What are the long-term effects of COVID-19?

This appeared in The Millennial Source

Concerns over what has come to be known as “Long COVID” have only intensified as more and more people report lasting symptoms, including debilitating health issues.

In the United States, there have been over 20 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and more than 350,000 deaths. That means the survival rate is over 98% (though some claim it’s greater than 99%), a fact that many have used to argue that the coronavirus restrictions are doing more harm than good.

With state economies struggling and mental health problems worsening, critics have repeatedly said the “cure” of closing businesses and restricting public gatherings, especially during the holidays, is worse than the disease.

The discussions of how deadly the coronavirus is, however, often bypass other concerns that both medical workers and political leaders have to consider. For example, if a country or state’s medical system is overwhelmed by patients, as has frequently occurred during the pandemic, the level of care drops, leading…