There is no such thing as a “long-lasting coronavirus,'' health officials say in shocking claims of “unnecessary fear.''

health

by david randoseru

Follow the science now.

The phrase “long-lived coronavirus” should be thrown aside like a pile of expired N95 masks — people reportedly still suffering a year on, according to one country's health experts. The symptoms were found to be no different from those of typical viruses. influenza.

Australian government-backed medical researchers say it's time to stop using the fear-inducing phrase. The phrase became popular after a large number of people tested positive for the coronavirus, causing a spike in normally mild symptoms of “virus fatigue.” The South West News Service reported that it was not being watched.

Dr John Gerrard, Queensland's chief health officer who oversaw the newly published research, said: “We believe it is time to stop using terms like 'long-term coronavirus'.” Stated.

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

“This terminology may cause unnecessary fear and, in some cases, hypervigilance over long-term symptoms that may impede recovery,” Gerrard warned.

To reach their conclusion, Queensland Health researchers surveyed 5,112 people over the age of 18 with the condition.

Reported symptoms include fatigue, brain fog, cough, shortness of breath, changes in smell or taste, dizziness, and rapid or irregular heart rate.

Researchers sampled subjects from a population of sick Australians who received a COVID-19 test (with both positive and negative results) in late spring 2022, and examined symptoms and quality of life a year later. I asked about.

16% of respondents said they experienced symptoms in the spring of 2023, and 3.6% reported “moderate to severe impairment” in daily life.

We found no evidence that adults who tested positive in 2022 experienced this increased level of disability at a higher rate than adults who tested negative or who simply had the flu.

The study noted that due to the severe restrictions imposed by the Australian government during the pandemic, the rate of diagnosed “long-term coronavirus” was lower than in other countries.

The completed document will be presented next month at the 2024 European Conference on Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases in Barcelona.

“The high number of COVID-19 cases during the pandemic in health systems with highly vaccinated populations makes long-term COVID-19 look like a uniquely severe disease. “It could have been,” Gerrard said.

“However, we found that the rates of ongoing symptoms and impairment were indistinguishable from other post-viral illnesses,” he continued.

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