The Current | Vol. 31 Issue 14

The Student-Run Newspaper of Nova Southeastern University November 10, 2020 | Vol. 31, Issue 14 | nsucurrent.nova.edu PRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM F. SHABAN Joe Biden projected to be the 46th President of the United States P. 9 The cuban issue Finding Fitness: Jumping rope Writers you should know about it Where are they now: NSU alumnae P. 11 P. 7 P. 4 Sports Opinions Features Arts & Entertainment COVID long haulers: NSU researchers looking into the long-sustained impacts of COVID-19 By: Madelyn Rinka Co-Editor-in-Chief Researchers at NSU’s Institute for Neuro-Immune Medicine were awarded a federal contract with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to research “COVID long haulers,” or individuals who have not fully recovered several weeks after contracting COVID-19. According to a press release from NSU News, NSU is the only institution to receive this contract, which includes over $4 million in funding. Dr. Nancy Klimas, the director of NSU’s Institute for Neuro-Immune Medicine, described two main experiences of the COVID-19 infection: a flu-like illness that can be treated at home or a more serious condition where further medical care is needed. Despite expectations of more prolonged problems being found in individuals who had a more “serious” case of COVID-19, around half of the people with the long-sustained illness were the ones who experienced more flu-like symptoms. “They find themselves, 12 weeks after the infection, still not fully recovered or able to work,” said Klimas. This occurrence caught the attention of Klimas and her team at NSU’s Institute for Neuro-Immune Medicine due to their research on myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), known as ME/CFS. ME/CFS is a serious and potentially disabling illness, where sufferers may experience chronic pain, difficulties with cognitive function, physical fatigue, hormonal dysfunction and a host of other symptoms. An estimated 10-12% of individuals who contract COVID-19 may not fully recover after around three months and may experience symptoms similar to ME/CFS, according to Klimas. “ME/CFS frequently follows a flu-like illness. It’s the most common onset of ME/ CFS: an acute viral infection from which you don’t recover. We’ve been working very hard in that field -- in my case, since the late 80s. We’ve established a very good understanding of what that chronic illness looks like and what the underpinnings of that illness are. [This group has] advanced that knowledge quite a bit in our field. Our group at [NSU] has been the leaders in [ME/ CFS] for quite some time,” said Klimas. The research team is partnering with the Broward Public Health Department to identify individuals who have received a positive PCR test for COVID-19 in the last least three months, putting them in the time frame in which they could have fully recovered from the illness. The team will send text messages to these individuals to ask if they have fully recovered and further narrow down the sample group into several stages until a smaller group of individuals are selected to come to the clinic and undergo a comprehensive physical exam. As this research is being contractually funded by the CDC, which entails close involvement in the design and implementation of the study, the team is meeting with the CDC frequently. Many people who have been studied with ME/CFS have been those with access to healthcare, oftentimesmeaning they are insured and white and not necessarily representative of every individual who is actually sick, according to Klimas. The methodology for this research allows the team to reach out to essentially anyone who has had a COVID-19 test, creating a “Truly representative sample of who is actually sick.” “It’s not just that we should do it because it’s convenient or because there’s funding or something like that, we should do it because it’s the right thing to do. This pandemic is our call to action,” said Klimas. For more information regarding NSU’s Institute for Neuro-Immune Medicine, visit www.nova.edu/NIM. To read NSU News’ press release on this research, visit this link or go to www.news.nova.edu . Just before noon eastern time on Nov. 7, several news outlets called the 2020 presidential race in favor of democratic party candidate, Joseph R. Biden Jr., claiming victory over incumbent President and republican party candidate Donald J. Trump. As of Nov. 8, The New York Times reported Biden and Trump having 279 and 214 electoral college votes, respectively, putting Biden nine votes over the 270 required to win, with 45 votes yet to be called for either candidate. Biden is also expected to retain the popular vote, which he holds by a margin of approximately four million. President Trump lost the popular vote in 2016 to Hillary Clinton by less than 3 million votes, but attained 306 electoral college votes. TheracewascalledaftertheBidencampaign was able to successfully flip Pennsylvania’s 20 electoral college votes in favor of the democratic candidate, a state that went to President Trump in the 2016 election. Biden also flipped swing states Wisconsin and Michigan, winning an additional 26 votes between the two. While media sources may differ in their calling of the remaining states, current leads, according to The NewYork Times, show Biden ahead in Arizona and Georgia, two states that favored President Trump in the 2016 election. Meanwhile, Trump holds the lead in Alaska and North Carolina. However, the Associated Press has already called Arizona’s race in favor of Biden, which would put him at 290 votes. Biden served as Vice President under President Barack Obama from 2009-2017 after serving as a senator for the state of Delaware since 1973. Biden’s win over President Trump adds to the list of U.S. Presidents who did not get reelected for a second term, the most recent being George H.W. Bush, who lost his reelection to Bill Clinton in 1992, according to USA today. Aside from claiming the presidency from an incumbent candidate, the Biden campaign also achieved several other feats with their victory. Kamala Harris, Senator of California and Vice President-elect, ran against Biden in the primaries, but was later chosen as his running mate. Biden’s and Harris’ win makes her the first woman, woman of color, Black person and person of Asian descent to be elected as the Vice President of the U.S., according to The New York Times. Additionally, Jill Biden, Biden’s wife, has stated that she intends to have a full-time job while filling the role of First Lady, which would be a first for the role’s 231-year history, according to USA Today. The First Lady-elect has a Doctoral degree in education and two master’s degrees and has been an educator for over 30 years. For a statistical recap of the 2020 Presidential Election as of Nov. 7, visit The Current online. By: Madelyn Rinka Co-Editor-in-Chief