LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Five years ago, the pandemic shut down our city in a way we never imagined.
Fast forward to today, and COVID-19 looks a lot different But for some, it never really went away.
I am taking a look back at COVID-19 then and now through the eyes of one local woman who tells me she still feels its impact every single day.
For Remi Turok, there's nothing quite like a good run. It's a passion she never expected, one she discovered after her life-changing battle with COVID-19.
"What was COVID like when you got it back in September of 2020?" I asked her.
"I remember being in bed, exhausted, no energy, couldn't breathe, had a high fever, just felt delusional," she said.
"How are those symptoms still impacting you today?" I asked.
"So I still have trouble with breathing. I have pain in my fingers. I have pain in my body sometimes," she told me.
Five years later, she still needs an inhaler to help her breathe.
But she tells me she wasn't going to let it define her.
"A year after being sick, I got into running," she said. "I do so many 10k races. I do 5ks. Running isn't the cure, but it's definitely helped get me to a place of where I need to be today."
Like Remi, many locals suffered from COVID-19 and the fear. While the pandemic is over, COVID-19 is still here, but it looks different.
"Initially, COVID was very serious," said Dr. Aishwarya Vyas-Lahar. "We lost patients, even young ones. Now, thanks to immunity and vaccines, it's often milder, more like a cold."
Internal medicine specialist Dr. Vyas-Lahar tells me for some like Remi, the battle isn't over.
"Long-term COVID, or long haul or post-sequelae COVID, is very, very serious. It can, over time, COVID can cause long-term damage to the organs, and it takes a multidisciplinary approach to treat it."
Despite the challenges, Remi says she pushes forward and hopes others take COVID-19's lasting effects seriously.
"I'm lucky. I can still work, still run. But I know people who are still as sick as they were on day one," she said.
COVID-19 then and now, for many, the impact still lingers, but so does the resilience.
"We’ve come so far—why wouldn’t we do what we can to protect each other?” Remi said.
Dr. Vyas-Lahar tells me there's no one-size-fits-all treatment for long-term COVID-19, but specialized long-haul clinics are helping, and for high-risk patients, medications like Paxlovid could make a difference. Talk to your doctor to find the right care for you."
COVID-19 Five Years Later, Channel 13 is bringing you special coverage all day Monday as we explore the lasting impacts and lessons learned.
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