On Sunday, July 14, a couple of Eureka Springs churches had a quite a few members of the congregation come down with Covid. Dr. John House, Health First Clinic, confirmed that they are seeing an increase in Covid. But he said it’s not a big jump, certainly not as bad as we’ve seen in previous waves.
“I do recommend that people get tested if they have symptoms,” House wrote in an email. “Knowing what you’re dealing with is usually helpful. The level of morbidity now is definitely less than previous waves. We haven’t had to hospitalize anyone.”
House said the clinic does have a few patients with Long Covid, and it is a risk, particularly for those who become infected with Covid more than once. He said many people who get Covid will have a week or two of post-infection symptoms, such as fatigue. With Long Covid, however, some people have symptoms that last many months.
“Fortunately, that number is small as a percentage of total infections,” House said.
Numerous national outlets have reported that President Joe Biden’s recent case of Covid in not an anomaly; a “summer bump” in Covid infections has been seen across the U.S. as new Covid variants are being seen that are more contagious but not as deadly as earlier variants. What has become an annual increase in the summer comes as record numbers of people are flying and few people are social distancing or wearing masks indoors. There have also been concerns that people have Covid fatigue, and few people even the most vulnerable categories—people over 65 and/or those with immune system disorders—are getting the most recent vaccine.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states on its website that Long Covid is a serious illness that can result in chronic conditions requiring comprehensive care. Long Covid can include a wide range of ongoing symptoms and conditions that can last weeks, months, or even years after COVID-19 illness.
“Anyone who had a SARS-CoV-2 infection, the virus that causes COVID-19, can experience Long Covid, including children,” CDC said. “COVID-19 vaccination is the best available tool to prevent Long Covid. Living with Long Covid can be difficult and isolating, especially when there are no immediate answers or solutions. Long Covid includes a wide range of symptoms or conditions that may improve, worsen, or be ongoing.”
While Long Covid occurs more often in people who had severe Covid-19 illness, anyone who gets COVID-19 can experience it, including children.
“Most people with Long Covid experience symptoms days after first learning they had Covid-19, but some people who later develop Long COVID do not know when they were infected,” CDC said.
“People can be reinfected with SARS-CoV-2 multiple times. Each time a person is infected with SARS-CoV-2, they have a risk of developing Long Covid. Long Covid symptoms and conditions can emerge, persist, resolve, and reemerge over weeks and months. These symptoms and conditions can range from mild to severe, may require comprehensive care, and can even result in a disability. While rates of new cases of Long COVID have decreased since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, it remains a serious public health concern as millions of U.S. adults and children have been affected by Long COVID.”
While anyone who gets Covid-19 can develop Long Covid, studies have shown that some groups of people are more likely to develop Long COVID than others, including (not a comprehensive list) women; Hispanic and Latino people; people who have experienced more severe Covid-19 illness, especially those who were hospitalized or needed intensive care; people with underlying health conditions and adults who are 65 or older; and people who did not get a COVID-19 vaccine.
A recent CDC study said health inequities from disability, economic, geographic, and other social factors disproportionately affect some groups of people. These inequities can increase the risk of negative health outcomes and impact from Long Covid.