A new report commissioned by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Monday suggested masking should be mandated or encouraged once again in public settings because of the risk of “long COVID.”
The Health+ Long COVID Human-Centered Design Report, commissioned in response to a presidential memorandum from Joe Biden, was designed to examine the “lived experiences” of people with long COVID and possible solutions for the problem. The report blames an “indifferent” attitude toward masking for the plight of those suffering with long COVID.
New HHS report:
– Long COVID impacts millions.
– Numbers will “only continue to grow as COVID-19 continues to circulate.”
– Condition “can be extremely disruptive, dismantling [one’s] ability to work, their sense of self, and their entire existence.” https://t.co/KQIkFPtKbF pic.twitter.com/5G8dferDDx
— Walker Bragman (@WalkerBragman) November 22, 2022
“Many people with Long COVID avoid public spaces and events due to a fear of reinfection and the potential worsening of their Long COVID symptoms and health impacts,” the report says. “Some may experience PTSD symptoms as a result of trauma they incurred during their acute infection.”
“The lifting of mask mandates and indifferent attitude towards masking and social distancing typical in many public and private places further isolates people with Long COVID.”
Long COVID lacks a consensus definition within the medical community, with many different camps of healthcare professionals taking different approaches to the issue. The report acknowledges that doctors can’t even agree what long COVID is, stating “the illness is not yet well understood.” Some claim that the condition is simply the presence of one of hundreds of symptoms lingering for weeks after clearing a COVID-19 infection, while on the opposite end of the spectrum, some healthcare professionals believe it may be psychosomatic.
As a result of the unclear definition, it’s impossible to pin down exactly how many Americans may be suffering from the condition. (RELATED: Biden: Long-COVID May Be Considered A Disability Under Law)
Mask mandates largely fell out of favor by early 2022, by which time the overwhelming majority of Americans had been vaccinated and COVID-19 deaths were on a steady decline. Unlike in 2021, there has been little discussion of reinstituting legal mask mandates in most jurisdictions heading into the winter months, although some advocates continue to push for renewed restrictions in the face of long COVID.