And so here we are, almost a few years removed from the height of the COVID pandemic, and it feels like the dust is finally beginning to settle. Well, kind of. COVID is still out there, silently doing its rounds, mutating, and doing its thing, but life largely has returned to a semblance of "normal." We have our vaccines, we have better treatments, and we have our masks hung by the door, ready for the next spike in cases. But despite everything that has happened, I couldn't get rid of this feeling that we still don't quite know the whole story. There's so much more to COVID than what was blown up in our faces through all forms of media 24/7 during those wild couple of years. So, buckle up. We're going to take a plunge into some of the lesser-known facts about COVID-19.
First off, let's talk about what we *do* know. COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, emerged in late 2019 and quickly spread across the globe, causing widespread illness and death and global shutdowns. It has affected just about every aspect of our lives, from the economy to education, travel, and health systems worldwide. It would appear that everyone has a story to tell concerning how COVID personally touched their life, whether it was losing a loved one, losing a job, or just losing that sense of freedom that we all took for granted. Now, here's where it gets interesting.
The pandemic forced scientists and governments to move at lightning speed to understand the virus, develop vaccines, and try to get things under control. But in all that chaos, there were whispers, ideas, and theories that never got as much attention. And no, I'm not talking about the usual conspiracy theories of 5G towers or lab leaks, although those most definitely have their place in the COVID narrative. There are some very interesting bits of information about the virus and its effects that didn't make the headlines. Let's start with the virus itself.
We know all too well that this is a coronavirus, part of the same family as viruses that cause the common cold and SARS. But what's lesser known is how SARS-CoV-2 can do weird things other coronaviruses don't. It can be in the body a lot longer than initially thought. Scientists thought at the start of the pandemic that after recovery from COVID, the virus leaves the body in a couple of weeks. Well, that just didn't turn out to be completely true. Viral leftovers have indeed been found months later in some patients' bodies after they've "recovered". We're not talking here about long COVID-that's a whole different beast-but rather the actual virus or pieces of its genetic material hanging out in organs such as the lungs, heart, and even the brain. What's it doing there? Nobody has any idea, but the implications are wild. Could this virus be affecting people long after they've recovered in ways we haven't even begun to understand? And that's speaking of long COVID, which is another under-researched thing we've misunderstood.
While a lot of people recover from COVID-19 with few lasting effects, there's a significant number of people who are dealing with lingering symptoms. These range from brain fog, fatigue, and shortness of breath to severe neurological problems, heart issues, and upsets in mental health. But here is the kicker: long COVID doesn't seem to correlate with how severe your initial infection was. You could have had a mild case, barely noticeable, and still end up battling those symptoms months later. Why? Scientists are still trying to figure that out,. There are those who speculate that long COVID is some sort of autoimmune reaction, by which the immune system of the body, triggered by the virus, continues to attack healthy cells long after the virus is gone. But that's just one theory among many. The more astonishing part, however, is how COVID-19 has had impacts extending beyond just the people it infected.
It's affected so much of our world in ways we didn't anticipate. Take the case of the state of nature. As the lockdowns started, we read about how wildlife returned to urban areas because of clearer skies due to reduced pollution, and how nature was generally "resetting" itself. It was almost as if Earth had begun its healing process, although it may just be temporary. Therein, however, lay the darker impact. COVID-19 has caused disruption to the ecosystems in ways in which we barely understand. In some places, conservation went on hold, in other places poaching began to increase, and invasive species-without interference from humans-began to thrive. These ecosystem changes-subtle as they may be-might have lasting impacts on biodiversity and the health of the planet. So while we were all cooped up in our homes, nature wasn't just bouncing back-it was also experiencing its own chaos. What about the mental health crisis?
Everybody has spoken about how isolation and the fear of the virus have driven anxiety, depression, and other forms of poor mental health through the roof. However, what isn't spoken about as often is how the virus itself might contribute to this. A growing body of research is suggesting that COVID-19 might have direct neurological effects. Some post-COVID patients report lingering cognitive problems: memory, concentration, and even personality changes. What's the cause? The theory of some researchers is that the virus has fired up inflammation in the brain or possibly damaged blood vessels giving rise to these cognitive problems. Others think it may relate to the psychological trauma of having survived a pandemic. Whatever the reason may be, one thing is beyond doubt-the psychic effects of COVID-19 are more than those of lockdowns and social distancing. Another weird aspect of COVID-19 that doesn't get much attention is its effect on blood.
We have heard about the risk of blood clots in severe cases, but did you know that COVID-19 seems to affect the blood in other, subtler ways too? Some patients reported that they still experienced such symptoms as cold hands and feet, or tingling of the extremities, for several months following the infection, even after a negative test result. Microclots, even though they are too small to cause a stroke or a heart attack, can be present and disrupt blood flow. Well, these microclots are tricky because sometimes they don't turn up in routine blood tests, and hence, it's hard to diagnose, let alone treat. It's yet another of those mysteries scientists are only just beginning to unravel. Next up: vaccines.
Everybody's heard about the vaccines-Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson. They were rolled out at breakneck speed, and for the most part, they've been a success. But less discussed is how the process of vaccine development itself represents a quantum leap of science. The mRNA technology behind the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines wasn't new, but COVID-19 was the first time it was used in a widely distributed vaccine, and it has the potential to change the way we develop vaccines for all kinds of diseases in the future, not just pandemics. The world would indeed be different if one could produce vaccines at incredible speed for diseases like cancer, HIV, or even the flu using the same technology behind mRNA. Of course, this is no longer a pipe dream but rather a reality thanks to developments that have been made in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. But with all this innovation came the inevitable backlash.
Exercising vaccine hesitation has been huge during the totality of the pandemic, and it is not limited to fringe conspiracy groups. The rapid development of the vaccines put together with ever-changing mask guidelines, boosters, and restrictions simply have caused much confusion and mistrust. There were many reasons people were-and continue to be-reluctant or hesitant to get vaccinated. While it might be easiest to write these fears off as irrational, in truth, such mistrust runs a great deal deeper. Many communities, but particularly those that have been historically marginalized, have long stories of being mistreated at the hands of the medical establishment. The pandemic didn't create the mistrust; it just revealed it. This, too, is a lesson we should carry forward from COVID-19: public health is at least as much about building trust as it is about science. Ultimately, COVID-19 became a crash course in how everything is related.
The virus in itself is only the top of the iceberg. It's not just a health crisis but also an economic one, a social one, an environmental one, and even a crisis in terms of trust. We have learnt much, yet we still don't know so much. COVID-19 is no longer the top headline, but it will be many years before we will be truly free of its sting. So, as we move forward in caution and optimism that the worst is behind us, let's not forget-the pandemic is far from over. It's just changing shape.
