Premium| Listen to this article |
Sounding an alarm regarding Long COVID, World Health Organisation (WHO) officials said that the long-term effects of the virus can be critical, affecting every part of your body. The symptoms can range from shortness of breath to heart diseases, and yet a lot more is still unknown. And, speaking on chances of suffering from long COVID after Omicron, the UN health agency noted that the possibility is high (as compared to other variants), still more study is needed on that.
Since we don't know the full picture yet, it is another reason why we should focus on reducing transmission. It (prevent getting infected) is better in terms of any effect, short-term and long-term, officials asserted. Check here all that WHO said on long COVID.
Long COVID is usually diagnosed many weeks after a bout with COVID-19. Any long-lasting effects typically appear about 90 days after symptoms of the initial infection go away, WHO's Maria Van Kerkhove said.
The long-term effects could be a few weeks, they could be a few months, they could be a few years. We don’t know what that is yet.
Omicron has only really been circulating for a short amount of time. So it may be a little early to state.
“There really isn’t any indication to suggest that we would see a difference in the percentage of people that may suffer from long COVID but we don’t have a full understanding of long COVID yet," Van Kerkhove stated.
Noting the severity of the long term effects of the virus, Van Kerkhove explained, it affects all organs of the body, different organs of the body, not all organs at the same time, and ranges in severity from people not being able to catch their breath, not able to exercise anymore.
Some studies have also pointed out the risk of heart disease as a symptom of post COVID symptoms.
When people talk about COVID, they think of it as an upper respiratory disease, but it is more of a systemic disease
Literally, it was affecting every part of the cardiovascular system one year down and later, said WHO official Dr. Abdi Mahamud.
“The risk and complication from COVID, when we see it is not as a respiratory pathogen. Of course, that’s the way of entry, but it’s affecting every part of your body because of the vessels. It can cause vasculitis."
Noting that a lot more study is needed on the topic of long COVID, WHO officials concluded, “we need good research on this. We need good care, clinical care of dealing with the short-term and the long-term effects and we need to make sure that there is good rehab."
Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!!