Are the SARS-CoV-2 post infection / long Covid symptoms unique to SARS-CoV-2 because I feel like there must be some overlap with other previous viruses that have similar effects on humans long after the initial recovery. The well known ones I believe are Post-Polio, Guillain-Barré and more historically more controversial - Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

>greater changes in markers of tissue damage in regions functionally-connected to the primary olfactory cortex

>These mainly limbic brain imaging results may be the in vivo hallmarks of a degenerative spread of the disease via olfactory pathways

Does this indicate that the virus itself can spread directly from the nose to the brain via the cells of the olfactory nerve? Wild

At this point pretty much everyone has had it by now anyway, at least once. Omikron is incredibly contagious. I know a guy that was super scared and he wore valveless FFP3 masks all the time (even outside!), didn't take the subway etc. Yet he still got it. He was triple vaxxed too and had the booster 3 weeks before. Sure, N=1 but it shows even the most conscientious person gets it eventually.

Whatever the long-term effects, we'll just have to deal with them. And staying in that nightmare of constant lockdowns, wearing masks everywhere, shying away from people, was not possible, it was causing too many other health concerns. If I live a bit shorter, well too bad. With all the measures we've had we had no quality of life at all (especially for someone living alone like myself).

"It remains unknown however whether the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection can be detected in milder cases"

"investigated brain changes in 785 UK Biobank participants (aged 51–81)"

That explains why it felt like everybody was going crazy