Medical discrimination and a lack of data make it difficult for people of color to get help for post-COVID problems
In March 2020, when Los Angeles residents began sheltering in place amid the COVID pandemic, Angela Vázquez and her husband went out shopping for some essentials. A few days later they both experienced mild COVID symptoms: low-grade fever, upset stomach, fatigue, headaches, chills, loss of sense of smell—nothing serious enough for a doctor to order confirmation tests, which were being rationed at the time.
Having a debilitating condition that still baffles medical science can be nightmarish for anyone. But Vázquez says her youth, gender and ethnicity made it particularly difficult for her to convince doctors her symptoms were real. “I was seeing largely white male doctors, and a young Latina presenting to the emergency room made it very easy to psychopathologize my symptoms and dismiss me,” she says.
Jackson—who caught COVID a third time earlier this year—says she has had constant headaches that turn into migraines, as well as shortness of breath and an elevated heart rate. And she has since developed fibromyalgia and Graves’ disease, an autoimmune condition that causes hyperthyroidism. “From beginning to end, my body is just still in shambles,” she says. “Mind you, prior to all of this, I was 100 percent healthy.
“To the extent that people are dealing with long COVID, people of color are going to face the same inequities they face in terms of accessing health care generally, in terms of potential treatments for long COVID,” Artiga says. But without good data in this area, it can be difficult to know more precisely whom to reach out to in attempt to help—and how.
“While racial disparities in Long COVID are relatively unexplored, it is well understood that some racial and ethnic minority communities are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19,” states one of the reports, The National Research Action Plan on Long COVID.Both reports were released in early August.
A study published in July poured through more than 400,000 lab-confirmed COVID cases in a database of more than 50 U.S. health care organizations assembled by TriNetX, a privately run network of such organizations around the world. The researchers identified 8,724 cases where people sought outpatient rehabilitation, which many experts recommend to help treat long COVID.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
How Soon After Having COVID Can You Get the New COVID Vaccine Booster Shots?If you recently had COVID-19, when is the best time to get the new omicron-specific booster shot?
Read more »
Should I get a COVID booster shot if I had COVID?The answer is no, if you had COVID-19 in the past three months, but otherwise the answer is yes
Read more »
Going to Medical Conferences Has Similar COVID Risk to Staying Home: StudyGoing to conferences has similar COVID risk to staying home: Study
Read more »
Panel says US adults should get routine screening for anxietyThe draft guidance comes amid a surge in mental health concerns following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Read more »
'A brazen scheme': 47 charged with siphoning $250M from COVID-19 child meal programSuspects allegedly used a local non-profit organization as cover and used the federal money to buy luxury cars, houses and jewelry, prosecutors said.
Read more »