- So far there are 675 million cases and 6.87 million deaths from the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
- The term Long Covid is used for people who maintain symptoms more than three months after the original infection.
- Usually, people with more serious pictures of the disease develop sequelae for a longer time, although it is not a general rule.
For just over three years the world has been in the midst of a serious pandemic. Today the situation is under control in most countries, although it does not mean that the emergency is over. In fact, despite the drastic drop in infections and deaths, there is still a problem that has no explanation and it is the phenomenon known as Long Covid.
To begin with, until February 1, 2023 the World Health Organization (WHO) counts 675 million cases and 6.87 million deaths due to the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Now, mainly thanks to the vaccines developed in record time and their massive application have managed to reverse the adverse outlook. Although in the end the function of each one is not to prevent contagion but rather serious cases that can lead to tragedies.
With this in mind, one of the main current doubts is about the protection time generated by each biological. So far there are many hypotheses but no concrete answer. Although according to some specialists the same thing could happen as with influenza because its vaccine must be applied every year.
On the other hand, although the vast majority of people who have been infected have managed to recover, not all have achieved the quality of life they had before contracting the disease. For this reason the term arose Long Covid.
What does it consist of?
Roughly it is used when a patient continues with the symptoms of the disease for a period greater than three months. Until now, it is unknown why some people develop this phenomenon and others do not.
According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), long-term symptoms of Long Covid “are a wide range of new, recurring, or ongoing health problems that people experience after becoming infected with the virus. that causes COVID-19.
Since there is no clear pathology for this type of post-infectious disease as of yet, ailments may include tiredness or fatigue that interferes with daily life, difficulty thinking or concentrating, difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, and similar symptoms.
long-term sequelae
Another critical element in efforts to raise awareness is a meta-study published by the German Robert Koch Institute (RKI) and JAMA Network magazineconducted as part of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries and Risk Factors Study.
The analysis puts the overall proportion of Covid-19 survivors who have developed symptoms of Long Covid. At a general level, 6.2 percent of people maintain it after three months and only 0.9 percent after 12 months.
The study defines long covid as the appearance of symptoms from at least one of these three groups: persistent fatigue with physical pain or mood swings, cognitive problems, and persistent respiratory problems. As the RKI points out, the heterogeneity of the studies makes a conclusive assessment difficult.
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