Week 23 of Coronavirus 'Staycation'

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In the news:

"The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has asked states to be ready to distribute a coronavirus vaccine by late October. 

Drugmaker Pfizer thinks it will have enough data to ask the US Food and Drug Administration to authorize its potential vaccine next month.

Most experts think it's unlikely -- but not impossible -- that a vaccine will be ready ahead of the US election. But with at least seven candidates in phase 3 trials, it's very likely that at least one successful vaccine will emerge in the months to come. Pharmaceutical companies are also racing to develop effective treatments for the disease.

An effective vaccine has been touted as the magic bullet that will allow the global economy to quickly shift back into gear. Yet there are reasons why the recovery may be slow going: vaccines are typically not 100% effective and there will be a limited number of doses to go around.

Distribution could be a problem, both between countries and within them. Even if those challenges are overcome, some people may choose not to take the vaccine.

Neil Shearing, group chief economist at Capital Economics, wrote recently in a research note that there are a range of potential outcomes for economies once a vaccine is certified. And it would be wrong, he said, to assume that a vaccine will transform the economic outlook for next year.

"At one end of the spectrum lies a highly effective vaccine that is produced and distributed quickly. At the other lies a less effective vaccine that faces significant production and distribution challenges and would be in relatively short supply in 2021," he said. "In most scenarios in between, it is likely that containment measures, including social distancing and restrictions on some foreign travel, will remain in place for the foreseeable future."

Covid-19 can have lasting impacts on the body, but preliminary research is finding that patients not only can recover over time, but can do so faster with pulmonary rehabilitation.

Two early research reports which will be presented today at the European Respiratory Society International Congress describe how a severe Covid-19 infection can leave lasting lung damage and, in some cases, even psychological wounds.

"The bad news is that people show lung impairment from COVID-19 weeks after discharge; the good news is that the impairment tends to ameliorate over time, which suggests the lungs have a mechanism for repairing themselves," Dr. Sabina Sahanic, a clinical PhD student at the University Clinic in Innsbruck, Austria, who was involved in one of the reports, said in a news release.

Sahanic's research included data on 86 patients with severe Covid-19 symptoms who were enrolled in the study between April and June.

"About 50% of our study population showed a persisting shortness of breath six weeks after discharge from hospital that improved slightly until visit two," Sahanic said.

"Regarding our CT findings, we found that about 88% of our study population still showed pathological findings in visit one, which ameliorated to 56% in visit two."

The second study, presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress on Friday, found that patients with severe Covid-19 symptoms who underwent pulmonary rehabilitation early in their recovery process showed improvements in a range of areas, including:

• Lung capacity

• Balance

• Muscle strength

• Fatigue

Neither study has yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal and more research will be needed to determine whether similar findings would emerge among a larger and more diverse group of patients."

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My thoughts:

It's a pretty crazy thought that COVID has been around for nearly a year, now. It's also pretty weird to think we were sent home in March--about half a year ago, now! So much has happened since, and all I can say is I hope everything can go back to normal, soon. However, according to the article above, it doesn't look like it's going to. I think {or at the very least HOPE} that by this time next year everything will be as 'back to normal' as we can get. For the time being, for the most part, everything is about normal other than the fact most places require masks. People no longer care about the 6 foot distance, apparently, as well. Fortunately, some things are starting up, again, for me. This past week, my cello lessons resumed and this coming week, my math classes are starting again. Of course, my school is starting a week from today, as well! It will be nice to get a change in scenery and have something that I really need to do. I also highly recommend the book I've almost finished reading, David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. It's really great and my book of the month!

This is the last post in the COVID series! This has been such a different experience and I hope I help people in the future get an idea of what it was like being stuck in this horrible time. If you liked this series, make sure to send in a message below! I'm thinking of starting a new series where I talk about my experience at school. I just wanted to include, as a reminder, I will probably be doing something different with my posting schedule, as I won't be able to keep up with it as easily. Feel free to read last week's post, where I go more in-depth about how this upcoming school year is going to work. Have a great week, everyone, and stay safe! Keep the 6 foot distance if you're going out in public. It's respectful to you, your health and other people's.