With the Covid-19 pandemic continuing for over a year and a half, the number of patients reporting “long Covid” symptoms that linger even after recovery from Covid-19 infection is rising.
Long Covid, also known as post-Covid-19 fatigue syndrome, refers to a case where related symptoms persist for more than 12 weeks after infection. Covid-19 patients tend to experience extreme fatigue, chest pain, reduced memory and concentration, and joint pain for four weeks to over half a year.
The number of chronic Covid-19 patients is likely to increase, along with the prolonged pandemic, observers said. However, researchers have yet to identify a mechanism or symptoms clearly to define chronic Covid-19 symptoms. Still, a series of studies showed that about 5 to 30 percent of Covid-19 patients could suffer chronic Covid-19 symptoms.
Experts raised concerns that a wide spread of long Covid could be a new burden on the healthcare system in the post-Covid-19 era.
The U.K. Office for National Statistics (ONS) recently said 6.2 percent of the British adult population, or 3.2 million people, are suffering from long Covid.
Thirty percent of them experienced moderate to severe depressive symptoms, and 39 percent experienced reduced ability to exercise.
ONS said the younger population under the age of 50 had a higher risk of long Covid.
According to a study released on June 24 by Imperial College London, at least 2 million British people were suffering from lingering effects of Covid-19.
Among Covid-19 patients, 37.7 percent reported extreme fatigue and difficulty breathing for more than 12 weeks.
A joint research team of Imperial College London and Cambridge University conducted a cognitive ability test on 81,337 people, including 12,689 who recovered from Covid-19 over the past year and published the Lancet’s online journal results EClinicalMedicine.
In the test, those with a history of Covid-19 infection had markedly low scores in reasoning or problem-solving. The severe the symptoms were, the more the cognitive function declined. Patients who relied on ventilators during hospitalization had a 7-point drop in IQ.
These results accord with reports of long Covid where “brain fog,” trouble concentrating, and difficulty finding the correct words are common, the research team said.
Adam Hampshire, the corresponding author and a professor of Imperial College London, said long Covid could pose a new threat.
He said if the Covid-19 pandemic continues for a long time without clear identification of the mechanism of long Covid or symptoms, it will increase the burden on the healthcare system.
With heightened concerns over long Covid, the U.K. government started a 19.6 million pounds ($27.3 million) worth project to study long Covid at the National Institute for Health Research.
The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in the U.S. has also begun a study on long Covid for 25,000 patients worldwide.
Priya Duggal, a professor of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said on July 14 that 30 percent of Covid-19 patients around the world were suffering from related symptoms after one to three months following the Covid-19 infection.
“At least 5 percent of Covid-19 patients seem to progress into chronic Covid-19 symptoms such as shortness of breath, cognitive decline, or worsening mental health,” Duggal said. “There are patients who still have symptoms six months after Covid-19 infection. With prolonged Covid-19, some symptoms continue for over a year.”
The best option, for now, is to reduce Covid-19 infection risks by vaccination, he emphasized.