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Long COVID Is Real And We Still Don't Know How Long The Adverse Effects Last, WHO Warns

Long COVID Is Real And We Still Don't Know How Long The Adverse Effects Last, WHO Warns
Long COVID Is Real And We Still Don't Know How Long The Adverse Effects Last, WHO Warns

Long COVID is real and can affect anyone irrespective of age, gender, etc. Here is what WHO wants you to know about the worrisome condition.

Written by Satata Karmakar |Published : August 5, 2021 1:52 PM IST

After a steep fall in the daily coronavirus cases from across the countries, numbers are again witnessing a rise from some corners of the globe. As experts predict the third wave of COVID-19 has already begun, The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that it is not just the COVID infection, but also the after-effects that recovered patients might be suffering from is 'concerning'. According to the WHO officials, nearly 200 million people have been infected by the deadly virus ever since it was first reported in Wuhan city of China. "This post-Covid syndrome, or Long Covid, is something that WHO is deeply concerned about," Maria Van Kerkhove, the UN health agency's Covid-19 technical lead, told a press conference. She further added, "We don't know for how long these effects last and we're even working on a case definition to better understand and describe what this post-Covid syndrome is."

Long-COVID: What Can One Do?

Long COVID is the term that is used to describe the condition in which a coronavirus recovered patient suffers from adverse side effects. The medical community is unclear as to why some people get long Covid and when they will fully recover from these long-term consequences of the viral infection.

Some of the symptoms of long COVID include extreme fatigue, loss of energy, difficulty in breathing since the virus damages the lungs which makes the organ weak while functioning. Others lasting symptoms of COVID-19 can be a persistent cough, acute pain in the joints, muscle aches, hearing and eyesight problems, headaches, loss of smell and taste, lung damage, heart attack, life-threatening clots, stroke as well as damage to the kidneys and gut.

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Coming to the question, what can one do to stay safe from long COVID. According to the experts, an individual must be well aware of the symptoms of the condition. Van Kerkhove said: "We advise anyone who is suffering from the long-term effects to seek help."

The novel coronavirus manifests differently in different people. While some people recover within 15 days, some may suffer the adverse side effects even after two to three months post-recovery. In an answer to a question on why some people are suffering from long COVID, the US expert said it was not yet fully understood what caused the post-viral symptoms, with various hypotheses including neurological problems, the immune response to the infection, and the virus persisting in some organs.