AS YOU JUST HEARD, THAT YOUNG
NURSE COULD SPEND SIX WEEKS ON A
VENTILATOR
AND FOR SOME CORONAVIRUS
PATIENTS, THEIR BATTLES WITH THE
DISEASE CONTINUE ON FOR MONTHS
THEY’RE UNOFFICIALLY BEING
CALLED COVID-19 LONG HAULERS
DR. SCOTT KRAKAUER IS ONE OF
THEM
HE STILL HAS SYMPTOMS TWO AND A
HALF MONTHS AFTER BEING
DIAGNOSED.
HE WAS TREATED BY ER DR. ROBERT
GLADDER HERE IN NEW YORK CITY.
GOOD MORNING TO BOTH OF YOU.
FIRST OF ALL, SCOTT, LET ME
START WITH YOU
HOW ARE YOU FEELING THIS
MORNING?
>> I’M FEELING OKAY THIS
MORNING.
>> BUT NOT WELL ENOUGH -- YOU’RE
NOT AT A POINT WHERE YOU CAN GO
BACK TO WORK THOUGH?
>> NO.
NO
I MEAN, THE DAYS HAVE BEEN --
EACH DAY IS, LIKE, YOU KNOW,
DIFFERENT.
SOME DAYS ARE UP
SOME DAYS ARE DOWN
I WOULD SAY THE MORNINGS ARE
BETTER FOR ME.
THEN BY 1:00 OR 2:00 IS WHEN MY
VOICE AND MY SHORTNESS OF BREATH
KICK IN MORE
THEN IT’S HARDER TO DO THINGS.
>> IF YOU COULD, TAKE US BACK TO
APRIL.
I MEAN, NOT ONLY WERE YOU
WORKING IN A HOSPITAL, YOU HAD A
NEWBORN AND A TODDLER AT HOME AT
THE SAME TIME AS WELL.
>> YEAH.
IT WAS REALLY HARD FOR ALL OF US
AS A FAMILY.
BACK IN APRIL, THAT’S WHEN I
FIRST GOT SICK
AT THAT TIME I ACTUALLY LOST MY
SENSE OF TASTE AND SMELL
I ACTUALLY THOUGHT MAYBE IT
COULD BE SINUS OR COULD BE
SOMETHING ELSE
AND BEFORE I KNEW IT, EVERYTHING
JUST STARTED TO SPIRAL I GUESS
DOWNHILL AFTER THAT.
WHERE I STARTED COUGHING MORE
AND MORE PROFUSELY TO THE POINT
THAT EVENTUALLY I COULDN’T
SWALLOW.
AND IT WAS JUST GETTING REALLY
BAD.
AND I ULTIMATELY WOUND UP
HOSPITALIZED.
>> SCOTT, HAVE THE DOCTORS TOLD
YOU WHETHER YOU’RE GOING TO
IMPROVE AND IF SO WHEN
>> NO ONE GIVES YOU A DEFINITE
CLEAR ANSWER
I MEAN, THE ONE THING I FEEL
GOOD ABOUT IS THAT I FEEL GOOD
THAT EVERY WEEK THAT’S GONE BY
APPEARS TO BE BETTER AND BETTER.
FOR ME
AND SO I’M OPTIMISTIC AND I
THINK I’VE ALWAYS MAINTAINED
THAT SENSE OF OPTIMISM DESPITE
EVERYTHING WE’VE BEEN THROUGH AS
A FAMILY THAT IT’S GOING TO
CONTINUE TO GET BETTER
THAT PLUS ALL THE SUPPORT FROM
MY FAMILY, MY FRIENDS, AND MY
COLLEAGUES
I THINK ALL DEFINITELY HELP ME
GO THROUGH THIS TIME
>> DR. GLADDER WHO’S WITH US
PRESCRIBED A DRUG CALLED
DEXAMETHASONE.
IT’S A STEROID USED TO TREAT
INFLAMMATION
HAS IT HELPED YOU, SCOTT
>> OH, YEAH.
I’LL GO BACK IN TIME AND SAY
BEFORE ALL THIS EVEN CAME OUT,
AFTER I -- I WAS ACTUALLY
GETTING WORSE AND WORSE AND VERY
SHORT OF BREATH, COULDN’T TALK
AT THAT POINT.
AGAIN, LIKE I SAID, I WAS HAVING
TROUBLE SWALLOWING
AT ONE POINT NEARLY ASPIRATING
WHEN I SHOWED UP TO THE ER,
AFTER GETTING THE IV STEROIDS, I
WOULD SAY THAT I HAD PRETTY
SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT WITHIN
THE NEXT 24 TO 48 HOURS.
TO THE POINT THAT ACTUALLY MY
FAMILY AND FRIENDS EVEN
COMMENTED, WOW, YOU’RE ACTUALLY
MUCH BETTER.
LIKE, YOU’RE ALMOST LIKE
YOURSELF
AND THEN IT KIND OF LASTED ABOUT
A WEEK
THEN AT THAT POINT, IT STARTED
DISSIPATING AGAIN.
BUT THAT’S BECAUSE I THINK IT
HAD WORN OFF
IF IT WASN’T FOR THAT IV, I
REALLY DON’T KNOW WHERE I WOULD
BE RIGHT NOW AND FOR DR.
