Valerie Aurora
I just signed the Public Health Pledge @phpledge and here is a story about why:
A friend of mine has to go to conferences as part of her job. She first got COVID when her kids brought it home from school. They were all vaccinated and boosted and seemed to recover normally.
Valerie Aurora
The Public Health Pledge is very flexible. It just asks you to, as organizer, announce some COVID related policies far enough in advance that people can decide whether to attend based on them, and then promise not to weaken the policies going forward. This includes actually enforcing them at the event. We can all agree that bait-and-switch is not a good look for an event people have made unrefundable travel plans for in advance.
Valerie Aurora
I'm already disabled with symptoms that are very similar to Long COVID (my hEDS includes POTS, MCAS, and CFS). I wouldn't wish this on any other person, and I don't want to get worse. I'm used to being the weirdo in the room, but the next person to be disabled by COVID is blithely chatting over a conference-provided lunch indoors.
Valerie Aurora
She still has to go to conferences for work, and she's the often the only person in the room wearing a mask. She doesn't want to get COVID again; even temporary hearing loss and vertigo are a misery - and there's no guarantee the next time will be temporary. Maybe COVID will attack the nerves in her other ear and she will be unable to hear and nauseous for the rest of her life. I wouldn't be surprised if she switches career tracks to stop going to conferences.
Valerie Aurora
She began going to conferences for work, unmasked. Her first few conferences were unremarkable. At her 4th or 5th conference, she and several of her coworkers got sick. But she didn't test positive on a RAT until more than a week after feeling sick. By then it was too late to get Paxlovid. Her whole family missed Thanksgiving, home sick with COVID.
Valerie Aurora
Then her hearing loss and vertigo came back. My suspicion was right. For whatever reason, COVID preferentially attacks the nerves that lead to one of her ears. This time, she was nauseous and hearing impaired for only a week.
Valerie Aurora
Shortly after getting COVID, she lost hearing in one ear and developed disabling vertigo. It took several months and lots of physical therapy, she mostly recovered. I was the only person who suggested that her symptoms were caused by COVID attacking her nerves; her doctors thought it was coincidence.
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