COVID New York City Update: Long-haulers live in constant fear as restrictions begin to be lifted

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) – As COVID restrictions ease in New York City, a resident still lives in constant fear of the virus more than a year after being infected.

Before COVID, he ran 18 marathons. But these days, that’s all Ken Todd can do to go for a walk through his neighborhood without having to take a nap.

“This has been and is for many people a life-changing disability,” Todd said.

He is one of the thousands of New Yorkers who suffer from prolonged COVID.

READ ALSO: Suspect in 87-year-old grandmother’s death surrenders to NYPD

After his relatively minor infection 15 months ago, deep-seated exhaustion has infected all of his interactions.

“I look good and that’s one of the frustrating things about this, it’s a little invisible,” Todd said. “If I just interact with people, you will never know, but after I interact with people, I have to lie down.”

Todd is double-vaccinated and boosted, yet he lives in fear that he will catch the virus again. He is also in fear of the city’s rolled back mandates – on vaccines for restaurants and even masks for children in primary school.

“The only way to do it right is to follow science, and that’s what we do,” New York Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday.

The mayor announced that next month, unvaccinated children under the age of five will be able to go to school without masks.

This comes as yet another new variant is gaining momentum in England. It is said to be even more contagious than the Omicron strain, and it appears to be gaining momentum at home in the United States

On Tuesday, Hillary Clinton announced that she had tested positive, and so did White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.

With case numbers slowly rising again, Dr. suggested. Anthony Fauci on Tuesday that the United States could see another wave as early as next week.

“The council is going on with life as normally as you possibly can, but be prepared that we may have to make changes if things change,” Fauci said.

“We do not know how my body will react if I get it again,” Todd said.

Todd has stopped wearing a mask outside, but otherwise he has not relaxed his precautions a bit and he cares about all the other New Yorkers who have.

MORE CORONAVIRUS COVID-19 COVERAGE

Center for Disease Control and Prevention on coronavirus
Submit a COVID question