This page is for anyone who wants to know why I've been so adamant about doing everything I can to avoid catching severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19 disease--even after getting vaccinated and boosted. This includes a change from touring all around the country to pierce, and across the globe to teach as I used to. I am declining almost all invitations to instruct at seminars and conferences, and I'm piercing very little these days. I continue to mask indoors with those outside of my household and do not eat inside restaurants. Yes, still, as of late 2024)

I fancy myself somewhat of a researcher (and one would have to be to write a book like The Piercing Bible). I've followed the medical news and the scientific literature closely as it has revealed the latest facts and information. As the pandemic has progressed (yes--it is still a pandemic), an abundance of data and research have been collected and compiled. The studies paint a picture of a future fraught with a high potential for ongoing health problems in people who have contracted the virus, including those who did not have severe initial infections. It appears even worse in those who have had COVID-19 multiple times.

We've all heard of Long COVID (also called post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection [PASC]), and this aspect is far more concerning to me than the acute infection. Though now in my 60s, I remain very active and feel healthy, young, and vital. I'd love for that to continue as long as possible.

It is unclear why the virus affects some people on an ongoing basis and not others. To date, there is no way to know who will suffer from Long COVID. Unremitting, sometimes debilitating symptoms occur even in many who experienced mild or asymptomatic infections. Further, there's no way to know the truly long-term implications of COVID infection, though it is already abundantly obvious that the virus can wreak havoc throughout the body. I'm working hard to avoid the risk of an extended illness and disability by trying my best not to catch COVID in the first place. The only way to be 100% certain I won't become a Long COVID victim is to avoid infection.

Initial COVID-19 infections in healthy individuals with up-to-date vaccinations seldom result in hospitalization or death--from the current variants, anyway. I'm not so concerned about dying from an acute COVID infection, though I personally know people who have had hellacious sickness despite being fully vaccinated. As the longer-term implications come into focus (to the extent possible given the duration since the pandemic started), it is clear that many serious health problems can result. Initially, it was thought of as a respiratory disease, but there is now ample evidence that SARS-CoV-2 is more of a neuro-vascular disease that impacts diverse tissues, organs, and systems throughout the body. Common long COVID issues include:

• sexual dysfunction
• cognitive dysfunction/brain fog/brain damage
• mood disorders/depression/anxiety
• loss of taste and smell
• shortness of breath
• chronic cough
• sleep disturbances/insomnia
• hearing loss/tinnitus
• voice loss
• hair loss
• tremors
• post-exertional malaise (inability to exercise)
• headaches
• fatigue
• organ damage
• skin rashes

In addition to the obvious negative consequences of experiencing such ongoing symptoms, there is clearly potential for a significant amount of serious damage to human health as a result of infection. People may not be aware of this initially, but it reveals itself over time (or abruptly, as in cases of sudden death--including in young, previously healthy people). COVID can cause:

• immune system dysfunction (increased risk of infections)
• blood clots
• strokes
• dementia
• heart disease and heart attacks
• kidney disease
• myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome
• mast cell activation syndrome (repeated episodes of the symptoms of anaphylaxis)
• autoimmune disorders
• diabetes
• increased risk of cancers
• seizures
• ...death

No thank you!

For more information, you can see many thousands of medical journal articles about long COVID here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/research/coronavirus/docsum?filters=e_condition.LongCovid