It’s the long term effects I wonder about.
In US the military has said that anyone who’s tested positive is permanently unfit and cannot join the armed forces. (No word on how they’ll deal with existing members who have had the virus - discharge? Change of duty?)
That does make me wonder if they know a bit more about this virus than they’re letting on. Permanent lung/organ damage maybe, such that high level fitness cannot be achieved. Worrisome.

Is that so? Interesting to hear that.

Too early to say what long term effects will be... so it would surprise me that any organisation would take such a strong stand at this stage. What already is an issue to monitor though, is possible long term damage to parts of the nervous system and their effects. There have been studies published about that for at least two months. One example is persisting loss of smell and taste, even after mild cases. Such damage, if proven, will certainly set corona apart from the regular flu.
A more recent investigation wondered if neurological damage could explain loss of lung and organ functionality leading to deaths.
In line with this, an open question is if children and young people who get corona, but have no or mild symptoms, may still suffer neurological damage. They just dont know at this stage.
It is science.. science needs good data.. needs peer review .. and needs confirmation... this takes time...

Check-Airman thanks for the updated report. I’d only sent the original in the Military Times.
i hope the desire to avoid hospitalization won’t cause Covid patients who want to preserve their eligibility to stay home when they should go into ED.

That link wasn't readily accessible for me, however the following is:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-h...-idUSKBN23O29W

Such a blanket ban based on a positive PCR at time of illness or subsequent antibody test is foolish. Covid-19 has proved itself to be a multi-phasic disease in which the outcome may range from a simple respiratory illness to an acute respiratory and vascular one involving MODS, CSS and prolonged periods ventilated in the ITU. Any repercussions for ongoing health and capabilities can only be carried out after a period of recovery and an assessment of fitness within the guidelines dictating the requirements of the role.

No they dont know anymore than we do - there are literally dozens of papers coming out daily in the civilian world about a pandemic that is less than a year old.

I think there are some concerns for aviation. Certainly the immune mediated vasculitis (inflammation of small blood vessels) and thromboembolism (clot formation) which are the causes of serious illness and death may persist for some time but this can be managed, as with heart attacks, by a minimum time to return to flying after re examination. The stiff lung issue isnt really a problem for a sedentary pilot and any effect on oxygen absorption can be easily tested on the ground. Equally, long term damage to kidneys or liver can be tested with a blood test. I am more worried about issues with the brain. The virus can produce everything from necrosis (dead cells) to encephalitis (inflammation of the brain). Some consequences such as stokes can be easily checked by examination, but we are now hearing of dementia, mood changes and even psychoses. Although there have been improvements in aviation medicine since the German Wings accident, the incidence of mental health issues causing an accident has been so rare (7 in 20 years) as to be low down in terms of testing and management. The Authorities will undoubtedly consider this problem and regrettably may need to over restrict return to flying duties until the pathology and testing are better understood.

On the subtopic of mental health, does one necessarily need to test positive for the dreaded lurgy to get serious mental health issues under the present circumstances? Many of our brethren are out of their jobs or waiting for the axe to fall. Most are on a severely reduced income. Confinement, lack of social interaction, uncertainty over the future, fear for the health of self and loved ones and all the other "joys" coming with this pandemic can lead to mental health problems even without actual infection. How's that going to be tackled? For now, there's nothing in place to mitigate the psychological impact. Airlines in their vast majority don't give two pence about the welfare of those who made the shareholders rich. AMEs don't perform any psychological screening other than casual chat; even if they did, it's questionable whether they will defer someone for counselling. To make matters even worse, after Germanwings and Lubitz many pilots simply fear to admit to having coping difficulties out of fear of being stigmatized (not that schizophrenia and coping difficulties are anywhere near the same, but the general public doesn't put too much thought into it). In all honesty, I find this sort of problems far more likely to cause long-term trouble with someone than a mild case of COVID-19.