Over 100 million have had Long COVID – study

US,SWEDEN,JAPAN,GERMANY, HUNGARY: More than 40% of COVID-19 survivors across the world have or had long-term effects after recovering, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Michigan.

Based on the number of infections reported globally by mid-October, that means more than 100 million people have experienced lingering health concerns or are still reporting problems following a COVID infection.

“The health effects of COVID-19 appear to be prolonged and can exert marked stress on the healthcare system,” the researchers wrote.

The research team reviewed 40 studies from 17 countries that looked at patients’ experiences with long COVID, which includes new or persistent symptoms that occur 4 or more weeks after infection. The studies included more than 886,000 patients who tested positive for COVID-19. Overall, the research team found that global prevalence of long COVID was about 43%. Among patients who needed hospitalization, the prevalence increased to 57%.

The rate was 49% among women and 37% among men, the researchers found. The rate also varied by location, with the highest reported in Asia at 49%. Europe and North America followed behind at 44% and 30%, respectively.

Based on a World Health Organization estimate of 237 million worldwide COVID-19 infections in mid-October, , more than 100 million people still experience or previously had long-term health consequences from the coronavirus, the researchers calculated.

The most common symptom was fatigue, which affected about 23% of people with lingering issues. Other symptoms, such as shortness of breath, insomnia, joint pain and memory problems, were reported by 13% of people.

Meanwhile, Starting from December 1, people across Sweden will be required to show proof of vaccination to attend large indoor events with 100 people or more as part of the government’s efforts to stop the further spread of COVID-19. “The increasing spread of infections in Europe is the reason why the Public Health Agency now wants to introduce the use of vaccination certificates,” the country’s Public Health Agency Director General Karin Tegmark Wisell said at a press conference. Event organisers can opt out from this rule but will then have to introduce other measures to ensure that unvaccinated individuals are not infected.

A total of 7.29 million individuals, or 85.3 per cent of the population aged 16 and over, have received at least one vaccine dose, while 81.7 per cent have been fully vaccinated.

Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic created more long-term unemployment in Japan, despite the country’s overall jobless number seeing a decline from July to September, local media reported on Thursday citing government data.

The Internal Affairs Ministry said that the monthly average number of people without work for more than 12 months was around 660,000 from July to September, increasing by 180,000 from the same period last year, reports Xinhua news agency.

The monthly average number of unemployed people for any length of time decreased by 110,000 to 1.91 million.

– NEW INDIAN EXPRESS,IANS, HINDUSTAN TIMES