A strange phenomenon has happened to many people who’ve recovered from COVID. What may have been a mild infection is just not going away (BMJ, 2020).
Many people are suffering from a profound fatigue, shortness of breath, or maybe a cough that just won’t subside. The list of post COVID symptoms is as long as it is worrying, to those that have it (BMJ, 2020).
Although this is not everyone’s experience, it’s important to acknowledge that it’s a real thing that affects many people across age, gender and economic circumstances.
What Is Long COVID?
Post COVID-19 conditions happen in individuals with a history of probable or confirmed COVID-19 infection, usually 3 months from the start of COVID-19 with symptoms that last for at least 2 months and cannot be explained by another diagnosis (NICD, 2022).
How to Know If You’re At Risk For Long COVID
Tim Spector, who headed up the Covid Symptom Study, has identified six clusters of symptoms for COVID-19, a couple of which were associated with longer term symptoms. This may act as a possible way of predicting early on what might occur (BMJ, 2020).
“If you’ve got a persistent cough, hoarse voice, headache, diarrhoea, skipping meals, and shortness of breath in the first week, you are two to three times more likely to get longer term symptoms,” he said (BMJ, 2020).
How To Manage Long COVID
Alwan, an associate professor in public health, at the University of Southampton, explained that as someone with long COVID, “you learn your patterns, learn what brings on utter exhaustion or the other symptoms, and try to avoid those things” (BMJ, 2020).
Trisha Greenhalgh, a professor of primary healthcare, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, and a practising GP, has said that although many patients who are referred to long COVID clinics were slowly getting better, some were not and urgently needed referring from primary care (BMJ, 2020).
“It should be a story of gradual improvement, and if it’s not, consider [going to a doctor],” she advises (BMJ, 2020).
Like Our Articles?
If you want to read more articles like this, join our monthly newsletter! We release insider info on what the health research industry is taking a look at each month.
Your Walk-in Lab Partner
072 843 7564
Book with Epicentre
For 20 years Epicentre has been fighting South African’s infectious diseases, and now we’re taking on COVID-19! We are a company founded on a vision, ending disease in South Africa! So we believe in making an IMPACT.
We are an independent organization that is committed to creating a positive impact on health & wellness for all in South Africa. We want to close the gap between unscreened, undiagnosed, and uncontrolled HIV & COVID-19 infections as well as other chronic diseases for all South Africans.
By booking your tests with Epicentre, you are supporting a real local company that has worked for 20 years in all 9 provinces, from Pollsmoor prison to Constantia; & you’re getting a gold standard service that experts trust!
