Latest news with #McGorry
New York Post
2 days ago
- Health
- New York Post
Thousands of New Yorkers — including ‘Orange is the New Black' actor Matt McGorry — suffer from ‘Long COVID'
Tens of thousands of New Yorkers — including 'Orange is the New Black' actor Matt McGorry — suffer from 'long COVID' five years after the deadly once-in-a-century pandemic hit, shocking new data reveal. 'My actual daily survival is based on understanding and navigating [it],' said McGorry, a 39-year-old Manhattan native, who was part of a recent online city Department of Health series about the issue. A COVID and flu vaccination campaign conducted by the Health Department over the past year referred 21,805 residents to receive long-COVID-specific services during medical check-ups and outreach programs. Advertisement 3 'Orange is the New Block' actor Matt McGorry suffers from 'long COVID.' NYCHealth The department also is conducting an ongoing study of residents who have had COVID-19. Preliminary results from the study so far indicate that more than one in four of the adults has experienced long-term symptoms, meeting the definition for long COVID. Advertisement More than 80% of those with long COVID reported limitations in daily functioning, and more than 25% said they experienced employment changes because of related medical issues. An estimated 500,000 residents had lingering COVID-impacted illnesses that interfered with daily life in 2023, the department said. 'Together, these studies suggest that New Yorkers continue to experience the long-term effects of COVID-19, impacting not only health, but also work and daily life,' a Health Department spokesman said in a statement. 'Given the wide range and persistence of symptoms, the Health Department is continuing to analyze these data to better understand the burden of Long COVID and inform responsive public health strategies.' Advertisement 3 According to New York City Department of Health data, there are tens of thousands of New Yorkers are living with long COVID. BASILICOSTUDIO STOCK – Symptoms of long COVID include coughing or feeling short of breath, trouble thinking clearly or concentrating or having 'brain fog,' dizziness or a fast heart rate, sleep issues, anxiety or depression, fatigue, stomach problems, muscle pains or losing the ability to taste or smell. Long COVID also impacts blood vessels, raising the risk of heart ailments. Acting Health Department Commissioner Dr. Michelle Morse said long COVID is a serious problem that warrants monitoring of patients, the way the medical community has tracked the medical conditions of residents exposed to toxic fumes and debris from 9/11. Advertisement 3 'Brain fog' and having trouble concentrating is one of the symptoms of long COVID. Antonioguillem – She discussed the department's efforts during two video interviews with McGorry. 'Our data here in New York City suggests there are about one in three New Yorkers who say they had symptoms that had lasted more than a month after their COVID infection,' Morse said. Not all those cases meet the definition of long COVID, Morse said. McGorry, 39, said long COVID severely impacted his career, which has included roles in the hit Netflix series 'Orange is the New Black' and the TV series 'How to Get Away With Murder.' 'Fatigue was and still is the main issue,' he said. Every morning, the NY POSTcast offers a deep dive into the headlines with the Post's signature mix of politics, business, pop culture, true crime and everything in between. Subscribe here! He said he sometimes feels 'light-headed', has trouble sleeping and has blood vessel damage and micro-clots. Advertisement The actor said he decided to go public as part of a public-awareness and social-justice campaign to help others less well off than he is navigate lingering medical woes from the coronavirus. 'Essentially I have been locked out of my industry, and that has had big financial impacts,' McGorry told Morse. 'No one should have to choose between a paycheck and their life and safety. … I really want to raise as much awareness as possible.' Advertisement Over the past year, the department has sought to bolster COVID and flu vaccination rates in underserved neighborhoods through its Building Resiliency and Vaccine Equity program. The program reached 319,507 residents and referred 42,773 New Yorkers for COVID vaccination. Medical and social-service coordinators also referred 80,975 people to COVID-related services, and specifically 21,805 participants to long-COVID-specific services and 257,802 to other health and social services.
The Guardian
08-04-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Albanese tears up recalling family friend's mental health struggle as he launches $1bn pledge to boost funding
Anthony Albanese became visibly emotional while recalling the mental health struggle of a family friend who nearly died, as he launched Labor's $1bn pledge to boost access to treatment and counselling. The prime minister recalled being shocked as a young man by the difficulties faced by his friend's niece, and said many Australians have 'issues that we need to talk about more'. '[She] ended up in Royal Prince Alfred [hospital] with an eating disorder,' Albanese told a Tuesday morning press conference in Sydney. 'I was still pretty young at the time. I hadn't seen anything like that. 'She almost died. She is now well and has children of her own. But that was really confronting.' Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter Albanese also recalled speaking to the parents of a young woman called Charlotte, who took her own life, and praised their bravery. He said her experience was one of the reasons his government sought to introduce age restrictions on social media platforms. 'In general, it is quite clear that young men and young women have issues that we need to talk about more,' Albanese said. 'When I was my son's age, no one talked about these issues. I went to school with people and you knew there was an issue, but it wasn't defined and wasn't acceptable.' Labor pledged $500m for 20 youth specialist care centres, as well as $225m for 31 new and upgraded Medicare mental health centres, and $200m for expanding or starting 58 Headspace centres. The youth centres will be focused on addressing 'the missing middle': complex needs that can be addressed outside hospitals, such as personality disorders, eating disorders and early psychosis. The health minister, Mark Butler, said the Coalition's previously announced competing policy, of doubling the number of Medicare-backed mental health sessions, would 'create a bottleneck that means tens of thousands of Australians get no help at all' by 'piling more demand on private psychologists'. The shadow minister for health, Anne Ruston, welcomed the additional funding for Headspace centres but dismissed Butler's criticism as 'disappointing'. 'You would not ration a medical service in any other situation in the health health sector,' Ruston said. 'So I don't know why this government thinks that you should ration mental health services.' 'We have seen through the Productivity Commission that … the number of new people that are coming on, getting access to these sessions, has actually gone backwards to the lowest level in a decade.' The announcement was welcomed by mental health experts including Mental Health Australia, Headspace and Orygen's Patrick McGorry, who called it a 'breakthrough'. McGorry joined Peter Dutton in Melbourne last week when the Liberal leader announced new funding for a Headspace centre in Melton. Asked on Tuesday if he thought the Coalition might take money out of the mental health budget, McGorry said: 'No, I don't think they will.' 'I think the prime minister already mentioned that this is, generally speaking, a bipartisan achievement of our country,' McGorry said. 'I'm very proud of our country, that we built this system to the extent that we have already … This announcement is very strong from the government. Young people aren't interested in politics, they just want to get services.' In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@ or jo@ In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. Other international helplines can be found at
