More than 3.95 million local COVID-19 cases have been reported this year. Among them 0.25 percent developed moderate symptoms, while 0.19 percent experienced severe symptoms, but the majority — 99.56 percent — were asymptomatic or mild cases. Although most people who had COVID-19 recover fully, some experience lingering health problems after their initial symptoms end, a condition that is commonly known as “post-COVID-19 condition” or “long COVID.”
The WHO defines the condition as an illness in people who have had COVID-19 and experience symptoms and effects within three months of the onset of the disease that last for at least two months and cannot be otherwise explained. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC) describes it as a wide range of new, returning or ongoing health problems that people experience four or more weeks after first being infected with COVID-19.
A meta-analysis published in December last year reviewed 81 studies on the condition, showing that 32 percent of people who had COVID-19 experienced fatigue 12 or more weeks after their initial infection, and 22 percent exhibited signs of cognitive impairment. A US CDC study published in May said that one in five people aged 18 to 64 who had COVID-19 experienced at least one long COVID symptom — such as fatigue, shortness of breath, chest pain, cognitive difficulties or muscle weakness — and they were at twice the risk of developing a pulmonary embolism or respiratory conditions.
Although people who have been hospitalized for COVID-19 are at higher risk of experiencing the condition, studies have shown that people with mild infections can also develop symptoms. A study published in May by New York-based nonprofit FAIR Health, which analyzed private health insurance claims from 78,252 people diagnosed with post-COVID-19 condition between October last year and January, found that 75.8 percent had never been hospitalized for the disease.
The National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) in December last year launched a comprehensive project to provide multidisciplinary outpatient care and integrated inpatient care at 106 hospitals for people who experience symptoms within six months after an acute COVID-19 infection. Taiwan’s CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) last month said that people treated through the project reported a spectrum of symptoms, including respiratory problems, hair loss, rashes, depression, anxiety, insomnia, irregular heartbeat, chest pain, “brain fog” and other forms of neurocognitive dysfunction.
The NHIA said on Wednesday that as of Tuesday, 1,917 people had sought treatment through the project, eight of whom sought inpatient care, with people aged 31 to 40 accounting for most of the cases, followed by people aged 41 to 50. The vast majority of the cases were in Taipei and New Taipei City. That is a small proportion of the nearly 4 million cases reported this year, compared with the numbers shown in several large studies in other countries.
However, as there is no agreed upon definition for the condition, no test to diagnose it, and scientists are still trying to unravel the causes, assess its prevalence and identify effective treatments, the government should encourage and support research on the long-term effects of COVID-19. It should also collaborate with medical groups to develop clear clinical guidelines for healthcare providers and educational information for the public, and promote the NHIA project so that people know they can seek care if they develop long-term symptoms.
Healthcare providers should also be encouraged to acknowledge the condition and recognize how the persistent symptoms are affecting people’s lives. Providers should also offer comprehensive care plans to address people’s symptoms with follow-up care to improve their quality of life.
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