不知道你有沒有考慮過這兩個問題： 「與新冠共存」真的能解決問題嗎？長期新冠後遺症究竟會帶來什麼樣的危害？Rising infection numbers, alarming death toll, and health problems linked to long COVID are major concerns still clouding people's lives around the world.感染者數量持續攀升、死亡人數不斷增加、後遺症嚴重，新冠肺炎疫情的陰霾依然籠罩全球。 U.S. President Joe Biden's astonishing declaration last month that "the pandemic is over" raised further doubt among medical experts and the media. The COVID-19 death toll in the U.S. is still higher than for the flu, which kills about 50,000 people in a severe season.美國總統拜登在今年九月份宣布，美國新冠疫情已經結束，引來醫學專家和媒體的眾多批評。在美國，一個嚴重的流感季節會導致大約5萬人死亡，但新冠疫情導致的死亡人數仍然比流感更高。 According to the latest report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), total COVID-19 deaths have surpassed 230,000 this year, equal to more than 300 per day.美國疾控中心(CDC)的最新數據顯示，今年迄今，美國已有超過23萬人因感染新冠死亡，日均死亡人數達300人以上。
In addition to the rising death toll, many survivors still suffer from the physical and mental effects of "long COVID". As of late September, the CDC had determined that 15 percent of adults previously infected with COVID-19 were experiencing symptoms of long COVID.除了不斷上升的死亡人數，許多新冠倖存者仍然在生理和心理上遭受「長期新冠後遺症」的折磨。截至今年9月下旬，美國疾控中心發現在美國感染過新冠的成年人中，15%目前患有長期新冠後遺症。 A study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) linked more than 200 ailments to long COVID: 3.7 percent of patients had ongoing respiratory problems, 3.2 percent had persistent fatigue with bodily pain or mood swings, and 2.2 percent had cognitive problems three months post-infection.一篇發表在《美國醫學會雜誌》上的研究表明，超過200種疾病與長期新冠後遺症有關：3.7%的長期新冠後遺症患者在感染3個月後出現持續的呼吸道問題，3.2%的患者出現持續疲勞並伴有身體疼痛或情緒波動，2.2%的患者出現認知障礙。 After three weeks of barely sleeping more than an hour a night, her brain was really, really compromised, and like prisoners of war who are kept awake, it affects their cognitive ability, and she became extremely despondent and hopeless.在連續3周每晚睡眠時間幾乎不超過1個小時後，她的大腦受到了嚴重損害，就像戰俘一樣，無法入睡，這影響了他們的認知能力，她變得極度沮喪和絕望。 It was when the apathy that set in; that's when I could sense I was in danger, because I would find myself not caring if I woke up the next day.對所有事情變得冷漠；讓我感覺到我正處於危險之中，因為我發現我並不在乎第二天自己是否能醒來。 My eye was in so much pain that I quite literally fantasized about the million ways that I would end my life. Long-haul symptoms are not the only health threat to COVID survivors.我的眼睛疼得厲害，我想象着有一百萬種方式來結束自己的生命。長期症狀並不是對新冠倖存者的唯一威脅。 Diabetes and life-threatening conditions such as heart attacks, strokes and kidney damage are more common in COVID patients than in those who avoided the pandemic. The cost of those lost wages is around $170 billion a year.糖尿病以及心臟病，中風、腎臟損傷等能夠危及生命的疾病在感染過新冠的群體中出現更頻繁。新冠受害者一年的工資損失成本約為1700億美元。 最近在英國的一項調查顯示，有數千人不敢去上班，因為他們無力購買基本的衛生用品，會為自己的邋遢形象感到焦慮和羞恥。 BBC在文章《Many skip work over hygiene poverty shame》中提到了這個現象，並稱它為「衛生貧困」（hygiene poverty）狀態：People's inability to afford essential hygiene products is leaving many too ashamed to go to work.人們買不起基本的衛生用品，這讓許多人羞於工作。 A report suggests 3.2 million UK adults are affected by so-called hygiene poverty - with 12% saying they have avoided facing colleagues as a result.一份報告顯示，320萬英國成年人受到所謂的衛生貧困的影響，12%的人表示他們因此避免與同事見面。
Their struggle to buy basic items such as soap and deodorant is having a devastating effect on their daily lives.Hygiene Bank chief executive Ruth Brock said it was a "hidden crisis".他們難以購買肥皂和除臭劑等基本用品，這對他們的日常生活產生了毀滅性的影響。衛生銀行的首席執行官露絲·布洛克稱這是一場「隱性危機」。 "It's much more widespread than we feared, it's increasing, and it's disproportionately impacting the most vulnerable," she said.她說：「受影響的人比我們擔心的還要多，並且人數還在上升，那些最為弱勢的群體受影響特別大。」 Hygiene Bank works to supply food banks, homeless shelters, schools, and other organisations with items including toothpaste, shampoo, soap, deodorant, nappies, period products and laundry detergent.衛生銀行致力於向食品銀行、無家可歸者收容所、學校和其他組織提供包括牙膏、洗髮水、肥皂、除臭劑、尿布、生理期用品和洗衣粉在內的物品。
"I think it just doesn't occur to people in the same way that fuel and food poverty do. But the truth is by the time you're not switching on your heating or you're going to a food bank for food essentials, you've stopped buying essential hygiene products weeks before." said Ms Brock.「我原本認為，人們不會像缺乏燃料和食物那樣出現這種情況。但事實是，當你不打開暖氣或去食品銀行申請食物必需品時，你在幾周前就已經停止購買基本衛生用品了。」布洛克說。 A quarter of respondents said they had gone without toilet paper or soap or shower gel, while three in ten women did not buy period products.有25%的人表示他們沒有使用廁紙或香皂，30%的女性沒有購買衛生巾。 Another person said an inability to keep themselves clean had impacted their confidence so much they had begun avoiding social contact, including by not answering their phone.另一個人說，不能保持整潔會影響自己的信心，以至於他們開始避免社交接觸，包括不接電話。 有數據統計，截至9月中旬，45%的英國成年人很難或有點難支付能源賬單，而在上次截至6月的調查中，這一比例為40%。 素材來源：BBC News 每日最新TED演講推薦 接下來是哪個高新科技？
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