In the autumn of 2020, the world was staggering underneath the assault of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. In the United States, greater than 4 million instances had been reported in November, greater than double the quantity in October. Hospitals had been overwhelmed. On the Thursday earlier than Thanksgiving, 1,962 individuals died.
Now, regardless of greater than 1 million deaths within the United States and greater than 6 million worldwide, it’s virtually straightforward to overlook that the pandemic’s assault continues. That is, till you hear Belinda Hankins’ story.
Hankins has been identified with lengthy COVID, a group of signs that may embrace crushing fatigue, mind fog, ache and dizziness and which will have an effect on 1 in 5 individuals contaminated with SARS-CoV-2, in keeping with one conservative estimate. She talked with Science News employees author Meghan Rosen throughout her appointment on the lengthy COVID clinic on the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.
“For months we’ve heard estimates about how many people have long COVID,” Rosen advised me. “I was interested in going beyond the stats to find out what it’s like for the patients and doctors living with this.”
That effort concerned speaking with medical doctors who’re attempting to determine find out how to deal with the signs of lengthy COVID when the trigger remains to be unknown. And speaking with Hankins. “I thought it was extraordinary that [she] let me into her appointment,” Rosen mentioned. “It’s just so generous and so brave.”
I share Rosen’s gratitude. Asking somebody within the midst of a life-altering sickness to speak with a journalist is a giant request. I at all times fear that folks would possibly really feel stress to take part, and I need to ensure that they’ve had time to suppose by way of the implications of going public with private data. Hankins was clear about why she mentioned sure. “She wanted to share her story because a lot of people in her life don’t know what long COVID is and why she’s still so sick,” Rosen mentioned.
In reporting, Rosen brings each her empathy and her severe science chops. She has a Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology and is a graduate of the science journalism program on the University of California, Santa Cruz. She explored careers in biotech however determined that wasn’t the appropriate match. She needed to write down about well being and drugs.
This is definitely Rosen’s third stint at Science News: first as an intern, then as a reporter, and now again on the beat after 5 years of doing communications work for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. We’re glad she’s again. Not solely is she tackling advanced points surrounding COVID-19, together with how U.S. public well being tips have an effect on children in class (SN Online: 8/19/22), she’s additionally been sharing her enjoyment of science. That consists of tales on genetic variants linked to uncombable hair in kids (SN: 10/8/22 & 10/22/22, p. 5); an uncommon “snough” name that zoo gorillas seem to have invented to get zookeepers’ consideration (SN Online: 8/10/22); and a brand new robotic capsule designed to ship medicine by scrubbing away mucus within the intestines.
Yes, science is severe and necessary, but it surely’s additionally loopy enjoyable. I don’t suppose I’m prepared to enroll in the robotic intestinal scrub brush, however I positive do get pleasure from discovering out about it.