{"id":20317,"date":"2021-01-22T09:44:04","date_gmt":"2021-01-22T09:44:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/solvecfs.org\/?page_id=20317"},"modified":"2022-01-11T18:44:04","modified_gmt":"2022-01-11T18:44:04","slug":"in-review-a-year-of-covid-19-in-the-u-s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/solvecfs.org\/in-review-a-year-of-covid-19-in-the-u-s\/","title":{"rendered":"In Review: A Year of COVID-19 in the U.S."},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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This year the one-year anniversary of the <\/span>first confirmed case<\/a> of COVID-19 in the United States. It\u2019s difficult to overstate the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the world and on life in the United States. The past year has presented challenges none of us could have anticipated \u2014 a devastating loss of human life, increasing homelessness and joblessness, and continued anxiety about what the future will bring for our families, health, and society.<\/span><\/p>

Another tragic aspect of COVID-19 is the growing number of people who contracted COVID-19 and continue to suffer from symptoms past the anticipated recovery time \u2013 even though tests might reveal no virus left in the body. Known as COVID-19 \u201clong haulers,\u201d they continue to struggle with debilitating symptoms, often alone, in the shadows of this devastating disease. Having escaped the worst, they nevertheless continue to struggle with symptoms that in many cases are undisguisable from ME\/CFS.<\/p>

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, <\/span>has said<\/span><\/a> that patients post-COVID-19 can develop \u201ca post viral syndrome that\u2019s very strikingly similar to myalgic encephalomyelitis\/chronic fatigue syndrome.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

A\u00a0<\/span>recent survey<\/a>\u00a0reported that the most common symptoms seven months after COVID-19 infection are: fatigue, post-exertional malaise and cognitive dysfunction. These findings suggest that many \u201clong haulers\u201d will be diagnosed with ME\/CFS. A\u00a0<\/span>study<\/a>\u00a0by Solve M.E. Research Advisory Council members Dr. Anthony L. Komaroff and Dr. Lucinda Bateman states that 10% of those suffering with long COVID could develop ME\/CFS.\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/p>

As we approach 23 million COVID cases in the United States, that 10% increase would at least double the number of Americans already suffering from ME\/CFS by the end of 2021.<\/b>
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<\/span>The COVID-era has been a critical time for our organization and our growing community. With the expertise Solve M.E. has about post-viral diseases and ME\/CFS, we can serve as a resource to this emerging community and its pressing questions. We can also use our organizational resources and knowledge to build coalitions and create opportunities for research and funding for both the long COVID and ME\/CFS communities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

In service to our community, Solve M.E. has responded to the COVID crisis with the following initiatives:<\/span><\/p>

Solve M.E. CO<\/b>VID-19 and ME\/CFS Information Center<\/b><\/h3>

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Solve M.E. has worked to share the best and most useful information. In an effort to streamline that process, we recently launched our <\/span>COVID-19 and ME\/CFS Information Center<\/b><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>

Educating Our Growing Community via Webinars<\/b><\/h3>

We\u2019ve already hosted a number of webinars in our effort to shed light on what we know about COVID-19 and the connection between long COVID and ME\/CFS, and we have even more in the works. In them, we highlighted our You + ME Biobank & Registry, gave voice to individuals suffering from long COVID and other chronic illnesses, and hosted post-viral disease experts to help our communities learn about the long-term effects of COVID-19.<\/span>
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<\/span>Some of our webinars included:<\/span>
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