In a paper published in the Lancet, Aranka Ballering and colleagues at the Lifelines Corona Research Initiative report an effort to discover the nature and prevalence of post-Covid conditions based on a large population sample. The report corrects for those who had certain symptoms before contracting the virus, as well as for disease dynamics in the general population. This helped them limit the actual damage caused by the pandemic. They found that post-Covid symptoms persisted in about 1 in 8 people. If true, such a figure could mean 70 million or more long-term covid sufferers worldwide based on the total of 588 million infected to date, and possibly many more. Some studies have given an even higher prevalence. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found in a recent large study that 1 in 5 adults aged 18 to 64 who had Covid, and 1 in 4 aged 65 and over, had at least one persistent health condition related to the coronavirus infection. . Another survey reported the prevalence at 43%. The study in the Netherlands was based on digital questionnaires sent to patients between March 31, 2020 and August 2, 2021 – mainly before the delta and micron waves – and recorded long-term Covid symptoms from three to five months after initial infection. The main symptoms that bothered people were chest pain, difficulty breathing, lump in the throat, pain when breathing, muscle aches, heavy arms or legs, loss of taste and smell, alternating hot and cold sensations, tingling in the extremities and general fatigue . The study found some symptoms that “did not significantly increase” in severity 90 to 150 days after infection, suggesting they may not be related to prolonged Covid: headache, itchy eyes, dizziness, back pain and nausea. Other studies have identified a broader constellation of problems among long-haul travelers that affect nearly every organ system. What the new study did not include, but remains a major complaint among long-term Covid patients, is cognitive difficulty – the so-called brain fog in the wake of Covid. A recent research project published by the Biden administration highlights that the coronavirus is real, but the impact is not yet fully understood. Illness and disability could force many people to work less or differently, affecting the economy and the workplace. the health care burdens could be enormous. long Covid could exacerbate racial, ethnic and economic disparities. The Biden plan notes: “Pandemics like influenza and polio have resulted in long-term effects that persist for decades.” This pandemic will do the same. The challenge will be how we deal with it for years to come.
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