As a first step in the largest vaccination campaign in Argentina’s history, front-line health workers receive the Russian Sputnik V vaccine against coronavirus.
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LONDON – The world’s largest “long Covid” study to date has found that many of those suffering from ongoing illnesses after Covid-19 infection are unable to return to work at full capacity six months later.
The term “long covid” refers to patients who suffer from prolonged illness after initially contracting the virus, with symptoms that include shortness of breath, migraines, and chronic fatigue.
Public discourse on the pandemic has largely tended to focus on those with a serious or fatal illness, with ongoing medical problems, either underestimated or misunderstood. However, recent studies have shown that an increasing number of patients with Covid experience persistent symptoms, and some patients refer to themselves as “long carriers.”
A preliminary study published Tuesday in MedRxiv is believed to represent the largest collection of symptoms identified in the long Covid population to date.
In the study, which was not reviewed by experts, researchers surveyed 3,762 people between the ages of 18 and 80 from 56 countries to identify symptoms and other problems arising from the long Covid.
It recorded 205 symptoms in 10 organ systems, with 66 symptoms traced over seven months. On average, respondents experienced symptoms of nine organ systems.
What were the results of the study?
The most common symptoms experienced after six months were: fatigue, fatigue after exercise, and cognitive dysfunction, sometimes called brain fog.
Respondents with symptoms over six months experienced an average of 13.8 symptoms in the seventh month, according to the study by members of Patient Led Research for COVID-19, a self-organized group of long-term Covid patients who are also researchers.
More than 45% of respondents reported that they needed reduced working hours compared to pre-illness and 22.3% said they did not work at the time of the survey due to their health status. Nearly 86% experienced relapses, with exercise, physical or mental activity, and stress identified as major triggers.
The analysis was limited to suspected and confirmed cases of Covid with illness of more than 28 days and onset before June. The researchers said this would allow them to examine the symptoms for an average of six months.
A woman in a protective mask walks across Stanley Park Dam on January 4, 2021 in Vancouver, Canada.
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“We must not forget Long Covid,” Dr. Gabriel Scally, president of epidemiology at the Royal Society of Medicine, said Tuesday.
“Thousands of new cases develop every day. Vaccination is vital, but it needs to be done effectively and supported by other control measures that Independent Sage has tirelessly advocated,” said Scally, a member of the scientific group that provides scientific advice. about the pandemic. the government and the public of the United Kingdom.
The results of the study occur when countries across Europe impose strict health measures to try to curb the spread of coronavirus.
More than 85 million people worldwide have contracted Covid, with 1.85 million dead, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University.