There is no such thing as ‘long COVID’, health agency says in shock: ‘Unnecessary fear’ | Top Vip News

Health

By David Landsel

Follow the science, from the beginning.

The term “long COVID” should be thrown out like a pile of expired N95 masks, according to health experts in one country, who found that the symptoms of those supposedly suffering a year later were no different from those of the typical virus, such as the flu.

Government-backed Australian medical researchers say it’s time to stop using the fear-inducing phrase, which became popular after large numbers of people testing positive for COVID-19 led to an increase in “viral fatigue symptoms.” ”, generally not serious, which have typically gone unnoticed, South West News Service reported.

“We think it’s time to stop using terms like ‘long COVID,'” said Dr. John Gerrard, Queensland’s chief health officer, who oversaw the newly released study.

“They wrongly imply that there is something unique and exceptional about the long-term symptoms associated with this virus,” he explained.

“This terminology can cause unnecessary fear and, in some cases, hypervigilance to longer-term symptoms that can impede recovery,” Gerrard warned.

Queensland Health researchers surveyed 5,112 people aged 18 and over who were suffering from symptoms to reach their conclusion.

Reported symptoms included fatigue, brain fog, cough, difficulty breathing, changes in smell and taste, dizziness, and fast or irregular heartbeat.

The researchers selected their subjects from a group of sick Australians who had been tested for COVID-19 (with positive and negative results) in late spring 2022, and a year later they questioned them about their symptoms and quality of life. .

Sixteen percent of respondents said they were experiencing symptoms in spring 2023, while 3.6 percent reported “moderate to severe functional impairment” in their daily life.

No evidence was found that adults who tested positive in 2022 were experiencing this higher level of deterioration at a higher rate than those who tested negative or those who simply had the flu.

The study noted that “long COVID” diagnosis rates were lower than in other countries, due to strict restrictions imposed by the Australian government during the pandemic.

The finished paper will be presented next month at the 2024 European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases in Barcelona.

“In health systems with highly vaccinated populations, long COVID may have appeared to be a distinct and serious illness due to the high volumes of COVID-19 cases during the pandemic,” Gerrard said.

“However, we found that rates of ongoing symptoms and functional decline are indistinguishable from other post-viral illnesses,” he continued.

“These findings underscore the importance of comparing post-COVID-19 outcomes with those of other respiratory infections and conducting further research on post-viral syndromes.”