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The mystery of long CovidAs we move into what may be the later phase of the pandemic, understanding long-term Covid symptoms is increasingly becoming a priority. Leading public health officials have warned that hundreds of thousands of Americans and millions of people worldwide may experience lingering symptoms — which can include monthlong fevers, breathing trouble, cognitive problems — that hamper their ability to live normally. But so far there has been comparatively little research into the long Covid phenomenon. We still don’t know how many people are affected, but it could be a substantial number: A small study from the University of Washington recently found that about 30 percent of patients experienced lingering symptoms months after infection. Two long Covid patients recently wrote in the Times Opinion section that the condition is not getting the attention or resources it deserves. Like other patients who become sick from conditions previously described as “mysterious illnesses,” like fibromyalgia and AIDS, they say they “still struggle to be taken seriously by friends, family members, clinicians and policymakers.” A number of people, including some readers of this newsletter, have reported that the long Covid symptoms they’ve experienced for months have begun to improve, sometimes significantly, after they received a coronavirus vaccine. However, many people have said they have experienced no change, and a small number have said they feel worse. While it’s still too early to know what may be causing the improvement, scientists have suggested that the vaccine, by generating antibodies, may eliminate lingering traces of the virus. Other scientists have suggested that long Covid symptoms may resemble an autoimmune disease, and that patients who feel better after a vaccine might eventually relapse. For Judy Dodd, a teacher and director from New York, the second dose of the vaccine has nearly eliminated the shortness of breath, headaches and exhaustion she has been experiencing since last spring. “I’m still sort of wary of what’s around the corner, this disease is so unpredictable,” she said. “Even if, God forbid, I have a relapse, to have this time now when I feel better, it’s really amazing.” School distancing may changeThe director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Monday that the agency might revise its guidance calling for at least six feet of distancing between students in schools in areas with high coronavirus transmission. Changing the guidance to three feet from six would allow many more schools to bring students back full time. With concerns rising about the social costs of students not being in the classroom, some experts are questioning the basis for the six-foot guidance. A recent study in Massachusetts found there was no significant difference in infection rates in schools that required at least six feet of distance versus those that required only three feet, when both students and teachers were masked. But the American Federation of Teachers, one of the largest teacher unions in the country, has voiced staunch opposition to changing the guidance. “It is a debate about convenience, not a debate about safety,” Randi Weingarten, the union’s president, told our colleague Kate Taylor. “All of a sudden, because we can’t squeeze in every single kid if it’s six feet that miraculously there’s now studies that say three feet are fine. And what’s going to happen is, people are just not going to trust it.” For more, read today’s issue of the Education Briefing, our weekly newsletter on schools and society. If you’d like to see more schools coverage, sign up here. Vaccine rollout
What else we’re following
What you’re doingI just got my RN license in January. I wanted to keep busy while looking for a full-time job, so I started volunteering giving Covid vaccinations at a huge state-run center near me. It has been incredibly rewarding to feel like I am playing a small role in helping to get our lives back to normal. There is so much joy in that building — I love seeing all the smiling faces, especially on the older people excited to finally hug their grandchildren. — Sarah LeBuhn, Irvington, N.Y. Let us know how you’re dealing with the pandemic. Send us a response here, and we may feature it in an upcoming newsletter. Kate Taylor contributed to today’s newsletter. Email your thoughts to briefing@nytimes.com. Did a friend forward you the briefing? Sign up here.
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