Violet Affleck, the 18-year-old daughter of actors Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, went viral after speaking out at a recent Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors meeting, encouraging them to make masks more widely available and to oppose mask bans.
During the public comments segment of the meeting, she delivered an impassioned plea, captured in a video shared on X, formerly Twitter, for reducing the risk of long COVID, which persists in some individuals after being infected with COVID-19.
She said:
"I contracted a post-viral condition in 2019. I'm okay now but I saw firsthand that medicine does not always have the answers to the consequences of even minor viruses. The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown this into even sharper relief."
“One in 10 infections leads to long Covid, which is a devastating neurological and cardiovascular illness that can take away people’s ability to work, see, move and even think. It stands to exacerbate our homelessness crisis, as well as the suffering of many people in our city."
"It hurts communities of color, disabled people, elderly people, trans people, women, and anyone in a public-facing essential job the hardest."
“To confront the long Covid crisis, I demand mask availability, air filtration and far-UVC lights in government facilities, including jails and detention centers, and mask mandates in county medical facilities.”
She concluded:
"We must expand the availability of high-quality tests and treatment and most importantly the county must oppose mask bans for any reason.”
“They do not keep us safer, they make vulnerable members of our community less safe and make everyone less able to participate in Los Angeles together. Thank you.”
You can hear what she said in the video below.
Many appreciated Affleck's remarks.
Affleck's remarks come amid a rise in COVID cases in the U.S., especially in western states.
Since the pandemic began, millions of Americans have dealt with long COVID, also known as post-COVID syndrome, which can involve ongoing symptoms similar to the initial infection, such as fatigue and shortness of breath, according to the Mayo Clinic.
The organization notes that other symptoms can include memory loss, generalized pain, orthostasis (decreased blood pressure when standing or sitting), and various other issues.
During the peak of the pandemic in 2020, cities across the U.S. issued mask mandates to curb the spread of COVID. However, as case numbers declined, most areas lifted these requirements.
Recently, some cities have considered banning masks, raising concerns for those who depend on masks to prevent illness.
A comprehensive study published in the March 12 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association estimates that about 6.6% of American adults are immunosuppressed, a figure more than double previous estimates.
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