This #LongCovidAwarenessDay I’m reflecting on how many people have been let down by governments, public health & medical establishments
How Covid has been downplayed, airborne spread ignored & vaxx and relax strategies pushed for the sake of capitalism
How many have Long Covid because of this?
Those of us who were disabled before the pandemic could see this wave of chronic illness coming - and many of us have been screaming from the top of our lungs the last 5 years.
Begging people not to take their health for granted & to wear a mask and protect themselves.
Warning them that there are no do-overs once you become chronically ill. Unfortunately very few people are listening - and many won’t understand the true devastation of #LongCovid until it directly impacts them. At which point it’ll be too late.
Despite seeing these waves of disability as an inevitable consequence of “let er rip” Covid strategy - one thing I did not see coming was how many people would willingly embrace not only ableism - but full on eugenics.
People in my own life who were previously kind & supportive have become cruel and angry. The masks have been ripped off. They don’t hesitate to tell me that they blame me for the restrictions placed on them in the early days of Covid.
That they will never again allow their freedoms to be infringed on in the name of protecting the vulnerable. One even went as far as to say “you’ve been sick for years - just die already.”
People who say these things don’t understand what disabled ppl understand all too well - your health is not a permanent state.
Everyone will become disabled eventually - some earlier than others. Many who think they’re invulnerable are already vulnerable and don’t even know it
Yet rather than adapting behaviour and pushing for a new normal that makes the world safe for everyone - most temporarily abled people have instead doubled down on hateful eugenics talking points and want us to stay home forever (or worse - die). It needs to stop.
Covid is airborne and we all share the air. “You do you” individualism is quite literally killing people. We need to start caring about the air we share as this will lead to a healthier society for everyone.
Until then we need to mask up. It’s easy, incredibly effective & it might save someone’s life. At the very least you will know you didn’t contribute to another person’s suffering - and you will be drastically reducing your own odds of getting Long Covid. It’s worth it.
https://www.disabledginger.com/p/i-dont-know-anyone-with-long-covid
![Chart: Estimates of Long Covid: Extrapolated to Entire U.S. Population
Data: Census Bureau, Nat'l Cntr for Health Stats, Dept of Health & Human Svcs, Bureau of Labor Stats (via FRED), CDC
[ beadsland on Ko-fi ]
Line chart, from Apr 2022 to date, of:
• Ever Experienced Long Covid for 3+ Months (60.3M as of Sep 16)
• Reported Staffed Hospital Beds (2.1K per Million) [Was 2.3K Apr '22]
• Population 16+ With a Disability — Labor Stats (34.3M) [Apr '22: 32.7M]
• Now Living with LC (17.9M)
• Current Activity Limitations from LC (14.8M)
• Significant Limitations (4.4M)
Caption (in part):
Household Pulse Survey (HPS)…an Internet questionnaire…by…Census Bureau…includes questions regarding “any symptoms lasting 3 months or longer that you did not have prior to having coronavirus or COVID-19.” [Note] that the list of long-term symptoms, provided for this question, may not reflect all sequelae of covid infection, e.g., systemic organ damage or increased susceptibility to subsequent infections and other adverse health outcomes.
NCHS uses HPS responses to estimate incidence of [LC] in adult population. With [retraction & new studies] now assume U.S. under 18 population (22% of total) meet criteria for [LC] at same rate as adults.
Census…was due to relaunch Household Pulse Survey (HPS) as Household Trends and Outlook Pulse Survey (HTOPS)…January 2025….had been no relaunch as of [Jan 20].…now is word of a general moratorium on…executive branch agencies communicating with the public….](https://spaces.hcommons.social/media_attachments/files/114/162/951/226/814/823/original/43491d1e4d67fc01.png "Chart: Estimates of Long Covid: Extrapolated to Entire U.S. Population
Data: Census Bureau, Nat'l Cntr for Health Stats, Dept of Health & Human Svcs, Bureau of Labor Stats (via FRED), CDC
[ beadsland on Ko-fi ]
Line chart, from Apr 2022 to date, of:
• Ever Experienced Long Covid for 3+ Months (60.3M as of Sep 16)
• Reported Staffed Hospital Beds (2.1K per Million) [Was 2.3K Apr '22]
• Population 16+ With a Disability — Labor Stats (34.3M) [Apr '22: 32.7M]
• Now Living with LC (17.9M)
• Current Activity Limitations from LC (14.8M)
• Significant Limitations (4.4M)
Caption (in part):
Household Pulse Survey (HPS)…an Internet questionnaire…by…Census Bureau…includes questions regarding “any symptoms lasting 3 months or longer that you did not have prior to having coronavirus or COVID-19.” [Note] that the list of long-term symptoms, provided for this question, may not reflect all sequelae of covid infection, e.g., systemic organ damage or increased susceptibility to subsequent infections and other adverse health outcomes.
NCHS uses HPS responses to estimate incidence of [LC] in adult population. With [retraction & new studies] now assume U.S. under 18 population (22% of total) meet criteria for [LC] at same rate as adults.
Census…was due to relaunch Household Pulse Survey (HPS) as Household Trends and Outlook Pulse Survey (HTOPS)…January 2025….had been no relaunch as of [Jan 20].…now is word of a general moratorium on…executive branch agencies communicating with the public….")
