As a first step in the largest vaccination campaign in Argentina’s history, top health care professionals are receiving the Russian Sputnik V vaccine against coronavirus.
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LONDON – The largest global long Covid study to date has found that many of those who suffer from continuous illness after infection with Covid-19 are unable to return to work at full capacity six months later.
The term “long Covid” refers to patients who suffer from prolonged illness after initially contracting the virus, with symptoms that include shortness of breath, migraines and chronic fatigue.
Public discourse on the pandemic has largely tended to focus on those with a serious or fatal illness, with ongoing underestimated or poorly understood medical problems. However, recent studies have shown that an increasing number of patients with Covid experience persistent symptoms, with some patients referring to themselves as “long haulers”.
A preliminary study published on Tuesday in MedRxiv is believed to represent the largest collection of symptoms identified in Covid’s long population to date.
In the study, which was not peer-reviewed, the researchers interviewed 3,762 people aged 18 to 80 years from 56 countries to identify symptoms and other problems arising from long Covid.
He recorded 205 symptoms in 10 organ systems, with 66 symptoms tracked over seven months. On average, respondents experienced symptoms in nine organ systems.
What were the results of the study?
The most frequent symptoms experienced after six months were: fatigue, tiredness after exercise and cognitive dysfunction, sometimes referred to as cerebral fog.
Interviewees with symptoms over six months experienced an average of 13.8 symptoms in month seven, according to a study by members of Patient Led Research for COVID-19, a self-organized group of long-term patients from Covid who are also researchers.
More than 45% of respondents reported requiring reduced working hours compared to pre-illness and 22.3% said they were not working at the time of the survey due to their health status. Almost 86% had relapses, with exercise, physical or mental activities and stress identified as the main triggers.
The analysis was limited to suspected and confirmed cases of Covid with a disease that lasted more than 28 days and started before June. This would allow an examination of the symptoms for an average duration of six months, the researchers said.
A woman wearing a face mask walks on the wall of Stanley Park on January 4, 2021 in Vancouver, Canada.
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“We must not forget Long Covid,” said Dr. Gabriel Scally, president of epidemiology at the Royal Society of Medicine, via Twitter on Tuesday.
“Thousands of new cases are developing every day. Vaccination is vital, but it must be done effectively and supported by other control measures that Independent Sage has tirelessly advocated,” said Scally, a member of the scientific group that provides scientific advice. on the pandemic for the UK government and public.
The study results appear at a time when European countries are imposing strict new health measures in an effort to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
More than 85 million people worldwide contracted Covid, with 1.85 million deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.