Happy Winter Solstice! But for many it is not a “happy” time of year. The winter blues, winter funk, or seasonal affective disorder— Doesn’t matter what you call it, it can be debilitating.

Mask-wearing is uncomfortable for just about everyone, but people with COPD and other breathing disorders have more reason than most to complain. Having a serious respiratory disease can legitimately make breathing through a face mask more difficult, even though face coverings are not actually dangerous for people with COPD (as most doctors agree).

The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security reported in early 2020 that there were localized issues in securing enough oxygen to treat seriously ill COVID-19 patients.This was at the beginning of the pandemic, and predictions surrounding the availability of oxygen devices proved to be true in the following months. 

COVID-19 and lung damage is still a very new problem, and while research so far can tell us some of the impacts of COVID-19 on respiratory disease there is still a lot of uncertainty. That being said, it is important to fact-check information that you see on the internet, especially when it comes to something as serious as COVID-19 and lung damage.