Violet Affleck is raising awareness about a topic that’s close to her heart. The appeared at a Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Meeting on July 9 and urged local officials to oppose mask bans and ensure availability of masks for vulnerable groups. In , the 18-year-old addressed the board of supervisors and introduced herself as a "Los Angeles resident" and "first-time voter.
" She went on to share some background on why she's so passionate about protecting others from dangerous viruses. “I contracted a post-viral condition in 2019. I’m OK now, but I saw firsthand that medicine does not always have answers to the consequences of even minor viruses.
The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown that into sharper relief,” she said. Affleck went on to explain the dangers associated with long COVID. “One in 10 infections leads to long COVID, which is a devastating neurological (and) cardiovascular illness that can take away people’s ability to work, move, see and even think,” she said.
The exact number of people who have long COVID — defined as any COVID-19-related symptoms that persist for over three months — is unclear. But found that about 7% of people reported having it at some point. Experts have estimated long COVID affects between 5-20% of patients, TODAY.
com previously reported. range from neurological, like brain fog, to cardiovascular, like , to severe fatigue and chronic pain. A few years into the pandemic, many people stopped wearing masks in public.
However.
