For two years we’ve been plagued by wave after wave of covid terror. It seems like a never ending cycle of not having enough resources, not enough believers, or in the majority of cases, not enough consideration for others to combat the spread of the fatal virus. Despite the loss of close to one million deaths that America has suffered due to the coronavirus, we still seem to be struggling to get it together amidst the blows of new variants, long-term side effects, and those who simply just have no regard for human life. For those of us who are actively trying to duck and weave the hard hitting hands of covid-19 however, there may be a chance for a bit of reprisal, proposed by one of Virginia’s own.
Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine introduced a new bill in early March that may offer a chance to fight back against the long term effects of the coronavirus. Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions Committee (HELP) disclosed that he, himself has been suffering from long-covid since he first contracted the initial virus in 2020 and pushed the bill in an effort to help others suffering from the same effects. According to the American Medical Association, Kaine joins the 10-30% of people who are estimated to endure the effects of long covid. The Virginia Senator presents the Comprehensive Access to Resources & Education (CARE) Act for Long Covid in an effort to facilitate more education and resources for not only medical providers and those living with long covid, but also to educate employers, and schools. This bill aims to support the educational, disability, and employment rights for those with long covid and cultivate partnerships between communities, those working in legal assistance, and social service providers to aid those in need of services. For the 1.68 million Virginians suffering from COVID-19 currently, this could mean real changes for their recovery process.
The CARE Act for Long Covid would allow for strenuous study of long covid symptoms, putting patients in a position to be able to identify, treat, and possibly prevent long covid. While this plan has the potential to save hundreds of thousands of Virginians, let’s keep in mind that we also have a responsibility as individuals to stop the spread ourselves. Show some common decency. Wear your masks and take precautions to reduce and prevent the spread so that we may have a real shot at one day experiencing a covid-free hot girl summer.