The COVID-19 pandemic and its economic consequences were devastating. Tens of millions of individuals lost their employment in the early months of the crisis. While employment began to improve after a few months, unemployment remained high in 2020.
What are some of COVID-19’s probable long-term consequences?
The National Institutes of Health will fund a four-year follow-up study on the long-term effects of COVID-19 on pregnant women who have been infected with SARS-CoV-2. The study will also track their progeny to see if there are any long-term consequences.
The research is part of the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) Initiative, which tries to figure out why some people who have had COVID-19 don’t fully recover or acquire symptoms after they’ve recovered. These disorders, also known as post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) or Long COVID, afflict people of all ages. Fatigue, shortness of breath, difficulties concentrating, sleep disturbances, fevers, anxiety, and depression are some of the long-term symptoms.
Some participants from an earlier study by the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units (MFMU) Network, a 36-site research collaboration financed by the National Institutes of Health’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, will be enrolled in the present study (NICHD). A total of 4,100 patients with asymptomatic and symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy who gave birth at MFMU Network hospitals would be included in the study. Throughout the four-year study, the research teams will analyze patient symptoms and their offspring for neurologic symptoms and cardiovascular issues.
Researchers led by Torri Metz, M.D., of the University of Utah School of Medicine will look into how many patients with COVID-19 in pregnancy are at risk for Long COVID, whether the severity of COVID-19 in pregnancy affects the likelihood of developing Long COVID, and how the proportion of patients who develop PASC after COVID-19 in pregnancy compares to non-pregnant women who develop PASC. The findings of the study are expected to inform efforts to reduce the incidence of Long COVID after pregnancy and to treat its symptoms, according to the researchers.
What organs are the most vulnerable to COVID19?
The SARS-CoV-2 virus has the ability to infect a wide spectrum of body cells and systems. COVID19 primarily affects the upper respiratory tract (nose, sinuses, and throat) as well as the lower respiratory tract (windpipe and lungs). Because the virus enters host cells through the receptor for the enzyme angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which is most prevalent on the surface of type II alveolar cells in the lungs, the lungs are the organs most impacted by COVID19. To attach to the ACE2 receptor and enter the host cell, the virus uses a unique surface glycoprotein termed a “spike.”
COVID-19 was declared a pandemic when?
SARSCoV2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) is a coronavirus strain that produces COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), the respiratory ailment that is causing the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The virus was previously known as human coronavirus 2019 and had a preliminary designation of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) (HCoV-19 or hCoV-19). The World Health Organization labeled the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 30 January 2020, and a pandemic on 11 March 2020, when it was first discovered in Wuhan, Hubei, China. SARSCoV2 is a single-stranded RNA virus with a positive sense that is infectious in humans.
SARSCoV2 is a severe acute respiratory syndromerelated coronavirus (SARSr-CoV) virus that is related to the SARS-CoV-1 virus that caused the SARS outbreak in 20022004. It has zoonotic origins and is genetically similar to bat coronaviruses, implying that it originated from a bat-borne virus. The question of whether SARSCoV2 was transmitted directly from bats or indirectly through intermediary hosts is still being investigated. The virus has limited genetic variability, implying that the SARSCoV2 spillover event that brought the virus to humans happened in late 2019.
When no members of the community are immune and no preventive measures are adopted, epidemiological studies suggest that each infection will result in an average of 2.4 to 3.4 additional infections between December 2019 and September 2020. Some succeeding forms, on the other hand, have become more contagious. Close contact and aerosols and respiratory droplets expelled when talking, breathing, or otherwise exhaling, as well as those produced by coughs or sneezes, are the most common ways for the virus to spread. It binds to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), a membrane protein that regulates the reninangiotensin pathway, and thereby enters human cells.
Coronaviruses have been around for how long?
Although some estimates place the common ancestor as far back as 55 million years or more, reflecting long-term coevolution with bat and bird species, the most recent common ancestor (MRCA) of all coronaviruses is thought to have lived as recently as 8000 BCE. The alphacoronavirus line’s most recent common ancestor was around 2400 BCE, the betacoronavirus line around 3300 BCE, the gammacoronavirus line around 2800 BCE, and the deltacoronavirus line around 3000 BCE. Bats and birds are suitable natural reservoirs for the coronavirus gene pool since they are warm-blooded flying vertebrates (bats for alphacoronaviruses and betacoronaviruses, and birds for gammacoronaviruses and deltacoronaviruses). Coronaviruses have evolved and spread widely due to the huge number and diversity of bat and bird species that host viruses.
Bats are the source of several human coronaviruses. Between 1190 and 1449 CE, the human coronavirus NL63 had a common ancestor with a bat coronavirus (ARCoV.2). Between 1686 and 1800 CE, the human coronavirus 229E shared an ancestor with a bat coronavirus (GhanaGrp1 Bt CoV). Alpaca coronavirus and human coronavirus 229E diverged more recently, around 1960. MERS-CoV spread from bats to people via camels as an intermediate host. MERS-CoV appears to have split from numerous bat coronavirus species some centuries ago, despite being linked to them. In 1986, the most closely related bat coronavirus and SARS-CoV separated. SARS-ancestors CoV’s first infected leaf-nose bats of the genus Hipposideridae, then progressed to horseshoe bats of the species Rhinolophidae, Asian palm civets, and finally humans.
