Carla was worried. Lately, her aunt had been complaining about headaches, heart palpitations, feeling extremely tired and having trouble concentrating. At first, Carla suspected that Aunty Jean was depressed after losing her brother and nephew to COVID-19. However, after two months and several tests later, Aunty Jean’s doctors still could not explain what was wrong.
Carla stared out the window. Aunty Jean was vaccinated, but was it possible that she had contracted the virus and was suffering long term effects? Carla decided to call her cousin who was a doctor to talk about how they could help aunty.
What is Post COVID-19 condition?
Carla’s cousin explained that the World Health Organisation now uses the term Post COVID-19 to describe the condition popularly known as “Long COVID”. Someone with Post COVID-19 experiences symptoms even after recovering from COVID-19 and, like aunty, their symptoms cannot be explained by any other diagnosis. Some people who had mild cases of COVID-19 still end up with symptoms of post-COVID condition.
The long-term effects can be physical, emotional or neurological, that is, affecting the brain. Studies have found that older persons like aunty should ensure they are fully vaccinated and, if agreed to by their physician, they should receive additional vaccine shots. Researchers recently discovered that ‘breakthrough cases’ (fully vaccinated people who contract the virus) are less likely to lead to long-haul COVID-19.
Carla hung up the phone and thought about all the information her cousin had shared. She knew what she had to do. She dialled Aunty Jean’s number. “Aunty Jean? Let’s talk about all these pains you are getting. And I think we need to discuss going to the health centre for an additional dose of the vaccine!”
Vaccinate today....live tomorrow!
Did you know?
- Globally, there are dozens of reported symptoms of Post COVID-19. These include fatigue, chest pains, dizziness, muscle pain, heart palpitations, anxiety, depression, loss of memory and brain fog.
- Medical experts advise more exercise, sleep and relaxation techniques to combat long-term effects of COVID-19 and improve quality of life. However, specific goals should be set. So it is better to say, “I will do at least 20 minutes of exercise every day,” rather than “I need to exercise more.”
- Research led by King's College, London suggests that being fully vaccinated against Covid-19 not only cuts the risk of catching it, but also of an infection turning into post-COVID condition.
Choose the facts. Choose life.