Even after the worst is over, recovery from Covid-19 can be difficult.
An informed guide to the global outbreak, with the latest developments and expert advice about prevention and treatment. |
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In parts of the U.S. like New York City, where coronavirus cases are on a steady downward trend, the front lines of the crisis have shifted from emergency rooms and intensive-care units to recovery wards. But even after the worst is over for the severely ill, their comeback can be a long, difficult process. |
Covid-19 patients who were transferred to the I.C.U. generally remained there a long time — at least two weeks, one study found — leading to more muscle loss and to increased risk for other physical and cognitive issues. |
After a long stint on a ventilator, they often wake up confused and may need to relearn how to eat without choking. Even if their lungs have mostly healed, they may still be debilitated after not moving for so long and receiving high doses of sedatives. Some must work with physical therapists and push walkers to be able to walk again. |
The psychological toll can also be immense. Some patients are traumatized, prompting nightmares and fears of being alone and sleeping. “A lot of people told me they felt lost,” Dr. Alka Gupta, the director of a recovery unit in Manhattan, said. |
Once patients are home, their recovery may still be far from over, with some requiring walking aids and visits from health care workers. |
It’s not just the sickest: A growing number of young Covid-19 patients with “mild” cases have experienced recoveries lasting more than a month, Business Insider reports. Symptoms can come in waves and persist much longer than the two weeks suggested by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. |
A bungled contact tracing program |
Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain promoted it as a “world beating” operation: A contact tracing program that would allow the country to emerge from lockdown and to keep its eye on the spread of the virus. |
In almost three weeks since the start of the operation, some contact tracers haven’t spoken to a single person, filling their days with internet exercise classes and bookshelf organizing. Others have mistakenly tried to send patients in England to testing sites in Northern Ireland. |
The rollout bears the hallmarks of Britain’s troubled response to the coronavirus: haphazard data; an emphasis on political theater; and a heavy dependence on the private sector, after public health departments were hollowed out by a decade of austerity. |
The program’s failures have thrown into jeopardy the country’s ability to reopen, and have left public health officials trying to battle a virus they still cannot locate. |
- New York City is “on track” to enter the next phase of reopening as soon as Monday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said today. Outdoor dining and some in-store shopping would be allowed, and hair salons and some offices could resume business.
- Washington, D.C., is scheduled to enter its second reopening phase next week, which would allow gatherings of up to 50 people and indoor dining at half capacity.
- In New Jersey, colleges and universities will be allowed to resume in-person clinical, laboratory and hands-on programming as soon as July 1.
- Premier League soccer has returned to England after a three-month hiatus.
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A virtual discussion on the pandemic’s racial disparities. |
Join the Times Magazine writers Nikole Hannah-Jones, Linda Villarosa and Jeneen Interlandi in a conversation hosted by Jake Silverstein, the editor in chief of the magazine, on Thursday at 3 p.m. Eastern time. The event will explore how centuries of systemic racism in the U.S. have contributed to disparate health outcomes today. Register here. |
What else we’re following |
| I’m a student who got sent home from my university when the virus broke out. My friends from college and I started “Talk About the News Club” where we all meet on Zoom once a week to make sense of what’s happening in the world. Each week, we have a different discussion topic, and we always try to present perspectives from both sides of the political spectrum. |
| — Millie Vieira, Austin, Texas |
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