially long-lasting problems from COVID-19 make it that much more important to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
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About the Author: Taylor Genter
Taylor is the Marketing Specialist at Extract with experience in data analytics, graphic design, and both digital and social media marketing. She earned her Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Marketing at the University of Wisconsin- Whitewater. Taylor enjoys analyzing people’s behaviors and attitudes to find out what motivates them, and then curating better ways to communicate with them.