GLADDER.
>> DR. GLADDER, LET ME BRING YOU
IN HERE.
THESE SO-CALLED LONG HAULERS,
WHAT IS THIS
IS THIS SOMETHING THAT’S UNIQUE
TO CORONAVIRUS
OR IS THIS SOMETHING YOU’VE SEEN
BEFORE
>> LONG HAULERS HAVE ACTUALLY
BEEN DESCRIBED BEFORE.
ACTUALLY WE SAW THIS WITH MERS
AND SARS
IN FACT, UP TO 40% OF PATIENTS
THAT HAD SARS IN 2003 EXHIBITED
THESE CHRONIC SYMPTOMS
WHAT WE’RE SEEING IS THAT THIS
IS A BY-PRODUCT OF THE
INFLAMMATION FROM THE VIRUS
ITSELF
IN OTHER WORDS, DEAD FRAGMENTS
OF VIRUS ILLICIT AN IMMUNE
RESPONSE
AS A RESULT OF THIS, THE BODY
REACTS AND PRODUCES CERTAIN
TYPES OF SUBSTANCES THAT CAN
REALLY HAVE ADVERSE EFFECTS.
WHICH IS WHAT SCOTT IS
DESCRIBING TO THE AUDIENCE
>> THIS DEXAMETHASONE THAT’S
TYPICALLY USED FOR ALLERGIES
PRIMARILY AS I UNDERSTAND IT, IS
IT NOW BEING USED MORE
FREQUENTLY FOR COVID-19
PATIENTS
>> THERE WAS ONE TRIAL IN THE UK
THAT LOOKED AT THIS.
CERTAINLY THERE WAS ADVANTAGES
FOR PATIENTS ON MECHANICAL
VENTILATION AND PEOPLE WHO
NEEDED OXYGEN.
BUT THOSE WITH MILD ILLNESS
DIDN’T REALLY DERIVE ANY
SIGNIFICANT BENEFIT.
WE NEED TO LOOK AT MORE DATA,
CONTINUE THE TRIALS, AND SEE IF
THIS MAY HAVE EFFECTS IN PEOPLE
WITH LESS SIGNIFICANT ILLNESS
WHO DON’T REQUIRE OXYGEN
BUT I AM ENCOURAGED BY THE DATA
IN THE TRIAL
CERTAINLY IT HAD A SIGNIFICANT
EFFECT ON PATIENT WHO IS WERE
VERY ILL
BUT WE’RE LOOKING FOR THAT DRUG
THAT REALLY HAS A SIGNIFICANT
EFFECT ON PEOPLE WHO ARE LESS
ILL.
THESE PATIENTS WHO ARE LONG
HAULERS THAT YOU’RE DESCRIBING
>> ANY IDEA, DR. GLATER?
ANY IDEA WHEN THESE SYMPTOMS
MIGHT START TO SUBSIDE
>> WE REALLY DON’T KNOW AND
THAT’S THE ANSWER.
THERE ARE MANY PATIENTS FOR
MONTHS NOW SINCE MID-MARCH THAT
I TREATED IN THE EMERGENCY
DEPARTMENT THAT CONTINUE TO HAVE
FEVERS, ACHES, CHILLS, SHORT OF
BREATH, CHEST PAIN, GENERALIZED
FATIGUE.
WE CALL THIS POST-EXERTIONAL
MALAISE.
THEY TAKE A WALK TO THE STORE
AND THEY’RE SO TIRED THEY HAVE
TO GET IN BED.
THAT’S REALLY WHAT WE SEE WITH
CHRONIC SYMPTOMS IN DISEASES AS
WELL AS EPSTEIN-BARR
THERE’S SOMETHING TO LOOK AT AND
DEFINITELY DO MORE RESEARCH.
WHICH WE ARE DOING
>> SCOTT, I’LL END WITH YOU HERE
QUICKLY.
AS YOU PERHAPS KNOW, THERE’S
THIS ONGOING DEBATE IN OUR
COUNTRY OVER MASK WEARING.
WHAP DO YOU
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THAT?
>> I THINK PEOPLE SHOULD BE
CAUTIOUS AND WEAR MASKS.
JUST REMEMBER THAT -- AND I WAS
RELATIVELY HEALTHY
I WAS, LIKE, RUNNING AROUND,
NEVER MISSED WORK.
AND BEFORE I KNEW IT, EVERYTHING
JUST STARTED, YOU KNOW, OVER A
SHORT PERIOD OF TIME EVERYTHING
GOT WORSE.
SO WHEN I SEE PEOPLE LIKE IN
THOSE OTHER AREAS AND SEE THEM
CROWDING THE BARS OR, YOU KNOW,
JUST VERY CLOSE TOGETHER IN
TIGHT QUARTERS, IT REALLY UPSETS
ME AS A PERSON. AND I KNOW MY
FAMILY
BECAUSE OF EVERYTHING WE WENT
THROUGH.
I’M ALIVE AND HERE WITH MY
CHILDREN AND I REALLY HOPE
PEOPLE TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY
>> YEAH.
DR. KRAKOWER, I’M GLAD YOU’RE