Data suggests women are more likely to get long Covid-19 effects than men
(Picture: PA Wire)“Immediate and sustained action” is needed to help sufferers deal with the effects of long Covid, the director general of the World Health Organisation has said.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said the impact of the virus is still “devastating peoples’ lives and livelihoods” almost three years after the outbreak.
Tens of millions have contracted long Covid, and about 15 per cent of those diagnosed with the condition have experienced symptoms for at least 12 months, he wrote in the Guardian on Wednesday.
“It’s very clear that the condition is devastating people’s lives and livelihoods,” Dr Ghebreyesus wrote.
“It’s added a significant burden to health workers and the health system overall, which is still dealing with additional waves of infection and the knock-on backlog of essential medical services that have been severely disrupted.”
He added: “While the pandemic has changed dramatically due to the introduction of many life saving tools, and there is light at the end of the tunnel, the impact of long Covid for all countries is very serious and needs immediate and sustained action equivalent to its scale.”
Anyone can contract long Covid, but data has suggested women are twice as likely as men and those hospitalised with severe Covid are more likely to develop the condition.
On Monday, television presenter Kate Garraway took to Instagram to share how her husband Derek Draper was still needing care around the clock at home after being diagnosed in 2020.
Plan
“The world has already lost a significant number of the workforce to illness, death, fatigue, unplanned retirement due to an increase in long-term disability, which not only impacts the health system, but is a hit to the overarching economy,” Dr Ghebreyesus said.
He used the article to map out his five-point plan to improve the situation. This included: listening to patient groups; reducing worldwide vaccine uptake inequality; obtaining systematic data collection from long Covid sufferers; investment to progress scientific understanding of the nature of Covid; and integrating multi-disciplinary care into health systems.
He added: “I urge all leaders to seriously ramp up support so that we can minimise the suffering and improve the health of those affected so they can return to living their fullest lives.
“This plan should encompass providing immediate access to antivirals to patients at high risk of serious disease, investing in research and sharing new tools and knowledge as they’re identified to prevent, detect and treat patients more effectively. It also means supporting patients' physical and mental health as well as providing financial support.”
