With fully vaccinated people having been saved (for the most part) from the severe illness and death of the Covid-19 virus, scientists are now identifying an array of less serious, but potentially debilitating chronic long-term symptoms of the Covid-19 disease. Now responsible for more than 80% of our country’s rapidly growing caseload of the viral scourge, the Delta variant or mutation is spreading even amongst our largely unvaccinated youth. The new scientific term “Long Covid” refers to symptoms that last for weeks or months beyond infection. According to experts, “[Long Covid] affects between 10% and 30% of people who catch the virus, including those with mild or asymptomatic (no symptoms) infections. In some cases, symptoms persist for more than a year.”
Danny Altmann, professor of immunology at Imperial College in London states, “In terms of healthcare burden or healthcare cost, we’re on track for this [Long Covid] being as big a problem to us as rheumatoid arthritis, the biggest autoimmune disease in the world.”
With many Americans remaining unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated, and with states relaxing Covid restrictions, tens of thousands of new cases of Long Covid are developing. Large sums of money are being poured into research labs such as America’s The National Institutes of Health who is receiving $1.15 billion over four years for investigatory work. Scientists at the University College /London, receiving $54 million in funding, recently identified 200 varying possible symptoms such as memory loss, visual hallucinations, and heart palpitations.
However, certain symptoms do show up repeatedly. A large study performed by researchers at the Imperial College concluded a majority had fatigue as their dominant symptom. This Covid report also listed muscle aches, difficulty sleeping, and shortness of breath. A smaller group of patients revealed predominantly respiratory difficulties that included shortness of breath and chest pain or tightness. Still other studies have indicated cognitive issues or “brain fog.” Although severe infection has led more likely to Long Covid, even large numbers of those having had mild cases of Covid have suffered from persistent symptoms.
Long Covid has alarmingly struck the young, aged 18 to 24, with about 30% who had knowingly caught Covid-19 now reporting at least one symptom lasting at least 12 weeks. Researchers are now undertaking large studies to check out the possibility of several overlapping conditions with different causes. Leading theories here are that the virus triggers a kind of autoimmune condition that might lead to lasting physical damage to various organs. It is thought then that the virus stays in the body long after infection is caused.
Leading the way, the U.K. is beginning clinical trials to discover whether anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin, antihistamines, and gout-treatment meds, could help. Hospitals, across the Atlantic and here in the U.S., are dedicating clinics to provide people with coping skills.
Louise King, a University of North Carolina medical director at a Covid recovery clinic, explains, “I often tell patients there’s not a magic bullet that’s going to cure them. We just don’t know (now) that much about it.”