Bovine coronavirus of the species Betacoronavirus 1 and subgenus Embecovirus is likely to have originated in rodents rather than bats, unlike other betacoronaviruses. After a cross-species jump in the 1790s, horse coronavirus separated from bovine coronavirus. After another cross-species spillover occurrence in the 1890s, human coronavirus OC43 evolved from bovine coronavirus. Because of the pandemic’s timing, neurological symptoms, and unknown causal agent, it’s thought that the 1890 flu pandemic was triggered by this spillover event rather than the influenza virus. Human coronavirus OC43 is suspected of being involved in neurological illnesses in addition to producing respiratory infections. The human coronavirus OC43 began to diverge into its current genotypes in the 1950s. Mouse hepatitis virus (Murine coronavirus), which infects the liver and central nervous system of mice, is related to human coronavirus OC43 and bovine coronavirus on a phylogenetic level. HKU1 is a human coronavirus that, like the other viruses described, has its beginnings in rodents.
How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected people’s personal lives?
Physical or social separation is one of the finest instruments we have to avoid getting exposed to COVID-19 and delay its spread, in addition to other regular precautions. Having to physically detach yourself from someone you care about, such as friends, family, coworkers, or your church group, can be difficult. It may also force you to alter your plans, such as needing to conduct virtual job interviews, set up dates, or go on university visits. Young adults may also have difficulty adjusting to new social norms, such as skipping in-person events or wearing masks in public. It’s critical to encourage young individuals to take personal responsibility for their own safety and that of their loved ones.
Is it possible to get COVID-19 through sex?
Whether you’re engaging in sexual activity or not, any close contact (within 6 feet or 2 meters) with an infected person can expose you to the virus that causes coronavirus illness 2019 (COVID-19). When a person with the virus coughs, sneezes, or talks, respiratory droplets are discharged.
Is it possible to have sex during a coronavirus outbreak?
You’re at home with your lover, and the hours are ticking away? As the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 spreads across the United States and beyond, so are limitations that promote social isolation. You and your spouse may be effectively isolated at home at this point. While this is a great time to reconnect with each other, you may be wondering how much closeness is appropriate.
A refresher course on how the coronavirus spreads
The virus appears to transmit from person to person through prolonged intimate contact, according to evidence.
- Sneezing and coughing spread the virus, which is conveyed in respiratory droplets. If there are people nearby, droplets may fall into their mouths or noses, or be inhaled.
- When an infected person speaks, sings, or breathes, viral particles called aerosols may float or drift in the air. Aerosols may be inhaled by people nearby.
- According to research, the virus can live on surfaces and spread when a person touches them then touches their face.
- The virus is known to be shed in saliva, sperm, and feces, but it is unknown if it is also spread in vaginal secretions. Kissing has the potential to spread the infection (you obviously would be in very close contact with the infected person). At this moment, transmission of the virus by feces, vaginal or anal intercourse, or oral sex appears to be highly rare.
While the definition of “continuous close contact” may evolve as more information becomes available, running or strolling past someone infected with the virus is a lower-risk situation. Being in the same room as an infected individual for an extended period of time and breathing the same air is a greater risk scenario. Experts disagree on what constitutes close touch and how many minutes of close contact are considered high danger. Being within six feet of someone infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 for more than a few minutes increases your chances of contracting the virus.
How safe is intimacy with a partner?
True, many types of intimacy necessitate a closer gap than the six feet recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
This does not, however, imply that you should distance yourself from your spouse or partner and cease all forms of intimacy. Touching, hugging, kissing, and intercourse are more likely to be safe if both of you are healthy and feeling well, are exercising social distancing, and have had no known exposure to someone with COVID-19. Similarly, sharing a bed with a healthy partner should not be a problem.
Be mindful, however, that some persons may have the virus but not show symptoms during the early stages of the incubation period, according to the CDC (presymptomatic). Furthermore, some patients never show any signs or symptoms of COVID-19 (asymptomatic). In either situation, the infection could spread through close physical contact and affection.
What about intimacy if one partner has been ill?
If you or your spouse has been sick with COVID-19 and is now recuperating, this CDC page discusses how to prevent the spread of germs, such as not sharing bedding or, presumably, a bed and refraining from all personal contact until the infection has passed.
However, according to one study, the virus can shed for up to 14 days, so you should avoid contact for up to 14 days.
During this time, the sick individual should self-quarantine and use public venues as little as possible. If someone is sick, it’s critical to wipe down all common surfaces, wash all bedding, and follow the CDC’s other recommendations.
What’s the good news? In Shenzen, China, public health officials discovered a 14.9 percent transmission rate among household contacts. Self-quarantine for the person who is displaying signs of disease, as well as great hand hygiene for the entire home, help to reduce the risks to household members.
What if your partner works in a job where there’s a high risk of catching the virus?
If your partner works in a high-risk industry like healthcare or interacts with the general public, decisions about intimacy or even self-quarantine in the absence of symptoms are very personal. Some healthcare workers have isolated themselves from their families, while others maintain high hand hygiene and keep a distinct work wardrobe. Given that this is a novel virus, you and your partner should discuss what you are both comfortable with. There are presently no evidence-based guidelines.
What about starting a new relationship?
For those looking to start a new relationship, this should be carefully explored. Due to the pandemic, we should all be practicing social separation, yet dating does not meet with social distancing principles. While this is a difficult period, maintaining social distance is critical to keeping you and your loved ones safe.
Are any forms of intimacy and sex completely safe right now?
The six feet of space necessary by social distance may not be enough to slow you down completely. Masturbation, phone sex with a partner who doesn’t live with you, and sex toys (used only by you) could all play a part in sexual intimacy right now. It’s also quite natural if you’re not in the mood for sex and are perplexed as to how anyone can be intimate at this time. Stress has diverse psychological effects on different people. If a pandemic has stifled your sexual drive, it will resurface once things are back to normal.
Are there any long-term negative effects from the COVID-19 vaccine?
Vaccination’s Benefits Outweigh the Risks Serious adverse effects that could result in a long-term health condition are extremely rare after any immunization, including COVID-19.