Brussels, Belgium: The World Health Organization (WHO) recently performed modelling that demonstrated a large rise in the number of people in Europe who are currently suffering from or have previously had long-term COVID, with millions more anticipated to do so for years.
Science is continually learning more about the effects that Covid-19 may have on a person’s body, and more and more is understood about long Covid, which causes symptoms to appear months after the initial infection. According to recent data, the WHO European Region had at least 17 million cases of long-covid in the first two years of the outbreak.
Along with this, the 72nd WHO Regional Committee for Europe, which is taking place in Tel Aviv, Israel, was addressed by Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe.
A “staggering” 307% rise in new long Covid cases was found between 2020 and 2021 throughout the 53 Member States of the World Health Organisation European Region, according to modelling based on data acquired by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington.
According to Belgian research from earlier this year, the most frequent symptom described by individuals who had one or more symptoms six months after contracting Covid-19 was lethargy or exhaustion.
According to the modelling, the majority of patients had shortness of breath, weariness, physical discomfort, emotional fluctuations, and cognitive issues. Additionally, it was discovered that women are twice as likely as men to have prolonged COVID.
While the majority of those who contract the virus recover completely, it’s thought that 10–20% of patients experience a range of short-, mid-, and long-term side effects. Despite this large number, the WHO reports that many nations are failing to treat the issue seriously by investing immediately in research, recovery, and rehabilitation.