An Australian health agency made a surprising statement, saying there’s no such thing as ‘long COVID’, NY Post reported.
They argue that using this term causes unnecessary fear. They suggest that symptoms reported by those with ‘long COVID’ aren’t different from regular viral infections like the flu, and they suggest getting rid of the term altogether.
Experts from health agency recommend abandoning ‘long COVID’ term to reduce unnecessary anxiety
“We believe it is time to stop using terms like ‘long COVID,’” said Dr. John Gerrard, Queensland’s chief health officer, who headed the newly released study. “They wrongly imply there is something unique and exceptional about longer-term symptoms associated with this virus,” he explained.
“This terminology can cause unnecessary fear, and in some cases, hyper-vigilance to longer symptoms that can impede recovery,” Gerrard warned.
Australian medical researchers supported by the government suggest we should stop using a phrase that causes fear. This phrase gained popularity when many people tested positive for COVID-19. It leads to an increase in mild symptoms known as “virus fatigue symptoms.” These symptoms would typically go unnoticed, South West News Service reported.
Researchers from Queensland Health conducted a survey involving 5,112 individuals aged 18 and above who experienced symptoms. These symptoms included fatigue, brain fog, cough, shortness of breath, changes in smell and taste, dizziness, and rapid or irregular heartbeat.
The subjects were selected from a group of Australians who had undergone COVID-19 testing, whether positive or negative, in late spring 2022. A year later, researchers interviewed them about their symptoms and overall quality of life.
Study reveals post-COVID symptoms comparable to other viral illnesses
In spring 2023, sixteen percent of the surveyed individuals reported experiencing symptoms. While 3.6 percent indicated experiencing “moderate-to-severe functional impairment” in their daily lives.
“In health systems with highly vaccinated populations, long COVID may have appeared to be a distinct and severe illness because of high volumes of COVID-19 cases during the pandemic,” Gerrard said. “However, we found that the rates of ongoing symptoms and functional impairment are indistinguishable from other post-viral illnesses,” he continued.
“These findings underscore the importance of comparing post-COVID-19 outcomes with those following other respiratory infections, and of further research into post-viral syndromes.”
There was no evidence suggesting that adults who tested positive for COVID-19 in 2022 experienced a higher rate of increased impairment compared to those who tested negative or had the flu. The study highlighted lower rates of diagnosed “long COVID” in Australia compared to other countries, attributed to strict government restrictions during the pandemic.
The final report is scheduled to be presented at the 2024 European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases in Barcelona next month.
