Center for Disease Control COVID Update

By Clara Caufield,

NSNT Correspondent

This is the second article about the Center for Disease Control (CDC) work on the COVID-19 pandemic and the potential lingering after-effects afflicting many, often called “Long Haulers” Or “Long COVID”.

In conjunction with the National Institute of Health (NIH) and many other scientific researchers, CDC is hoping to share this information with native communities, especially those in remote reservation areas.

First. Native Sun News must make a correction to the first article which incorrectly named the staff member in charge of the Native Outreach effort. The Senior Policy Analyst in charge is Dr. Seh (pronounce Shay) Welch, Ph.D., Senior Policy Advisor, Center for Global Health, Tribal Support System. Dr. Seh is of the Blackfeet Nation, MT who previously worked at the reservation level, including at Southern California Tribes, State of Washington Tribes, Northern Cheyenne, and Crow. Thus, she has a thorough understanding of and empathy for the reservation-based lifestyle. Her early years were on one – Blackfeet Reservation, MT, regarded as a tough environment, her knowledge of rural, remote, and reservation life was clearly expressed to this writer through a recent personal interview.

Although the initial rash of infections and deaths has now diminished, the nation now grapples with the aftermath: chronic and sometimes debilitating health concerns. The official name is SARS-COV-2, commonly known as “long COVID” syndrome.

Common symptoms of this malady include fatigue, brain fog, shortness of breath, sleep disorders, anxiety, depression, muscle aches and pain, gastrointestinal problems, especially liver and lungs, and fevers, which can develop some time after the initial infection. According to a recent NIH report, the magnitude of people suffering from “long COVID” will be the cause of long-lasting and profound public health impact.

Recently, under the Biden Administration, Congress approved $1.5 billion to support NIH studies on this public health problem in concert with other health care partners such as CDC and many other researchers. They are now planning to “make a plan” to research this problem and gather essential data. The goal is to identify ways to treat or prevent this condition. The report was approved and signed by Francis S. Collins, M.D. Ph.D., recent Director, NIH.

Some of the questions they hope to answer are: “What does recovery look like across the population; How many people continue to be affected; What is the underlying biological cause of these prolonged symptoms; What makes some people vulnerable and not others? Does the infection lead to other risks, such as chronic heart or brain disorders – even premature death?”

Dr. Seh provided other observations. “Primary care providers, such as MDs, and general practitioners have not benefitted from training to deal with this new malady. CDC has provided guidance to medical staff to take the patients’ concerns seriously and not chalk them to mental health issues. Sometimes providers often treat the symptoms, similar to pneumonia with antibiotics, which only work for bacterial infections, where COVID is a virus. After a time, patients can develop a resistance to antibiotics. One goal is to develop treatment guidelines for health care providers’.

“We just don’t’ have enough data or information yet,” she sighed.

“Within a very small community, I personally know four who have the syndrome”, this writer remarked.

“And those four, know four more,” she responded, “It is exponential, A key to this is getting a grip on the numbers” hence NIH has begun studies to gather the information as each person has different long covid effects. Some have a few identified symptoms and others more. We have to learn more to properly take the correct treatment steps”.

Whether or not this condition will be recognized for disability under Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and IHS is up in the air. Several patients have found that these medical insurance resources do not yet recognize the problem. According to personal reports provided to this writer, this has left many out-of-pocket for corresponding medical costs.

Stay tuned for future reports on this matter, in concert with CDC. Dr. Seh wants folks in Indian Country to know that they are doing all they can to investigate, research, and come up with solutions to this new health problem, which is affecting all of America, and indeed the world.

(Clara Caufield can be reached at acheyennevoice@gmail.com)

The post Center for Disease Control COVID Update first appeared on Native Sun News Today.

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